This idea that JFK's murder shattered liberalism by "by compromising the faith of liberals in the future [and] by undermining their confidence in the nation" is very peculiar. It's peculiar not only because Lyndon Johnson rapidly galvanized liberals behind cherished -- and previously unattainable -- goals like the Civil Rights Act and Medicare, but because RFK was a liberal icon in a way his brother never could be. His assassination still resonates with every older liberal I know. That's where the movement's dreams were lost. JFK's death was, in contrast, a national tragedy, not a tragedy local to a particular party or creed.
