Everyone watched the Super Bowl, right? I sure did! Yes, I am a big Kansas City Chiefs fan so I was going to watch anyway. But thanks to the phenomenon the Super Bowl has become, many people who aren’t even really into football still tune in to watch.
That phenomenon is largely due to the commercials. Companies spend big bucks on a 30-second commercial spot because of the millions and millions of eyes that will be on their brand or product. This year, those millions of eyes landed on a pretty mind-boggling political ad.
The ad was for none other than the controversial Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has apparently not yet given up his ridiculous fart-filled presidential campaign. It was not run by the candidate himself, but by a PAC that is supportive of him. However, as of this writing, Kennedy still has the ad pinned to the top of his profile on X.
The ad—which cost $7 million according to Axios—was very strange and I felt uncomfortable watching it in real time. It was a play on a classic 1960 campaign ad for his uncle, former president John F. Kennedy. First, comparing RFK Jr. to JFK is just ridiculous. President Kennedy is a legendary figure in politics, whereas RFK Jr. has made his mark on the world with anti-vax garbage. It’s also weird to try to capitalize on the legacy of JFK considering how his life ended. But don’t take it from me, RFK Jr.’s own family has had issues with him and his cronies.
One of JFK’s grandsons, Jack Schlossberg, who is also RFK Jr.’s cousin, called out the presidential campaign back in July of 2023 and endorsed President Biden for re-election. He called RFK’s campaign run an “embarrassment” and said, “he’s trading in on Camelot, celebrity conspiracy theories and conflict for personal gain and fame.”
So there is some fascinating conflict within the Kennedy family already. I am sure this Super Bowl ad didn’t help with that. I and so many others thought the commercial was odd and inappropriate, and RFK did, in fact, apologize. On X, he wrote, “I’m so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain.”
He also reiterated that he did not make the ad, writing, “The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you.”
It is hard to trust the sincerity of that apology given that, as stated, he’s still promoting the ad by keeping it pinned to his X account.
(featured image: screencap)
Published: Feb 12, 2024 04:13 pm