585 | Chris Matthews: The Politics of Authenticity and Why Robert F. Kennedy Still Matters

The Realignment

National Security, News, Technology, Economics, Politics, Public Policy, International Relations, U.s. Politics, Marshall Kosloff, News Commentary, Saager Enjeti, Policy

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chris Matthews, former host of MSNBC's Hardball (now on Substack) and author of Lessons from Bobby: Ten Reasons Robert F. Kennedy Still Matters, joins The Realignment. Marshall and Chris discuss Robert F. Kennedy's legacy after last month's 100-year centenary of his birth, what his life, career, and assassination meant for American liberalism, the politics of working-class and rural Americans, RFK's ability to surmount racial divisions, and why authenticity matters more than surface-level branding, as demonstrated by the careers of President Trump, Representative AOC, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator John Fetterman.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Marshall here. Welcome back to the realignment. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the show.
0:05.6	Last month was the 100-year centennial of the birth of Robert F. Kennedy, not the RFK Jr. in the
0:15.6	HHS secretary position, obviously, but the original RFK. And to mark the anniversary, former MSNBC host, Chris Matthews,
0:23.9	released a new book, Lessons from Bobby, 10 Reasons, 10 Reasons, Robert F. Kennedy still matters.
0:29.5	Chris has written a bunch of books on the Kennedy family, including Jack Kennedy, Elusive
0:34.5	Hero, and Robert Kennedy Raging Spirit.
0:38.3	And this book is just a really short but sweet, focused articulation of why, what he
0:44.1	brought to the table when it comes to our politics, when it comes to liberalism, and
0:48.5	frankly, a lot of the divisions in the country is just so needed right now.
0:52.6	In our conversation, we go into why I particularly resonate
0:56.0	with RFK, both the combination of his ability to change and evolve as a person, but also his
1:02.4	ability to be deeply authentic, yet unconventional. He was the last candidate to really bring
1:08.7	together the black and white working classes at a time
1:12.3	when you had political assassinations, including his own. In many ways, you could argue that the
1:17.7	Democratic Party and the Barter Liberal Project has never truly recovered from his death. Chris and I then
1:24.1	take that conversation around authenticity and change into our political
1:28.4	system today, discussing everyone from AOC and her perspective senatorial or presidential
1:34.9	campaigns to how Trump and SEC culture is spreading across the country, including his native
1:41.4	Philadelphia, and what the win in New York City for Zora Mundani means for the future of authenticity politics as well.
1:50.4	Hope you all enjoy the conversation.
1:52.8	Chris definitely has a different style than a couple of, or the majority of the rest of my guests, and I look forward to having more of them.
2:01.0	Chris Matthews, welcome to The Relignment.
	...

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