RFK Jr.: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s (RFK Jr.) Presidential Campaign

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) is currently polling third in the 2024 presidential election.
• RFK Jr. has gained attention for his unique personality and unconventional campaign tactics, including offering supporters opportunities to go whale watching or participate in falconry with him.
• RFK Jr.'s supporters are drawn to him for various reasons, including his perceived honesty, anti-establishment stance, and commitment to environmental issues.
• RFK Jr. is often labeled a conspiracy theorist, a charge he acknowledges and even uses in his campaign ads.
• Despite the criticism, RFK Jr. is polling at around 6% and could potentially influence the outcome of the election in key swing states like Michigan.
• RFK Jr. is a member of the Kennedy family, with a history of public service and environmental activism.
• RFK Jr. has a history of working on environmental issues, including fighting against fracking and corporate pollution.
• RFK Jr. has promised to be the "greatest environmental president in American history" and has discussed various environmental issues in his campaign.

RFK Jr.'s Policy Positions

• RFK Jr. has proposed a 3% mortgage rate for first-time homebuyers, funded by tax-free government-issued bonds. He argues that this would be similar to having a "rich uncle" co-sign a mortgage, but with the federal government guaranteeing the loan.
• RFK Jr. has also expressed support for Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy and pledged to finish the wall on the border between the United States and Mexico. He has opposed ceasefire deals in Gaza, comparing the conflict to the denazification of Germany, and has called Palestinians "arguably the most pampered people by international aid organizations in the history of the world."

RFK Jr.'s Personal History and Controversies

• RFK Jr. has admitted to flying on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet and has acknowledged knowing several individuals who have been accused of serious crimes, including Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, and O.J. Simpson.
• A recent article alleged that a former babysitter accused RFK Jr. of sexual assault. In response, RFK Jr. stated that he had a "very rambunctious youth" and that he has "so many skeletons in his closet that if they could all vote I could run for king of the world."
• When asked if more women might come forward with allegations against him, RFK Jr. responded, "We'll see what happens."

RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vaccine Stance

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has a reputation for promoting conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine views.
• RFK Jr. often claims to be open-minded and willing to change his views if presented with facts.
• However, his history shows that he is often resistant to changing his views, even when presented with scientific evidence.
• RFK Jr. has expressed views on AIDS that are not supported by scientific consensus.
• He has claimed that AIDS is not caused by HIV and that the virus is a "passenger virus."
• He has also claimed that the use of poppers, a recreational drug, was a major cause of AIDS deaths.
• RFK Jr. has praised Peter Duesberg, a scientist who has been a prominent proponent of AIDS denialism.
• Duesberg's views have been widely discredited by the scientific community.
• RFK Jr. has also suggested that psychiatric drugs may be a cause of school shootings.
• He has claimed that school shootings were rare before the widespread use of psychiatric drugs.
• There is no scientific evidence to support this claim.
• RFK Jr. has denied being anti-vaccine, stating that he only advocates for rigorous testing of vaccines.
• RFK Jr. has been recorded promoting anti-vaccine messages to specific audiences, encouraging them to resist vaccination.
• RFK Jr. has promoted the theory that vaccines cause autism, specifically linking the preservative thimerosal to autism.
• RFK Jr. founded the Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization.
• RFK Jr. has continued to spread fear about a connection between thimerosal and autism, even though it has not been in most children's vaccines since 2001.

Criticism of RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric

• The speaker criticizes RFK Jr.'s rhetoric about autism, highlighting the cruelty in his statements.
• The speaker argues that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim of not knowing anyone with autism is disingenuous, as the prevalence of autism has increased significantly.
• The speaker points out that the history of autism diagnoses is relatively new and that autistic individuals were often misunderstood and institutionalized.
• The speaker emphasizes that there is no such diagnosis as "full-blown autism."
• The speaker highlights the extensive research and evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines, citing numerous studies and emphasizing the rarity of serious adverse reactions.
• The speaker contrasts the risk of vaccine-related complications with the risk of car accidents, suggesting that driving to the doctor's office for vaccination is potentially more dangerous.
• The speaker discusses the measles outbreak in Samoa in 2018, which was exacerbated by the anti-vaccine movement and the influence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• The speaker notes that Kennedy visited Samoa and met with anti-vaccine activists, contributing to the spread of misinformation and the subsequent outbreak.
• The speaker criticizes Kennedy's attempt to distance himself from the outbreak, highlighting his role in promoting anti-vaccine sentiment.
• The speaker acknowledges the public's distrust of pharmaceutical companies and medical authorities, but emphasizes that Kennedy's explanations, while comforting, are ultimately harmful.
• The speaker suggests that Kennedy's popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic was fueled by the uncertainty and fear surrounding the virus.

RFK Jr.'s Book on COVID-19 Vaccine Deaths

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) wrote a book claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine was dangerous, particularly for young people.
• The book, titled "Cause Unknown: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 and 2022," included a compilation of young people who died suddenly, heavily implying their deaths were caused by the vaccine.
• The book's forward, written by RFK Jr., claimed that the book proves an undeniable and urgent reality about the dangers of the vaccine.
• The Associated Press (AP) found that dozens of individuals included in the book died of known causes not related to vaccines, including suicide and choking while intoxicated.
• The book even included one person who died in 2019.
• One of the children featured on the book's cover, Braden Fahey, died from a malformed blood vessel in his brain, not from the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Fahey's parents were not contacted for permission to use their son's photo in the book.
• Despite the inaccuracies, the book continues to be sold on Amazon, and the publisher claims that the book never specifically states that the people featured in it died from the COVID-19 vaccine.
• RFK Jr. tweeted out the book's cover with Fahey's picture on it and claimed the book showed the COVID-19 shots are a crime against humanity.
• The tweet remains up despite the inaccuracies in the book.

Concerns About RFK Jr.'s Candidacy

• The speaker argues that while the idea of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) is appealing, many reasons to support him do not hold up under scrutiny.
• The speaker points out that over a dozen members of RFK Jr.'s family have come out against his campaign, and multiple prominent environmental groups have opposed his campaign, including many former colleagues.
• The speaker criticizes RFK Jr.'s claims about being against polluters and big farmers, stating that while these are valid criticisms, RFK Jr. does not always present accurate information.
• The speaker argues that while the two-party system is frustrating, voting for a single candidate is not the solution and that building a movement towards ranked-choice voting is a better approach.
• The speaker notes that the Republican party may be benefiting from RFK Jr.'s candidacy, as his largest contributor is a Republican mega-donor who has also donated to a pro-Trump group.
• The speaker reveals that RFK Jr. and Donald Trump have discussed the possibility of a cabinet position for RFK Jr. in a Trump administration, specifically the position of Health and Human Services.
• The speaker argues that even if RFK Jr. drops out of the race, he will have injected amplified misinformation that will take effort to debunk.
• The speaker compares RFK Jr.'s candidacy to Ralph Nader's in the 2000 election, arguing that spoiler candidates can cause significant damage without achieving any real results.
• The speaker concludes by stating that while RFK Jr. makes a valid point about the two-party system, he is otherwise a menace and that spending time thinking about him has been a low point.