२१ एप्रिल, २०२३

RFK Jr.'s presidential announcement speech is so good, but it made me wonder why is it so hard to be this good? Why isn't this just basic competence?

Possible answer to my question: It's really not that good. It's just that old clips of Bobby and John flip an emotional switch in my head and distort my perception. 

१०५ टिप्पण्या:

R C Belaire म्हणाले...

Compared to Slow Joe's vocalizations, any speech is better.

rehajm म्हणाले...

Your nostalgia theory is true I suspect. I believe it also has to do with the idea voters don’t value competence and are easily influenced and manipulated by classic grifter/duper tools. Also- nearly all political ads are farmed out to the same company that sells a ‘proven’ formula for ad buys. It’s just easier and cost effective to not stray from that…or so campaigns believe…

RideSpaceMountain म्हणाले...

It starts with a reminder.
An image of times gone by.
Of feelings from an era,
So much like ours,
Yet so different.
What comes after the beginning?
Who cares.
Nothing else matters.
Nothing except the first image.
A screaming reminder.
Prodding you to recall,
That he is a Kennedy.

Tank म्हणाले...

Sounds like the usual platitudes. Aren't his policy positions mostly the usual lefty nonsense?

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Possible answer to my question: It's really not that good. It's just that old clips of Bobby and John flip an emotional switch in my head and distort my perception.

Ya think?!?!? The Democrat strategy since Obama was campaigning in 2008 has been to divide the electorate and set people at each other’s throats. Trans activists have particularly embraced violence and threats of violence as a political strategy, with the apparent acquiescence and support of RFKJr’s party’s leaders. So no wonder his party is on the outs with him.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Bobby win defeat Biden. Won't even be close. Biden will have to withdraw.

I'm still going with my Feinstein resigns, Harris back to the Senate and then Hillary or Michelle as VP. Maybe Pete as VP.

Hillary, Michelle or Pete will be the Dem nominee. Take it to the bank. A sure thing.

MayBee म्हणाले...

I haven't watched it yet, but my niece saw it and told me she would vote for him over Trump or Biden. And she's too young to care about the Kennedys.

Jon Craver म्हणाले...

Content was great. But his voice is way too choppy and halting.
No doubt this is due to age or a condition I'm unaware of.
But I think it would be a problem in a campaign.

Interesting how the messages of the past are bending to new forms.
JFK & RFK's retorical style and theme is alien to the modern progressive Democrats.
And Reagan's retorical style and theme is alien to modern populist Republicans.

In another 10 years, both parties will be unrecognizable from the form they held 10 years previously.

henge2243 म्हणाले...

I think it is rather that we've become used to really poor speeches, poorly written and poorly delivered. The fourth grader is a giant among toddlers, but nothing compared to adults.

Leland म्हणाले...

I watched 10 seconds, and what I came away with immediately is the same Democrat politician promises to unite that Biden gave in 2020. How is that unity coming along?

cassandra lite म्हणाले...

Leftists assassinated both brothers, and if it appears that Jr threatens Biden or whoever is chosen to replace him, the same is likely--whether literal or figurative.

Randomizer म्हणाले...

Are we talking about the same video? I watched it a second time to make sure that he announced that he was running for president. He did, toward the end, without any emphasis.

RFK Jr leaned too heavy on the nostalgia. He comes from great stock, and should use it. However, the candidate should show up first, not his dad on an old TV set. He talked more about his dad and uncle, then about what he would do as president. After watching the video twice, RFK Jr's message is some vague mentions of cleaning up government and building something.


The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

His speech is good because he didn't mention his years of crack-pot theories

Levi Starks म्हणाले...

An endless succession of beans and nuts?

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"So good"?

Lots of platitudes, lots of code words. Example: "xenophobia" wouldn't refer to resisting the invasion of illegals, would it?

But DeSantis, take note. This is what passes as good in the nice reasonable middle.

It was fun hearing RFK Sr. oppose violence and lawlessness, though. Preach it in Chicago and St. Louis and Portland and Nashville.

I knew nothing about the guy except for his anti-vaxxer reputation. Didn't realize he had such a poor speaking voice.

RideSpaceMountain म्हणाले...

"Leftists assassinated both brothers, and if it appears that Jr threatens Biden or whoever is chosen to replace him, the same is likely--whether literal or figurative."

The MIC (military industrial complex) and NIC (national intelligence complex) will not tolerate anyone that threatens their unelected dominance of the nation's political zeitgeist, or their position as true electors of candidates they deem acceptable. We've seen this for 70 years.

He'll push the boundaries, but he doesn't have the balls to rub the intelligence community's nose in shit the way JFK did to Allen Dulles. If he does wetboys will nail him slicker than snot.

Oso Negro म्हणाले...

Yes, it's in your head. But it would be great if he spends the next year denouncing the CIA for murdering his Uncle John.

Kate म्हणाले...

Very moving. The old footage packs a lot of memories. I'm curious what the younger generation thinks of it. Are they persuaded by Camelot? @MayBee gives one anecdotal "yes".

He (and Marianne) tap into a different tone than the usual Dem platitudes. Their solutions will probably end up being similar, as were some of Trump's with GOP solutions, but it's the feeling someone is authentic that matters. RFK's vax weirdness helps him.

narciso म्हणाले...

reagan was for a softer time, the beast is no longer slouching, its galloping, he wasn't for forever wars, or pelopenessian length expeditions,

narciso म्हणाले...

he put a beed on fauci, the slithy tove, his part in the national resource defense council, is not forgotten however, hes probably the sanest of the kennedys

Gusty Winds म्हणाले...

The main point to RFK Jr's announcement was taking on the merger of Corporate power and the American government. Big war, big pharma, big tech...Mussolini's definition of fascism.

He's got a lot of guts taking this on and speaking this way. It has fundamentally changed America, and corrupted our nation.

He accurately described on Tucker that we now have a socialist bailout system for the rich, and a brutal capitalism for everyone else. Funding the Ukraine proxy war, bailing out banks...while Americans absorb ridiculous inflation and keep slipping backwards.

Aggie म्हणाले...

If you suspect it's because of the visuals, then you should listen to it with sound only, and see if your perceptions are honestly any different.

I thought it was a good message, but Bobby Jr. is going to be fighting Republicans and machine Democrats, and he hasn't got a chance in hell - meaning all of the Blue Cities. It's too bad that our rotten governance has sunk this low and gotten so bad. That part of his message is spot-on - they're too powerful, inclined to all of the worst habits, and they no longer serve the people.

Dismissing RFK Jr. because of past crackpot theories while ignoring what he's done, at great personal expense, to confront and illuminate government overreach, is just bad logic in action. The people that do this are usually also the last to admit they are wrong, themselves, about anything. Even to themselves. Critical thinking means being able to reason, and to discriminate between what is worth keeping, and what should be discarded.

Limited blogger म्हणाले...

This does nothing to alter the inevitability of Biden v. Trump II.

DanTheMan म्हणाले...

>> He comes from great stock

I'm not sure that's true. Or even close to true.

The most you can say is he has a Famous Name. Which might be enough.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

It's a different act but still an act.

Kylos म्हणाले...

@Jon Craver, he has a condition called spasmodic dysphonia. Scott Adams has also dealt with it but had a surgery to address it.

Gusty Winds म्हणाले...

Whatever the womanizing flaws of JFK and RFK, I don't believe either man would have supported mRNA shots and using the American public as experimental lab rats. Nor do I think they would have pushed NATO to Russia's doorstep.

The two brothers' greatest moment was avoiding nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They backed off to same lives. Something Biden isn't interested in. According to RFK Jr, and he's probably right, Ukrainians are dying at a rate of 7 or 8 to one vs. Russians. That's what the Ukraine flag in liberal profiles is accomplishing.

We spend $100 Billion on Ukraine, and can't keep trains on railroad tracks anymore.

RFK Jr. isn't riding his Dad and Uncle's legacy. Sure it puts him in this position, but he is speaking genuinely. And he's in for a lot of attacks and an ugly fight.

Temujin म्हणाले...

A little of both, I suspect. Your longing for the old Kennedys, and his sounding like an old Liberal Democrat (before they turned complete cultists) make him sound normal. But 'normal' by today's standards is not a high bar. In some cities like Portland, Seattle, or San Francisco, it can simply mean you don't sleep in the street next to your neighbor who's shitting himself.

But...Robert Jr. does look to take on the Deep State players, much like Trump. He also calls for a more civil sense of politics, at least, something that resembles a civil society. Unlike Trump, he's a Kennedy, so he'll have more leeway before they cut him off at the knees.

A note to Dave Begley. I'm pretty sure they want Gavin Newsom in there by Joe's side, ready to step in and turn the rest of the country into San Francisco.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Jon Caver:

Kennedy has a medical condition and that's why he is hard to understand.

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

The hate and division in our culture is not a result of incompetence.

PB म्हणाले...

Talk is cheap. The Deep State won't allow this.

WK म्हणाले...

Re: Kennedy’s voice from a couple sites on the internet:
Kennedy suffers from spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder that affects the muscles in the voice box.

When a person speaks, air from the lungs is pushed between the two vocal folds, causing vibrations and, therefore, sound.

With spasmodic dysphonia, the muscles inside the folds move involuntarily and spasm, interfering with the vibrations. As a result, the voice sounds strained and shaky. It can vary from a sufferer’s voice breaking every few sentences to every word in severe cases.

BothSidesNow म्हणाले...

There is a 2006 movie called Bobby that is excellent. It focuses on one day at the Ambassador Hotel, the day RFK was killed there. It weaves the stories of several people who were staying at the hotel that day. It includes several lengthy bits of RFK's speeches. He was a remarkable speaker -- no politician since has come close. His speech in Indianapolis on the night Martin Luther King was killed has to be one of the top ten speeches in American history.
It is very short -- you can watch it on You Tube.

I know many people dislike RFK for any number of reasons, some justified. But his speeches are extraordinary.

Bobby is worth a watch. An all star cast -- Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, Demi Moore, Lindsay Lohan and more.

Amexpat म्हणाले...

...his voice is way too choppy and halting.
No doubt this is due to age or a condition I'm unaware of.
But I think it would be a problem in a campaign.


Agree. I thought he might have a shot with his heritage, anti-establishment message and going up against a feeble Biden. But even Biden's voice has more vitality than his, so no chance.

Wince म्हणाले...

That meddling kid could mess up the inner party's succession path to replace Biden!

Lars Porsena म्हणाले...

No more Kennedys, Bush's, Clintons, Cuomos

Will Cate म्हणाले...

'Memberberries'... to borrow a South Park term

GRW3 म्हणाले...

Probably, there are many Democrats who were very angry about the heavy handed nature of Biden's handling of the pandemic but could not find any way to vote for a Republican. They can vote for RFK jr.

MadTownGuy म्हणाले...

From the post:

"Possible answer to my question: It's really not that good. It's just that old clips of Bobby and John flip an emotional switch in my head and distort my perception."

At least you recognized it. How many voters will watch it and be clueless about how they're being manipulated?

MarkW म्हणाले...

I'm not old enough to remember JFK and RFK. What the speech reminds me of more than anything is Obama's similarly well-delivered, platitudinous, centrist 'Red State / Blue State' speech at the 2004 convention:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0

Obama's delivery and persona, though, are much more appealing. But for Obama, the apparent centrism was largely a pose -- though, to be fair, he does seem quite centrist compared to what Democrats have become since he left office. I suspect this is the case for Kennedy, too. Certainly, given his nutty track record, he's not somebody I could ever consider supporting.

Dogma and Pony Show म्हणाले...

I'm impressed with the commercial and message. My impression of RFK over the years is that he's a bit wacko. However, wacko can be good in small doses in that it tends to suggest authenticity. I don't think RFK is the power-hungry narcissist that all other dem politicians and many republicans seem to be. The typical psychopathic politician in RFK's position would have been much more shrewd and calculating in positioning himself for an eventual WH run, and probably would have run 20 years earlier. This makes me think RFK is passionate and sincere, even if some of his ideas are off-kilter.

In terms of the focus on JFK and RFK Sr., what strikes me is that this commercial doesn't invoke the glitz and glamour of Camelot as a reason to elect RFK Jr. The focus is on the civic values he's claiming his dad and uncle imbued.

That has some appeal to me because, although Joe Kennedy Sr. and his brood were fairly demented at a personal level, JFK's combination of classic liberalism and anti-communism is pretty close to where a lot of conservatives and independents are today in terms of basic political ideology. (Admittedly, RFK Sr. seemed to have drifted leftward in outlook in the wake of his brother's assassination. But then again, even Nixon was pretty damn liberal in that era. It wasn't until Reagan came along that mainstream conservatism took hold in America.)

The voice is real liability, of course. Very tough to listen to. Makes RFK Sr.'s Bugs Bunny imitation sound practical mellifluous by comparison.

The Vault Dweller म्हणाले...

His speech was ok in my opinion. There was nothing that particularly moved me, but I was pleased to see a Democratic candidate acknowledge a systemic problem of censorship AND surveillance. But as The Crack Emcee said, I think he has some baggage in his past that will make him especially unpalatable to the Left.

Dude1394 म्हणाले...

I will have to read it, I'm sorry but I just cannot stand to listen to that voice. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard, just cannot do it.

The Vault Dweller म्हणाले...

Also, I suspect RFK Jr. is on Testosterone therapy. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Mark Nielsen म्हणाले...

I have no warm fuzzy nostalgia for RFK or JFK -- I'm not quite old enough for that. But I'm impressed by the ad, and find myself thinking that I would at least give him a chance. I don't know how much of the left's social agenda he'd be obliged to adopt, but if he stands up to that, maybe he could really be a unifying force. He at least acknowledges some of the grievances conservatives feel.

Static Ping म्हणाले...

Nostalgia is a powerful tool. The problem with nostalgia is it can wear off. Once the veneer is stripped away and the content needs to stand on its own, that can be a problem.

For an introductory message, nostalgia works quite nicely. Presumably, there are going to be messages to follow this, and once that starts up no one is going to care about the content of the introductory message. If it got people's attention and left a positive impact, it did its job.

Sean म्हणाले...

For goodness sakes. Can't the Kennedy's just go away and find better things to do?

This soft reboot of a bad boomer era TV drama just needs to stop. Who would his running mate be? Chelsea Clinton?

For the love of Pete, the people in politics are terrible, but can we get new faces rather than these retreads? Ugh.

Sydney म्हणाले...

His voice sounds like he has laryngeal cancer. I hope he’s had it checked out.

Lyle म्हणाले...

I hope he hurts Biden, but please no more Kennedys, Clintons, and Bushes. Was RFK, Jr. a smoker?

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

Here’s “Operation Northwoods”:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. interview clip:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1647732510431010817

This guy won't be President. The Regime would be more afraid of him than Trump.
They were afraid of Trump because they didn't know what he would say. They know what Kennedy already says.

Michael K म्हणाले...

And Reagan's retorical style and theme is alien to modern populist Republicans.

Disagree. The reason Trump was successful was that he was the first Republican since Reagan to keep his promises. I could not listen to Trump's speeches.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

I think you are correct.

I'm a bit younger than you and don't give two fucks for anything 'Kennedy.'

They do zero for me.

Although JFK would make a much better president than Joe...

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

The Democrat strategy since Obama was campaigning in 2008 has been to divide the electorate and set people at each other’s throats."

Hahahaha! The exact opposite of the welcoming strategies and rhetoric employed by Trump and his ilk meant to bring all Americans together in blessed unity and comity, our differences in thought and creed equally respected and recognized as necessary for a vibrant democracy.

NOT.

Obama was about as divisive, as I referenced the other day, as Ozzie Nelson.

Mr. T. म्हणाले...

Isn't this the same clown that was going around in 2004-2007 telling everyone to give tithes to Al Gore's Cult of Climate Self-Emrichment. I remember him screaming and accusing on national TV at the international climate groft Live Aid con artist Con eveybody from Exxoxmobile, Souther Company, and anybody who drove a gasloline car of "treason."

Bill in Glendale म्हणाले...

Does he have the same satyriasis as his father and uncles?

PM म्हणाले...

Still think we're headed for lots of electric-car bumper stickers: "I'm Havin Gavin!"

Original Mike म्हणाले...

Here's an easy hypocrisy test for Kennedy. I believe he's a big climate nut. Did he support or oppose the wind farm off Hyannis Port?

Original Mike म्हणाले...

With all due respect (and I mean that), you were unable to detect Barack Obama's demagoguery.

hombre म्हणाले...

No. It's that good, but for the ubiquitous Democrat buzzwords about "the environment" and "genocide."

Pandering to the Chicken Littles of climate change and of the genocide myth erode the well-being of the nation however noble the motives of the panderer.

PerthJim म्हणाले...

I like the straightforward, reasonable-sounding, old school style. It reminds us of a time when campaign ads were trying to reassure the skeptical independent or other-party voter that the candidate wasn't batshit crazy. Everyone used to do this, try to persuade skeptics, not pander to their base. Reagan's morning in America, Clinton's down-home Arkansas ads, Bush's compassionate conservatism. Kennedy's doing this here - lots of bring us together rhetoric, remember my brothers from back when people were reasonable, don't think about my own nutty conspiracy theories.

Esteban म्हणाले...

Who's voting for this guy? What does he have to offer other than a famous name? Definition of Nepo-Baby

TomHynes म्हणाले...

Mildly related,but I went to UVA law with Robert F Kennedy Jr, Thurgood Marshall Jr, and Lewis Powell Jr.

Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...

Whenever I find myself enthusiastically exited it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation- some fact of my life- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. - Bleh Anonymous

Kevin म्हणाले...

Althouse: We'd be together forever. You promised me.

Democrat Party: I know. But we can't. And I'm sorry.

Althouse: You remember when you asked me to marry you? You said you dreamt that we'd grow old together.

Democrat Party: But we did. We did. You don't remember?... I miss you more than I can bear, but... we had our time together. And I have to let go... I have to let you go.

Bruce Hayden म्हणाले...

“I'm still going with my Feinstein resigns, Harris back to the Senate and then Hillary or Michelle as VP. Maybe Pete as VP.

“Hillary, Michelle or Pete will be the Dem nominee. Take it to the bank. A sure thing.”


Crooked Hillary will be 8 years older, and a lot heavier. She wasn’t physically up to campaigning back then. It will be worse this time. Regardless of whether Pete Buttplug runs, or not, I expect to see pictures of him with his nursing contraption, sitting in bed nursing the two kids they bought, as the ships piled up in LA and Long Beach harbors. Grossly incompetent is an understatement. That leaves Michelle, and a campaign run on angry division. Inevitably, that probably means a bunch of BLM riots. We shall see how effective they are this time around.

Lloyd W. Robertson म्हणाले...

Yes the Kennedys have tended to use the same tropes or rhetorical patterns. On the other hand, JFK's Inaugural stands out as a great speech. Hard to think of a comparable one ever since. For those who are interested, I have written an article on this.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

Oh, fiddlesticks. Let's talk about "Uncle Jack and my father" taking turns screwing Marilyn Monroe and getting blow-jobs from interns in the White House pool. "Tragically, Marilyn's life took a different turn".

If he's running on Camelot, he is turning over a big rock, with a lot of nasty things crawling around underneath it. But at least he'll get diaper-skull Biden primaried. That should be amusing.

JLT म्हणाले...

It was somewhat better than his uncle Ted Kennedy's answer to Roger Mudd as to why he wants to be president.

wendybar म्हणाले...

The Deep State isn't fond of him. They will treat him like they treat Trump, and the Bidens are laughing at all of us, with the backing of the lying 50 Intel agents....https://nypost.com/2023/04/20/biden-campaign-pushed-spies-to-write-false-hunter-laptop-letter/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons

Whiskeybum म्हणाले...

Riding on the Kennedy ancestry coattails... nepotism at its finest! You don't need any demonstrable leadership skills; you just need to be able to point to some relatives who were popular in the past (even with since-tarnished legacies).

Dynasties: Kennedy, Bush, Clinton... it's all good!

n.n म्हणाले...

Class-disordered ideologies past, present, and progressive. Diversity of individuals, minority of one. Novel.

Xenophobia? or immigration reform in lieu of emigration reform?

Shared responsibility through progressive prices and availability sustained through single/central/monopolistic solutions and capital depletion.

Environmentalism or conservation?

#HateLovesAbortion, indeed.

A double-edged scalpel, perhaps.

Rusty म्हणाले...

Let's see. Is RFK jr going to be more like Obama or Clinton. Or maybe Jimmy Carter? You'd think the Kennedys would have stolen enough money from the American people. 81 million mouth breathers are hanging on his every word, However the Kennedy brand is looking pretty shabby. Like a Rain Forest Cafe.

paminwi म्हणाले...

David Begley.
I think your idea is a real possibility.
But why not Gavin as VP?

Begonia म्हणाले...

The writing was excellent. The message of compassion, empathy, bringing people together, and building up America resonate strongly with me. Oh wait, that's why I voted for Joe Biden.

As others have noted, his gravelly voice was extremely distracting. I kept on fearing that he was going to start coughing or something.

And as Crack Emcee noted, he's got a lot of baggage. the Kennedy name is good baggage. the years of conspiracy theories are bad baggage.

Pianoman म्हणाले...

What this country really needs is a return to dynastic rule.

More Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes, and Bidens please!

Paddy O म्हणाले...

For some reason I immediately thought ofBobby Newport

CJinPA म्हणाले...

RFK, JFK and MLK would be standard, race-baiting progressives if they were around today. That would have been their easiest path to power.

Inga म्हणाले...

No, RFK Jr. will not get the Democratic nomination. His antivaxxer stance marks him as another conspiracy theory loon, there are plenty of them on the right, we don’t need or want any on the left.

DavidUW म्हणाले...

Appealing to elderly Boomers with images from their youth is a sure-fire winning message.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

I watched some more of it at CitizenFreePress. He talks about the CIA tricking JFK into the Bay of Pigs. And he discusses what Hamilton, Madison and Adams said about the First Amendment. I got the distinct impression that RFK Jr. has read what Hamilton, Madison and Adams said about the First Amendment, has given it considerable thought, and could discuss it at length if called upon to do so. Imagine DiaperSkull Biden trying to do that. "Hamilton, Madison and ..... you know, the other guy ..."

It's going to be an interesting 18 months.

Free Manure While You Wait! म्हणाले...

I'd vote for him simply because he's a dead-ringer for Beto O'Rourke.

Free Manure While You Wait! म्हणाले...

I'd vote for him simply because he's a dead-ringer for Beto O'Rourke. (this comment also errantly cross-posted in the Twitter censorship thread)

Sternhammer म्हणाले...

Yeah, your self-analysis might be right. Of the parts where RFK Jr is talking which appealed to you most?

I like his take on government corruption and the lying around the covid vax, but I didn't think it was very good. His voice sounds badly damaged, makes me wonder how.

MikeD म्हणाले...

Sorry, not sorry but, Bobby was a total fraud. He only entered Presidential primary after Wisconsin's Eugene McCarthy had shown the strength of the anti-war vote. He piggy-backed on that and his brother's death.

Michael K म्हणाले...

Blogger Inga said...

No, RFK Jr. will not get the Democratic nomination. His antivaxxer stance marks him as another conspiracy theory loon, there are plenty of them on the right, we don’t need or want any on the left.


The resident dullard does not pay enough attention. The anti-real vaxx movement is all on the left. That means real vaccines that have been given to children for 100 years, not an untested novel mRNA substance that does not work like real vaccines.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

Inga prefers Biden.

Scott Gustafson म्हणाले...

Note that is was JFK that brought a bunch of Ivy Leaguers to Washington thinking they could run everything better. A couple of generations later maybe that didn't work out so well.

Saint Croix म्हणाले...

"RFK Jr.'s presidential announcement speech is so good, but it made me wonder why is it so hard to be this good? Why isn't this just basic competence?"

"My father and my uncle had a vision for America, a vision of racial harmony, of prosperity for all Americans, of peace in the world and of honest government. Their lives were tragically cut short, and America took a different path."

What's interesting about this to me is that it's a criticism of Democrat racial politics. If I'm hearing him right, he's making an argument that color-blindness should be the goal of our leaders, and racial division is poison.

That's a major criticism of the left and the Democrat party specifically.

Basically he's a liberal environmentalist who thinks government is often in bed with major corporations, and there's a lot of corruption, and the Hippocratic Oath has been thrown out the window, and freedom of speech is a good thing.

He's a classic liberal, in other words. It will be interesting to see if Democrats know what a classic liberal is, and whether they will vote for such an animal.

Gunner म्हणाले...

Biden getting defeated by RFK Jr. would be even more funny than a Republican doing it. Which doesn't look likely given the braindead Blue State voters.

planetgeo म्हणाले...

Lots of cynical and knee-jerk reactions here. Personally, I don't know if he's sincere or not, but this is exactly the message that somebody out there needed to say. And yes, one that this country needs to hear and pursue.

Those who dismiss it, and him, for trading on a bygone era and a dynastic family history, may be in for a surprise. I believe it will in fact resonate in many people. Certainly some independents, maybe more than a few Democrats who know their party has left them, and even a few Republicans who are just plain tired of the never-ending negativism and bickering rather than championing of real principles. At a minimum, I think he could be a serious spoiler, similar to Perot's surprise significant impact in an earlier era. And I believe his best shot would be to run as an independent.

I agree that this is an excellent messaging for these times. I just wish it had been delivered by someone with whom I aligned on more core issues.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

So what RFK jr holds views that don't line up with the narrative of the collective left.

geeez. I guess Biden's corruption and family grift (9 family members have used Biden's name to enrich themselves with our tax dollars and the corrupt international pay-to-play machine.(China - mostly)
Why the corrupt left do not care about Taiwan.

Lars Porsena म्हणाले...

Free Manure While You Wait! said...
I'd vote for him simply because he's a dead-ringer for Beto O'Rourke.

4/21/23, 1:00 PM
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Thread winner!!

~ Gordon Pasha म्हणाले...

Theodore Roosevelt Jr could just not get any traction after his father died in 1919. An authentic war hero, founder of the American Legion, governor general of Puerto Rico (he personally paid the debt of the territory) as well as the Philippines he finally made his own mark as a general in the Second World War, first with the Big Red One in North Africa, and then as the first general officer ashore on D-Day. The American forces had not landed on their planned location but TR Jr decided to improvise and, as he said, "... start the war from here." He was a great man but he was also the high water mark for the Oyster Bay Roosevelts.

Dude1394 म्हणाले...

I'm hoping for a third party run all the way to nov2.

Butkus51 म्हणाले...

Get those shots Inga, and hurry.

Iman म्हणाले...

Wait… didn’t this guy’s uncle employ ex-Nazi’s to take us to the Moon?

Iman म्हणाले...

Wait… didn’t this guy’s uncle employ ex-Nazi’s to take us to the Moon?

Ralph L म्हणाले...

Was RFK, Jr. a smoker?

I've lost track of which of Ethel's many sons are potheads and which were heroin addicts and which are sex addicts and which are just drunks.

Political Junkie म्हणाले...

I loved the ad. I think he has almost zero chance to win the D nomination if Biden runs, but, I am 52 years old and hate the Left, but damn that ad touched me. Made me think back to the old days when there were conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans.

Damn, I want to see him and Joe debate. Marianne on stage would also be fun.

I think RFK Jr means it and will fight for the nomination just based on that one ad. But, unfortunately, I think he has almost no chance.

Have a great weekend Althousians!

JAORE म्हणाले...

"It's just that old clips of Bobby and John flip an emotional switch in my head and distort my perception."

It ain't just Bobby and John. And it ain't just you.

wildswan म्हणाले...

I don't see RFK Jr.'s outlook as adequate because he does not confront the meaning and impact of the sale of America's manufacturing base to China. Trump did recognize the problem and Trump was savaged for that. And anyone who tries to confront the issue will be similarly savaged. There's no refuge in other politicians. They aren't better or less controversial, they're just not under fire yet or else they don't get it. The idea is to pick off the real reformers one by one - get Trump and THEN get De Santis - and to bring forward anodyne politicians like RFK Jr. who basically ignore causes. There's only one real hope and that's to make people understand that their outlook on Trump is a manipulated Pavlovian response caused by all the social media working with the intelligence agencies and that they've been manipulated to prevent them from looking at the reality and recognizing the one true reformer, their one hope, namely Trump.

Chuck म्हणाले...

Lyle said...
I hope he hurts Biden, but please no more Kennedys, Clintons, and Bushes. Was RFK, Jr. a smoker?


If you're wondering about his old-lady voice, it's a medical condition. Called "Spasmodic Dysphonia." Treated with botox injections and speech therapy. RFKJr sounds a lot better now than previously. His treatments must be working pretty good, even though he can still be hard to listen to even if he weren't saying crazy shit. And don't forget that his grandmother Rose Kennedy probably had it too (but was never publicly diagnosed).

Readering म्हणाले...

RFK Jr about the same age his grandfather was when he was plotting JFK's run for the White House. Why are politicians so old these days?

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

A LOT of people have bad taste.

A LOT of them work in politics.

Jim at म्हणाले...

His antivaxxer stance marks him as another conspiracy theory loon, there are plenty of them on the right, we don’t need or want any on the left.

A Jill Stein voter just wrote that. Yes. The same Jill Stein who's had plenty of questions about vaccines.