I know it’s customary to say, “I hate to say ‘I told you so.’” But I don’t hate it, so I’m just going to say it: I told you so.
Last week, I wrote an article titled “What’s the Big Deal about RFK Jr?” The main thrust of the piece was that I did not understand why I was seeing so many libertarians and even conservatives fawning all over Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
I still don’t get it. But I do think some are finally starting to realize he may not be the candidate he portrayed himself as previously—especially when it comes to the gun issue.
In the article, I brought up how some folks were claiming Kennedy’s appearance on a Twitter Space a few weeks ago indicated that he had changed his mind on his previous anti-gunner stance and that he no longer wanted to take people’s firearms. I pointed out that he didn’t actually say that. “I don’t think it’s the right thing right now because it will just polarize our country,” he said, in reality.
But now, more footage has surfaced solidifying my original theory that Kennedy is not as great on guns as he would like us to believe. Let’s take this first clip in which the candidate affirms that he would have no problem signing an “assault weapons” ban, if both Republicans and Democrats agree on the legislation.
Here’s another clip in which he makes the comments again. It comes after he suggests exploring various factors that may contribute to gun violence, including the potential role of antidepressants, video games, cell phones, and social media.
This last clip might be a bit nitpicky on my part, but who cares? Just look at how Kennedy responds when Bill Maher claims the Second Amendment is a problem when it comes to mass shootings. Before you accuse me of picking those nits, ask yourself this: How would YOU have responded to that statement, dear reader? If you’re anything like me, you would never have let that slide without defending the good ol’ 2A. Yet, Kennedy just moves on to talking about video games and blah blah blah.
After the aforementioned clips surfaced on Twitter, I did see some high-profile libertarians change their minds on Kennedy. How could they not? While he had previously stated that he would not take away anyone’s guns, his affirmation that he would sign an assault weapons ban should raise eyebrows. It makes sense to assume he is engaging in political maneuvering.
I understand that people change their minds over time. But from where I sit, Kennedy’s transformation was much too sudden for me to trust it. Moreover, he had deleted previous tweets in which he claimed the National Rifle Association was responsible for the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. He made other anti-gunner arguments in the past as well. During the Twitter Space, he never acknowledged his previous stance. It seemed to me that he was just telling the mostly conservative and libertarian audience what it wanted to hear.
Of course, much of this debate is irrelevant because Kennedy has about as much of a chance of defeating President Joe Biden as I do of winning a marathon. Still, for Libertarians especially, it makes more sense to focus on pushing liberty-minded candidates instead of being enamored by the new shiny object—just because he happens to say a few things we like.