Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. upends the family table

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s presidential run is likely to result in an excess of embarrassments: to himself, to his storied family, and possibly to President Biden.

The 69-year-old Kennedy has a famous name, has been a successful environmental lawyer, is a gifted — even messianic — speaker, despite a voice box impairment.

He has no chance to be the Democratic nominee.

The centerpiece of Kennedy’s political presence is as an anti-vaccine zealot.

He has been careless with facts and has demonstrated a propensity for dangerous rhetoric; he has accused public health experts Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates of colluding with “Big Pharma” as profiteers and charged that restrictions during the pandemic were comparable to conditions under Nazi Germany.

The close-knit but politically savvy Kennedy family is almost certainly appalled by his candidacy and can be expected to publicly criticize his views while supporting Biden.

Yet the nephew of a former president and son of a senator and attorney general has the capacity to do damage.

Medical experts fear he’ll exacerbate misinformation about vaccines. Michael Osterholm, director of infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota, has called Kennedy “one of the most dangerous” of the anti-vaxxers “because of who he is and the credibility of who he is and what his family name has brought to this issue.”

Friends and family say RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine crusade, starting with autism and elevated with COVID, is out of sync with a smart and thoughtful man.

Kennedy’s candidacy is being embraced by Trumpites antithetical to the Kennedys, such as right-wing provocateur Steve Bannon. He was reportedly been seen backstage with Roger Stone and Mike Flynn at one of Flynn’s “Reawaken America” events.

He’ll have other issues.

Kennedy’s environmental credentials are impeccable, but he opposes the Ukraine War as “the final collapse of the Neocons’ short-lived ‘American Century.’” (His son, Conor, a law student, fought for several months as a volunteer with the Ukrainians.)

These will be dwarfed by Kennedy’s campaign against “corporate feudalism,” centered on vaccines. He said the COVID restrictions were worse than conditions for Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis and eventually died in a concentration camp. His sister, Kerry, deplored his “hateful rhetoric” and it was condemned by his own wife, actress Cheryl Hines. Kennedy later apologized, and his wife is supporting his presidential quest.

The opposition of most of the Kennedy clan is unprecedented, as a core tenet — dating back to the patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy — is unquestioned family loyalty. When Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican then married to Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s daughter, Maria, ran for California governor, it was all-hands-on-deck for his successful candidacy.

The family’s lines almost certainly have been burning up, as they agonize over how to distance from their brother/cousin/nephew while still conveying personal affection.

It will be personally painful as the candidate trades on the legacy.

He announced his candidacy in Boston, though he has lived mainly in Virginia, New York, and California. And any discussion about his past problems with drugs and marriages won’t make it any easier for him or relatives.

While embarrassing, this isn’t going to tarnish the Kennedy legacy.

The American public still rates President John F. Kennedy as one of the most popular. Robert Kennedy, slain in 1968, remains an iconic figure; young political junkies have told me he’s their historical idol. Congressional experts already rate Edward M. Kennedy as one of the most productive and effective lawmakers in the history of the U.S. Senate.

Some critics complain the next generation of Kennedys haven’t lived up to those standards — as if anyone could.

There have been tragedies and setbacks, but also impressive achievements. Tim Shriver runs and has grown one of the world’s best non-profits, “Special Olympics” for athletes with disabilities. Caroline Kennedy is the American envoy to Australia, after a successful ambassadorship in Japan. Patrick Kennedy is a prominent and courageous advocate for mental health.

Waiting in the wings is Joseph P. Kennedy III, the most politically talented since the three fabled brothers. He lost a Senate primary in 2020 is now special envoy for Northern Ireland; he still has a political future.

No one candidacy will change that legacy.

It may be a mistake to write RFK Jr. off as fringe figure with nutty views on vaccines. Many Democrats don’t want the 80-year-old Biden to run again, and Kennedy, notwithstanding his vaccine views, may be a convenient protest vehicle.

Watch New Hampshire.

The Biden-dominated national committee slated South Carolina as the first presidential primary next Feb. 3 — but New Hampshire politicians — of both parties — are intent to maintain their initial primary status. Plans are afoot for a Jan. 24 contest, which — since it would be against party rules — Biden would skip. But in a familiar scene, there could be a write-in campaign for the president.

That would be a nightmare for the White House.

Al Hunt is the former executive editor of Bloomberg News. He previously served as reporter, bureau chief and Washington editor for The Wall Street Journal. For almost a quarter century he wrote a column on politics for The Wall Street Journal, then The International New York Times and Bloomberg View. He hosts Politics War Room with James Carville. Follow him on Twitter @AlHuntDC.