Who is Robert Taft Rumfoord from Welcome to the Monkey House and what is their importance?

Robert is the Commodore's son, and, evidently, the Commodore's main project. Robert is the speaker at the Lions Club meeting where the Commodore and the narrator meet each other. Robert is a high-achiever, but the narrator initially observes a lack of real interest or passion in his speech about "the Democratic mess in Washington and Hyannis Port." This observation is confirmed as true when Robert reveals his engagement to Sheila Kennedy, a fourth cousin of the president against whom he's been speaking. Young and in love, Robert breaks unceremoniously from his father's agenda to settle into his own life, away from politics.