reflectivepundit

The Presidential Candidate Named Kennedy: A Democrat in Name Only

By Brigitte L. Nacos

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has in terms of ideology and politics nothing in common with his father Robert F. Kennedy or his uncles John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy--all Democrats. His right-oriented wingnut ideas have no home in the contemporary Democratic Party. Not among moderates or progressives. Instead, except for his commitment to environmental protection he is a perfect fit for Trump's GOP and MAGA movement.

When asked about his reason for entering the presidential race, he answered according one recent report, “Everybody realizes they’re not living in a democracy anymore. They’ve lost sovereignty of their lives, and their futures, as a result [they] are hopeless.” This goes even further than Donald Trump’s take on the existential fight between “us” against “them” in 2024.

Although his father and uncle were victims of gun violence, RFK, Jr. rejects gun control and endorses the GOP’s controversial interpretation of the Second Amendment. In a recent Twitter Spaces conversation with Elon Musk and David Saks he assured the gun rights community. “I am not going to take away anybody’s guns,” he said. “I am a constitutional absolutist.” He then blamed psychiatric drugs for the rise in mass shooting.

RFK, Jr. has blamed the U.S. government for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and credited Russia with “acting in good faith” with respect to the neighboring nation. That must have been music in the ears of Vladimir Putin and the army of online propagandists who help supportive politicians abroad.

It seems to me that this presidential contender would be a vice-presidential fit for either Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis.              

RFK Jr. was a relentless conspiracy theorist long before the pro-Trump QANON nonsense came into the political scene. And he was among the anti-vaxxers who battled against Covid-19 vaccines—and still do.   

The nephew of President J.F. Kennedy subscribes to the conspiracy theory that the CIA and organized crime bosses were behind his uncle’s assassination; he has expressed doubts that Sirhan Sirhan assassinated his father—although the killing took place in a crowded Los Angeles ball room, where the assassin was arrested on the spot.

No wonder that this scion of one of the most legendary political families is today the darling of right-wing television, radio, and podcasts, among them the “Sean Hannity Show,” “Tucker [Carlson] on Twitter,” “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” and “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

Aware that one of five Democrats express support for this candidate, the right-wing media personalities make great efforts to promote him and his agenda. They attack the Democratic Party and Joe Biden for conducting an undemocratic campaign at the expense of their fellow “Democrat” and the mainstream media for critically covering RFK, Jr.

Never mind the undemocratic rules and practices in the Republican competition for the 2024 presidential nomination and their own tilted reporting.

Hate Rhetoric Becomes More Combative after Trump’s Federal Indictment

By Brigitte L. Nacos

Before and after his federal indictment last week, former president Donald J. Trump used the terms socialist, communist, and fascist interchangeably, when attacking his domestic enemies whom he described as greater threat to the United States than outside enemies. In his attack speeches in Georgia and North Caroline last weekend, he depicted the fight against the Left as a final, existential battle for America. Never mind that he is an admirer of the Communist strongman Vladimir Putin. Speaking of his domestic enemies, supposedly Democrats, Liberals, and the so-called Deep State he said, “Either the Communists win and destroy America, or we destroy the Communists.” GOP officials and the MAGA crowd responded with enthusiastic “U.S.A.! U.S.A! U.S.A.” screams.

His loyal supporters did not need his cues at public appearances. In response to the news of his indictment that his former Attorney General William Barr called “very damning,” they joined and repeated his immediate combative statement on his Truth Social platform. “We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye,” Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted.

The war metaphor was repeated in many variations on many social media platforms and in public statements in the days before Trump’s arraignment in Miami.

Speaking to a GOP crowd in Georgia the 2020 election denier Kari Lake issued an outright threat. “If you want to get to President Trump, you are going to have go through me, and you are going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me,” she said, “And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the N.R.A.”

Was that an invitation to resort to handguns in order to fight for the twice impeached and twice criminally indicted leader who may have more indictments coming to him? Her words were posted on several social media platforms and favorably commented on.

While the law enforcement communities prepared to keep the area in and around the Miami court building safe, rank and file Trump supporters were tireless in expressing their absolute loyalty and devotion to their leader. They asked God to protect and help the “best president the country ever had,” posted Trump with a protective Jesus figure, and asked others to pray for him. As a caravan of Trump supporters drove on Sunday from Miami to Palm Beach, one woman posted on his social media platform, “There’s no better way to spend a Sunday than for God, President Trump, your Country, and Family.”

Some expressed their disgust with the pure reliance on combative words without matching deeds and their own readiness to change this. There were many posters who seemed to think of January 6, 2021 and the many violent protesters ending up in prison. They told their brethren to wear masks when protesting in Miami or elsewhere for Trump in order hide their identities.

The admiration of and devotion to Trump among MAGA/GOP followers seems absolute. The latest public opinion shows that about 4 of 5 Republicans continue to support their leader after last week’s indictment. Many social media posts I read lately reject and often condemn Trump’s challengers in the battle for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. That is particularly true for Ron DeSantis who, like Trump, promises to destroy “leftism” and “woke ideology.” Hardcore Trump supporters consider him a threat to Trumpism just like Democrats.

Trump is the rare leader who is in control of both a political movement and a political party. While social movements tend to attack elites inside and outside of governments, political parties are important parts of governments. With Trump’s complete grip on both, his MAGA movement and the Republican Party, his power over followers in both entities is greater than that of mere movement or mere party leaders.

That’s why there is little doubt that Trump will be the GOP nominee next year.

The Republican Party has become an appendix of the Trumpian MAGA movement after being earlier pushed towards the Far-Right by Tea Party hardliners.

Trump’s recent apocalyptic messages that call for the final battle between the righteous “us” against the evil “them” transcends the nature of legitimate political movements and moves the MAGA movement and the GOP and their leader further into fascist territory. January 6, 2021 may have been merely the beginning.

As Madeleine Albright wrote in her book on fascism, “What makes a movement Fascist is not ideology but the willingness to do whatever is necessary—including the use of force and trampling the rights of others—to achieve victory and command obedience.”