PHOENIX (AP) — Impartial presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has condemned the elimination of Accomplice statues, saying he had a “visceral response towards” the destruction of monuments honoring southern leaders from the Civil Struggle.
Robert E. Lee, the highest Accomplice common, had “extraordinary qualities of management” that should be celebrated, Kennedy mentioned Friday in an interview for the Timcast IRL, which is hosted by conservative podcaster Tim Pool.
“There have been heroes within the Confederacy who didn’t have slaves,” Kennedy mentioned in response to a query concerning the monuments. “And, you recognize, I simply, I simply have a visceral response to this destroying historical past. I don’t prefer it. I believe we must always rejoice who we’re. And that, you recognize, we must always rejoice the nice qualities of everyone.”
Celebrating solely individuals who had been “utterly virtuous” would imply erasing all of historical past, Kennedy mentioned.
The remark is one other controversial pronouncement from the previous Democrat, who’s waging an uphill battle to turn out to be the primary individual since George Washington to be elected president with out a political get together affiliation.
Kennedy, who’s attempting to sew collectively a coalition of People disaffected with each main events, has promoted himself as a fierce advocate free of charge speech who’s keen to take controversial stands. Allies of each Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively, view Kennedy with trepidation and fear that Kennedy will earn sufficient assist to tilt the election.
Activists have pushed for years to take away monuments and rename buildings that honor leaders of the Confederacy, calling them symbols of racism.
“We want to have the ability to be refined sufficient to dwell with, you recognize, our ancestors who didn’t agree with us on the whole lot and who did issues that are actually considered immoral or fallacious, as a result of they, you recognize, possibly they’d different qualities,” Kennedy mentioned.
