Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president … in the Democratic primary. His recent barrage of appearances across mostly right-wing media outlets and faux-independent conservative outlets asks the question: How do you run for the Democratic primary by appearing on media that caters to Republican talking points?
Kennedy’s decision to appear on misinformation platforms like Fox News, Newsmax, and Joe Rogan’s podcast could be an attempt by the notorious anti-vaxxer to try and peel off some right-winger support while hoping his namesake will get him actual Democratic voters. However, once you begin listening to Kennedy speak—the misinformation he presents, his weak logic, and lack of a meaningful systemic critique—you realize that he is appearing on these platforms because his positions are almost all right-wing positions.
In fact, RFK Jr.’s statements on these outlets in recent days have been so desperately conspiratorial it has been next to impossible to take them seriously. The only way to respond to the labyrinthian madness being firehosed into the public sphere by Kennedy has been with humor.
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For example, he thinks chemicals in drinking water are turning kids into transgender people (among other things). He was promoting this theory on pompous anti-trans, men’s rights faux-intellectual Jordan Peterson’s show.
The “toxins” conspiracy theory claims that all of the pollutants in our water, the result of big business run amok, have caused all kinds of changes to children (except of course autism, which is still the result of vaccines, according to Kennedy). This conspiracy theory is based on a study with frogs and a chemical found in pesticides. It has been debunked in regards to humans, but one of the respondents gave a very short summation about its providence below.
On Joe Rogan’s podcast, the two men pontificated on the conspiracy theory that wifi “radiation” was doing stuff to everybody. What it’s doing and how it’s doing is always a little vague, but it can be anything from being the actual source of COVID-19 deaths to autism to gender dysphoria depending on which right-winger you ask on what day.
As someone pointed out, there’s a defense against this conspiracy theory.
Kennedy’s appearance on Rogan came with backlash from scientists and others who felt that continuing to promulgate lies about COVID-19, vaccines, and the efficacy of parasite medication was bad to do.
And finally my favorite:
We are joined by Christina Reynolds of Emily’s List. Reynolds is the Senior Vice President of Communications and Content at the progressive organization that works on getting women elected to office. Reynolds talks about what she is seeing up and down the ballot this election cycle on the anniversary of the outrageous Supreme Court Decision to take away the reproductive protections of Roe v. Wade.
