A NEWSLETTER FROM DAVID CORN |
A NEWSLETTER FROM DAVID CORN |
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RFK Jr., We Wish We Hardly Knew Ye |
By David Corn April 22, 2023 |
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing his run for president on April 19, 2023, at a Boston hotel. Josh Reynolds/AP |
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| A brand is a terrible thing to waste.
That’s what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doing—and what he has been doing for many years. This past week, Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaxxer and conspiracy monger, took his efforts to exploit his storied name to a new level and announced he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination against President Joe Biden, who presumably will seek reelection. This bad and selfish move is hardly surprising, given RFK Jr.’s long, strange trip from his days as an effective environmental advocate who helped clean up the Hudson River in New York to his current status as a dangerous kook.
In the 1980s and ’90s, Kennedy was a fierce lawyer, taking on and winning assorted battles and advocating for environmental justice. But after the turn of the century, he descended into the conspiracist rabbit hole, specializing in the debunked claim that vaccinations led to autism. In 2005, he wrote an article jointly published by Rolling Stone and Salon alleging a link between thimerosal, which was used in many vaccines, and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. (The following year he wrote a piece for Rolling Stone claiming the GOP had stolen the 2004 election—an unconvincing article easily dismissed by critics as a conspiracy theory.)
His vaccines and autism article contained key errors, and six years later Salon and Rolling Stone retracted it. But by then, Kennedy was on a roll, a champion anti-vaxxer, speaking at conferences, writing books, and making films that targeted a host of important childhood vaccines. In 2015, he described the autism epidemic—in his mind, the result of vaccines—as a “holocaust.”
After Donald Trump, who had expressed support for the notion that vaccines caused autism, won the 2016 election, he met with Kennedy and discussed a possible position in the Trump administration. That did not come to pass. In 2019, his siblings Joseph Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and Maeve Kennedy McKean, his niece, wrote an article declaring their love for Bobby but proclaiming, “He is part of a misinformation campaign that’s having heartbreaking—and deadly—consequences.” Family members have also broken with him over his belief that Sirhan Sirhan did not kill his father. Pushing yet another deranged conspiracy theory, Kennedy declared that 5G high-speed towers were part of a system “to harvest our data and control our behavior.” (I’m willing to consider there may be health consequences for all the zapping related to cellphones, but Kennedy went far beyond that.)
As it did for many anti-vaxxers, the Covid pandemic boosted Kennedy's notoriety and nuttiness. He became a superspreader of Covid and Covid vaccine conspiracy theories. His posts on Facebook and Instagram promoting misinformation had more impact than those from any of his comrades in this cause. (Instagram eventually took down his account.) At a rally in Washington, he said Dr. Anthony Fauci was orchestrating “fascism” and compared anti-pandemic measures to the Holocaust—a remark that his third and current wife, the actress Cheryl Hines, publicly disavowed.
In short, Kennedy has gone from being a progressive hero to a carnival barker of the Alex Jones type. But his name still has cachet. A USA Today/Suffolk University Poll found that 14 percent of voters who backed Biden in 2020 would support RFK Jr. He’s not likely to threaten Biden in the Democratic primaries (assuming Biden runs), but he can be a distraction. And that’s a problem.
Biden already has a tough fight ahead. In part because of his age. In part because of the increasingly divisive politics of the nation. In 2020, Biden pocketed 7 million more votes than Trump but only narrowly beat him in the swing states he needed for an Electoral College victory. It’s tough to believe that, should Trump be the GOP nominee, he could win in 2024—though it’s possible. But the results of 2020 contest and the 2022 midterms demonstrate that another Republican—maybe Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis?—could well have a good shot.
Given the stakes—the possible restoration of a revenge-obsessed autocrat wannabe who tried to overturn the last election and incited violence to do so, or maybe the triumph of an authoritarian like DeSantis who yearns to wage culture wars, ban books, and restrict the freedom of women while ignoring the increasing dangers of climate change—Americans who care about decency, democracy, economic justice, and the future of the planet cannot screw around. Political energy and focus must be marshalled to keep the dangers of MAGA extremism at bay. As history has demonstrated, primary battles waged against incumbent presidents do not help the fellow pursuing reelection. See Teddy Kennedy’s challenge to Jimmy Carter in 1980, and Pat Buchanan’s campaign against George H.W. Bush in 1992.
To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, I knew Ted Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy Jr. is no Ted Kennedy. But given the potency of his name in Democratic history, he still can suck up oxygen and cause mischief.
It's unlikely that this Kennedy will deny Biden the Democratic nomination. Neither will one-time New Ager Marianne Williamson, who is also quixotically seeking the Democratic nomination (again). But they can make things messy. Do Democrats really want a fuss over whether Biden will deign to debate these marginal candidates? The media, though, will eat it up. And Kennedy cannot champion his main cause without indicting Biden as one of the villains in the grand Covid conspiracy he has railed against. Anyone who assists Kennedy, such as former progressive Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who is advising RFK Jr., is not helping. Just look at some of the biggest cheerleaders for Kennedy's campaign: Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson. They know that this Kennedy is not truly asking what he can do for his country; he is aiding and abetting the Trumpist GOP.
In the decades since his assassination, Robert Kennedy has been held up as the model for Democrats. He was a tough, pragmatic liberal who can talk to—and appeal to—Americans across demographic divides: the white working class, Black Americans, and Latinos. Bobby Sr. was an imperfect hero. He was ruthless. He briefly worked for the scoundrel Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy. He oversaw the secret (and unsuccessful) war against Cuba. He was an opportunist who waited to oppose the Vietnam War until after Sen. Eugene McCarthy demonstrated early in the 1968 Democratic primary contest that coming out against the war could be a political winner. Only then did RFK jump into the fray—no profile in courage—and challenge President Lyndon Johnson. But after the assassination of his brother, this Kennedy, moved by the plight of the poor from Appalachia to the inner cities, spoke to the nation in a unique way that still resonates over half a century later.
There’s something tragic about his son taking advantage of that legacy to promote disinformation injurious to both the body politic and public health. At his campaign announcement at a Boston hotel—he flew from his LA home to Beantown to capitalize on his family’s roots—Kennedy’s supporters held signs that proclaimed, “Heal the divide.” That was more misinformation. That slogan was appropriate for his father, but this Kennedy’s campaign only seeks to exacerbate the divide. Its dire consequence could well be a boost to the authoritarian scoundrels of the right who seek to gain power through the politics of division.
Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com. |
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Dumbass Comment of the Week |
With Donald Trump facing multiple criminal and civil investigations—and now on trial in a civil rape case—his defenders seem to be trying to rev up their Biden scandal machine. House Republicans have been claiming their investigations of President Biden and his family have uncovered tremendous wrongdoing. On CNN, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, exclaimed, “We’ve found a lot that’s certainly unethical. We’ve found a lot that should be illegal. The line is blurry as to what is legal and not legal with respect to family influence peddling.”
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Admittedly, Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine appeared to involve the usual sort of influence peddling in which someone related to an important politician cashes in on his or her last name (op. cit. RFK Jr.). But what makes Comer’s position so absurd is that he has nothing to say about Jared Kushner, who recently took in a $2 billion Saudi investment. (Was this a reward for past services rendered or a down payment on future considerations, should you-know-who return to the White House?) Hunter is a mere amateur compared to Trump’s son-in-law. By the way, Trump himself is pulling in millions from the Saudis, as his golf properties host tournaments for the new Saudi-financed LIV tour. And let’s not forget Ivanka Trump’s trademarks in China, which for some reason were fast-tracked after her pops became president. None of this seems to interest Comer and his GOP comrades who are obsessed with Biden’s son.
It used to be that if you were going to accuse a president of being involved in a prostitution ring, you needed to show some proof. Not anymore. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) casually dropped the prostitution charge in a walking-and-talking selfie she posted a few days ago:
Just left the Treasury to review over 100 [banking] suspicious activities reports on the Biden family. And I have to tell you there are more Bidens involved than we knew previously. And every time you overturn or look under a stone, there’s so much more you have to investigate because it’s wild the number of family members involved, and it’s even—the amount of money we are talking about in these suspicious activities reports is astronomical, and the accusations therein, the source of the funding, where the money is going, the shell companies, prostitution rings, etc.—it’s insanity to me that it has not been investigated in the way it should be.
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If there’s wrongdoing within the Biden clan, that ought to be investigated. But it’s hardly fair to implicate the Biden family in a prostitution ring without providing more information and evidence. Oh, sorry, I used the word fair. When talking about GOP investigations that’s unfair.
Our judges have invoked the mercy rule for several contestants, such as the weekly favorite Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn. They are currently debating whether to add right-wing pontificator Ben Shapiro to the list. This week, he identified yet another potential crisis facing the nation: “The great suspicion is that in Frozen 4, they'll make Elsa a lesbian...If they do that, it is the end of Disney as a company. Predict it. You can write it down. It is April 17th. If they do that in Frozen 4, it will destroy Disney."
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I would take that bet. But this avoids the real question: Why does Shapiro care so much about whether a fictional character likes boys or girls? Is this a priority problem for the nation? He seems to believe so.
Mercy rule or not, Shapiro was outdone by Fox News. After the network agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle the lawsuit that showed it was not a news outfit but a for-profit disinformation operation that disseminated lies designed to destabilize American democracy, Rupert Murdoch’s shop released a statement:
We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.
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Commitment to the highest journalistic standards? This was like a murderer claiming his guilty plea affirmed his commitment to protecting human life. When CNN host Jake Tapper read the Fox statement on air he could not help but laugh. But the rest of the statement was a farce, too. Fox has no interest in the nation moving forward amicably. The emails and texts revealed by the case show that what drives Fox is kowtowing to a far-right, Trumpist audience. Every night, Carlson and the rest of its crew toss out conspiracy theories and other slop to gin up paranoia and false grievance. After helping Trump promote the Big Lie, they shifted to amplifying the BS narrative that January 6 was no big deal. The network’s business plan was made clear by the evidence in the case: We distort, and we divide. The decision to settle had nothing to do with resolving an issue that has torn apart the nation’s political culture. It was made to keep Murdoch and other Foxers off the witness stand—where they likely would further embarrass the company, anger shareholders, and reveal Fox to be a cynically run propaganda shop—and to prevent paying even more for having peddled lies. For spinning the settlement as a demonstration of Fox’s fealty to the truth, Rupert and the gang deserve a tsunami of titters and this week’s grand prize.
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My musings on the benefits of long walks to nowhere resonated with many readers. Several sent in accounts of their own wanderings. Others reported they were now motivated to hit the road—or foot path. I even spotted one neighbor who is an Our Land subscriber striding past my house who told me, without missing a step, that her walk was motivated by my article. Now that’s what we in the business call impact journalism.
Sharon Dennis emailed that on her jaunts there is “no podcast, no music, just listening to the sounds of birds and desert critters.” She added:
Last September, I went to Italy for six weeks, and during my month in Bologna I walked four to six miles a day, sometimes through museums, sometimes churches. Old Jewish museum, ancient ruins, architecture, stopping at coffee shops—just walking in one direction or another and letting it lead me to new adventures.
That sounds lovely. As some readers might remember, I was in Italy a few months ago, and I walked constantly. But I will say that the walking I recently wrote about is different. It was not sightseeing, and perhaps could better be termed all-seeing (or awe-seeing), observing everything, particularly the things to which we usually devote little attention. But gazing at beautiful countryside and absorbing the wonders of art and historical relics on a walk—that’s special, too.
Craig Jones conveyed a warning:
Keep staying alert and don’t get hit by a car while walking with earbuds listening to podcasts. Your analysis of events is greatly appreciated and needed during these times of crisis. Have no fear, Craig. Like the trips Sharon described above, these are podcast-free walks. Carole Leomporra wrote:
Thank you for sharing your insights during your rehabilitation period. I’m glad you’re feeling well. Let’s hope we both continue our nature walks in our pursuit of day-to-day wellness. My four-legged medium golden doodle Rosie has been fabulous for my 70-something wellness in that I would never walk in minus-15 temperatures as we experience in Minnesota with lots of snow, if it wasn’t for her. Those winter walks with our snow and bright beautiful sunshine in Minnesota are so healthy and create awe for me often. We are the lucky ones, aren’t we?
I confess, I have never considered Minnesotans to be lucky in the wintertime. But you have the right attitude. Piet Ytsma sent this report:
This article on walking really resonated with me. For forty plus years of working I had a Y membership to fulfill my exercise needs. I have now been retired for three years and have taken to walking the Boise River Greenbelt trails anywhere from three to six miles. I just kind of zone out of all the distractions and notice the calls of the kingfisher and blue heron, or the smell of wet sagebrush. Many times, the smells and environment remind me of previous times and places I have enjoyed in the past. The awe portion I have added is taking road trips in the spring and fall to see the national parks and hike the trails. I have hiked in Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Mesa Verde, and down into Carlsbad Caverns. Not only are these places so awe-inspiring, but the camaraderie with other hikers is truly on another level.
Piet, I am green with envy. A few years ago, I descended into the majestic Carlsbad Caverns, but I have not been to Bryce, one of my favorite national parks, since I was a boy. If I had a bucket list, this would be on it. Brenda Haun emailed:
Thank you for your article on awe. Everything you wrote about, down to the comment on the vagus nerve, are thoughts, conversations, and discoveries I have had in recent weeks. I can’t wait to share this article with my husband tonight. We are ranchers deeply involved in agriculture and rural America, but that does not mean we buy into fanatical right-wing politics. We have resolved that the most effective way for us to affect change is by being present, subscribing to awe, and hoping others notice that calm, peace, and tolerance are attractive.
Brenda, great—and calm—minds think alike. I am sure living on a ranch affords you many opportunities to find that awe. Rob Buck shared this response:
My doctor told me to walk 30 years ago (I am 62). I would walk intermittently, mostly in the winter and in the woods, and covering ground as fast as I could. Three years ago, I started birdwatching, as it is something I always wanted to do. Now I have a reason to slow down and appreciate what I can see, This is the "deeper nature connection." Look it up if you don't know about it. It is meditation and enjoyable, connecting to other non-human species. I work in the inner city of Waterbury, Connecticut, as an optometrist, so sometimes, I need to decompress before going home.
Whether it’s bird-spotting or not, I think a key aspect is slowing down, if not in speed of motion, but in what and how you observe as you walk. Speaking of slowing down: |
J. Wendt had a point about awe-walks affecting the size of the self:
I fear that in Trumpistan a feeling of being small and then feeling better as you become part of a larger whole is not a good thing. Witness MAGA-heads, and, of course, racists, white supremacists, and Second Amendment nuts. You get to the feeling of power that comes from being armed with an AR-15, or any gun for that matter. You know you can control others, especially women. That being said, the concept of self that wanes as you see the big picture during long walks means that there may be hope if we can get there soon. If we can get past the me-first syndrome and think like we are a village…hmmm, where have I heard that before?
Awe-walking, as I wrote about, is supposed to help you put your own self and needs into perspective—which, presumably, would allow for more productive interaction with others. That’s different than feeling small at the start and looking for ways to feel stronger and more potent—say, by joining a demagogic movement or arming yourself with guns. I suppose there’s good small and bad small.
Aleithia Artemis had a question: So why is special counsel Jack Smith sitting on his duff? He's had since November of last year to get a move, on.
I don’t know if Smith, who is handling the federal investigations of Trump’s mishandling (or stealing) of sensitive and classified White House papers and the post-election effort to overturn the 2020 election (which includes the incitement of the January 6 attack), is duff-sitting or not. There are signs he is mounting robust probes. But these investigations can be complicated. And remember, his job is to determine if there are compelling criminal cases to bring that would likely end with convictions. I’m withholding any judgments on his endeavors until we have a better understanding of what they are (or are not) yielding.
John Ranta thought I wasted my time—and his—with the recent issue that looked at a Trump comment on nuclear war:
Doesn’t it feel silly to respond to one of Trump’s absurdly ignorant claims with actual logic and facts? As you were typing your eloquent explanation of Trump’s abysmal record on “nuclear warming” was there a tiny voice in your head saying, “Why are you bothering?” None of your readers takes anything Trump says seriously. And none of Trump’s audience pays any attention to logic and facts. You’re typing into the void.
Whoa. Typing into the void. Maybe that should be the title of my memoirs. Here’s my reasoning: We spend so much time reacting to the many inanities, lies, and outrageous remarks that Trump spews; once in a while, we ought to examine the policy consequences of his comments. After all, this guy was president—and had his finger on the nuclear button—and he might be again. I obviously believed that his statements about nuclear weapons policy deserved more than a guffaw. But I hereby apologize to any reader who thought I wasted his or her time. Can’t promise I won’t do it again.
Rick Signorelli had a different message for me:
Thank you for all the work you do to bring much needed truth into the light. It is sad to see so much our wonderful country descend into the darkness. There are millions of us out there who appreciate the work done by you and your fellow reporters. Just know that we are with you and support you and believe strongly in you and what you are doing. Please keep up your wonderful work.
Thanks, Rick. Millions? I hope so. We could use some more subscribers to Our Land. Rochelle Lesser sent in fan mail: Moxie is lucky to have you as her dad. Your new blog is fabulous, and I love that you integrated her into the picture.
Moxie and I prefer to think of each other as companions. By the way, this newsletter was her idea. Speaking of which… |
“I am so happy.” “Why, Moxie?” “Why? Why are you asking why?” “I suppose if we know why we’re happy, we can do things to make us happy.” “Your rationality irritates me…But I’m still happy.” |
Read Recent Issues of Our Land |
April 18, 2023: Go take a walk; comparing the Murdochs and the Roys; The Big Door Prize puzzles; and more.
April 15, 2023: Donald Trump’s inanity goes nuclear—literally; more on that disappearing Columbia Journalism Review town hall; a great endorsement of Our Land; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Sen. Tim Scott); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.
April 11, 2023: The Trump-Russia town hall that disappeared; Matt Taibbi on the run; the Milk Carton Kids reappear; Adam Sandler’s slam-dunk in the Hustle; and more.
April 8, 2023: Clarence and Ginni Thomas, enough already!; the Trump circus in NYC; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Special Arraignment Edition); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more. April 4, 2023: Why Fox can survive its mega-scandal; Bruce Springsteen’s rock ‘n’ roll revival; a new rock-chick-lit novel from Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles; and more.
April 1, 2023: Trump’s indictment is yet another stress-test for America; Dumbass Comment of the Week; the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.
March 28, 2023: A Reagan bombshell reminds us of the GOP’s reliance on dirty tricks; elite bonding; Shrinking respects and breaks the sitcom formula; and more.
March 25, 2023: The real perversion in Trump’s porn-star-hush-money caper; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Possible Trump Indictment Edition); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more. March 21, 2023: The Iraq War: a personal remembrance of dissent; Los Angeles Times columnist Jean Guerrero’s stunning investigative memoir; and more.
March 18, 2023: Is anti-wokeness all the GOP has?; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Mike Pence); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more. |
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Got suggestions, comments, complaints, tips related to any of the above, or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com. |
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