Letter from Dolores Rothwell
RFK Jr. Not the Answer
Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the next spoiler? Will he help win the presidency for Trump? Nader’s supporters helped elect Bush and Sanders supporters helped elect Trump, and both men led us into dire situations. The Supreme Court decision on Monday, July 1 makes it even more important to keep Trump out of office.
Following are brief excerpts from an article titled “RFK Jr. has a lot of explaining to do,” written by Glenn C. Altschuler and published on February 4 of this year in “The Hill.” Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.
RFK Jr. has not been scrutinized for his opinions, mainly because of his name. Members of his family are angry at his behavior and are supporting President Biden. JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, said: “He’s trading in on Camelot, conspiracy theories, and conflict for personal gain and fame. I’ve listened to him. I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president.”
Kennedy frequently says he supports a woman’s rights, e.g., Roe vs Wade; however, he has said he would cap abortion rights at three months (comments at an interview at the Iowa State Fair in the summer of 2023).
A series of have-it-both ways assertions on hot issues probably is a ploy to gain favor with voters across the ideological spectrum.
Kennedy stated that anyone who wanted to close the U.S. border with Mexico was probably a xenophobe and maybe a racist. In a conversation that involved Elon Musk, he promised to “try to formulate policies that will seal the border permanently.”
In 2018, Kennedy called the National Rifle Association a terrorist group.” He has now said, “As president, I will respect the Second Amendment.”
Kennedy has said he supports Ukraine “for the right reasons, because we have tremendous compassion for the Ukrainian people, etc., etc.” He has also asserted that, “We’re there and we’re killing a lot of Ukrainians” as part of an American plan to depose Putin.” This is only a brief part of his ranting remarks on Ukraine.
As an environmental lawyer who helped secure a $289 million judgment for a terminally ill groundskeeper against Monsanto in 2018 for using an herbicide that caused cancer, Kennedy states that he doesn’t “necessarily believe all scientists because I can read science for myself.” However, he has repeatedly misrepresented scientific studies and ignored evidence that conflicts with his views.
He has declared, without evidence, that government officials knew that vaccines cause autism; chemicals in water are “drugging” children and influencing transgender identity; HIV is not the true and only cause of AIDS; COVID vaccines contain microchips to keep track of individuals and are the deadliest vaccines ever made; the COVID virus is “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people and the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”
His statements on the assassination of his uncle, John F. Kennedy, are ridiculous and fact-starved. One such ridiculous comment asserts that Dr. Anthony Fauci was part of an “historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” because he helped Republicans to deprive John Kerry of the presidency in 2004.
In protesting COVID-related public health mandates, Kennedy said, “Even in Hitler’s Germany you could cross the Alps to Switzerland. You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did.” Among the many critics of this analogy was Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, who called it “reprehensible and insensitive.” Other critics called the remark somewhat anti-Semitic.
You can read Altschuler’s full article at https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4446487-rfk-jr-is-full-of-hot-air/. In the meantime, consider this—RFK Jr. has accepted $25 million dollars from Timothy Mellon, a billionaire who is his biggest financial backer. Mellon also spent $75 million on Trump, including $50 million the day after his conviction.
Dolores Rothwell
Oneonta