In a recent campaign video posted to his Instagram account, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. declared:
“We’re going to do a mass experiment – a new kind of mass experiment – on what happens when you tell people the truth,” alluding to frequent claims that the COVID-19 pandemic was a type of experiment on the global population and human psychology.
Kennedy continued, “My job is to tell people the truth and if Americans have an appetite for that then I will be president.”
Kennedy is running a unique platform that rests on one part name recognition, one-part traditional liberal ideals, and a healthy dose of what the mainstream media establishment likes to dub as conspiracy theories.
It’s the last bit that Kennedy would rather they call truth. Or at least probable scenarios that should be debated.
Truths, according to Kennedy, such as COVID-19 was designed in a lab to further increase global control and create the greatest transfer of wealth in human history.
Truths such as that the government is “bailing out the bankers, paying for a war that we can’t afford” and that “what we’re being told about this war [in Ukraine] is just not true.”
Can Kennedy Win?
The big question is: can Kennedy win? Kennedy thinks he can.
“I can run against Trump better than anybody else can.”
When asked if he thinks he can win, Kennedy doesn’t skip a beat. “I know I can win.”
In other words, Kennedy could be that rare candidate that bridges the divide between the extreme left and right, a skill needed to proclaim victory for any nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
He distinguishes himself from the radical progressive tactics adopted by the Democratic party in recent years.
“I don’t believe that we should be the party of war. I don’t believe we should be the party of Wall Street. I don’t believe that we should let neocons dictate our foreign policy and I don’t believe in censorship, for starters. And those are all values that are traditional Democratic party values that the White House has departed from.”
While he’s running as a Democrat (does he really have a choice given his family heritage?) parts of his campaign sound an awful lot like a MAGA supporter. Indeed, he is banking on the support of Trump-style Republicans who are tired of being screwed by the political elite.
One can sense the irony. Is there anything more “politically elite” than the Kennedys?
RFK, Jr. addressed this in a recent interview with Glen Greenwald.
“I don’t know. I mean I can’t really help who I am so I can’t really change that. My family name gives me a higher profile, it gives me a voice, it gives me accessibility to some of the levers of power … I’m just going to try to use that as best I can to … in the larger endeavor of trying to force America to live up to its traditional … to its highest ideals.”
He is also counting on the vast number of Americans who, after the corruption and poor performance of government in the past seven years, feel politically homeless.
Many comments on posts or videos that include Kennedy offer up some version of “Forget about being Republican or Democrat, I want truth.”
Or “I’m a MAGA conservative but would be thrilled if RFK, Jr. won the presidency.”
Kennedy speaks to those in America who believe big government has become too cozy with corporate interests, claiming our government has devolved into a type of “corporate plutocracy.”
In his presidential campaign announcement, he avowed:
“My mission over the next 18 months of this campaign and throughout my presidency will be to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism in our country,” Kennedy said.
It is this promise that many in America would like to pin their hopes on. That is if he can get past Joe Biden and the DNC.
Like Father Like Son
That kind of bi-party support is rare and hasn’t been seen since, well, Kennedy’s father ran against then-incumbent Democrat president, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.
And we all know how that ended.
Kennedy’s son is facing similar challenges. Like his father who took surprising early leads in the primaries, Jr. is garnering unlikely support from Democrats and non-Democrats alike.
Kennedy demonstrated a strong standing in initial polling, topping at 20 percent within a month of announcing his campaign. His current average sits at about 16 percent.
Liberal Media Response
He’s gaining so much momentum that the liberal media insists on promoting him as a right-wing conspirator, along with other notable traditional left-leaning trailblazers such as Elon Musk and Bill Maher, complete with “misinformation.”
Indeed, many mainstream media outlets have linked him to “far-right” figures and flat-out refused to give him an opportunity to speak.
Tucker Carlson, when he was still on Fox News, questioned Kennedy, “You have a coherent world view. Don’t these issues deserve a wide hearing before the public entering a presidential year? It seems to me that they do.”
Many on the left are pushing for a Democratic primary debate. According to a USA Today poll, eight in ten Democratic primary voters would like to see a series of debates and that includes an overwhelming 72 percent who support Joe Biden.
The Biden administration and DNC have both flat-out refused, much to the dismay of many voters.
This led Marianne Williamson, Biden’s other Democrat opponent, to accuse the DNC of “rigging” the election. “Candidate suppression is a form of voter suppression, and the party that purports to be the champion of democracy should not be so wary of it in our own house,” she said in an op-ed published in Newsweek.
While it’s easy to dismiss Williamson as a kooky progressive who would likely have crystals floating around the White House rather than American flags, on this point, she’s not wrong.
The media keeps trying to hide how weak, and corrupt for that matter, Biden really is. In doing so, the current president, or whoever is running his agenda, continues to tear at the cohesive fabric of America. A debate would expose how fragile Biden truly is.
Robert Kennedy, Jr. could be the person we need to lead America down a new path. As one of his staunchest supporters, Dr. Christiane Northrup said, “This is a time to bring America back together. We have been torn apart and if anyone can bring us back together, it’s the Kennedy’s.”
I believe enough Americans do, as Kennedy declared, have an appetite for the truth, but I’m not so sure the powers that be will allow it.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19Fortyfive, writing opinion columns for the publication. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics, and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
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