CNN Smears RFK Jr. as "Quack"--JFK Records Again?

[Benjamin Cole]

18 minutes ago, K K Lane said:

I don't think the JFK Files are a key factor in the strong establishment reaction against RFK Jr.   I think the CIA knows that no identified but unreleased JFK document is a "smoking gun."   I think identified but unreleased documents may further substantiate CT points, but nothing that would penetrate the MSM/establishment firewall.

I choose a third option: the MSM and the Democrat establishment are aggresively torpedoing RFK Jr's candidancy because they don't want him gaining enough traction to force Biden to debate.   Biden's age and mental condition make him vulnerable if forced to debate.  

The only way a long-shot candidate could win a primary is if he gets traction initially, so the establishment is trying to kill any challenge to Biden before it starts.

For those that downplay RFK Jr's underdog candidacy, please do consider that the Dem establishment is playing a risky game.   They've forced all the other "tier 1" candidates to sit on the sidelines in deference to the incumbent Biden.   That strategy exposes the dems to risk if Biden pulls out late or if an outsider gains traction against the anointed candidate as Bernie did in 2016.

KK--

Thank you for your comments, which I disagree with, but which are well-made. 

[Charles Blackmon]

24 minutes ago, K K Lane said:

  I think the CIA knows that no identified but unreleased JFK document is a "smoking gun." 

What would you be basing this conclusion on?

[Matt Allison]

LOL

Biden has consistently been running circles around every other candidate, and every other world leader, since he announced his candidacy back in 2019.

He's been amazing cleaning up the gigantic mess left by the worst President in U.S, history, Donald Trump.

And if you want to know exactly who "the elite" or "the deep state" or "the establishment" are, a painting has been made that will explain it to you:

[Benjamin Cole]

10 hours ago, Matt Allison said:

These threads Ben keeps starting trying to bash the "liberal media" and Dem politicians don't belong in this forum.

And once again, the people on this board are the only ones concerned about the JFK files; the general public couldn't care less, so let's stop pretending they do, ok?

They have far more pressing matters to be concerned about, as the GOP continues to assault their rights and their democracy every day.

Matt--

I am disappointed in your comment.

My threads are started in earnest, and reflect my intuitions. I am not trying to "bash liberal media."

I am at odds with elements in the media, liberal or conservative, who are apathetic at best, or possibly serve as long knives for those who oppose the opening up of the JFK Records, 

My guess is RFK Jr. has "liberal" policies in mind for his Presidency, and I "defending" RFK Jr. against smears that I conclude emanate from RFK Jr.'s likely decision to open up the JFK Records, and those pertaining to his father.

RFK Jr. might even order up whole new investigations, although at this late date we can all wonder if all leads are stone-cold dead. 

As for me being "against" liberal pols, I would vote for RFK Jr. given the chance. 

Please give threads and posters the benefit of the doubt. It sure makes for more civil and intelligent conversation. 

 

[Ron Bulman]

You still think it was a scrum?

 

[Benjamin Cole]

4 hours ago, Matt Allison said:

LOL

Biden has consistently been running circles around every other candidate, and every other world leader, since he announced his candidacy back in 2019.

He's been amazing cleaning up the gigantic mess left by the worst President in U.S, history, Donald Trump.

And if you want to know exactly who "the elite" or "the deep state" or "the establishment" are, a painting has been made that will explain it to you:

Is the Indian a part of the group? 

[Benjamin Cole]

50 minutes ago, Ron Bulman said:

You still think it was a scrum?

 

I am afraid to discuss any topics other than the one at hand. 

Maybe we can start a separate thread on another topic. 

[Bill Fite]

just a recap of recent history:

• favorite is the party / insider / media favorite
• outsider - the non-favourite or non-insider

2008:

• Dem Primary - favorite: Clinton outsider: Obama
• Gen Election - insider: McCain outsider: Obama

2016:

• Dem Primary - favorite: Clinton outsider: Bernie
• Rep Primary: favorite: someone on the 'deep bench' outsider: Trump
• Gen Election - favorite: Clinton outsider: Trump

2020: 

• Dem Primary: favorite: Biden outsider: Bernie
• Gen Election: favorite: Biden outsider: None - Trump running for re-election

In 2016 the Dems had to pull out all the stops to stop Bernie.

I may be wrong, but I wouldn't write off any 'outsider' at this point as it goes against the trend.  Voters seem fed up with politicians.

 Although, the Dem establishment will pull out all the stops against RFK jr.

 

 

[Michael Griffith]

RFK Jr. is way off base on the "FedNow" CBDC issue, and the two ladies in the video segment don't seem to understand it either. For starters, FedNow is not the same thing as CBDC. They are two separate things.

FedNow is not related to a digital currency. FedNow is a payments service that the Federal Reserve is making available for banks and credit unions to transfer funds. It is like other Federal Reserve payments services, such as Fedwire and FedACH. The FedNow Service is neither a form of currency nor a step toward eliminating any form of payment, including cash. It will shorten the time it takes banks to send funds to other banks. 

Now that he's a candidate, RFK Jr. needs to get an adviser who understands financial matters. If he had had a trained financial consultant before he issued his unfortunate statement, that person could have informed him that FedNow has nothing to do with CBDC.

RFK Jr. is going to have to thoroughly address his previous comments about vaccines, or he's going to continue to get cheap shots like Jake Tapper's "quack" remark. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Michael Griffith

[Joe Bauer]

12 hours ago, Matt Allison said:

 

Regards the above photo:

Old proverb ...

"People judge you by the friends you keep."

Hey, why not a fifth party presidential candidacy run next year.

The JFKA research party!

Mark Knight and Kathy Beckett for Potus and VP?

Or, the other way around.

Would make for some dynamite primary debate discussion and energy.

We could be the " M.A.C.A." party.

"Make America Care Again."

About the truth ...regards the JFKA.

Wish I could get more than two hours sleep at night. 8 hours a night on the forum doesn't help.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Joe Bauer

[Mark Knight]

Proximity to power doesn't make one qualified for a leadership role, any more than standing in a garage for a long time makes someone a Buick.

Gerald Ford was a longtime member of the House of Representatives, and yet he was mediocre at best as a President. And being a Washington "outsider" didn't serve Jimmy Carter as well as some imagined it would.

In the case of Trump, both being a Washington outsider and being elected based upon grievances against Washington "insiders" didn't serve him as well as many voters anticipated.

So what of the RFK Jr. candidacy? I've seen nothing so far to disqualify him from serving. But I've also seen little to recommend him for the job. Some will "disqualify" him because he IS a Kennedy, and in America, "dynasties" don't wear well. Some will "disqualify" him over his stance on Vaccines, while others will declare him MOST qualified based on his promise to open all the JFK records. Neither single issue, IMHO makes him more or less qualified than any other American considering a run for the Presidency.

But to the American electorate, a Presidential candidate is, for the most part, just another "product," to either be "bought" or rejected. And RFK Jr.'s packaging, his marketing, if you will, at this point isn't convincing many to "buy" the product. Not because there's a huge problem with the product, but because for most Americans, RFK Jr. is pretty much an unknown quantity outside his home district.

The national press is seizing his anti-vax stance only because that's the ONLY thing they know of him. Remember, JFK died nearly 60 years ago, and RFK 55 years ago. So to Americans under 65, the only Kennedy they can personally remember was Ted, and other than the RFK eulogy, the only memories of Ted most have are about Chappaquiddick and his general blustery style in his failed efforts to gain the nomination for the Presidency.

But most voters DO remember George HW Bush and George W. Bush. And they know how THAT turned out. So they're understandably leery of anything even suggesting a "dynasty" candidacy. 

Personally, I'm open-minded about an RFK Jr. candidacy. But his PR staff is lagging WAY behind his announcement of his candidacy. Most candidates begin working on the PR side of the equation long before they announce. I don't see RFK Jr. dominating any of the news cycles. I don't see him on the Sunday morning political shows, or on the late-night talk show circuit. If anything, he's about the LEAST visible candidate I can recall over the past several years. He's nearly as MIA as Kamala Harris has been as VP.

If anything, that makes the strength of the attacks on him by the mainstream press look VERY suspicious to me. I don't see him as the "clear and present danger" that CNN apparently does. In fact, I barely see him at all. But then, I don't watch CNN, FOX, or MSNBC. I get my news from The Associated Press, Reuters, Axios, and occasionally Raw Story just for some sensationalism.

RFK Jr. just MIGHT have all the right qualities to make a great President. Or he might not. For now, I have too little evidence upon which to decide. His PR people need to get his "brand" out there front-and-center...where it ISN'T at this point.

[Paul Brancato]

21 minutes ago, Mark Knight said:

Proximity to power doesn't make one qualified for a leadership role, any more than standing in a garage for a long time makes someone a Buick.

Gerald Ford was a longtime member of the House of Representatives, and yet he was mediocre at best as a President. And being a Washington "outsider" didn't serve Jimmy Carter as well as some imagined it would.

In the case of Trump, both being a Washington outsider and being elected based upon grievances against Washington "insiders" didn't serve him as well as many voters anticipated.

So what of the RFK Jr. candidacy? I've seen nothing so far to disqualify him from serving. But I've also seen little to recommend him for the job. Some will "disqualify" him because he IS a Kennedy, and in America, "dynasties" don't wear well. Some will "disqualify" him over his stance on Vaccines, while others will declare him MOST qualified based on his promise to open all the JFK records. Neither single issue, IMHO makes him more or less qualified than any other American considering a run for the Presidency.

But to the American electorate, a Presidential candidate is, for the most part, just another "product," to either be "bought" or rejected. And RFK Jr.'s packaging, his marketing, if you will, at this point isn't convincing many to "buy" the product. Not because there's a huge problem with the product, but because for most Americans, RFK Jr. is pretty much an unknown quantity outside his home district.

The national press is seizing his anti-vax stance only because that's the ONLY thing they know of him. Remember, JFK died nearly 60 years ago, and RFK 55 years ago. So to Americans under 65, the only Kennedy they can personally remember was Ted, and other than the RFK eulogy, the only memories of Ted most have are about Chappaquiddick and his general blustery style in his failed efforts to gain the nomination for the Presidency.

But most voters DO remember George HW Bush and George W. Bush. And they know how THAT turned out. So they're understandably leery of anything even suggesting a "dynasty" candidacy. 

Personally, I'm open-minded about an RFK Jr. candidacy. But his PR staff is lagging WAY behind his announcement of his candidacy. Most candidates begin working on the PR side of the equation long before they announce. I don't see RFK Jr. dominating any of the news cycles. I don't see him on the Sunday morning political shows, or on the late-night talk show circuit. If anything, he's about the LEAST visible candidate I can recall over the past several years. He's nearly as MIA as Kamala Harris has been as VP.

If anything, that makes the strength of the attacks on him by the mainstream press look VERY suspicious to me. I don't see him as the "clear and present danger" that CNN apparently does. In fact, I barely see him at all. But then, I don't watch CNN, FOX, or MSNBC. I get my news from The Associated Press, Reuters, Axios, and occasionally Raw Story just for some sensationalism.

RFK Jr. just MIGHT have all the right qualities to make a great President. Or he might not. For now, I have too little evidence upon which to decide. His PR people need to get his "brand" out there front-and-center...where it ISN'T at this point.

Enjoyed reading your post Mark. The attacks are suspicious and pernicious too. It will be interesting to see whether his campaign can break through enough for him to have a chance to defend himself, or to outline his agenda. His best chance is to define his message using concise language and stick to it no matter how the media storm around him rages. Rather than shy away from hints of dynasty I think he should invoke his legacy as unfinished business. I agree with most here that his candidacy is a very long shot. But if he can break into the candidate debates he may do to his fellow Democrats what Trump did to the Republican presidential field. 

[Michael Griffith]

42 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said:

Enjoyed reading your post Mark. The attacks are suspicious and pernicious too. It will be interesting to see whether his campaign can break through enough for him to have a chance to defend himself, or to outline his agenda. His best chance is to define his message using concise language and stick to it no matter how the media storm around him rages. Rather than shy away from hints of dynasty I think he should invoke his legacy as unfinished business. I agree with most here that his candidacy is a very long shot. But if he can break into the candidate debates he may do to his fellow Democrats what Trump did to the Republican presidential field. 

He definitely needs to clarify his views on vaccination and to address his previous comments on the subject. This issue is not going to go away, especially if his campaign starts to gain any kind of traction. 

If he is able to participate in the debates, this issue will definitely come up, and he'd better have some clear, cogent responses when it does. 

We need to keep in mind that most voters have no memory of JFK or RFK or the Camelot mystique, etc. Some voters do remember Ted Kennedy, but that is not necessarily a good thing, given Chappaquiddick and his unfortunate conduct in the 1980 Dem primary.

For most voters, RFK Jr. will be just another candidate, and a minor candidate at that. If he cannot effectively explain his previous anti-vaccination comments and credible clarify his views on the subject, he will have no chance of getting the nomination.

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Michael Griffith

[Denny Zartman]

2 hours ago, Mark Knight said:

Proximity to power doesn't make one qualified for a leadership role, any more than standing in a garage for a long time makes someone a Buick.

Do you consider proximity to power as the same thing as experience?

[Joe Bauer]

RFK Jr's views on Sirhan Sirhan and his father's assassination alone would negatively effect his candidacy. To a serious degree.

In my mind however, that would be a reason to vote for him.

It also would take a massive effort of funding to get RFK Jr. in any position of serious candidacy name recognition and viability.

We are talking over a billion dollars easy in today's world of media publicity coverage costs.

Oprah would have to have him on several times let alone even back him.

Every late night talk show. Howard Stern. 60 Minutes. Sunday morning political shows. National magazine cover spreads.

Trump's machine used the Leni Reifenstahl rally shtick to the letter.  Huge patriotic flags everywhere, pre-screened audiences with "Applause-Cheer" prompting ques and teary " God Bless America" song and music accompaniment ... and it worked! 

I just don't see RFK Jr. wanting to do such rallies however.

The Hollywood celebrity network would have to come out in full force for RFK Jr. starting right away to help in the name recognition realm. As well as other celebrity networks - sports, music, famous families, etc.

The women vote is everything. 

Their number one concerns?

Womens body rights, equal opportunity versus men, personal physical safety. Their own and children's health and safety including gun violence. 

The Hispanic vote as their numbers are massive. The majority of California's huge population  alone ( over 40 million!) is Hispanic.

The black vote. Would RFK Jr. be willing to pick another black VP candidate as Biden did?

Wall Street!

If Michael Bloomberg and his wealthy 1% power group feel threatened by you...you are gone! What ever it takes. Heck, Bloomberg spent 1 billion of his own money in just 2 months alone in the Democratic primaries to get vote leading Warren and Sanders out of there and Biden in.

Billions to them is nothing.

RFK Jr. will not meet and overcome all those viable candidacy support challenges, imo anyways.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Joe Bauer