W. Niederhut

It's a good question about all of the recent RFK, Jr. threads, IMO. The redeeming feature of this particular RFK, Jr. thread was that it began as a rare discussion of RFK, Jr.'s policy positions-- in contrast to the usual RFK, Jr. cheerleading -- before Ben Cole and Paul Rigby highjacked it with Murdoch/MAGA/ Bidenescu propaganda tropes.

Interesting hypothesis. It, certainly, makes more sense than some explanations for the half-assed Wagner coup attempt, and Prigozhin ending up in Belarus. On the flip side, why would Putin have risked embarrassing himself, and having Prigozhin spill the beans about Putin's false pretexts for invading Ukraine?

Newsflash, Roger. If you're truly concerned about election fraud and the sabotage of democracy, you're focusing on the wrong party. In other breaking news, Henry Kissinger worked for the Republicons.

Get a clue, Ben. Who sabotaged the comprehensive, bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill that forced Obama to issue an Executive order on DACA? What happened after America's worst President, Donald Trump, impulsively abrogated the DACA order on the grounds that his Koch/GOP Congress would pass the necessary legislative reform? They never did. Trump and your crooked GOP plutocrats have been too invested in using border xenophobia to rile up their base to focus on constructive immigration reform. And you drank the MAGA Koolaid, as always. Do you really think that Cesar Chavez, Corky Gonzalez, et.al., would have approved of the way Donald Trump and his abjectly racist advisor, Stephen Miller, handled DACA, while separating kids from their parents, and putting in kids in cages at the border? Do you think Chavez would have approved of Trump's multi-billion dollar border wall boondoggle? Again, get a clue.

Since MAGA spammer Ben Cole and our Putin apologist, Paul Rigby, are spamming the forum with Murdoch/GOP propaganda tropes bashing Biden today, it's time for an Education Forum cartoon. I'll wager that MAGA Ben Cole and Paul Rigby have never listened to a single Biden Presidential address since 2020. Where's the evidence of Biden's alleged senility in unedited videos of his historic speeches and in his debates with Ben Cole's beloved Orange Boobie? 🙄

Paul, I've been studying the Mockingbird propaganda phenomena for years now, and I have never disagreed with the evidence that Mockingbird has been smearing RFK, Jr. My criticism of RFK, Jr. has been based on the progressive liberal, non-Mockingbird analyses, like those of Russ Baker and Naomi Klein. That said, I'm going to take a closer look at RFK, Jr.'s positions. I agree with Sandy that, other than the anti-vax stuff, I probably agree with RFK, Jr. on most issues.

I noticed that our Putin apologist, Paul Rigby, has avoided commenting on Prigozhin's recent confession that Putin invaded Ukraine on false pretexts. Prigozhin has, certainly, debunked the Kremlin's "blame it on NATO" narrative. From what I've read, Prigozhin's comments have also had an impact on public support in Russia for Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Hitherto, the Russian people have been bamboozled into believing that Putin's invasion was a defense against Ukrainian aggression.

C'mon, Paul. Your comment here is out of tune. You and I (and Matt Allison) are progressive, social Democrats, aren't we? Why are some progressive Democrats-- like Bernie Sanders, the Kennedy family, Russ Baker, and I-- not jumping on the RFK, Jr. bandwagon? What Koolaid did Bernie Sanders, Russ Baker, Matt Allison, and I drink, in your opinion? As I think about RFK, Jr., the issue that initially jaundiced my opinion of him was his anti-vax disinformation. BUT, I will agree to take a closer look at his positions on progressive issues that matter to me. Perhaps I'm not giving him a fair shake. I admire RFK, Jr.'s environmentalism and advocacy for the poor. I also admire RFK, Jr.'s criticism of the U.S. military industrial complex.

Jim, You're missing the big picture about the RFK, Jr. debate and Russ Baker's recent commentaries, and I say that as a person who has a lot of respect for your work, and your excellent K&K website, (which I supported back in the days before you and Oliver Stone collaborated on JFK Revisited and sycophants like Ben Cole started spamming this forum with Fox News propaganda tropes.) I understand that RFK, Jr. is providing a valuable service to the cause of exposing the CIA's involvement in the assassination of JFK, and I also understand that RFK, Jr. has been attacked by the Mockingbird M$M for that reason. No disagreement there. But I am also looking at the larger historical and political picture of the crucial conflict between the Koch/GOP plutocracy in the U.S., (and associated Trump MAGA cult) and progressive democracy. Why are Bernie Sanders and the Kennedy family endorsing Joe Biden, and not RFK, Jr.? There is so much at stake in this 2024 Presidential election -- climate change mitigation, GOP tax cuts for the rich and GOP Starving-the-Beast, the GOP stacking of the SCOTUS with reactionary, pro-corporate plutocrats, (Citizens United, Shelby v. Holder) voting rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, gun control, etc. Progressive Democratic criticism of RFK, Jr. is based on these larger issues-- the big picture. As I have said, it appears that Rupert Murdoch and the right wing media moguls are promoting RFK, Jr. in order to undermine Biden and the progressive Democratic agenda. Murdoch wants low GOP tax rates and reduced government spending on the American working class.

Jim, Gary Webb was outing GHWB/CIA cocaine trafficking to fund the Contras. How is that comparable to CIA/GHWB critic Russ Baker raising serious questions about some of RFK, Jr.'s dubious policy positions? His opposition to social distancing and vaccines during a deadly pandemic? Huh? Do you agree with RFK, Jr.'s notion that free market mechanisms can mitigate climate change? Huh? That defending sovereignty and liberal democracy from totalitarianism doesn't justify the sacrifice of human life-- i.e., let Hitler, Stalin, and Putin do whatever they want? Huh? I agree with Dr. Fauci. Rupert Murdoch is promoting him to undermine Biden and the Democrats, but there's something seriously wrong with, RFK, Jr. He's a guy who used heroin, but opposes the use of vaccines and antidepressants.

Yeah, Steve, and no doubt all of those retired senior citizens down in Florida are strongly opposed to socialist Donk crap like Medicare and Social Security... 🙄 Rick Scott is a Koch-funded Republican sociopath who banned state employees from using the term, "climate change" when he was Governor of Florida. Can't stand that shxtweasel.

Mods, Can we do something about Ben Cole's MAGA spam (e.g., repeating the endless Trump/Fox tropes about Biden's alleged "senility") on these threads where we are trying to discuss RFK, Jr.'s positions on a number of key foreign and domestic policy issues? Ben has a long history of spamming forum discussions of history and politics with redundant Trump/Fox tropes. In fact, Ben's redundant MAGA spam played a major role in ruining the 56 Years thread. Subsequently, Ben refused to post his MAGA spam at the MAGA Water Cooler echo chamber. Instead, he continues to post it here on the JFKA board.

Matt, It looks like you were correct about RFK, Jr. scheduling an appearance at MAGA Moms for Liberty. Robert F. Kennedy Jr drops out of controversial Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia (msn.com)

John, I just looked in the mirror. I saw a grumpy old white dude who is fed up with the moronic delusions of the Trump/Fox cult in America and the ostrich-like Putin apologists on both sides of the Atlantic. What did you see?

Jim, I agree that RFK, Jr. has been unfairly attacked by the Mockingbird M$M, (MAGA Ben Cole has started at least 10 redundant threads here on that same subject) but you have also ignored rational, non-Mockingbird criticisms of RFK, Jr.'s dubious policy positions by progressive journalists like Naomi Klein, Russ Baker, and Kirk Gallaway. Do you agree with RFK, Jr.'s denunciation of basic COVID pandemic health measures like quarantines, (social distancing) and the use of life saving vaccines? RFK, Jr. was criticizing the 2020 closure of public gatherings (e.g., in churches and court rooms) as an inappropriate infringement of the Bill of Rights. In the context of a deadly viral pandemic, that's nuts. How about RFK, Jr.'s notion that free markets can solve the catastrophic climate change crisis? That's nuts. How about his implication, in a recent interview, that protecting sovereignty, freedom, and democracy from militant totalitarianism isn't worth the sacrifice of human lives? That's nuts.

So, the 60th anniversary of JFK's historic Berlin speech came and went yesterday, June 26, 1963, without a single comment from the Putin apologists on the forum who completely blew the call on Putin's disastrous invasion of Ukraine during the past year. Similarly, the Putin apologists on the forum completely ducked commenting on Prigozhin's confession this week that Putin invaded Ukraine on false pretexts. Meanwhile, RFK, Jr. has been talking out of both sides of his mouth on Ukraine-- lamenting U.S. support for Ukrainian sovereignty, while simultaneously decrying Putin's violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. Can't have it both ways, Bobby. Peace is the ideal, but it can't be achieved by unilateral appeasement of dictators. That's why JFK went to Berlin and Biden went to Kyiv.

So ironic to see Ben Cole now accusing critics of the MAGA Bomber Trump cult of "stochastic terrorism." That makes about as much sense as Trump accusing anti-fascist liberals of being "fascists." Then again, Ben is the guy who kept insisting that Trump's J6 attack on Congress was merely a harmless "scrum" orchestrated by the Deep State.

Matt, I, too, wondered if this RFK, Jr. Moms for Liberty meme was accurate. Let's hope not. If RFK, Jr. is, in fact, pandering to the Anti-Woke, Anti-LGBT MAGA Moms for Liberty, he is no progressive Democrat. One of the points I have tried to make on the forum recently is that a number of respected progressive journalists-- including Naomi Klein and Russ Baker-- have been asking serious questions about RFK's controversial policy positions. Ben's redundant threads about Operation Mockingbird and RFK, Jr. is accurate, but it's not the whole story.

Addendum: Here's hoping that MAGA Ben Cole won't hijack this thread about RFK, Jr.'s controversial positions on progressive issues with more of his moronic, redundant spam about Donks and the "Deep State."

Kirk, This interview really covers some of the good, the bad, and the ugly about RFK, Jr. The Good. Endorsing single-payer healthcare, (insurance corporations siphon roughly one-third of every U.S. healthcare dollar away from healthcare goods and services) de-funding America's "forever wars," and the endorsing the scientific validity of the existential crisis of climate change. The Bad. Limiting the role of government in regulating the destructive profiteering of oil industry moguls? Huh? When climate change is an existential threat to humanity? This makes no sense at all. If climate change is an existential threat, government has to intervene. There is no "invisible hand" in free market capitalism to promote clean energy as a necessary alternative to burning fossil fuels and destroying the planet. Duh. Declining to criticize Trump's unprecedented, historic assault on American democracy, or Trump's massive tax cuts for corporations and billionaires? Declining to criticize the Trump/Reagan/GOP Starve-the-Beast paradigm for undermining Social Security and Medicare? Come on RFK, Jr.... Are you really a Kennedy, or have you simply been living in Malibu too long? The Ugly. Bragging about his grandfather's opposition to Western intervention against Hitler prior to 1943? Then, in a similar vein, RFK, Jr. tries to both sides the Russian invasion of Ukraine, admitting that Putin has been atrocious, but intervention is not worth the sacrifice? This makes no sense. RFK, Jr. is confused about the difference between our misguided, imperialist "forever wars" and the necessary defense of democracy and international law.

Thanks for the laugh. Unfortunately, there's nothing funny about the Trumplicon shxtweasel serving as House Speaker. Kevin McCarthy wants to impeach AG Merrick Garland, while expunging Trump's impeachments for the Ukraine-gate extortion scam and the J6 coup attempt. What an f-ing moron. McCarthy Threatens Impeachment Of Garland | HuffPost Latest News

John, Please stop posting absurd comments around here. Life is absurd enough without all of your reductios.

Has anyone else noticed that John Cotter never answers questions in our discussions here? I'm still wondering where John gets his anti-democracy, anti-American propaganda. If I were a betting man, I would wager that John's favorite "news" and opinion sources are funded by Putin's oligarchs.

Ruh roh... Now Democrats are in serious trouble... 🙄 It looks like MAGA Ben Cole and the Faux News/RFK, Jr. fanboys are now taking a shirtless public relations page out of the Putin/Trump personality cult playbook.