John Oliver and 'The Daily Show' on RFK Jr.

I closed Closer looks at the DNC from Stewart, Colbert, and Meyers by telegraphing today's topic in a footnote.

I also wrote "That is, if I don't throw a comic tomato at RFK Jr., who is rumored to be suspending his campaign..." That hadn't happened yet when I started writing this entry, so not today. Maybe tomorrow. Stay tuned.

RFK Jr. suspended his presidential campaign yesterday and endorsed convicted criminal Donald Trump AKA Hoover Cleveland, so it's time to follow through before the pumpkin left behind rots. I begin with RFK Jr.: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses RFK Jr.’s potential to sway the presidential election, who his views are impacting on and off the campaign trail, and most importantly: what surprising little treat helps John get through the work week.

HBO showed this episode on August 4, 2024, one day before another scandal involving RFK Jr. broke, which The Daily Show covered in RFK Jr.’s Dead Bear Story & Highlights From 2024 Olympics.

Michael Kosta covers all things Olympics, including an American runner who won by a hair, a pole vaulter with interfering genitalia, and an Algerian boxer whose womanhood is challenged. As the election grows closer, RFK Jr.’s bear carcass dump has him securing his place as the weirdest candidate, and Desi Lydic reveals other confessions we can expect from him.

Desi Lydic and The Daily Show writers were making all that up, but there were real things they and Last Week Tonight's writers could have added that are true, like RFK Jr. ranking second by followers and number one by retweets among The Disinformation Dozen, twelve users who were responsible for 65% of the COVID-19 misinformation on Twitter/X and other social media during 2021. RFK Jr. also has an entry in Encyclopedia of American Loons that concludes with this dire assessment.

Kennedy is a traditional crank and deluded conspiracy theorist who is thoroughly anti-science (even on the topics on which he is right, he relies almost exclusively on non-scientific arguments); a typical crank and crackpot with little aptitude for actual evidence (as opposed to twisting any fact to look like evidence to lay people). He is enormously influential, and must be considered one of the more dangerous people in the US today.

That was in 2011 and he only seems to have gotten worse since then.

I close with one more serious item, MSNBC reporting Steve Kornacki: Polls show race could tighten with RFK Jr. suspending presidential campaign.

Vice President Harris is narrowing the gap with former President Trump in the latest polls. NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki explains what impact RKF Jr.’s decision to suspend his campaign could have on the presidential match-up.

"Narrowing the gap" — yeah, by passing Hoover Cleveland and being ahead by less than Joe Biden was behind. Way to bury the lead, MSNBC! Still, isn't it interesting that RFK Jr.'s campaign was active when it hurt the Democrats and suspended when it would most damage the Democrats? Hmm.

That's enough about RFK Jr. Stay tuned for more awards coverage on the Sunday entertainment feature.