Dead bear another strange twist in RFK Jr's faltering campaign

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is currently running for president, but his campaign is facing some unusual challenges that are making it difficult for him to gain traction. His independent bid for the White House was initially boosted by the chaos within the Democratic Party and the dissatisfaction many voters feel towards the two main candidates. However, bizarre headlines, a new opponent, and limited funding have left him struggling to make an impact. Recently, the 70-year-old candidate made headlines for a strange confession about dumping a dead bear in Central Park, which is just the latest odd twist in a campaign that has already seen its fair share of ups and downs. Mr. Kennedy seems to be testing the idea that there is no such thing as bad publicity. In an effort to get ahead of a lengthy profile published in the New Yorker magazine, he released a video where he discusses an incident involving a bear cub that occurred a decade ago and the unusual series of events that followed. In the video, Mr. Kennedy is seen talking to actress and comedian Roseanne Barr while they share a meal of takeaway beef ribs. He recounts how he witnessed a car hit and kill a bear cub during a hunting trip with a falcon. Initially, he wanted to take the dead animal home to skin it, but after his plans changed, he decided to leave the carcass in Central Park, along with an old bicycle, to make it appear as though it was a cycling accident. The next day, when someone discovered the bear and the bicycle, it quickly became a headline story in New York City tabloids and television news. This entire episode, which sounds like a youthful prank gone wrong, is particularly strange considering it took place when Mr. Kennedy was already 60 years old. The photograph published in the New Yorker shows Mr. Kennedy posing with the dead bear, and his explanation that his decision to pick up the bear was his 'little bit of redneck' coming out seems out of place for someone from a prominent political family like the Kennedys. This is just par for the course for Mr. Kennedy, whose campaign has been filled with a mix of scandalous and bizarre news. Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that he had told lawyers involved in his divorce that he was suffering from memory issues related to a dead brain parasite. In mid-July, he sent a text message to a former family nanny apologizing for unwelcome sexual advances after Vanity Fair published a story about her accusations. He stated, 'I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable. ' In his comments to the media, he described the Vanity Fair article as containing a lot of 'garbage,' but he acknowledged that he had a 'very, very rambunctious youth' and that he was 'not a church boy. ' Earlier this year, Mr. Kennedy, who initially ran for the Democratic nomination before switching to an independent campaign, was averaging around 15% in presidential preference polls. He narrowly missed qualifying for the first presidential debate in late June. His campaign seemed to be capitalizing on voter dissatisfaction with both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, blending anti-establishment and anti-corporate rhetoric with liberal social positions and a strong focus on environmentalism and controversial vaccine skepticism. However, after Mr. Biden's poor performance in the first debate, it appeared that Mr. Kennedy had a chance to enter the political conversation. Instead, he has virtually disappeared from the campaign trail. He has spent little on advertising and grassroots organizing, and his biggest headlines have revolved around the aforementioned brain worms, sexual harassment allegations, and the bear incident. As a result, his polling support has dropped to the low single digits. According to Clifford Young, president of Ipsos public affairs, Mr. Kennedy's decline was expected, even without the distracting headlines. He noted, 'He was a protest option. There was a lot of indifference when it came to the two candidates. People didn’t like either choice, and it was an expression of indifference or disdain. ' Now, he says, both Democrats and Republicans have consolidated their political support. Mr. Kennedy was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the Republican National Convention in late July, where he reportedly had a phone conversation with former President Trump. According to media reports, Mr. Kennedy offered to endorse Trump in exchange for a role in his next administration, but Trump declined the offer. At this point, it seems unlikely that Mr. Kennedy will generate much interest when Americans head to the polls in November. However, even a modest performance could tip the presidential race if that support comes from key battleground states where the independent candidate is on the ballot. In the 2016 election, Green Party candidate Jill Stein received more votes than the difference between Trump and Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, which were the three decisive states in that race. If a fraction of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader’s Florida support had gone to the Democrats, Al Gore would have won the White House in 2000. Mr. Young pointed out that Mr. Kennedy's appeal is different from those two notable Green Party candidates. He is drawing support mostly from the disaffected center of American politics, particularly low-propensity voters who lean slightly to the right. While Mr. Kennedy could still play the spoiler role, it would require another extremely close race. In the meantime, his chances to shape his campaign's direction on a larger scale seem to be buried under an avalanche of strangeness.