Yes, RFK Jr. Isn't Just A Conspiracy Nut-- He's Also A Detestable Bigot
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And You Thought Republicans Owned Anti-Semitism?
RFK, Jr moved rapidly to get the explosive fart story out of the headlines— and his strategy worked. No more fart stories... instead it's all about anti-Semitism and racism against Chinese people. (He even managed to aim his animus towards Jews specifically at Ashkenazi Jews, who make up around 85-90% of American Jewery, leaving out the 10-15% who are Sephardic Jews, who also tend to be MAGAts.) So, no more fart headlines whilke still dominating the political headlines... albeit all about how crazy RFK, Jr is, how consumed with moronic conspiracy theories he is, and how racist he is.
As Ruby Cramer wrote for the Washington Post, RFK, Jr "advanced a dangerous conspiracy theory this week that the coronavirus could have been a bioweapon 'deliberately targeted' to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people while disproportionately attacking White and Black people. 'There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately,' Kennedy said during a dinner on New York's Upper East Side on Tuesday evening. 'Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.' His remarks at the gathering— a dinner party attended by members of the media and Kennedy's campaign manager at Tony's Di Napoli on East 63rd Street— amplify racist and antisemitic tropes, including theories that blame Jews for the spread of the coronavirus to expand influence and financial gain, according to research by the Anti-Defamation League."
Jane Shim, the director of the Stop Asian Hate Project, an initiative of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, described Kennedy's remarks as "irresponsible, hateful comments," likening his words to the "dangerous rhetoric" of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly referred to covid-19 as "the China virus" and previously called it the "kung flu."
"Antisemitism and anti-Chinese, anti-Asian sentiment are as old as the country itself. Even today, it's an easy way to score points with the same nativist ideologues who manufacture conspiracy theories like the one [Kennedy] is now promoting," Shim told The Post on Saturday.
"While RFK spitballs his baseless claims, leaning into them when beneficial and distancing himself when harmful to his campaign, Asian Americans will be harmed," Shim added.
After the New York Post published video from the dinner, Kennedy, 69, said in a lengthy tweet that he "never, ever" suggested that the coronavirus was targeted to spare Jews. He also said that the dinner was off the record, a claim disputed to the New York Post by the event organizer, columnist Doug Dechert.
Kennedy added in his tweet that he "never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered," though at the dinner, he floated that possibility directly, according to the video.
"We don't know that it was deliberately targeted [like] that or not, but there are papers out there that show the racial and ethnic differential," Kennedy said at the dinner, suggesting that multiple countries, including the United States and China, are developing ethnic bioweapons to "target people by race."