"Schlossberg’s Defeat Dampens Dream of a Renewed Camelot."

That's one of the NYT's front-page headlines about yesterday's primaries. Dream of a Renewed Camelot... Who was still dreaming that dream? 

Here's The Washington Post's front-page coverage of the action in yesterday's primaries:

I'll have to search beyond the front page to see if there's a tear shed for Schlossberg.

Ah, here: "A Kennedy scion loses in a crowded, pricey New York City congressional primary/The Kennedy dynasty won’t be returning to Congress next year." They don't trust readers to recognize the name Schlossberg. 

From the NYT article: "Once considered a favorite, Mr. Schlossberg, 33, landed in third place in a Democratic primary in one of the nation’s most liberal districts, now held by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the veteran Democrat, who is retiring. Micah Lasher, an assemblyman who had been endorsed by Mr. Nadler, won the primary.... Schlossberg poured at least $1 million of his own into the campaign, and had tried to press his case in its closing weeks, including in a lengthy interview with The New Yorker.... “I’m running because I want to pass laws,” he told David Remnick, the magazine’s editor. “I want to pass laws that help the people in this district and in our country.”

Pass laws that help the people... Ever since Ted Kennedy's famous screwup, everyone running for office has known that the one thing you've got to have ready to go is an answer to the question why are you running. And that's his answer, a child's answer: I want to pass laws that help the people.

How Jack Scholossberg answered the question, "How did you use your legal education?"

"Well, I understand that content creation is a new profession and that for a lot of people it’s not synonymous with a quote-unquote real job. But I’ve been arguing with evidence supported by facts, very clear arguments made on behalf of the issues that I think are important, and those issues are: corruption of the Trump Administration; his terrible, irresponsible foreign-policy decisions; advocating and arguing for why the Democratic Party—its history and current policies—reflect putting a priority on organized labor and working families. And on social media, it’s not like I was successful just because of my name. You have to make an argument in ninety seconds, with a lot of complicated information. And synthesizing that information, breaking it down into one, two, and three points and having a conclusion—that’s the exercise of law school."

From the interview in The New Yorker, "Jack Schlossberg Makes His Case/The Kennedy scion explains his winding path to electoral politics, his relationship to his family legacy, and why he thinks he should represent New York’s Twelfth Congressional District."

"Reviving a political dynasty is best not left to chance.... But just hours into his Day 1 launch, the candidate abruptly announced a change of plans..."

"... according to three people familiar with the events. Forget dialing for dollars — Mr. Schlossberg said he needed a nap. He then effectively disappeared for the day, leaving his team reeling.... [A] group of fellow Democrats, family friends, union leaders and others with direct knowledge of the campaign described an operation so erratic and plagued by turnover that it raises questions about how he might handle himself as a member of Congress. Especially early on, Mr. Schlossberg would regularly blow off weekly strategy meetings called for his benefit, and made a habit of disappearing for long stretches with little notice or explanation. (He did carve out time to swim or paddleboard in the Hudson most days.)...." 

That's the NYT in "Inside Jack Schlossberg’s Chaotic Campaign to Revive Camelot/Erratic behavior and staff turnover have colored Mr. Schlossberg’s bid for a House seat in New York, raising questions about his readiness for office." 

Sounds like a lot of Democrats want to be rid of Schlossberg and the NYT is there to help. 

What did he do that's so bad — sleep and swim? I'd say let Schlossberg be Schlossberg.

And the Dems look desperate. Another NYT tab I have open in my browser right now is "Democrats Can’t Let This Antisemitic Sex Therapist Win Her Runoff." 

"Jack Schossshhhhberg is that kind of leader."

A mush-mouthed Nancy Pelosi delivers a barely intelligible endorsement:

I'm watching that because of this in the NYT: "In First Campaign Ad, Schlossberg Leans on a Well-Known Name: Pelosi/Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, is among a slate of Democrats seeking to replace Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York."

Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, has built his campaign for a New York City House seat around turning the page on the Democrats’ old guard. Yet when he debuts his first paid advertisement on Wednesday, the 33-year-old candidate has chosen his party’s oldest living leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, to do the talking....

He's turning the page. She's the page. 

"It’s a constitutional crisis with one dangerous man in control of all three branches of government...."

"We deserve better, and we can do better, and it starts with the Democratic Party winning back control of the House of Representatives.... My name is Jack Schlossberg, and I’m running for Congress to represent my home, New York’s 12th congressional district.... If you see me on the street, please say hello. If I knock on your door, I hope we can have a conversation...."

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A post shared by Jack Schlossberg (@jackuno)

ADDED: I do agree with his position on restaurants:

Jack Schlossberg’s anti-restaurant tirade is the exact deranged himbo social cause JFK’s grandson should be doing. “My friends don’t like eating dinner. Most people in the world don’t spend their lives eating dinner.” Icon pic.twitter.com/XKk8JOX6Q5

— Russell (@RussellFalcon) July 4, 2023

What are we seeing here? A dying party's last gasps?

Link to the London Times: here.

Excerpt: "As he told Vogue last July, 'I’m a fun, wacky guy. I’m a silly goose.' Take one look at his bizarre Instagram page... or his X account... and you’ll agree with that. Schlossberg often spends his time shirtless, talking about people’s looks. He has pondered Jesus Christ’s body type. He has commented on his own resemblance to Audrey Hepburn. He has wondered out loud whether Usha Vance is 'way hotter' than his grandmother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.And then there’s the video he posted this week. Donning a blonde wig and speaking in a Slavic accent, he pretended to be Melania Trump as he performed a 'dramatic reading' of her recent letter to Vladimir Putin about the welfare of Ukrainian children. On Tuesday he posted again as Melania, saying he would 'be going live, answering all of your questions on my show tonight.'"

And yes, I see what Gavin Newsom is doing. Suddenly, everybody's a comedian. 

"The grandson of President John F. Kennedy this week savaged his presidential-candidate cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a series of mocking, meant-to-be-funny videos..."

"...that were, inarguably, uncharacteristically un-Kennedyesque, escalating a civil war within America’s most storied political dynasty. In a series of Instagram posts, the grandson, Jack Schlossberg, 31, variously called Mr. Kennedy, 70, a 'prick,' suggested he was using steroids, said he was 'lying to us' and portrayed him as a Russian stooge and a stalking horse for Donald J. Trump. But what viewers may be more struck by, or even insulted by, are the heavily accented caricatures the young scion used to dramatize his points. He impersonates a Massachusetts fan of the Kennedys named Jimmy.... 'You know, I’m a fan of his father,' Mr. Schlossberg says, as Jimmy. 'And you know his uncle? Rest in peace, I remember where I was the day he was killed, I mean it was a tragic day, the entire country wept. But listen, that guy, he’s a prick. The new guy, the young guy, he’s a friggin prick.' He channels a southerner named Wade.... And he conjures an Italian-American Long Islander named Anthony....What may be the edgiest impression, though, is Mr. Schlossberg’s depiction of Joshua, an older New York Jewish man...."

From "Using Cartoonish Accents, J.F.K.’s Grandson Insults and Mocks Robert F. Kennedy Jr./In an escalation of the family feud, the son of Caroline Kennedy portrayed heavily accented characters who suggested that his cousin, the presidential candidate, was on steroids, not too smart and a liar" (NYT).

Wow! Here's this famously handsome, hyper-privileged young man and he imagines it would be a good idea to put these cheap ethnic stereotypes on Instagram! How did this happen? It can't be merely that he's insanely out of touch with present-day standards of diversity and inclusiveness. And leave to one side the delusion that insults like "he’s a friggin prick" count as publicly shareable comedy. It must also be that the family and friends who surround him have been laughing at this stuff and encouraging him to post it, telling him it will be great for his future career in politics. Oh, Jack, you're so funny! And please, help us bring down RFK Jr. You can do it like no one else, because everyone is devastated by your good looks and your genetics. 

Here he is, defending himself in the voice of Wade, the southerner. Watch it, watch his long hair flapping in the breeze, and try to imagine the people who pumped up his ridiculous confidence over the years:

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A post shared by Jack Schlossberg (@jackuno)

ADDED: Over at Daily Beast, you can see the encouragement in the raw: "Everyone Is Thirsting Over Kennedy Grandson Jack Schlossberg—for Good Reason/The Camelot heir’s goofy shirtless videos and ridiculing of cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign has made Schlossberg the internet’s biggest crush of the moment" ("It’s so charming that I’m ready to vote for whoever Schlossberg tells me to").

A delightfully fresh argument from a delightfully fresh Kennedy face.

This is, in my view, partly comic and partly a really good argument that's damned close to something I've found myself close to saying:

Jack Schlossberg’s anti-restaurant tirade is the exact deranged himbo social cause JFK’s grandson should be doing. “My friends don’t like eating dinner. Most people in the world don’t spend their lives eating dinner.” Icon pic.twitter.com/XKk8JOX6Q5

— Russell (@RussellFalcon) July 4, 2023

To see the text of this rant and read about how this video is viral, go to "JFK grandson goes viral for anti-restaurant rant" (KTLA 5).