Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blamed the media for dragging his campaign Sunday, saying he has been slammed “even more than President Trump was slammed” by mainstream media outlets.

“I’ve been really, you know, slammed in a way that I think is unprecedented,” Kennedy said during an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who is running a longshot primary campaign against President Joe Biden, is more popular among Republicans than Democrats, according to polling.

The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and the son of his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, Kennedy Jr. has been hit with backlash for his stances on vaccines, particularly recent comments he made suggesting that the coronavirus could have been “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people,” while sparing Jewish and Chinese people. Kennedy denied allegations of racism and antisemitism, saying on Twitter: “I have never, ever suggested that the Covid-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews.”

“I mean, listen, if I believed the stuff that’s written about me in the papers and reported about me on the mainstream news sites, I would definitely not vote for me,” Kennedy told host Maria Bartiromo. “I would think I was a very despicable person.”

  • ZooGuru
    link
    English
    542 years ago

    The mistake the media is making is covering RFK Jr. at all. Would have figured they’d learned their lesson with Trump. The media is as much to blame as any other entity for the US’s lurch to the right because they waste their time covering it.

    • @formergijoe
      link
      English
      242 years ago

      They did learn their lesson from Trump. Articles about crazy candidates brings more site traffic.

      • ZooGuru
        link
        English
        72 years ago

        You are absolutely right.

    • @echoplex21
      link
      English
      62 years ago

      The media at the end of the day care about ratings and clicks. RFK gives that to them unfortunately as it does with Trump.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      52 years ago

      The only reason he’s getting coverage or any attendees at his events is because he’s a Kennedy. If he didn’t have that last name he’d be just yet another fringe candidate giving talks to fifteen people at a time at fire companies and senior centers.

  • Drusas
    link
    fedilink
    342 years ago

    Maybe it’s because he’s an alt righter campaigning as a Democrat.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    312 years ago

    He’s already at the “the media is unfair to me” stage. That was quick.

    Also, the last paragraph is hilarious.

  • Flying Squid
    link
    English
    282 years ago

    a longtime vaccine skeptic

    Anti-vaxxer. Don’t play into their hands and use their language.

  • ArugulaZ
    link
    fedilink
    242 years ago

    He’s a Democrat!? On what planet?

    If you don’t want to be criticized for saying stupid, untrue things, stop saying stupid, untrue things. It’s pretty simple.

  • teftOP
    link
    English
    23
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    Gee, I wonder why the media would hit a spoiler candidate like RFK Jr harder than someone who is entangled in multiple trials? Maybe he will realize he has no shot and just go away but I doubt that.

    • @Astroturfed
      link
      English
      112 years ago

      Either he’s a complete and utter moron, or he’s being bankrolled by people who have made promises to him for trying to hurt the democrats. Either way, don’t see him quitting at a rational time.

      • @echoplex21
        link
        English
        -42 years ago

        I feel like he helps Biden more than he does Trump no?

  • @Hazdaz
    link
    English
    162 years ago

    The news media gave Trump one free pass after another, so in many ways, RFK Jr is right.

    But he’s still a fucken clown and his presidential run is purposefully done as a disruption to Biden and managed by conservative interests. He’s trying to be a spoiler candidate that siphons just enough votes away from Biden to get Trump elected.

    So fuck everything about the guy, but when he says the media is harder on him than Trump, he’s right by a technicality simply because the media gave Trump the easiest time what with the countless number of things they could have, and should have, investigated about him, but chose not to all because of ratings.

  • @Snapz
    link
    English
    142 years ago

    So you actually both suck, neither of you care ambit American democracy or basic, decent good and neither of you should be in the national conversation, period (and one of you should obviously be in jail and disqualified from attempting to run for any political office after inciting an insurrection).

    You’re not serious people people and there’s a high likelihood that you’re both mentally ill. Fuck.Off.

      • @EhList
        link
        English
        7
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        deleted by creator

          • @EhList
            link
            English
            6
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            deleted by creator

          • @IphtashuFitz
            link
            English
            42 years ago

            Do we really need to start invoking Godwin’s Law here?

  • @EhList
    link
    English
    10
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    deleted by creator

  • MasterOBee Master/King
    link
    English
    -372 years ago

    Although the media hit Trump really hard, the left-on-left violence seems pretty unprecedented.

    It;s clear that the left knows that he’s not establishment, like Biden is, and that if he got a fair chance, he’d probably stomp Biden.

    • @Telodzrum
      link
      English
      262 years ago

      Where is exactly is the left in this fight? The media is hardly the left and RFK Jr. is an alt-right candidate using his family’s name as cover to masquerade as a Democrat.

      • MasterOBee Master/King
        link
        English
        -222 years ago

        Almost all TV media is left wing. Most online media is left wing. Social media is left wing.

        RFK Jr. is an alt-right candidate

        Can you define alt-right?

        Generally folks who are alt right aren’t willing to sign a gun ban, generally aren’t pro-choice, aren’t for college loan forgiveness, doesn’t champion trans rights, nor other LGBTQ rights, generally aren’t for nationalized drug recovery centers, aren’t anti-war, don’t fully condemn every white supremicist, anti-semite or anti asian rhetoric.

        If you really think he’s alt-right, we have different depictions of what the ‘alt-right’ are.

        • @Astroturfed
          link
          English
          142 years ago

          Delusions as fuck. Media in this country is all run by the extremely wealthy. To call it left wing is laughable. Neo-liberalism (democrats) are borderline conservative and that’s who runs the media. Just cuz you’ve been brainwashed into thinking centerist big corporate politicians are “left wing” doesn’t make it true.

        • TwoGems
          link
          English
          14
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          Ribbit

          • MasterOBee Master/King
            link
            English
            -32 years ago

            You linked a salon article that says a private source says that bannon secretly tried to get someone to run.

            Any, ya know, reliable sources?

            • TwoGems
              link
              English
              2
              edit-2
              2 years ago

              Ribbit

        • Flying Squid
          link
          English
          102 years ago

          Almost all TV media and social media is run by corporations who only care about making money. That’s hardly left-wing.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              22 years ago

              The guy who paid 45 billion dollars to lift bans on several infamous wingnut trolls like Catturd and turned a bird logo into an X for clout doesn’t seem like a Democrat to me. Neither is the billionaire oil baron who owns Fox News, Sky News, Fake News, etc., the former of which is the largest media company in America. You’re not an underdog.

              • MasterOBee Master/King
                link
                English
                -32 years ago

                The guy who paid 45 billion dollars to lift bans on several infamous wingnut trolls like Catturd and turned a bird logo into an X for clout doesn’t seem like a Democrat to me.

                He’s the opposite of how the former ownership ran twitter for the past 10 years. I didn’t hear you bitching about it then.

                And, having uniform/unbanning regardless of political affiliation is how I believe media should be. It shouldn’t be bias.

                Fox News, Sky News, Fake News, etc., the former of which is the largest media company in America. You’re not an underdog.

                Fox news is the only right wing cable network. NBC, MSNBC, CNN ABC are all left

        • Fugicara
          link
          English
          102 years ago

          Almost all TV media is left wing. Most online media is left wing. Social media is left wing.

          Literally none of this is true. The only universe this is true in is the one where anything left of fascism is “left wing.”

        • @jaybirrd
          link
          English
          02 years ago

          You make a great point here. It’s so common to boil one view down to a label, and then people use that label to extrapolate a whole set of views, many of which the individual may not ascribe to. Example: he’s anti vax which is an alt right viewpoint, therefore he is alt right. You tell someone that he is alt right and then that person thinks he is bigoted toward LGBTQ+, donates to the NRA, pickets outside of abortion clinics, etc.

          I’m not saying any of this in support of RFK Jr at all, just that this concept is detrimental to all rational discourse. Labels are a helpful part of language in categorizing things, but they can also be really dangerous when you default to using them in every situation even if they don’t fit.

          • MasterOBee Master/King
            link
            English
            -12 years ago

            Example: he’s anti vax which is an alt right viewpoint,

            No it’s not, it’s traditionally fringe left - see hippies.

            just that this concept is detrimental to all rational discourse.

            Agreed. You don’t perfectly fit into one box, and the fact that one side will trash you if you don’t perfectly align and vote how their party votes is absurd

    • @jeffw
      link
      English
      232 years ago

      A vaccine conspiracy theorist has no chance against any sane person

    • @Astroturfed
      link
      English
      102 years ago

      Holy fuck you’re a crazy GQP guy eh? This guy is a complete joke to every democrat/left wing/liberal person I know. No one will vote for him. His entire purpose is to try and get some of the crazy anti vax conspiracy weirdoes who are left in the Democratic party to not vote for Biden.

      • MasterOBee Master/King
        link
        English
        -162 years ago

        Holy fuck you’re a crazy GQP guy eh?

        Depends, what’s GQP?

        This guy is a complete joke to every democrat/left wing/liberal person I know.

        You must have a shitty circle. He’s seen more favorably than any other candidate, and has the lowest unfavorable ratings. Once you get away from the headlines from the MSM, and just watch a few interviews, you can see why. He’s for unity for the country, getting away from the power of the CIA and war mongerers.

        Those headlines don’t make money, stopping the military industrial complex doesn’t make money, and fighting against a bloated executive branch isn’t good for the dems.

          • @Astroturfed
            link
            English
            82 years ago

            It’s crazy how you can spot the insano Q fuckers in like 2 sentences or less right?

        • @Astroturfed
          link
          English
          62 years ago

          Oh ya, totally. He’s going to take down the military industrial complex man. TRUMP DRAINED THE SWAMP SOOOO HARRRRRDDDDDD. I mean, he replaced the crocodiles with his toad ass children and son in law to grift up more than ever before, but he drained it first.

          • TwoGems
            link
            English
            1
            edit-2
            2 years ago

            Ribbit