RFK Jr. is not an idiot. He knows that Trump can never get 50% of the vote, and needs a third candidate to get a big chunk. RFK has to have decided that is his plan, to help elect Trump. What a disaster! He stayed with me at my home for a few days when he was in Los Angeles campaigning for Uncle Teddy in 1980, and I thought he’d make a great presidential candidate. This is not what I had in mind.
Mr. Baker: This is the finest column I've ever read of yours. Your sincerity and concern shine through, and I can only hope RFKJr. heeds your well-written advice. Amazing piece.
RFK Jr despite his flaws has been working hard his entire life to help ordinary American people stop making destructive choices for their family, their family's health, our poisoned environment, and the clear loss of community deliberately wiped out thanks to BlackRock, State Street etc . He brings truth to his constituents and their family members but because men and women politicians are deeply constrained by their allegiance to a corrupt way to maintain power created by corporate monopolies and bankers, RFK Jr is harrassed, threatened, called names and discounted, particularly by Democratic Party flag wavers. The DemocraticPparty is deeply corrupted and fixated on FAKE social justice causes as a way to remain in power. No one has ever gone broke underestimating the ignorance of the American population. And apparently you won't either.
Russ, I very much appreciate having the choice to vote for RFK Jr. I find it offensive that you have gotten so intolerant that you think that I am not supposed to be able to vote for the candidate of my choice. Biden is the bought off puppet of host of corporate and deep state interests. But despite his criminal flaws, I still think you should have the choice to vote for him if you want.
You are stuck in a very small, very tight, very fragile left wing media bubble, and your ignorance is really embarrassing for someone in your line of business. You have let your hatred of Trump overcome your reason. Biden has dementia. The evidence of his having taken massive bribes is overwhelming. He is in bed with big pharma, the military industrial complex, big tech, and every other big out there. If you are afraid that he can't beat Trump, then don't blame the one guy with integrity who is the only sane choice this election.
It's time for you to poke your head out of your tight little liberal media censorship bubble. These shoot from the hip opinion pieces that read as if they came out of the DNC press office are a sad follow up to the masterwork which was Family of Secrets.
Russ -- I hope that you understand the degrees to which I respect your work and the intellect, discipline and passion that inform it. And while I substantively disagree with the thoughts and sentiments expressed in your latest anti-RFK, Jr. polemic, I cannot take you to task for prioritizing vitriol over virtue. God knows that I have displayed not dissimilar rhetorical excesses in too many of my own deep political analyses.
What disappoints me most are your lapses into tabloid tone and gossip. They are beneath you just as my undignified writings tarnish whatever value I may have imparted to the good fight.
Professor Scott once again displays the gold standard to which all of us must aspire. Read his arguments again, then compare their substance and style to yours.
Peter Dale Scott recently was interviewed by David Talbot. Here's Professor Scott's assessment of RFK, Jr.'s candidacy:
I think that everyone reading this interview will be thinking, Yes, but what does Scott think we can do now to make the world better?
"Well, the answer is prepare for the next revolution. In other words, don’t let Bobby go too far in (his 2024 presidential campaign). I want Bobby to run, but not to be president next year."
Why not?
"Because the revolution is not this election, it’s maybe the next election. It hasn’t been prepared for. I believe that you have to have a change in culture first — a cultural revolution first to change people’s minds. The 'revolution' has not been prepared for. I would love to see him, Bobby Jr., run very hard, saying the things he’s saying. He’s saying very good things. But he doesn’t have a party. He has people. You’ve got to have a party."
But the party that RFK Jr. was born into and tried to lead in 2024, the Democratic Party, essentially evicted him.
"He needs to organize another party. You need to fight party with party. He needs to keep organizing. See, his father didn’t have to do that. He had the Democratic Party, or part of it. And it was very important that Robert Kennedy reached out to allies like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta of the UFW and Paul Schrade of the UAW when he ran for president in 1968. I don’t know enough about Bobby Jr.’s campaign to know if he’s made those alliances with unions and minority groups. But he needs to build a big, winning coalition. And you can’t do that in six months, or a year.
"By the way, the movement for change I’m talking about has to be nonviolent. America will meet violence with overwhelming violence."
So, your ideal for social change is something like the Solidarity movement in Poland at the end of the Cold War?
"Yes, but I don’t want to define the ideal. People are deeply divided now and I want to help find a way they can be talking to each other again, to agree on a next step."
But that’s what Bobby wants to do, heal the divisions in this country. Maybe he can spark a cultural and political revolution at the same time.
"Yes, but not in six or nine months, not in the current election cycle. He will need more time."
But we don’t have that much time! (shared laughter)
"Yes, we do, yes, we do. If we don’t, it’s hopeless…"
I actually like Bob Kennedy. And I disagree with some of your thesis here. Well, I probably do not agree with Bob on about 80% of things the 20%. I do agree with him on is the most important and neither Trump nor Biden are talking about any of it. I am referring to the cost of healthcare in the federal budget., the interest on the debt, and the outrageous defense budget. Kennedy is at least talking about these things and bring them into the discourse for the election. I personally think he will take votes from both parties. So I’m going to continue to donate money to him and help how I can.
RFK Jr. is not an idiot. He knows that Trump can never get 50% of the vote, and needs a third candidate to get a big chunk. RFK has to have decided that is his plan, to help elect Trump. What a disaster! He stayed with me at my home for a few days when he was in Los Angeles campaigning for Uncle Teddy in 1980, and I thought he’d make a great presidential candidate. This is not what I had in mind.
Agreed. And I'm sending this to his biographer Dick Russell, who is still an unabashed supporter, endangering his own legacy.
Mr. Baker: This is the finest column I've ever read of yours. Your sincerity and concern shine through, and I can only hope RFKJr. heeds your well-written advice. Amazing piece.
Nice take down of Kennedy, Russ. Hope it works!
Dave Lindorff
RFK Jr despite his flaws has been working hard his entire life to help ordinary American people stop making destructive choices for their family, their family's health, our poisoned environment, and the clear loss of community deliberately wiped out thanks to BlackRock, State Street etc . He brings truth to his constituents and their family members but because men and women politicians are deeply constrained by their allegiance to a corrupt way to maintain power created by corporate monopolies and bankers, RFK Jr is harrassed, threatened, called names and discounted, particularly by Democratic Party flag wavers. The DemocraticPparty is deeply corrupted and fixated on FAKE social justice causes as a way to remain in power. No one has ever gone broke underestimating the ignorance of the American population. And apparently you won't either.
Russ, I very much appreciate having the choice to vote for RFK Jr. I find it offensive that you have gotten so intolerant that you think that I am not supposed to be able to vote for the candidate of my choice. Biden is the bought off puppet of host of corporate and deep state interests. But despite his criminal flaws, I still think you should have the choice to vote for him if you want.
You are stuck in a very small, very tight, very fragile left wing media bubble, and your ignorance is really embarrassing for someone in your line of business. You have let your hatred of Trump overcome your reason. Biden has dementia. The evidence of his having taken massive bribes is overwhelming. He is in bed with big pharma, the military industrial complex, big tech, and every other big out there. If you are afraid that he can't beat Trump, then don't blame the one guy with integrity who is the only sane choice this election.
It's time for you to poke your head out of your tight little liberal media censorship bubble. These shoot from the hip opinion pieces that read as if they came out of the DNC press office are a sad follow up to the masterwork which was Family of Secrets.
Russ -- I hope that you understand the degrees to which I respect your work and the intellect, discipline and passion that inform it. And while I substantively disagree with the thoughts and sentiments expressed in your latest anti-RFK, Jr. polemic, I cannot take you to task for prioritizing vitriol over virtue. God knows that I have displayed not dissimilar rhetorical excesses in too many of my own deep political analyses.
What disappoints me most are your lapses into tabloid tone and gossip. They are beneath you just as my undignified writings tarnish whatever value I may have imparted to the good fight.
Professor Scott once again displays the gold standard to which all of us must aspire. Read his arguments again, then compare their substance and style to yours.
I'm thinking of RFK, Sr. as I wish you well.
Charlie
Peter Dale Scott recently was interviewed by David Talbot. Here's Professor Scott's assessment of RFK, Jr.'s candidacy:
I think that everyone reading this interview will be thinking, Yes, but what does Scott think we can do now to make the world better?
"Well, the answer is prepare for the next revolution. In other words, don’t let Bobby go too far in (his 2024 presidential campaign). I want Bobby to run, but not to be president next year."
Why not?
"Because the revolution is not this election, it’s maybe the next election. It hasn’t been prepared for. I believe that you have to have a change in culture first — a cultural revolution first to change people’s minds. The 'revolution' has not been prepared for. I would love to see him, Bobby Jr., run very hard, saying the things he’s saying. He’s saying very good things. But he doesn’t have a party. He has people. You’ve got to have a party."
But the party that RFK Jr. was born into and tried to lead in 2024, the Democratic Party, essentially evicted him.
"He needs to organize another party. You need to fight party with party. He needs to keep organizing. See, his father didn’t have to do that. He had the Democratic Party, or part of it. And it was very important that Robert Kennedy reached out to allies like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta of the UFW and Paul Schrade of the UAW when he ran for president in 1968. I don’t know enough about Bobby Jr.’s campaign to know if he’s made those alliances with unions and minority groups. But he needs to build a big, winning coalition. And you can’t do that in six months, or a year.
"By the way, the movement for change I’m talking about has to be nonviolent. America will meet violence with overwhelming violence."
So, your ideal for social change is something like the Solidarity movement in Poland at the end of the Cold War?
"Yes, but I don’t want to define the ideal. People are deeply divided now and I want to help find a way they can be talking to each other again, to agree on a next step."
But that’s what Bobby wants to do, heal the divisions in this country. Maybe he can spark a cultural and political revolution at the same time.
"Yes, but not in six or nine months, not in the current election cycle. He will need more time."
But we don’t have that much time! (shared laughter)
"Yes, we do, yes, we do. If we don’t, it’s hopeless…"
Yikes, that’s a scary photo. It’s as if no one is at home in there. Has he had a traumatic brain injury?
I actually like Bob Kennedy. And I disagree with some of your thesis here. Well, I probably do not agree with Bob on about 80% of things the 20%. I do agree with him on is the most important and neither Trump nor Biden are talking about any of it. I am referring to the cost of healthcare in the federal budget., the interest on the debt, and the outrageous defense budget. Kennedy is at least talking about these things and bring them into the discourse for the election. I personally think he will take votes from both parties. So I’m going to continue to donate money to him and help how I can.
Of course, if he admitted it, his whole purpose would be derailed. It’s no conspiracy theory, just one person’s opinion.