I find your thinking to be constrained. You don't like him because he didn't attend class as often as you and was a better skier? Free your mind if you want to live like in a real democracy.
I would not be paying any attention to RFKJR but for these facts:
1. The Biden administration seems to be committed to staying in Ukraine forever, and certainly not to negotiating.
2. No one in public life other than RFKJR seems to be questioning the Biden policy.
3. And RFKJR is the only person in public life who is drawing attention to the industry capture of every major component of our government.
I recognize that many of RFKJR’s statements about vaccines, Covid etc. are false, whatever his reason. Show me another viable candidate who will blow the whistle on these outrages and I will shift my support.
The Democratic Party would not be vulnerable to such a flawed candidate if it wasn't trying to cynically ram through such a flawed dead-end unpopular set of candidates as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I voted for the Democrat in every presidential election from 1972 to 2012, but now I'm out. The party has entirely sold out to its large donors and consultants and now represents only the big banks and the Pentagon. Just like Trump and the GOP, it stands for nothing except cynical self-interest. More and more voters understand this and are angry at the deeply dysfunctional electoral (and media) system that can no longer offer them even marginally relevant presidential candidates.
And he sailed through Harvard without going to class.
He turned his senior thesis into a very good book, while you were struggling at Newsweek.
While Bobby was selected Hero of the Planet by Time Magazine, you were supporting Bush 2 in starting a war in Iraq, which killed more than a million civilians..
How does is feel to be the target of a vicious personal hit job!
This is what you are doing to Robert Kennedy Jr.
You bring out all his personal skeletons from 40 and 50 years ago. Of which he admits.
Did you even listen to his speech in Boston? I doubt it.
You distort his positions.
Are you really against his mission to end the merger of state and corporate power?
He is a lot like Bernie Sander, nothing at all like DeSantis, who he despises.
Our current political system has destroyed our middle class. Kennedy wants to end that.
He is a classic FDR liberal, with a lot of RFK thrown in. He never mentioned vaccines in his Boston speech.
I first met Bobby some years ago and have followed his career closely. I have not always agreed with him, especially about the dangers of the mRNA vaccines, but I know him to be deeply honest, totally dedicated to his beliefs and willing to back them up with personal courage and scientific evidence. Kennedy is a powerful speaker, with a message for change that may be eagerly received by the majority of voters who believe everything is rigged against them. Kennedy says their government has been lying to Americans, and that this is inexcusable. He promises to never lie, a nearly Sisyphean task.
He has a message that America needs to hear.
No doubt the Kennedy campaign is a long shot. It may all depend on the primary vote in New Hampshire. Granite state voters are quirky. New Hampshire is a state filled with disgruntled white voters who are looking for a change. He will also appeal to Republicans and Independents, who can vote in the Democratic Primary.
I have admired your past writing, but this piece is odious personal attack and not worthy of you.
I wonder if you have the guts to put these comments up.
I know this Kennedy from his many ski vacations in Waterville Valley NH. His arrogance is incredible. He is dirty physically and always acted like the world should kiss his feet. Not like the Shrivers and John Jr who skied at Waterville every year. They were genuinely friendly and well spoken and well dressed. ETHELS AND ROBERTS SON IS, IN MY WORDS A LOW LIFE... WHO COMES FROM A GREAT POLITICAL FAMILY. He in no way represents the Kennedy family we all have known.
Excellent job. Totally agree with your last words of advice. But it makes me sad for many reasons. I still have my original copy of the RFK book “To Seek a Newer World”, all marked up and dog-eared from my high school debate days. I was a “true believer” in the value of the Kennedy brand (in its best moments) and still have connections to some members of the family who continue to perform solid public service - without the need for the headlines. So I am saddened on my levels. I just hope we can find ways to rally past this era of self-serving fantasies. At least give us enough respite to crawl over the tipping point and into a “newer world” of productive kindness.
Understandable, but there is a big diff between conversational references to past recollections and phony footnoted cites in a supposedly scholarly book about a technical subject!
I found the two cites I investigated to be PHOINY!
Although RFK Jr., most lamentably, has said many bizarre and unscrupulous things and has made common cause with patently disreputable characters, one of his points, while mistaken, has a glimmer of possible truth.
I am referring to vaccines. Of course vaccines can and have savied thousands or more probably millions of lives. Since the small pox vaccine was developed in England in the late 18th century (And some scientific historians suggest that a smallpox vaccine was engineered hundreds of years ealier in the Byzantine empire), it has been one of the salient saving graces of modernity.
There is just one problem. There is a preservative in vaccines -- if my memory serves me correctly it is thimerisol -- that contained MERCURY. Mercury is a NOTORIOUS NEURO TOXIN.
Indeed, the expression "mad as a hatter," is derived from the realization, in Venice, in the middle ages, that hatters often went insane. For some reason, mercury was used in the construction of headwear.
In any event, it is possible that the thimerosol, used in some vaccines, harms the nervous system and causes autism. I have read that some infants are given a triple vaccine, i.e., a vaccine offering prophylaxis against 3 infections, including, I think, whooping cough, aka pertussis, diptheria and something else, that has particularly high levels of thimerosol, which , as stated above, contains mercury.
Unfortunatey, anti vaxers, such as RFK jr, aren't able to distinguish between the life saving vaccine and the possibly noxious preservative and assail us with fussilades of frenzed, febrile baloney.
Last year I was asked to write an article for a national sports publication assessing the legitimacy of Aaron Rodgers’ claim to be a “Critical Thinker”. I declined telling my editor friend the beginning of the article was also its ending: Critical Thinkers don’t call themselves Critical Thinkers.
Jon, after reading your wonderful take on a miserable person, I should probably contact that editor and suggest a different approach; perhaps more befitting of these two nincompoops: How Our Journeys Into Darkness Shed A Greater Light On Our Individual Stupidity, Our Mutual Horrific Treatment Of Women (who deserved none of it), And Our Longing Desire To Always Be The Center Of Attention (who deserve none of it).
A vanity run for the Presidency. The Kennedy name doesn't hold a lot of weight at this point in our history. Let's hope he's drowned out by much louder, clearer, saner voices and one that doesn't have a voice disease.
It's 2023 and many, many, many months from the primaries, so projecting too much into his announcement serves no purpose at this point. Us older folks know who he is and we show up at the voting booth. I take solace in so many younger voters (many registered as Democrats) willing to fight to keep the crazies away from our highest offices. They've had enough and are ready to go! Let's get focused on those who want to preserve our democracy and not waste time pondering about a future that may never happen.
I find your thinking to be constrained. You don't like him because he didn't attend class as often as you and was a better skier? Free your mind if you want to live like in a real democracy.
Victoria Nuland
Sorry to be a pest about Ukraine, but here is the most recent installment of Jeffrey Sachs on that subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEjnVUcrxns
I would not be paying any attention to RFKJR but for these facts:
1. The Biden administration seems to be committed to staying in Ukraine forever, and certainly not to negotiating.
2. No one in public life other than RFKJR seems to be questioning the Biden policy.
3. And RFKJR is the only person in public life who is drawing attention to the industry capture of every major component of our government.
I recognize that many of RFKJR’s statements about vaccines, Covid etc. are false, whatever his reason. Show me another viable candidate who will blow the whistle on these outrages and I will shift my support.
The Democratic Party would not be vulnerable to such a flawed candidate if it wasn't trying to cynically ram through such a flawed dead-end unpopular set of candidates as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I voted for the Democrat in every presidential election from 1972 to 2012, but now I'm out. The party has entirely sold out to its large donors and consultants and now represents only the big banks and the Pentagon. Just like Trump and the GOP, it stands for nothing except cynical self-interest. More and more voters understand this and are angry at the deeply dysfunctional electoral (and media) system that can no longer offer them even marginally relevant presidential candidates.
Poor Jonathan,
Harvard was really bad for you
Bobby was and is so much better looking
He got all the good looking girls
He is so much better skier than you
Bobby has all his hair
And he sailed through Harvard without going to class.
He turned his senior thesis into a very good book, while you were struggling at Newsweek.
While Bobby was selected Hero of the Planet by Time Magazine, you were supporting Bush 2 in starting a war in Iraq, which killed more than a million civilians..
How does is feel to be the target of a vicious personal hit job!
This is what you are doing to Robert Kennedy Jr.
You bring out all his personal skeletons from 40 and 50 years ago. Of which he admits.
Did you even listen to his speech in Boston? I doubt it.
You distort his positions.
Are you really against his mission to end the merger of state and corporate power?
He is a lot like Bernie Sander, nothing at all like DeSantis, who he despises.
Our current political system has destroyed our middle class. Kennedy wants to end that.
He is a classic FDR liberal, with a lot of RFK thrown in. He never mentioned vaccines in his Boston speech.
I first met Bobby some years ago and have followed his career closely. I have not always agreed with him, especially about the dangers of the mRNA vaccines, but I know him to be deeply honest, totally dedicated to his beliefs and willing to back them up with personal courage and scientific evidence. Kennedy is a powerful speaker, with a message for change that may be eagerly received by the majority of voters who believe everything is rigged against them. Kennedy says their government has been lying to Americans, and that this is inexcusable. He promises to never lie, a nearly Sisyphean task.
He has a message that America needs to hear.
No doubt the Kennedy campaign is a long shot. It may all depend on the primary vote in New Hampshire. Granite state voters are quirky. New Hampshire is a state filled with disgruntled white voters who are looking for a change. He will also appeal to Republicans and Independents, who can vote in the Democratic Primary.
I have admired your past writing, but this piece is odious personal attack and not worthy of you.
I wonder if you have the guts to put these comments up.
Blake Fleetwood, jfleetwood@aol.com
I know this Kennedy from his many ski vacations in Waterville Valley NH. His arrogance is incredible. He is dirty physically and always acted like the world should kiss his feet. Not like the Shrivers and John Jr who skied at Waterville every year. They were genuinely friendly and well spoken and well dressed. ETHELS AND ROBERTS SON IS, IN MY WORDS A LOW LIFE... WHO COMES FROM A GREAT POLITICAL FAMILY. He in no way represents the Kennedy family we all have known.
He is dangerous. Please keep the spotlight on him.
Excellent job. Totally agree with your last words of advice. But it makes me sad for many reasons. I still have my original copy of the RFK book “To Seek a Newer World”, all marked up and dog-eared from my high school debate days. I was a “true believer” in the value of the Kennedy brand (in its best moments) and still have connections to some members of the family who continue to perform solid public service - without the need for the headlines. So I am saddened on my levels. I just hope we can find ways to rally past this era of self-serving fantasies. At least give us enough respite to crawl over the tipping point and into a “newer world” of productive kindness.
So just more of this then https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBST01134
"...an entitled fringe candidate whose lies about Covid vaccinations helped cost hundreds of thousands of credulous people their lives."
LOL nothing like a giant helping of 'mistruth'.
Understandable, but there is a big diff between conversational references to past recollections and phony footnoted cites in a supposedly scholarly book about a technical subject!
I found the two cites I investigated to be PHOINY!
HWE
Although RFK Jr., most lamentably, has said many bizarre and unscrupulous things and has made common cause with patently disreputable characters, one of his points, while mistaken, has a glimmer of possible truth.
I am referring to vaccines. Of course vaccines can and have savied thousands or more probably millions of lives. Since the small pox vaccine was developed in England in the late 18th century (And some scientific historians suggest that a smallpox vaccine was engineered hundreds of years ealier in the Byzantine empire), it has been one of the salient saving graces of modernity.
There is just one problem. There is a preservative in vaccines -- if my memory serves me correctly it is thimerisol -- that contained MERCURY. Mercury is a NOTORIOUS NEURO TOXIN.
Indeed, the expression "mad as a hatter," is derived from the realization, in Venice, in the middle ages, that hatters often went insane. For some reason, mercury was used in the construction of headwear.
In any event, it is possible that the thimerosol, used in some vaccines, harms the nervous system and causes autism. I have read that some infants are given a triple vaccine, i.e., a vaccine offering prophylaxis against 3 infections, including, I think, whooping cough, aka pertussis, diptheria and something else, that has particularly high levels of thimerosol, which , as stated above, contains mercury.
Unfortunatey, anti vaxers, such as RFK jr, aren't able to distinguish between the life saving vaccine and the possibly noxious preservative and assail us with fussilades of frenzed, febrile baloney.
EVERYBODY needs to check the citations! People need to get off their asses if they want the TRUTH! "Knowledge" is hard work!
H. W. ELLERSON
Last year I was asked to write an article for a national sports publication assessing the legitimacy of Aaron Rodgers’ claim to be a “Critical Thinker”. I declined telling my editor friend the beginning of the article was also its ending: Critical Thinkers don’t call themselves Critical Thinkers.
Jon, after reading your wonderful take on a miserable person, I should probably contact that editor and suggest a different approach; perhaps more befitting of these two nincompoops: How Our Journeys Into Darkness Shed A Greater Light On Our Individual Stupidity, Our Mutual Horrific Treatment Of Women (who deserved none of it), And Our Longing Desire To Always Be The Center Of Attention (who deserve none of it).
Yes, the HED could use a little tightening.
A vanity run for the Presidency. The Kennedy name doesn't hold a lot of weight at this point in our history. Let's hope he's drowned out by much louder, clearer, saner voices and one that doesn't have a voice disease.
It's 2023 and many, many, many months from the primaries, so projecting too much into his announcement serves no purpose at this point. Us older folks know who he is and we show up at the voting booth. I take solace in so many younger voters (many registered as Democrats) willing to fight to keep the crazies away from our highest offices. They've had enough and are ready to go! Let's get focused on those who want to preserve our democracy and not waste time pondering about a future that may never happen.