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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized on Sunday night time after a well-funded tremendous PAC backing his impartial presidential marketing campaign ran an advert in the course of the Tremendous Bowl that intently resembled a spot supporting John F. Kennedy, his uncle, throughout his 1960 bid for the White Home.
The advert, which the tremendous PAC’s co-founder stated price $7 million, featured the identical jingle and the identical cheerful cartoons interspersed with candid pictures of the candidate, into which the youthful Mr. Kennedy’s face was superimposed.
A few of Mr. Kennedy’s members of the family, a lot of whom have denounced him due to his promotion of unsubstantiated theories about vaccines and different issues, shortly criticized him over the advert.
Bobby Shriver, a nephew of John F. Kennedy, stated on X: “My cousin’s Tremendous Bowl advert used our uncle’s faces — and my Mom’s. She could be appalled by his lethal well being care views. Respect for science, vaccines, & well being care fairness had been in her DNA.” His brother Mark Shriver wrote that he agreed.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. himself, who has invoked his storied political household and its legacy all through his candidacy, quickly responded.
“I’m so sorry if the Tremendous Bowl commercial brought about anybody in my household ache,” he wrote on X on Sunday night time. “The advert was created and aired by the American Values Tremendous PAC with none involvement or approval from my marketing campaign. F.E.C. guidelines prohibit Tremendous PACs from consulting with me or my employees. I like you all. God bless you.”
Individually, the Democratic Nationwide Committee filed a criticism on Friday accusing the him and the tremendous PAC of unlawful coordination.
Mr. Kennedy is operating for president as an impartial, having left the Democratic Get together in October, arguing that the Democratic main system was rigged in opposition to him. His candidacy has frightened many Democrats who worry that Mr. Kennedy — an environmental lawyer who has develop into a distinguished purveyor of conspiracy theories — may siphon votes away from President Biden.
The tremendous PAC has heightened suspicions about Mr. Kennedy’s base of assist. A considerable portion of the PAC’s funding, about $15 million, got here from Timothy Mellon, a Republican who has additionally given $10 million to an excellent PAC backing former President Donald J. Trump.
“It’s becoming that the primary nationwide advert selling Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy was purchased and paid for by Donald Trump’s largest donor this cycle,” stated Alex Floyd, a spokesman for the Democratic Nationwide Committee. “R.F.Okay. Jr. is nothing greater than a Trump stalking horse on this race.”
Tremendous Bowl advertisements are sometimes heavy on nostalgia. Commercials on Sunday night time featured classic Volkswagen footage, a “Scrubs” reunion, and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Boston.
However the Kennedy advert — which took about 36 hours to provide, based on the tremendous PAC’s co-founder, Tony Lyons — hit a distinct be aware. Whereas John F. Kennedy was operating in 1960 as a 43-year-old Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is 70 years previous and operating as an impartial — a self-described spoiler. (Regardless of Mr. Kennedy’s age, the advert nonetheless portrays him as youthful and athletic, together with a shot of him on skis.)
Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly confronted blowback from his household over his views.
In July, the previous president’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, posted a video calling his uncle’s marketing campaign “a humiliation,” saying the youthful Mr. Kennedy is “buying and selling in on Camelot, superstar conspiracy theories and battle for private achieve and fame.”
The Tremendous Bowl advert obtained a combined reception on the social media platform X. Ben Shapiro, a right-wing author, known as it “shockingly politically astute.”
Robert Shrum, a longtime Democratic political advisor who labored with former Senator Edward M. Kennedy, wrote: “This RFK Jr. Tremendous Bowl advert is a straight out plagiarism of JFK advert from 1960. What a fraud — and to cite Lloyd Bentsen with a slight modification: ‘Bobby, you’re no John Kennedy.’ As a substitute you’re a Trump ally.”
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