RFK Jr. for President?

Fred Litwin
Jul 8, 2023
2 min read

Two good overviews of RFK Jr.

Here is the f irst by Benjamin Kerstein:

One can go on endlessly about the power of demagoguery in the internet age, the rise of celebrity to the commanding heights of American politics, the degradation of the public discourse through social media, the perennial popularity of conspiracy theories, and so on, but one thing seems clear about RFK Jr.’s candidacy: It is profoundly, utterly, transcendently stupid. It is a stupid thing done by a stupid man backed by stupid people.

Indeed, as unquestionably evil as he may be, Donald Trump at least articulated some genuine economic grievances and discontents on behalf of his followers. RFK Jr., on the other hand, does not possess even the pretense of substance. His candidacy is idiocracy writ large, as if it existed for the sole purpose of insulting our intelligence.

And here is the second by Bonnie Greer:

Images from a Kennedy rally show posters of him as a little boy with his dad and his uncle. There are “Kennedy” badges, too, and it is all a big fat throwback to what people imagine was a golden age.

Just as there are those pseudo world war two vets who were born years after it ended who will tell you it was Britain or America’s “finest hour” – while ignoring the views of those who actually fought it and lived through it – there are Gen Xers, millennials and younger who will debate you about the glories of the Kennedy phenomenon and the “promise” of Robert Kennedy Jr.

In other words, there are people out there looking, not for answers, but for “cleansing”. Looking to be led to a “better place”, by people who are not the political usual suspects.