Inside the weird world of the RFK Campaign
It's a shame that Aaron Rodgers chose finishiing 4th in the AFC East over third in the eleciton.
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It's a shame that Aaron Rodgers chose finishiing 4th in the AFC East over third in the eleciton.
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Callaroga shark media from Washington, DC. Where RFK isn't just a stadium to
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be torn down. This is baland
today. A look at what happens if
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you combine a Kennedy with Ross Perot
and brainworms. Let's hit this Robert F.
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Kennedy Junior, the independent presidential candidate
who is getting way more attention than
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anyone expected since Ross Perrot might not
poll high enough to make it onto the
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debate stage next month, but hey, at least he's got that sweet X
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factor going for him, which I
guess also makes him the P factor and
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the K factor P for prep and
K for well. Kennedy in this election
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fought through memeworthy images on social media, like Donald Trump as the nineteen eighties
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businessman king of reality TV versus Biden
as the aviator wearing DC deal maker.
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RFK Junior is basically a big rorschach
test ink blot, at least fashion wise.
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The Washington Post did a deep dive
into rfk's look. The skinny ties,
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button downs, rumpled suits, wild
gray hair, and weathered tan doesn't
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just set him apart. No,
it's a direct line to the early sixties
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American dream, representing vigor Wit charisma
change. According to some Princeton historian,
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it taps into our deep nostalgia for
the supposed golden Camelot era, and it
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all traces back to the style semiology
of the og Kennedy men. As one
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preppy handbook expert puts it, you
know JFK rfk's uncle, who he's definitely
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not milking the association with at all, and of course his dad, Robert
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F. Kennedy, the guy he's
literally named after, can't forget the classic
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New England privileged look they cultivated to
blend their Irish Catholic just the Boston RFK
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junior is basically saying you already know
me and what I stand for without having
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to spell it out. Except what
he stands for is claiming chemicals turn kids
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trans and that Wi Fi causes illness, oh and being anti vax. But
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the clothes make it seem legit,
even as his own family rejects him to
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back Biden. Rfk's iconic Kennedy costplay
is serving as its own campaign message.
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As one preppy style podcast host said, he is cosplaying as a Kennedy,
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doubling down on those deeply associated looks, even though it's really just wasp costplay
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itself, but hey, it's a
very powerful tool. Rfk's been in on
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this branding game for a while,
Like when he was the face of Gant's
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eight point five million dollars ad campaign
in two thousand and six, posing in
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polos and khaki shorts as a Kennedy
summer house catalog model. Dude literally wrote
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the book on writing that Kennedy wave. These days, he's still working those
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same sockless loafers and pushed up shirt
sleeves for the campaign trail, mimicking JFK's
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famous ad posting shirtless push up videos
to flaunt his vigor. It's all about
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nostalgia refracted through a funhouse mirror.
As the Princeton Guy put it, the
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complicated backstory behind the Kennedy's new England
elite style while has faded away, leaving
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just the legend the young pres sleeves
rolled up on a boat, khakis and
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unbuttoned collars representing generational change. RFK
Junior is replicating all those symbols that represent
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something friendly, competent, approachable,
and cashing in on preppy styles, lingering
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American cachet with merch like a resolute
collection featuring a sailboat logo inspired by the
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presidential desk or just another Hyannasport's sailboat
photo. Op. Who can say the
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conspicuous branding is laying it on thick
case in point when declaring is run.
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RFK Junior hired an actual costume designer
to dress him in that signature thin tie
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and suit look. Nothing says authentic
working class candidate like working with a stylist
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from the Golden Bachelor, though in
an embarrassing misstep, the designer tagged the
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Italian brand Zena as Rfk's suit label. Oops. I guess even Wasp Royalty
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has its limits in twenty twenty four, but hey, perception is reality for
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this candidate. Just don't check under
the affluenza afflicted hood. The third party
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Khaki crusader challenging Biden and Trump in
twenty twenty four dropped twenty four thousand dollars
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on game stop stock why to show
he's down with the little guys taking on
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Wall Street, or, as he
calls them, the ape retail Rebellion.
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Yes, RFK Junior is embracing the
memestock mania, throwing in with those Reddit
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traders who call themselves Apes as a
big middle finger to getting labeled dumb money
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by hedge fund fat cats. These
are the folks who triggered GameStop and AMC's
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bizarre stock rallies in twenty twenty one, sticking it to bearish Wall Street analysts.
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For a candidate literally capitalizing on kennedy
nostalgia while spouting anti VAX's nonsense,
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publicly aligning with the APES rise up
crowd is certainly a choice, but Kennedy
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says his administration will support the APE
retail rebellion and enact aggressive Wall Street reforms.
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Wow. What a striking visual president, Kennedy flanked by advisors in harambe
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masks. Of course, this gambit
seems perfectly on brand for a guy actively
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courting undecided voters with a fringe political
brand. You know, the kind of
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people who maybe think the moon landing
was faked, but are super jazzed about
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disrupting financial institutions. It's been over
a month since RFK Junior dramatically unveiled Nicole
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Shanahan as his running mate in a
made for TVVP extravaganza, and in a
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shocking twist, the two still seem
about as connected as strangers passing on the
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street. At recent events, Kennedy
has offered a baffling range of insights into
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what exactly his potential VP has been
up to. She spent three or four
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days at the border. No,
wait, just one day, according to
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staffers. She's been talking a lot
to the press, except she literally hasn't
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given any mainstream interviews. Kennedy's perplexed
ramblings reached a comedic peak when he admitted
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I ran into her yesterday. Wow. What an incredibly normal thing for a
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presidential candidate to say about the person
chosen to be a heartbeat away from the
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Oval office. It's like a pillow
talk missed connection. The campaign communications director
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really drove the point home, telling
reporters he's never had a conversation about who
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could represent Shanahan's perspective because the only
perspective I'm focused on is Bobby's savage.
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This bizarre dynamic has led to rampant
speculation that while Shanahan's billions are a huge
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get for rfk's struggling campaign, the
woman herself is basically an afterthought. As
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one Democrat said, she's out of
her depth and out of step with him.
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Money might help by ballot access,
but it doesn't buy you a compatible
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running mate. Even some Kennedy fans
think unveiling the millionaire patent attorney as his
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VP was a head scratcher, wondering
how do you sell financial support as inspiring
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to the general public. The two
really did seem to meet through a series
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of fortuitous coincidences. Shanahan claims she
gave four million dollars to a Kennedy superpack
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sight unseen, then during a dinner
with her partner and rfk's wife, the
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idea of her as VP just came
up. She admitted having zero ideas she'd
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be asked and was so shocked that
you can't consider anything you haven't been asked
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yet. There also appears to be
some contradictory messaging around, you know,
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pretty major policies like abortion rights.
Shanahan got whiplash hearing Kennedy told a host
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he supports abortion up to birth,
stammering oh God, no, no,
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no, no, before walking it
back as a misunderstanding rough start. At
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other times, Shanahan questions if she's
even really Kennedy's running mate, saying all
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the way up until the announcement,
I was totally open to them subbing somebody
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else in. She's constantly checking with
RFK that she's the right person for the
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job. To be fair, Bobby
has been publicly supportive, empathizing with the
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buzz saw Shanahan's been thrown into and
complimenting her soil speech. There's no political
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scientist that would tell you you've got
to do a lecture on soils. They'll
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love it, he cheerfully roasted.
And yet she does it, and you
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know we all love her, oh
young romance. Though this moonlighting dynamic could
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make for an awkward term if they
actually pulled off an upset win. Can
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you imagine the VP prepping for high
level meetings by cramming Cliff's notes on her
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boss's policy positions. In any case, whether this is a real partnership or
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just Shanahan's one billion dollars letting Kennedy
live out his Camelot delusions for a while
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longer, you have to admire the
shear what is happening energy of it all.
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That's the kind of uncanny governmental theater
we just don't get enough of these
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days. In a twist more unbelievable
than an m Night Shyamalan plot, it
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turns out Aaron Rodgers was actually on
the shortlist to be RFK Junior's running mate
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this election cycle, but in the
battle between check mating Biden Trump versus throwing
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touchdowns, the QB opted to keep
slinging pigskins say it ain't so corn.
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According to Rogers himself, he had
some really nice conversations with Bobby Kennedy about
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potentially taking the VP slot, but
alas it was an either or situation retire
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and BESVP or keep playing, And
despite publicly supporting Kennedy's stances on issues like
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vaccines and medical freedom, a rod
decided the Jets playbook took priority over you
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know, helping run the free world. Can you even imagine the campaign rallies
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though, Rogers dropping dimes to the
open receiver while RFK shouts no one who
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received my truth treatment went blind,
then hitting the pancake circuit to demystify soil
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nutrients and spread the good word about
moisturizing. Obviously, this was a huge
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missed opportunity for Kennedy to lock down
the tantric athletic immunology demographics. But I
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guess even fringe candidates need to draw
the line at a forty year old vice
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president who's more worried about recovering from
an Achilles' tear than congressional investigators. In
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Rogers defense, the Jets haven't sniffed
the playoffs in thirteen seasons longer than Joe
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Biden was a senator for so he's
got his work cut out delivering New York's
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first championships. The Eisenhower administration no
pressure or anything. Still, you can't
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help but wonder what could have been
if Number twelve took the footsteps fallwell path
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into conservative politics. An administration using
far thirty five to three sheeple as the
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White House WiFi password, forcing Congress
to personally manifest their legislative desires. Just
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a rotating cast of Packers alumni with
titles like Guru of Conscious Chugging Alas.
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It seems the pigskin prevailed over the
body politic for now, but who knows.
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If this whole Jets thing doesn't work
out, maybe we'll see Rogers on
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a future ballot as the crystal candidate, promising my ties in every vitamin D
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fountain because you can bet your Paris
smart mouthguard. The campaign slogans would be
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out of this world portions of today's
podcast were written with the help of AI,
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which points out that if Rogers had
gone with RFK, at least he
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would have finished in third place,
unlike the Jets.