Kennedys denounce Bobby, Jr.

[Joseph Backes]

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew strong criticism from several members of his own family on Monday for remarks he made suggesting COVID-19 was “ethnically targeted.”

The pushback began over the weekend, when video surfaced of him claiming that the COVID virus is “ethnically targeted” to attack “certain races disproportionately” — namely, white and Black people — while “the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” Ashkenazi Jews are Jewish people of specifically northern and eastern European descent.

The remarks, captured by the New York Post at a private event, contained multiple false claims and reference common antisemitic tropes about global conspiracies that benefit Jewish people. They sparked quick condemnation from prominent Jewish groups and others.

That outpouring of criticism included two of Kennedy’s siblings. Kennedy’s sister Kerry Kennedy, distanced her brother from the nonprofit named for their father, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation.

“I strongly condemn my brother’s deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting,” Kerry Kennedy said in a statement as president of the organization. “His statements do not represent what I believe or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50 [plus]-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all forms of discrimination.”

Another of their siblings, Joseph Kennedy II, also criticized the remarks. He is a former congressman and chair of Citizens Energy.

“Bobby’s comments are morally and factually wrong,” he said in a statement provided to The Globe. “They play on antisemitic myths and stoke mistrust of the Chinese. His remarks in no way reflect the words and actions of our father, Robert F. Kennedy.”

Former Massachusetts Representative Joseph Kennedy III also weighed in.

“My uncle’s comments were hurtful and wrong. I unequivocally condemn what he said,” he tweeted from a personal account. Kennedy III is also serving as President Biden’s envoy to Northern Ireland.

It is not the first time his family has distanced themselves from Kennedy’s conspiracy-laden and often-debunked views, which include misleading and false statements about vaccines, that anti-depressants are linked to school shootings, and that the CIA is responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.

Last year, multiple family members, including his own wife, actress Cheryl Hines, spoke out against him after he implied that people who oppose the COVID-19 vaccine are being persecuted more severely than Anne Frank, who died in a Nazi concentration camp. Kerry Kennedy also did so in April, when his campaign launched.

Kennedy himself tweeted numerous defenses of his comments, including that they were intended to be off the record, misconstrued, and referencing a scientific paper that analyzed theoretical genetic susceptibilities to COVID.

“This cynical maneuver is consistent with the mainstream media playbook to discredit me as a crank — and by association, to discredit revelations of genuine corruption and collusion,” Kennedy said.

Pandemic data has shown significant racial disparities in infection and death rates, primarily worse for Black, Hispanic and Native American groups—disparities that are largely attributed to socio-economic factors and gaps.

Debate remains about COVID’s specific origin, with many scientists believing it jumped from animals to humans, but some assessments pointing to an accident in a virology lab. Still, virtually all who studied it have concluded the virus is not engineered.

[James DiEugenio]

SHould this not be moved to the political side? Its just more of the same.

RFK Jr is so far ahead of the curve on this, about Wuhan about a lab leak, about Gates.  Rand Paul agrees that Fauci BS'd the committee on this.

But that is beside my point, please move this.

[Jonathan Cohen]

1 hour ago, James DiEugenio said:

Rand Paul agrees that Fauci BS'd the committee on this.

Do you expect people to feel reassured about ANYTHING simply because "Rand Paul agrees" with it? I sure don't ...

[Matt Allison]

And now this... good grief

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/rfk-jr-campaign-coffer-stuffed-by-gop-donors

[Joseph Backes]

The White House denounces RFK, Jr.

Claims made by RFK Jr on Covid 'vile' – White House

Joanna Walters - The Guardian. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has taken the chance to condemn remarks made by presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy Jr after a video surfaced of him making false claims that Covid-19 was “ethnically targeted” to attack certain ethnic groups.

Kennedy, the infamous conspiracy theorist, famous scion and rogue candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination hit the headlines at the weekend after it emerged that he said at a press event in New York City last week that the coronavirus is a genetically engineered bioweapon that may have been “ethnically targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, the New York Post reported at the weekend.

Kennedy is garnering loud and swift criticism, including from members of his own family. The White House was asked about it during the press briefing today and Jean-Pierry called Kennedy’s remarks not just “false” but also “vile”.

[Michael Griffith]

3 hours ago, Joseph Backes said:

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew strong criticism from several members of his own family on Monday for remarks he made suggesting COVID-19 was “ethnically targeted.”

The pushback began over the weekend, when video surfaced of him claiming that the COVID virus is “ethnically targeted” to attack “certain races disproportionately” — namely, white and Black people — while “the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” Ashkenazi Jews are Jewish people of specifically northern and eastern European descent.

The remarks, captured by the New York Post at a private event, contained multiple false claims and reference common antisemitic tropes about global conspiracies that benefit Jewish people. They sparked quick condemnation from prominent Jewish groups and others.

That outpouring of criticism included two of Kennedy’s siblings. Kennedy’s sister Kerry Kennedy, distanced her brother from the nonprofit named for their father, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation.

“I strongly condemn my brother’s deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting,” Kerry Kennedy said in a statement as president of the organization. “His statements do not represent what I believe or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50 [plus]-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all forms of discrimination.”

Another of their siblings, Joseph Kennedy II, also criticized the remarks. He is a former congressman and chair of Citizens Energy.

“Bobby’s comments are morally and factually wrong,” he said in a statement provided to The Globe. “They play on antisemitic myths and stoke mistrust of the Chinese. His remarks in no way reflect the words and actions of our father, Robert F. Kennedy.”

Former Massachusetts Representative Joseph Kennedy III also weighed in.

“My uncle’s comments were hurtful and wrong. I unequivocally condemn what he said,” he tweeted from a personal account. Kennedy III is also serving as President Biden’s envoy to Northern Ireland.

It is not the first time his family has distanced themselves from Kennedy’s conspiracy-laden and often-debunked views, which include misleading and false statements about vaccines, that anti-depressants are linked to school shootings, and that the CIA is responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.

Last year, multiple family members, including his own wife, actress Cheryl Hines, spoke out against him after he implied that people who oppose the COVID-19 vaccine are being persecuted more severely than Anne Frank, who died in a Nazi concentration camp. Kerry Kennedy also did so in April, when his campaign launched.

Kennedy himself tweeted numerous defenses of his comments, including that they were intended to be off the record, misconstrued, and referencing a scientific paper that analyzed theoretical genetic susceptibilities to COVID.

“This cynical maneuver is consistent with the mainstream media playbook to discredit me as a crank — and by association, to discredit revelations of genuine corruption and collusion,” Kennedy said.

Pandemic data has shown significant racial disparities in infection and death rates, primarily worse for Black, Hispanic and Native American groups—disparities that are largely attributed to socio-economic factors and gaps.

Debate remains about COVID’s specific origin, with many scientists believing it jumped from animals to humans, but some assessments pointing to an accident in a virology lab. Still, virtually all who studied it have concluded the virus is not engineered.

I am skeptical of RFK Jr.'s comments, at least as they have been quoted, but I will say this: These family members and others who are attacking him over those comments had nothing negative to say about the senseless, unnecessary, and destructive lockdowns that destroyed tens of thousands of small businesses, ruined millions of people's lives, and arguably did more harm than good in preventing the spread of COVID-19. 

[Greg Doudna]

1 hour ago, Matt Allison said:

And now this... good grief

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/rfk-jr-campaign-coffer-stuffed-by-gop-donors

Yes. I was momentarily open to the RFK Jr. candidacy at first, but not now. The major right-wing billionaire money and all the love from right-wing MAGA types combined with RFK Jr. playing nice to Trump instead of calling for all hands on deck toward the very real prospect of hard fascism just like Pinochet or Mussolini. 

He cannot even say he will support the Democratic nominee against Trump if that is the choice. He cannot say he will raise taxes on the super-wealthy--start the process of unwinding class war against the working poor of America, find his inner Bernie or Elizabeth Warren willing to take stands and fight on economic issues--or support laws addressing global warming. As Kirk Gallaway has brought out. 

RFK Jr's father dealt with the likes of the John Birch Society, Minutemen, and General Edwin Walker, precursors in a direct line of continuity to today's Trump and MAGA--right-wing populism with a white-nationalist, male-supremacist ethos and core base and vigilante violence (e.g. Jan 6).

Can't RFK Jr. see that? Sadly, apparently not. 

Can anyone imagine RFK playing nice to the General Walker types and being fine with HL Hunt money bankrolling RFK's presidential run in 1968? 

Can anyone imagine RFK not supporting the Democratic nominee against Nixon, if RFK had failed to win the nomination in 1968? 

Can anyone imagine RFK playing nice with Trump, if RFK were alive today? 

Good grief is right, Matt. 

[Cory Santos]

7 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

SHould this not be moved to the political side? Its just more of the same.

RFK Jr is so far ahead of the curve on this, about Wuhan about a lab leak, about Gates.  Rand Paul agrees that Fauci BS'd the committee on this.

But that is beside my point, please move this.

Apparently it won’t be unfortunately.  The equal effect  of the law is more a fallacy when actually it is more often the result of an unequal effect of viewpoint favoritism.  

Edited July 18, 2023 by Cory Santos

[James DiEugenio]

Thanks Cory.

I should add that his family disagrees with him on Sirhan also.

That is something that is relevant to this site.

Jonathan, did you miss the two major stories that concluded that, unlike what Fauci said, CV 19 began as a lab leak.  Did you also miss the story which said that Fauci and his cohorts understood this and wanted to communicate by private email to dodge their knowledge of it by later FOIA request? In other words, it was a cover up.

I mean wow.  Talk about not being informed.

Edited July 18, 2023 by James DiEugenio

[Pat Speer]

6 hours ago, Michael Griffith said:

I am skeptical of RFK Jr.'s comments, at least as they have been quoted, but I will say this: These family members and others who are attacking him over those comments had nothing negative to say about the senseless, unnecessary, and destructive lockdowns that destroyed tens of thousands of small businesses, ruined millions of people's lives, and arguably did more harm than good in preventing the spread of COVID-19. 

Having spent months in a hospital battling leukemia during 2021, and another week this year battling COVID, I can say without any doubt that the lockdowns and mask-mandates saved hundred of thousands of lives, maybe millions. Numerous doctors and nurses told me horror stories about the pandemic when it was first taking off, before things got locked down. They had trailers full of bodies in parking lots. They had 20% of the nursing staff at home battling COVID on their own, because the hospitals were full up and the doctors were scared they'd get it too if they actually met with anyone with COVID who wasn't on death's door. This fear carries over to today, moreover. My hospital visit this year was a nightmare. My doctor and his staff refused to come into the room. Only one doctor ever visited, and that was for like 5 minutes a day, with him standing ten feet away. I was essentially locked in a room, with no visitors allowed, outside 6-8 visits per day from nurses to give me medication and check my vitals, and a single visit from a personal care assistant to change my bedding. Now that I think of it, even the housekeeping staff was scared as heck. Over the last three days, housekeeping would walk five feet in from the door, and remove the used bedding and trash. But they wouldn't clean the bathroom for me. I figured out why. They didn't want to end up stacked up in a trailer in the parking lot. 

[Bob Ness]

4 minutes ago, Pat Speer said:

Having spent months in a hospital battling leukemia during 2021, and another week this year battling COVID, I can say without any doubt that the lockdowns and mask-mandates saved hundred of thousands of lives, maybe millions. Numerous doctors and nurses told me horror stories about the pandemic when it was first taking off, before things got locked down. They had trailers full of bodies in parking lots. They had 20% of the nursing staff at home battling COVID on their own, because the hospitals were full up and the doctors were scared they'd get it too if they actually met with anyone with COVID who wasn't on death's door. This fear carries over to today, moreover. My hospital visit this year was a nightmare. My doctor and his staff refused to come into the room. Only one doctor ever visited, and that was for like 5 minutes a day, with him standing ten feet away. I was essentially locked in a room, with no visitors allowed, outside 6-8 visits per day from nurses to give me medication and check my vitals, and a single visit from a personal care assistant to change my bedding. Now that I think of it, even the housekeeping staff was scared as heck. Over the last three days, housekeeping would walk five feet in from the door, and remove the used bedding and trash. But they wouldn't clean the bathroom for me. I figured out why. They didn't want to end up stacked up in a trailer in the parking lot. 

Thanks Pat. As a spouse of a physician who battled this crap for two or three years from people whose primary qualifications were as self-proclaimed experts on Youtube and Facebook it was a nightmare beyond belief.  RFK Jr. or anyone else criticizing the efforts to stop the spread of Covid have played this game out of willful ignorance and stupidity and deserve ridicule. 

We had the freezer trucks also and I read the comments of people comparing wearing masks to being marched off to gas chambers and had to wonder just how stupid we've become as a country. She just gave up on the idiots and now one less Oncologist (along with many other medpros) have left their practice because of these fools. I assume they'll be able to cure their cancer by watching YouTube videos. Maybe RFK Jr. can help them out.

I wish you well. 

[Kirk Gallaway]

10 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

But that is beside my point, please move this.

This coming from Jim, who only recently started a thread solely to announce an RK Jr. upcoming speech!. Is that some sense of entitlement?

And of course, Quoting Rand Paul!

The most critical thing RK Jr. has dared said against Trump was not that Trump was too lax about covid , but  that Trump caved into  the "Covid hysteria!"

Many more people would have lost their lives. We told you guys he was way over his head. Don't you dare turn deaf ears on us and say the Deep State and their MSM destroyed his candidacy!  To utter such nonsense is what I mean when I say Trump and now RK Jr. separate the "conspiracy men from the boys."!

 

I suppose the greater interview from which this excerpt was taken from was initially supplied to us here from Rigby because he thought the guys at "Reason" were right wings/ libertarians but they  do have enough common sense to have asked RK the right questions.. 

 

 

[Paul Brancato]

19 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

Yes. I was momentarily open to the RFK Jr. candidacy at first, but not now. The major right-wing billionaire money and all the love from right-wing MAGA types combined with RFK Jr. playing nice to Trump instead of calling for all hands on deck toward the very real prospect of hard fascism just like Pinochet or Mussolini. 

He cannot even say he will support the Democratic nominee against Trump if that is the choice. He cannot say he will raise taxes on the super-wealthy--start the process of unwinding class war against the working poor of America, find his inner Bernie or Elizabeth Warren willing to take stands and fight on economic issues--or support laws addressing global warming. As Kirk Gallaway has brought out. 

RFK Jr's father dealt with the likes of the John Birch Society, Minutemen, and General Edwin Walker, precursors in a direct line of continuity to today's Trump and MAGA--right-wing populism with a white-nationalist, male-supremacist ethos and core base and vigilante violence (e.g. Jan 6).

Can't RFK Jr. see that? Sadly, apparently not. 

Can anyone imagine RFK playing nice to the General Walker types and being fine with HL Hunt money bankrolling RFK's presidential run in 1968? 

Can anyone imagine RFK not supporting the Democratic nominee against Nixon, if RFK had failed to win the nomination in 1968? 

Can anyone imagine RFK playing nice with Trump, if RFK were alive today? 

Good grief is right, Matt. 

I viewed RFK Jr’s fund raising money - he is so far behind Biden and Trump. Ask yourself, does this kind of journalism which magnifies right wing support for him actually help him in a primary fight? I’d say it’s designed to make sure Democrats don’t support his primary challenge. If my friends are a good litmus test, it’s very effective. 
I don’t know what interview this latest round of hit pieces refers to, but if you know which it is, my advice is to watch it for yourselves. Perhaps it’s the interview with the Rabbi I saw that is causing all the fuss. If so I can tell you exactly what he said, or you can read his Twitter responses. He was talking about bio warfare and bio labs, and saying that one of the things researchers are working on is targeted bio weapons, and how awful that would be. He specifically said he wasn’t suggesting that Covid was such a weapon, prior to quoting a study which looked at ethnic Covid death rates and concluded that Chinese and Jewish people fared best in the study. The Rabbi then said that he thinks that couldn’t be true because he knows so many Jews who succumbed, to which RFK Jr says maybe you’re correct on that, I was just quoting what the study suggested, and warning of targeting bio weapons in general. 

[Joe Bauer]

A third party run by RFK Jr. could guarantee a Republican win in 2024.

Now THAT would be a tragedy.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Joe Bauer

[Douglas Caddy]

 

RFK, Jr. is a mess. I would never vote for someone so unqualified.