# RFK Jr Files to Run for President (Dropped Out on August 23, 2024) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 6, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260 "2023-04-06T16:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/401 "2024-05-08T13:39:05Z")
And one of his folks was at the Capitol on Jan 6th. > **[RFK Jr.'s new hire who downplayed Jan. 6 appears to have been at the Capitol...](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rfk-jr-staffer-zach-henry-jan-6-downplay-capitol-attack-rcna150476)** > > Photos and videos from outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, uncovered by online sleuths and NBC News appear to show Zach Henry, a right-wing influencer now working for Kennedy's campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/402 "2024-05-08T14:06:51Z")
Inquiring minds want to know what part of Junior’s brain the worm ate. Most likely it was [the prefrontal cortex](https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051#:~:text=Adults%20think%20with%20the%20prefrontal,awareness%20of%20long%2Dterm%20consequences). > [@](#): > > Adults think with the **prefrontal cortex** , the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences. “Yup, that spot on your brain scan is the remains of a worm that ate part of your brain and died.” - said no neurologist ever.\* \*the possibility that consuming even a tiny part of Junior’s brain is fatally toxic cannot be excluded. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/403 "2024-05-08T14:12:12Z")
Well, his ideas are certainly fatally toxic. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/404 "2024-05-08T14:17:18Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > He literally had brain worms, so now you know why he’s such a whackjob. Ironically, Ivermectin might actually have helped. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/405 "2024-05-08T14:22:20Z")
Haha! That’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/406 "2024-05-08T14:40:24Z")
Spasmodic dysphonia, i thought the same thing after hearing his sister. Risk factors may include family history, among other things. so… possible. or it was the worm. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/407 "2024-05-08T15:18:35Z")
I didn’t feel like signing up for the Times, so here’s another link on this story. Is it a worm? Is it a tumor? Is it mercury poisoning? In any case, it’s not a good look. [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4651051-rfk-jr-says-parasite-ate-part-of-his-brain/](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4651051-rfk-jr-says-parasite-ate-part-of-his-brain/) ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/408 "2024-05-08T15:57:59Z")
I’m thinking mercury poisoning due to some quack medical “cure” causing a tumor, all started because of symptoms caused by a parasite eating his brain. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/409 "2024-05-08T18:33:35Z")
sanjay gupta believes it could be a parasite from under cooked pork. the larval cyst would get into your blood stream, then get to your brain. they then nestle in the brain. here is a description from [arstechnica.com](http://arstechnica.com): In a human brain, the cyst goes through [four stages](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1176337/). At first, it quietly lies in wait as a viable worm, provoking little to no immune responses—and thus no symptoms. This stage can last many years. But over time, the cyst degenerates and leaks fluid that alerts the immune system that a parasite is present, prompting a strong response. The cyst degenerates further and forms a nodule in the brain. Finally, the nodule becomes a calcified granuloma. Seizures have been associated with the inflammatory responses linked to the late-stage calcification. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/410 "2024-05-08T18:47:13Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > sanjay gupta believes it could be a parasite from under cooked pork. You cannot get tapeworm neurocystericercosis from under-cooked pork - that just results in intestinal tapeworms at worst, which have mild to nonexistent symptoms. How you get neurocystericercosis is swallowing eggs present via fecal contamination. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/411 "2024-05-08T18:48:18Z")
it just got icky-er. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/412 "2024-05-08T18:58:51Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > it just got icky-er. Poorly treated/contaminated water is the usual culprit 😉. It’s much like cholera in that respect. When he was younger RFK jr. spent some time in places like Peru and Ecuador working with indigenous people in their various environmental/humanitarian dust-ups. That could have been all it took - most cases are in areas of poor water hygiene. He may well have paid a medical price for his morally upright support for oppressed people. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/413 "2024-05-08T21:11:07Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > it just got icky-er. There is but [one](https://youtu.be/soL8JK6kALc?si=RryKg8eyiE3ncUKI) thing we can say about this,        _But the wall was too high, as you can see,_        _No matter how he tried, he could not break free_ … ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/414 "2024-05-08T21:23:29Z")
Considering much of the information in the article is self-reported by RFK Jr to try to get out of paying as much spousal support as he could, I don’t know how much of it I believe without medical records. It’s probably true, but I don’t see where any medical records were ever shown. His claims about mercury poisoning are especially suspect. [Gift link to NYT article](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/us/rfk-jr-brain-health-memory-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qU0.vgr1.FfNmET7w-lKS&smid=url-share) > Some of Mr. Kennedy’s health issues were revealed in the 2012 deposition, which he gave during divorce proceedings from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy. At the time, Mr. Kennedy was arguing that his earning power had been diminished by his cognitive struggles. And: > Mr. Kennedy said he was then subsisting on a diet heavy on predatory fish, notably tuna and perch, both known to have elevated mercury levels. In the interview with The Times, he said that he had experienced “severe brain fog” and had trouble retrieving words. Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has railed against the dangers of mercury contamination in fish from [coal-fired power plants](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/10/mercury-poisoning-global-menace-treaty), had his blood tested. > > **He said the tests showed his mercury levels were 10 times what the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe.** > > **At the time, Mr. Kennedy also was a few years into his crusade against thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines. He is a longtime vaccine skeptic who has falsely linked childhood inoculations to a rise in autism, [as well as to other medical conditions](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/technology/rfk-jr-campaign-vaccines.html).** > > **In the interview, Mr. Kennedy said he was certain his diet had caused the poisoning. “I loved tuna fish sandwiches. I ate them all the time,” he said.** (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/415 "2024-05-08T22:08:37Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > it just got icky-er. Please not so much technical medical jargon. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/416 "2024-05-08T22:26:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*the possibility that consuming even a tiny part of Junior’s brain is fatally toxic cannot be excluded. I assumed the brain worm died of starvation. (The news broke eight hours ago; how am I the first person to make this joke? This place must be slipping.) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/417 "2024-05-08T22:37:40Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I assumed the brain worm died of starvation. > > (The news broke eight hours ago; how am I the first person to make this joke? This place must be slipping.) It **is** a good one. My reaction was less jokey and more science-fiction-y: 1st: Well, _that_ explains a lot. 2nd: Wow, if any aliens are monitoring human thoughts, they must have wondered why 100 million of us simultaneously had the thought “Well, _that_ explains a lot.” Also: bad as this is for RFK Jr., the fact that we know about it because he was using it to stiff the wife he was divorcing **should** be worse for him. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/418 "2024-05-08T22:44:43Z")
> [@needscoffee's NYT link](#): > > Mr. Kennedy was arguing that his earning power had been diminished by his cognitive struggles. So he’s running for president. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/419 "2024-05-09T03:15:02Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Kennedy was arguing that his earning power had been diminished by his cognitive struggles. > > So he’s running for president There seems to be some precedent for _that_ plan… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/420 "2024-05-09T04:28:08Z")
> [@Daithi\_Lacha](#): > > I didn’t feel like signing up for the Times, so here’s another link on this story. Is it a worm? Is it a tumor?.. Ahnold: “It’s not a tumah!” The Straight Dope Medical Board (skeptically): “Well…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260.md?page=22)