It is 2023, and another member of the Kennedy family is running for president. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is following in the footsteps of his father and uncles in his race to hold the nation’s highest office.
Interestingly, Kennedy is off to a fantastic start. He officially launched his presidential bid on April 19 and immediately polled at 14 percent, perhaps forcing Joe Biden to rush his reelection announcement on April 24. Biden’s video announcement did nothing to stem the tide of Kennedy’s popularity amongst Democrats. On April 27, an Emerson College poll showed that 21 percent of those surveyed support RFK, Jr. for the Democratic presidential nomination. This is not surprising, given that only 37 percent of Democrats want Biden to run for a second term.
Kennedy has long been a critic of mandatory vaccines of any kind. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy criticized social-distancing requirements and vaccine mandates, earning him a prestigious banishment from both YouTube and Instagram.
The corporate media immediately pounced on Kennedy’s position on vaccines, labeling him “anti-vax.” The Guardian referred to him as an “anti-vaccine activist” and gave his presidential ambitions an equal chance with those of self-help guru Marianne Williamson. The Hill also referred to Kennedy as an “anti-vaxxer.”
As the number of candidates challenging Joe Biden continues to grow, the Democratic National Committee, in an effort to protect Biden, has decided not to sponsor any debates during the Democratic primaries. Former President Trump has also stated that he will likely not debate during the primaries. However, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has already asked Robert Kennedy, Jr. to join him in a debate, claiming that open debate and discussion are critical to a democracy.
Kennedy’s positions on COVID, globalism, and skepticism about America’s continued support (and funding) of the Russia-Ukrainian war, his disdain for the administrative state and the fourth branch of government have attracted some strange bedfellows, including Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, Michael Flynn, Alex Jones, and Roger Stone. Some have even called for a “unity ticket” with Kennedy filling the vice-presidential slot for Trump.
Kennedy has further drawn the interest of conservatives with his comments about Tucker Carlson after Carlson left Fox News. Kennedy defended Carlson for a “breathtakingly courageous monologue against COVID vaccines, suggesting he was fired because he crossed the red line by acknowledging that the TV networks pushed a deadly and ineffective vaccine to please their Pharma advertisers.”
While a “unity ticket” is highly unlikely, there is an opportunity for supporters of both Kennedy and the eventual Republican nominee for president to join forces to defeat Joe Biden. If the two groups could unite over where they agree, areas like the government’s overreach during the COVID pandemic, the dangers of globalization, the deep state, etc., and set aside potential differences on topics such as the Second Amendment, environmental policy, and Right to Life, a powerful political coalition would be created. A coalition that would all but guarantee a Republican, populist president in 2024 and beyond.