I was destined to write about Bobby Junior's withdrawal and endorsement of Trump because of the post title I stole from my friend James Karst, Bobby Junior: Ich Bin Ein Bear-leaver. Perhaps doomed is a better word choice than destined. It certainly sums up the misbegotten Kennedy campaign.
In an article titled RFK Jr. Was My Drug Dealer, Kurt Andersen begins thusly:
The leading third-party candidate for president—an environmental lawyer and activist, a son and nephew of legendary liberal Democratic politicians—just quit the race and announced that he is joining the campaign of the most anti-environment president and presidential nominee in recent history, the leader of a Republican Party he has turned into a right-wing, anti-democratic, protofascist personality cult."
Other than the whole RFK Jr thing I concur. Acronyms should be earned. It's dubious that the OG Bobby Kennedy deserves to be slotted with FDR, JFK, and his personal bete noire LBJ. They were all glory: Bobby Junior is an example of reflected glory that gets dimmer by the day, which is also an apt description of the Insult Comedian's chances of enacting Project 2025. He thought he was destined, now he's just doomed.
The entire premise of the Kennedy campaign was lost when President Biden dropped out of the race. The 70-year-old candidate's most salient issue was Biden's age. It was his only hope of attracting disgruntled Dems. Unfortunately for Bobby Junior, the advent of the Harris-Walz ticket has transformed the disgruntled into the gruntled. That's a whole lotta gruntling if you ask me.
Speaking of disgruntled, Bobby Junior has been disowned and downright dissed by his siblings:
The newly minted Trumper has come up with a lot of nonsense about how the Democratic party has abandoned the faith of his father and uncles. His real reason for supporting Trump is a mutual antipathy to vaccinations and their shared spoiled bratdom. Besides, the Veep refused to meet with this nut. Wise choice, Kamala.
The addition of Bobby Junior to the MAGA legion reinforces the whole weirdo, freak show vibe of the GOP in 2024. It's not going to help the Kaiser of Chaos in the polls either.
My countryman Tom Nichols drew an excellent contrast between the DNC and RNC:
The Republican gathering this year, however, was the ultimate expression of the political convention as a creepy cult meeting. The Democrats, despite being the current Electoral College underdogs, seemed happy. The Republicans seemed angry—and this was before they found out that their entire strategy was aimed at a candidate, Joe Biden, who was about to drop out. The RNC was like a beery yard party where all your weirdest neighbors gather around the grill pit and talk in really loud voices about how much they hate everyone else on the block."
It was a gathering of assholes, weirdos, and freaks. The GOP long ago forgot what I call the Reagan Corollary: The most optimistic candidate usually wins. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have not forgotten and that's why they're going to win the election.
As for Bobby Junior, I'd feel sorry for him if he weren't such a jerk. Some think there's reason for him to perk up: What if Trump fires J Divan Vance and hires the Bear-leaver? In a word: Unlikely. The Kaiser of Chaos would have to admit to making a mistake, which he's never done. It must be tempting given Vance's donut weirdness:
I know what Gordon Ramsay would call J Divan Vance:
J Donut Vance is a good nickname for the hapless Ohio senator. I might have to use it. J Divan Vance is Charlie Pierce's property. I only steal from the best but prefer not to steal at all. It's a donut shaped conundrum
Let's circle back to Kurt Andersen's Atlantic piece in which he describes buying cocaine from Bobby Junior at Harvard. The piece ends with a question reporters should ask the former candidate:
The candidate you're campaigning for, in whose administration you apparently intend to serve, wants our laws rewritten so that drug dealers, particularly those who sell narcotics, face capital punishment. Given that you sold cocaine in your youth, how do you feel about his advocacy of a regime that might have resulted in your own execution at age 19?"
Good question, Kurt. I eagerly await hearing Bobby Junior's answer. Presumably, he'll lie about his past. It's what Trumpers do.
The last word goes to Steppenwolf:
Shorter John Kay: Goddamn, the Trumper man.
No comments:
Post a Comment