W. Niederhut Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) It was an edited version of JFK's old 1960 Kennedy television commercial-- substituting photos of RFK, Jr. for JFK. Edited February 12 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 (edited) Pro-RFK Jr. super PAC refashions vintage JFK ad for the Super Bowl Pro-RFK Jr. super PAC refashions vintage JFK ad for the Super Bowl - The Washington Post By Maegan Vazquez February 12, 2024 at 11:05 a.m. EST A super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sponsored a 30-second ad during Sunday night’s Super Bowl, re-creating a vintage political ad used to promote John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign and recasting it in support of his nephew’s independent 2024 run. The ad that aired during Sunday night’s game — for which Kennedy later apologized — was funded by American Values 2024. It’s essentially a remake of an 60-second ad called “Kennedy for Me,” which was created 64 years ago. The 2024 version of the ad features a shortened version of the original 1960 ad jingle. But the lyrics, “A man who’s old enough to know, and young enough to do,” take on a new meaning in a race in which Kennedy’s top two competitors — President Biden, 81, and former president Donald Trump, 77 — are facing criticism for their advanced age. Kennedy’s campaign has at times leaned into the cachet of his family’s political legacy. On Sunday, he shared several images with his family, including black-and-white pictures of him as a child, tossing the ball with his father, former attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, the former president. “Playing football at Hickory Hill with my father, Robert F. Kennedy, and my uncle, President John F. Kennedy,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X in one post. “I pray this Super Bowl Sunday is a time of laughter, great food and camaraderie for your family." After the Super Bowl ad aired, Bobby Shriver, a nephew of John F. Kennedy, wrote on X: “My cousin’s Super Bowl ad used our uncle’s faces — and my Mother’s. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views. Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA.” His brother, Mark Shriver said he agreed with the sentiments. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized to members of his family, including directly to Bobby Shriver, for any pain that might have been caused, pointing out that the ad was created by a group with which he was not directly involved. “I’m so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain,” Kennedy wrote Sunday night. “The ad was created and aired by the American Values super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you.” But as of Monday morning, a video of the ad remained pinned to the top of Kennedy’s X profile, followed by a link to donate to his campaign. RFK Jr. has spread falsehoods about vaccines and, according to the New York Post, claimed that the coronavirus was “targeted” to sicken Black and Caucasian people and spare Chinese people and Ashkenazi Jews — although he said that those comments were misinterpreted to smear him. His controversial views have led some members of the Kennedy clan to speak out against him. Four of his siblings issued a statement calling his candidacy “dangerous to our country.” And Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s only grandson and son of Caroline Kennedy, has criticized RFK Jr.’s 2024 run, saying, “He’s trading in on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories and conflict for personal gain and fame.” Edited February 12 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Allison Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 The ad was not received well on social media, and spurred an apology from RFK Jr. The DNC response to their viewing of the ad: “It’s fitting that the first national ad promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy was bought and paid for by Donald Trump’s largest donor this cycle. RFK Jr. is nothing more than a Trump stalking horse in this race.” The RFK Jr.-aligned super PAC American Values 2024 has received $15 million in donations from GOP megadonor and Trump backer Timothy Mellon. New York Times: “R.F.K.-Aligned Super PAC Draws Heavily From a Republican Megadonor.” Financial Times: “Donald Trump donor pours cash into Robert Kennedy Jr’s White House run.” Rolling Stone: “Half of that staggering cash haul [for RFK Jr. and American Values 2024] has come from two people. Timothy Mellon, a Republican megadonor who backed Donald Trump’s failed 2020 reelection campaign, has donated another $10 million to the pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024. Mellon, an heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has now given $15 million to the group so far.” Mellon was helping to “keep the lights on for the Kennedy campaign” and “was first inclined to give $5 million to R.F.K. because he thought he was a kooky Biden-botherer in the Democratic primary.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, Matt Allison said: The ad was not received well on social media, and spurred an apology from RFK Jr. The DNC response to their viewing of the ad: “It’s fitting that the first national ad promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy was bought and paid for by Donald Trump’s largest donor this cycle. RFK Jr. is nothing more than a Trump stalking horse in this race.” The RFK Jr.-aligned super PAC American Values 2024 has received $15 million in donations from GOP megadonor and Trump backer Timothy Mellon. New York Times: “R.F.K.-Aligned Super PAC Draws Heavily From a Republican Megadonor.” Financial Times: “Donald Trump donor pours cash into Robert Kennedy Jr’s White House run.” Rolling Stone: “Half of that staggering cash haul [for RFK Jr. and American Values 2024] has come from two people. Timothy Mellon, a Republican megadonor who backed Donald Trump’s failed 2020 reelection campaign, has donated another $10 million to the pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024. Mellon, an heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has now given $15 million to the group so far.” Mellon was helping to “keep the lights on for the Kennedy campaign” and “was first inclined to give $5 million to R.F.K. because he thought he was a kooky Biden-botherer in the Democratic primary.” Yes, Matt, the $24 million dollar RFK, Jr. Super Bowl ad was deeply disturbing. And RFK, Jr.'s lame disavowal of any involvement in the airing of the ad seems like another example of his disingenuousness-- like his absurd claim that he has not been actively involved in opposing vaccines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 (edited) The Right Wing Trumpster Billionaire Bankrolling RFK, Jr.'s 2024 Third-Party "Spoiler" Campaign Why Is RFK, Jr. Taking Money From This Right Wing Robber Baron? Timothy Mellon - Wikipedia Excerpt In the 2018 election cycle, Mellon was a major political donor, especially to the Republican-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund.[12] According to OpenSecrets, in 2020 and 2022, he was the 6th and 5th most prolific donor in the US, spending $60 million and $47 million respectively to support Republican candidates and causes.[13] Mellon's self-published autobiography describes his political views.[14][15] Mellon called social safety net programs "Slavery Redux," adding: "For delivering their votes in the Federal Elections, they are awarded with yet more and more freebies: food stamps, cell phones, WIC payments, Obamacare, and on, and on, and on. The largess is funded by the hardworking folks, fewer and fewer in number, who are too honest or too proud to allow themselves to sink into this morass." Mellon wrote that as of 1984 (Reagan's re-election campaign), "Something had obviously gone dreadfully wrong with the Great Society and the Liberal onslaught. Poor people had become no less poor. Black people, in spite of heroic efforts by the 'Establishment' to right the wrongs of the past, became even more belligerent and unwilling to pitch in to improve their own situations," and that "Drugs rose to the level of epidemic. Single parent families became more and more prevalent. The likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton pandered endlessly to fan the flames."[14] In August 2021, Mellon donated $53.1 million in stock to the State of Texas to pay for construction of walls along the US–Mexico border.[16] In August 2023, it was revealed that Mellon donated $5 million via a Super PAC to the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.[17] Edited February 13 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Govus Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Charles Pierce wrote a piece regarding the Superbowl ad. https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a46751225/rfk-super-bowl-ad-kennedy-family/ Quote We here in the Commonwealth (God save it!) have lived with the Kennedys in our politics the way that the English used to live with the Tudors and Plantagenets. They were ubiquitous. But, in truth, the name has lost its political mojo. It's been years since any Kennedy won a race for an office of any significance. Congressman Joseph Kennedy made a primary run at incumbent Senator Edward Markey in 2020 and ended up with his promising career in ruins, at least for the moment. In terms of Massachusetts political relevance, the Kennedys are closer to the Adamses at this point than they are to, say, the Tierneys or the Pressleys. It's just the way it is. But that strange interruption during the football game certainly called up nostalgia for the days in which goofy jingles and strange montages were as weird as campaigns could get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 (edited) The Disgracefulness of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. At a time when the truth is a precious common good, RFK Junior has been spreading dangerous lies. ROBERT REICH Feb 13, 2024RobertReich.Org Robert F. Kennedy Junior has apologized to relatives after his Super Bowl ad last Sunday, which mirrored an ad broadcast by his uncle John F. Kennedy’s campaign in 1960. The Super Bowl ad included images of RFK Jr. spliced into the original 1960 ad and a jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds. RFK Junior said the ad was the work of his SuperPAC and he had nothing to do with it. Rubbish. Junior placed the ad at the top of his X feed, and it remained there Monday. The ad cost $7 million. Timothy Mellon — grandson of Andrew Mellon and an heir to the Mellon banking fortune — gave RFK Junior’s SuperPAC $15 million. Hmmm. Mellon is also a major donor to PACs supporting Trump. RFK Junior’s candidacy is backed by a PAC that also funds Marjorie Taylor Greene. If not for his lustrous name, RFK Junior would be just another crackpot in the growing pool of bottom-feeding right-wing fringe politicians seeking to help Trump. No one should doubt that Trump and Trump donors are behind RFK Junior’s campaign, with the goal of siphoning off enough votes from Biden to ensure a Trump victory. How does RFK Junior intend to get on enough state ballots to hurt Biden? As he told CNN last week, he and officials from the Libertarian Party, which has ballot access, "are talking." In a poll conducted late last year, RFK Junior was supported by 22 percent of respondents and a greater number of independent voters than either President Biden or Trump. In January, Gallup reported that 52 percent of Americans view RFK Junior favorably — a higher percentage than either Biden (41 percent) or Trump (42 percent) received. These results reflect the popularity of the Kennedy name and dissatisfaction with the likely nominees of the major parties. In addition, RFK Junior has not received the public scrutiny that presidential candidates inevitably get. It’s time to lift the curtain on a campaign based on false, irresponsible and self-contradictory claims. At a time when the truth is a precious common good, RFK Junior has been spreading dangerous lies. He claims that COVID-19 was “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people” and that “the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” And that “the Chinese are spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing ethnic bioweapons and we are developing ethnic bioweapons. They’re collecting Russian DNA. They’re collecting Chinese DNA so we can target people by race.” RFK Junior has also promoted the baseless claim linking vaccines to autism. He’s been a leading proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, erroneously suggesting the vaccine has killed more people than it has saved. In his 2021 book, The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health, he alleged, without plausible evidence, that Dr. Fauci performed “genocidal experiments, sabotaged treatments for AIDS, and conspired with Bill Gates to suppress information about COVID-19.” This is libelous nonsense. RFK Junior’s misinformation about vaccines continues to endanger public health. Friends, I knew Robert F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy Junior is no Robert F. Kennedy. I worked in Robert F. Kennedy’s Senate office in 1967. It wasn’t a glamorous job. I ran the signature machine. But I did have a chance to get to see Bobby Kennedy close up. I watched Robert F. Kennedy stand up for economic and social justice. I witnessed him bringing together people of every race and ethnicity — to demand equal rights and an end to the Vietnam War. The Kennedy brand is political gold, and it could pull away just enough unwitting Democratic voters to tip the race to Trump. Robert F. Kennedy would never have suggested that a deadly virus was targeted at certain races. He wouldn’t have repeated the trope, dating at least to the Middle Ages, that Jews unleashed a plague on non-Jews. Another contrast with his father and his uncle: In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed the Vaccination Assistance Act in order to, in the words of a CDC report, “achieve as quickly as possible the protection of the population, especially of all preschool children ... through intensive immunization activity.” If not for his lustrous name, RFK Junior would be just another crackpot in the growing pool of bottom-feeding right-wing fringe politicians seeking to help Trump. But the Kennedy brand is political gold, and it could pull away just enough unwitting Democratic voters to tip the race to Trump. Democracy won by a whisker in 2020. Just 44,000 votes in Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin decided the outcome. If RFK Junior or any third-party candidate peels off just a fraction of the vote from Biden, while Trump’s base stays with him, they will deliver a victory to Trump. That the good name of the Robert F. Kennedy I worked for 57 years ago is being used to increase the risk of a Trump victory is beyond shameful. If Junior had any respect for the principles his father fought and ultimately died for, he would withdraw his candidacy immediately. Edited February 14 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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