June 11, 2023

Cheryl Hines, the wife of RFK Jr., "has done hundreds of interviews throughout her career, and as a seasoned improv actress, is known to be quick on her feet."

"She cut her teeth in the Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based improv troupe; 'Curb' is outlined but unscripted. In some ways, answering questions from a stranger is just another form of: 'Yes, and.' With improv, 'it’s challenging because you don’t know what’s coming next. You don’t know what the audience is going to shout out,' she said. '"Where are these two people?" "They’re scooping poop in the lion’s den at the zoo!" Lights go down. Lights go up. You have to commit 100 percent... or it’s not funny or interesting.' But here’s a scenario... You are beloved by fans and peers, and have managed to steer clear of controversy your entire career, but fall in love with a man who touches it off regularly with his often outlandish claims — a man who was kicked off Instagram along with his anti-vaccine nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, for spreading misinformation during the pandemic.... Who just this week suggested 'S.S.R.I.s and benzos and other drugs' might be responsible for America’s school-shooting problem...."

Is it really that different from what any other political spouse must do? Seems to me, she's better prepared than most and less likely to try to use drugs as the solution.

45 comments:

gilbar said...

Who just this week suggested 'S.S.R.I.s and benzos and other drugs' might be responsible for America’s school-shooting problem...."

AREN'T They? who was the school shooter, that was NOT on prescription meds?

MayBee said...

S.S.R.I.s and benzos and other drugs' might be responsible for America’s school-shooting problem...."

Are we supposed to just *know* this is a terrible thing to say?

What next? He'll say something like opioids are, in fact, addictive?

Brian McKim and/or Traci Skene said...

Even with 100% commitment improv isn't "funny or interesting."

Did the NYT just cite "dangerous ideas?"

Bob Boyd said...

Nice little career your wife has had there. Be a shame if something happened to it.
If you oppose the regime, they will go after your family, they will go after your friends. They will make example of all of them.

hpudding said...

What a shame that a guy as great as his dad leaves this pipsqueak as his legacy. The damage control needs he sows politically are greater than Cheryl Hines or any spouse can succeed with. And he’s actually interesting to listen to in an interview with political foes. Maybe the right-wingers like him for whatever reasons their Q Anons want JFK Jr in office. In any event, I’d like to think he didn’t get the crackpot genes from his dad, but it’s hard to see what Ethel could have brought to the table. I’m guessing it’s all the Kennedys who drank themselves into an oblivion that whipped him up into his stupid fixation on pharmaceutical companies as the root of all evil. If that’s the worst of it his political “cross-over appeal” might have worked. But there’s no way that voice will get him near the finish line.

baghdadbob said...

"his often dangerous ideas..."

heh, heh.

Nice try NYT.

Kate said...

The Tablet interview with RFKJ covered this. If Cheryl thinks he's gone too far (the example was his Holocaust comment) he will apologize publicly. She's a social touchstone for him.

You never know, though. The Left might cancel her anyway.

Political Junkie said...

I did not realize they were married.
I notice she says a politician should not be involved with decisions regarding her body.
Everyone on this site knows with a few questions that statement falls apart.

Political Junkie said...

At least the article uses the word normalize.
So much has been normalized that is not normal.
Oh well.

hombre said...

"... often dangerous ideas."

Is this an editorial or just the NYT again thinking for the pinheads in its bubble.

Lilly, a dog said...

It's a typo, don't you see?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1nHVU1Qe4I

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Isn’t it sexist to expect the wife of a politician to stand by her man?

I thought that was well… womansplained by Hillary in an interview for 60 minutes.

wild chicken said...

Geez I agree with him on some things and not at all on others...what a shame because I think some of these sacred accepted practices need to be questioned.

Tom T. said...

At this point, we have 20 years of data showing that the rate of autism hasn't changed since the removal of thimerosal from vaccines. Even if you're not inclined to say that he's crazy, he was certainly wrong and hasn't admitted it. Against that backdrop, there's no reason to think that his empty speculation about benzos and SSRIs should be given any credence.

robother said...

Normalizing RFK Jr.'s "dangerous ideas," such as replacing Biden as the Democrat nominee? The NYT must signal to Cheryl to get that out of his head.

Temujin said...

I stop at this line: :"for spreading misinformation during the pandemic...."

What the NY Times is calling misinformation turned out to be exactly true.
What the NY Times was a mouthpiece for then...and now, is literally the definition of misinformation.

MadisonMan said...

The Times writes as if the President does things. Biden is not in charge. Who cares what dangerous ideas he holds?

Jupiter said...

Here is the proof.

Mountain Maven said...

Paywalled. She married a twice divorce Kennedy. Did she not expect chaos?
OTOH I saw a clip of Casey DeSantis, very impressive. Deep, passionate, articulate, she will be a big part of his campaign.

JAORE said...

C'mon, man.

It seems clear why the knives are already out for him.

He polls enough to siphon some money and votes from Biden. Worse the Democrats will not want RFK Jr if Biden is unable. Just like Bernie was too scary to be the lead horse, whomever replaces the walking corpse will need to be more in lock step.

jim said...

Is she plastic?

Karlito2000 said...

Tome T said: At this point, we have 20 years of data showing that the rate of autism hasn't changed since the removal of thimerosal from vaccines.

The CDC would like to have a word with you

https://www.autismspeaks.org/press-release/cdc-estimate-autism-prevalence-increases-nearly-10-percent-1-54-children-us

hpudding said...

Well, we know Casey DeSanctimonious passed Ron’s test of screening potential dates by asking them if they liked “thigh” (not Thai) food and making sure they wouldn’t correct him. So I guess she’s got that going for her,

Chris Christie will politely remind everyone that Trump put him in the ICU and the others will nip at his heels, and Wall Street Ron will never break the 30% threshold of Republicans silly enough to believe that Florida book bans are really great ways to win national elections. Ideally Trump will don the orange jumpsuit while he debates Biden but his satellite hookup from prison will result in transmission delays/issues that more than compensate for Biden’s speaking deficits.

Kevin said...

'S.S.R.I.s and benzos and other drugs' might be responsible for America’s school-shooting problem...."

I can see why they need to keep this guy off the debate stage.

People might get to thinking.

hpudding said...

RFK junior has never healed anyone who was ill or prevented illness in anyone, but the anti-vaxxers see that as a medical credential. Then there are those on the hard-core right who see his inability to ever admit error or retract a huge mistake as a political and personal virtue.

This combines to give him an automatic 40% built-in base of overall support in a general election.

If his vocal cords could open properly and allow actual speech-like sounds to project from his mouth that would probably add another 5%. He is talented at weaving together grievances from both sides of the aisle and can do so in both interesting and plausible ways as well as total crackpot ways.

He’s a true American original.

Richard said...

The enemy of my enemy is the enemy of my enemy. He is not my friend. Just because RFK, Jr. is against some policies that you are also against, does not make him a rational individual. He was a loon before Covid-19 and he is still a loon. Be careful of what you wish for. You would not be happy with the policies of an RFK, J. administration.

Dave Begley said...

Temujin beat me to it.

Try as hard at is will, at least 20-30% of Dem voters in IA and NH will vote for Bobby.

But Bobby needs to show up in Iowa.

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

Kitty Dukakis. She wrote a book after Michael was defeated. I didn't read the book but one reviewer, who supported Michael's politics, said it was a good thing he wasn't elected. Kitty's book makes clear that she really had severe mental health and addiction issues, and Michael had hidden these for the sake of his career. If he were President, this would all have been a pretty big, time-consuming secret.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Dangerous Ideas? From the NYT?
Pretty low bar.

boatbuilder said...

"...dangerous ideas..."

The NYT has lost whatever smidgen of shame it might have had left.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

"spreading misinformation" = anything that goes against leftist narratives ordained by The Party(D) and the Party media(D)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It’s possible that vaccines have created unforeseen problems in children. That’s true of every drug. Medical science is more of an art than a verified science.

The reason why we don’t know if vaccines are creating more problems than they are said to mitigate is that there’s no incentive in finding out for sure, wether the benefits outweigh the good. There’s more insensitive in continuing blindly.

The system is corrupt.

The idea of doing the right thing while no one is looking is imperceptibly but surely receding further away from us.

Tom T. said...

As Karlito2000 points out, the evidence against RFKJ's thimerosal idea is even stronger than I realized.

William said...

He's probably wrong about a lot of things, but he presents his arguments in a coherent and personable way. That's a step up from Biden. It's probable that he's wrong about less things than Biden but it's very difficult to understand anything that Biden says...I don't have any trouble curbing my enthusiasm for either of their wives, but she's definitely several steps up from Jill. Maybe she can get a gig on SNL. SNL has already produced a Senator. Why not a First Lady. I bet she could do a killer impression of Jill....FEC rules prohibit SNL from making fun of anyone except Donald Trump and his family, but maybe she can get a waiver.

Butkus51 said...

NYT, still covering the news so it never sees the light of day.

n.n said...

ChatNYT is normalizing pride and prejudice without borders.

MalaiseLongue said...

Interesting discussion yesterday on Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying's "Dark Horse" podcast.

Weinstein characterizes Trump and the most recent indictment as "the case that diagnoses the system" (a.k.a. the Deep State--my phrase, not his).

His hypothesis is that the DNC is terrified of Trump but even more terrified of RFK Jr., hence last week's indictment,* calculated to make Trump a sympathetic martyr and hand him the GOP nomination, a strategy based on the assumption that Trump cannot be re-elected (I agree, but for different reasons than Weinstein's). Both Trump and RFK Jr. are populists, Weinstein says, but Trump is the proverbial bull in the china shop, whereas RFK Jr. is articulate, thoughtful, a student of history, and knows where all the bodies are buried (so to speak, in the circumstances). Weinstein then invites the viewer/listener to consider which populist s/he wants. He and Heying have made their choice.

* Weinstein does not fail to note that this most recent indictment came mere hours after reports alleging that Joe and Hunter Biden each benefited from what appear to be $5 million bribes from the CCP. During the 2020 primaries, Weinstein repeatedly said that Joe Biden, as "an influence peddler" for many years, was utterly unsuited to be President of the United States.

Jay Vogt said...

I don't know. There's lots of show business people out there who seem pretty likable. I guess that's kind of their job. However, just on presentation, I never really liked her. Pretty much everything she said, seemed kind of smug and pressured to me.

She's probably nice as hell. It just doesn't come off that way to me.

Lars Porsena said...

Reminds me of the Hapsburgs, Bourbons, Romanovs et al where the last addled pipsqueak of the etiolated line is urged on by his consort to recapture the dynasty's glory.

walter said...

hpuddin'
Did you do the ole "mix n match" of experimental mrna jabs?
Science!!

walter said...

"The reason why we don’t know if vaccines are creating more problems than they are said to mitigate is that there’s no incentive in finding out for sure"
Another instance (like amnesty) where Reagan got rolled. VAERS was supposed to be the guardrail but it's underreported and conveniently discredited.
RFK jr is mostly about pointing out the inadequate testing while we watch childhood illnesses rapidly expand.

Clyde said...

"Spreading misinformation during the pandemic." Sounds more like Fauci, Birx, et. al. Pretty much everything the government, the media and the medical establishment told us for two years was a lie, or at the very least unsubstantiated. Kennedy may well be a wackadoodle, and he certainly is a leftist Democrat and would never get my vote. Nevertheless, those who are trying to brand him as a wackadoodle have no credibility left. None. Zero.

Tina Trent said...

If her first job involved being stabbed repeatedly with a rubber knife by total strangers while wearing a skin-colored bodysuit, for entertainment, I can neither trust her nor think she is not damaged.

Is that judgmental?

Bunkypotatohead said...

She needs to curb her enthusiasm.

gadfly said...

Cheryl Hines has a better chance of winning than Bobby and Ethel's youngest boy.