{"id":26999,"date":"2023-06-19T12:45:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T19:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=26999"},"modified":"2023-06-19T12:45:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T19:45:57","slug":"naomi-klein-rebukes-counterfeit-populism-of-robert-f-kennedy-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/06\/19\/naomi-klein-rebukes-counterfeit-populism-of-robert-f-kennedy-jr\/","title":{"rendered":"Naomi Klein Rebukes ‘Counterfeit Populism’ of Robert F. Kennedy Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Democratic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Democratic presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a town hall event on June 5, 2023 in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Photo: Lisa Lake\/Getty Images for SiriusXM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Progressive populists make tangible economic offers: tax the rich and give poor and working-class people more money and supports,” Klein wrote. “Kennedy is not actually proposing any of this.”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

JAKE JOHNSON<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jun 14, 2023 (CommonDreams.org)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biden White House has thus far opted<\/a> to publicly ignore Robert F. Kennedy<\/a> Jr.’s 2024 presidential bid, and allies<\/a> of the incumbent have dismissed the Democratic challenger as a mere nuisance whose campaign should be waved away as a joke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But author and environmentalist Naomi Klein<\/a> made the case<\/a> Wednesday that such an approach is “not a viable political strategy” as Kennedy’s profile continues to rise, with the environmental lawyer and longtime anti-vaxxer<\/a> making use of corporate television outlets such as Fox News<\/a><\/em>, social media platforms<\/a>, and popular podcasts<\/a> to appeal to millions of potential voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He has landed an apparent endorsement<\/a> from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and this week is being feted at a Bay Area fundraiser<\/a> filled with heavy hitters,” Klein wrote in a column for The Guardian<\/em> on Wednesday. “According to a CNN<\/em>poll<\/a> released in late May, support for Kennedy was at 20% among respondents who identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the CNN<\/em> survey indicates that more respondents were drawn to Kennedy because of his family ties\u2014he’s the son of assassinated former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy\u2014than support for his political views or policy positions, Klein argued it’s critical to discern “the reasons his campaign is resonating with a consequential slice of U.S. voters.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Klein’s perspective, Kennedy is a ” counterfeit populist<\/a>” who is “tapping into a wellspring of real pain and outrage” by railing against the “drug companies controlling the national health agencies and polluters controlling environmental regulators.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He also is tapping into rage at the Democratic party itself, which feels to many like a hostage situation,” Klein wrote. “Inside its logic, there seems to be no acceptable way of challenging entrenched power. Not open primaries, not incumbent primaries, not third parties, not getting in and trying to change the system from the inside. All, we have been told since as long as I can remember, will help to elect Republicans. Of course this political straitjacket provokes rebellion, as well as some irrational behavior.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Klein stressed that “none of this means Kennedy is running a campaign rooted in finally telling the American public ‘the truth’\u2014as he repeatedly claims.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What it does mean,” she added, “is that a public discourse filled with unsayable and unspeakable subjects is fertile territory for all manner of hucksters positioning themselves as uniquely courageous truth-tellers. RFK Jr. now leads the pack.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klein proceeded to outline and counter what she describes as the four myths about Kennedy that help explain his appeal, particularly among some progressive voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don't believe in dismissing candidates – I believe in engaging. In this piece, I dispel 4 Key Myths about RFK's Jr's campaign:

\u274cHe would be a climate champion
\u274c He\u2019s not that anti-vax
\u274cHe is anti-war and pro-human rights
\u274cHe is a populisthttps:\/\/t.co\/8PfodFVuSf<\/a><\/p>— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) June 14, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>