The Unlikely Romance That Exposed American Journalism's Pretensions
In what might be one of the most bizarre political scandals in recent memory, Robert F Kennedy Jr, now serving as US Health Secretary, found himself embroiled in what's being described as a "digital affair" with prominent political journalist Olivia Nuzzi. The revelation came to light when Nuzzi's partner, fellow journalist Ryan Lizza, discovered intimate exchanges between the two that included what sources describe as "felching poetry" - a detail that would make even the most seasoned political observer raise an eyebrow.
The situation unfolded against the backdrop of America's perpetually serious political journalism landscape, where even the most absurd situations are treated with solemn gravity. As British commentator Marina Hyde astutely observes, while British journalists readily acknowledge they're operating from the gutter, their American counterparts maintain the illusion of pursuing some higher calling - even when dealing with stories involving brainworms and erotic verse.
The Fallout: Careers, Memoirs and Metaphors Galore
The consequences of the scandal were immediate and severe. Both Nuzzi and Lizza lost their jobs following the revelation, with Nuzzi subsequently relocating to Los Angeles. The professional repercussions extended to Vanity Fair, which had recently hired Nuzzi as West Coast editor and is now reportedly "reviewing the appointment" after details emerged from Lizza's Substack publication, Telos.
What makes this story particularly remarkable is how the principals involved have chosen to frame their experiences. Nuzzi is preparing to release a memoir entitled American Canto, while Lizza has taken to his Substack to process events through increasingly elaborate metaphors. His chosen imagery involves bamboo in their apartment courtyard, which he describes as representing "our decade-long entanglement" and something that required constant management to prevent it from "marching through the entire courtyard and killing everything."
Not to be outdone in the literary metaphor department, Nuzzi employs wildfire imagery to convey the escalating nature of the scandal, documenting acre after acre burning in what she describes as the impossibility of "outrunning your life on fire."
Why America Needs to Learn to Laugh at Itself
The fundamental problem with how this story has been handled, according to Hyde's perspective, is the American media's inability to recognise pure comedy when it presents itself. Instead of acknowledging the inherent absurdity of a presidential candidate turned health secretary exchanging erotic poetry with a journalist who was supposedly concerned about his brainworm, the story is being treated with the gravity of a constitutional crisis.
This tendency toward self-seriousness stands in stark contrast to the British approach to political scandal. Where British journalists might openly acknowledge the entertainment value of such situations, their American counterparts maintain straight faces while secretly refreshing their browsers for the latest developments. The spokeswoman for Vanity Fair exemplified this approach when she stated the magazine was "looking at all the facts" with apparent solemnity.
The situation serves as a microcosm of broader issues within American political culture. As Hyde notes, when the United States "shits the bed, the whole world has to lie in it" - making it all the more important for Americans to develop the ability to laugh at themselves. With Donald Trump having been elected president twice and figures like RFK Jr occupying significant government positions, the ability to find humour in political absurdity becomes not just a luxury but a necessity for survival.
Ultimately, the RFK Jr-Nuzzi scandal offers an object lesson in how not to handle political embarrassment. Rather than embracing the comedy and acknowledging the sheer entertainment value of the situation, the American media and political classes have chosen to treat it with portentous gravity - missing what might be one of the great jokes of the century in the process.
