RFK Jr. and Aaron Rodgers: How con artists exploit male insecurity for political gain

[marmar]

RFK Jr. and Aaron Rodgers: How con artists exploit male insecurity for political gain
Voting for muscle-bound conspiracy theorists will not quell the nagging fear of mediocrity

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MARCH 15, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) It's certainly a match made in hell: Anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that he's considering New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers to be his running mate for his, uh, "presidential" campaign. Scare quotes because there's little reason to believe Kennedy thinks he can even get on the ballot as an independent candidate in all 50 states, much less that he can win. Instead, the goal here appears to be twofold: First, to gin up interest and therefore money for Kennedy's conspiracy theory empire. Second, to siphon off enough votes from President Joe Biden to throw the election to Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, the Republican-affiliated donors funding Kennedy's campaign have a laser-like focus on getting his name on ballots in swing states, while ignoring deep red or blue states where his presence won't affect the outcome.

....(snip)....

But there's one group that Rodgers, like Kennedy, does appeal to: insecure men, especially younger ones, who look both to fantasies of body-building and to a love of "alternative facts" to soothe their fears of inadequacy. As Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Ilyse Hogue wrote in a recent op-ed at MSNBC, Kennedy presents himself as an aspirational figure with "prestigious degrees, a meaningful career, a mansion in Beverly Hills," and, of course, "a glamorous, accomplished wife who stands behind him ." The 70-year-old Kennedy also posts shirtless body-building videos online. His fans may have boring jobs, soft tummies and women who swipe left on their dating app profiles, but by backing Kennedy, they can feel a piece of the fantasy.

Rodgers, of course, offers even more, because, unlike Kennedy, he's young, actually an elite athlete, and possesses real charisma that's elusive to the squinty-eyed weirdo that Kennedy has become. But what is really crucial to their appeal is that both men, despite being unbelievably fortunate in life, carry giant chips on their shoulders. They are forever angry that they aren't getting the levels of adoration they believe they are due. This endears them to their aggrieved male audiences, who take it as proof that the white man in America just can't catch a break.

....(snip)....

Just as conspiracy theories are fake-smarts for the lazy, bullying is fake-courage for cowards. Especially this kind of bullying Rodgers is engaging in, where he slithers away from direct conflict with Kimmel — which he'd fail at — and instead petulantly tries to inflict harm from afar. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/03/15/rfk-jr-and-aaron-rodgers-how-con-artists-exploit-male-insecurity/

[FalloutShelter]

1. News flash for the jackasses on this "ticket"

An all vaccine denying Bro ticket will NOT take votes from Joe Biden..

Take THAT to the bank.

[Blue Owl]

2. Maybe A-Rod will become RFK's Achilles Heel....

MAGAts who aren't/weren't Packers & Jets fans don't seem to take too kindly to A-Rod....