The Kennedy family has a cult following in the Democratic Party and an endorsement from them has been viewed as critical in the primaries, hence the left’s concern with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running for president as an independent against President Biden. This meant that irony levels were off the charts on Monday’s Good Morning America when ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos utilized Rory Kennedy’s cult documentary to campaign against former President Donald Trump and her brother Bobby.
On the show to hawk her new HBO documentary about the Synanon cult, Stephanopoulos queued Kennedy to draw parallels between the cult’s founder, Charles Dederich Sr., and Trump. “And you also say that we are seeing the kind of dynamic we saw in Synanon with a cult-like leader playing out in our politics today,” he stated.
Of course, Kennedy obliged:
Well, I think so. I think we are seeing the cult personality. And what I have learned in making this documentary [The Synanon Fix] is that in times where there's uncertainty and it feels precarious, the world around us, that people are drawn to alternative models.
There are supposedly 10,000 cults in the United States today. So, I think there's a lot of people who are drawn to different leadership and being pulled into ideas that maybe aren't consistent with their moral compass.
“And I think we can learn a lot from this program about what's happening in the world today,” she added.
It’s incredibly hypocritical for a Kennedy to chide others for “cult-like” behavior. The Kennedys have been treated like royalty in the Democratic Party for decades and their political endorsements, handed out from the family compound, have been coveted. The media put a lot of weight on them to, trumpeting their endorsements of candidates Obama and Biden like a new pope was selected.
And for the liberal media, describing something as a “cult” was actually good when it was used for Democrats. In 2019, NPR anchor Audie Cornish praised Obama as the “ultimate cult of personality candidate.”
For his final question, Stephanopoulos teed Kennedy up to attack her brother’s campaign. “Your brother, of course, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president right now. You say this is the most important election of our lifetime and that a vote for your brother is actually dangerous?” he wondered.
“Well, my biggest concern with Bobby's run is that he is going to take votes away from Biden,” Kennedy said. “And I think this election is going to come down to a handful of votes and a handful of states. And I am concerned that voting for Bobby is going to take votes from Biden and lead to a Trump election. And I am very concerned what that will do to our country and to the world over the ensuing four years.”
Stephanopoulos’s enthusiasm to for the cult mudslinging was rich in its own right since he was a lackey for President Clinton.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
April 1, 2024
8:42:52 a.m. Eastern(…)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And you also say that we are seeing the kind of dynamic we saw in Synanon with a cult-like leader playing out in our politics today.
RORY KENNEDY: Well, I think so. I think we are seeing the cult personality. And what I have learned in making this documentary [The Synanon Fix] is that in times where there's uncertainty and it feels precarious, the world around us, that people are drawn to alternative models.
There are supposedly 10,000 cults in the United States today. So, I think there's a lot of people who are drawn to different leadership and being pulled into ideas that maybe aren't consistent with their moral compass.
And I think we can learn a lot from this program about what's happening in the world today.
STEPHANOPOULOS: One other question about what's happening in the world today, before you go. Your brother, of course, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president right now. You say this is the most important election of our life time and that a vote for your brother is actually dangerous?
KENNEDY: Well, my biggest concern with Bobby's run is that he is going to take votes away from Biden. And I think this election is going to come down to a handful of votes and a handful of states. And I am concerned that voting for Bobby is going to take votes from Biden and lead to a Trump election. And I am very concerned what that will do to our country and to the world over the ensuing four years.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Rory, thanks for coming on today.
