RFK a big influence on Lane County commissioner
By Tom AdamsEUGENE, Ore. - In 1968, Barack Obama was 6 years old and living in Indonesia. Hillary Clinton was a college junior in Massachusetts. John McCain was a POW in north Vietnam. And Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson was growing up in Coos Bay-North Bend. "Through most of this period, I was 16," he said. It was May 1968. The vietnam war was at its height, and in the political wars, Oregon was ground zero. Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York and Minnesota senator Gene McCarthy were criss-crossing the state hunting for votes in the Democratic primary. Kennedy arrived in Coos Bay, and Sorenson had a front row seat. "My impression was that it was a big crush of people," Sorenson said. "People just wanting to touch the guy, shake his hand." Kennedy's campaign train, dubbed the "Beaver Express," rolled through Junction City and into Eugene. Sorenson said RFK's willingness to tackle the issues blocking social progress sparked his own interest in public service. "He was completely fearless in that respect, so i think he's a great inspiration to many of us, myself included," he said. But down at the local level, even dealing with budget problems, the commissioner said he carries that Kennedy legacy of optimism. "The photographs and the imagery of that time was literally we're going to roll up our sleeves and make this a better country," Sorenson said. Sorenson said he's convinced had Robert Kennedy begun his campaign sooner and had he not been murdered, he would have been the Democratic nominee and could have been president. "Some people see things as they are and say why?" Kennedy famously said. "I dream things that never were and say, why not?" |
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