this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce Monday that he will drop his Democratic bid for president and run as an independent or third-party candidate, adding a new wrinkle to a 2024 race currently heading toward a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Kennedy’s campaign has teased the announcement in the days leading up to a Monday afternoon speech in Philadelphia. In a recent video, Kennedy said there is corruption “in the leadership of both political parties” and said he wants to “rewrite the assumptions and change the habits of American politics.”

The video came shortly after Mediaite reported he planned to launch an independent bid.

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[–] Zehzin 75 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You'd think that if you're gonna position yourself as a third party alternative, you'd drop the wild antivaxx shit since the crazy people already are going to vote republican.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago (6 children)

It’d be interesting to see who is paying him to run.

[–] IonAddis 24 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yeah. My eyes got WIDE open about the "function" of third-party candidates in the US after I saw in hindsight (because isn't hindsight always clearer?) Jill Stein's role in a prior election. They're basically there to shave off just enough votes from one of the major parties to tilt things one way or another. Easy for 3rd parties--no matter of they're crazies OR if they actually have legit policy stances that really should be considered, such as climate issues--to be turned into agents of chaos. People working the USA's political system from the outside work BOTH sides--the right and the left, pretending to be either one to sow discord as it suits their goals. The more division the better, for them.

I really want various ballot initiatives to succeed in changing how voting is done in the US, so you can safely vote for the candidate you actually want without handing the election to the worst candidate. Voting would be much invigorated if you could vote for someone with pride and enthusiasm instead of, "At least they're not XYZ" which is what has to happen now working within the rules our system has for us.

Here and there, a few states have implemented better systems with various flavors of ranked choice and such for their state elections, so they're not stuck in a two-party horror show for local elections at least, but there's a lot of hard work that has to be done before that gains enough momentum across many states and towns and smaller localities in the US that it might be feasible to change the way voting is done on a federal level.

[–] Archer 9 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Yeah if third party candidates were actually serious they would work to get ranked choice voting passed then run

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The only third party I give any credence to is the Working Families Party. They'll run in local races while supporting candidates from other parties when they know they can't win.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You would think, but it’s ok as he’ll divide the ant-science vote.

[–] cogman 4 points 1 year ago

The danger is if he pulls some D votes because he's a Kennedy. He's been working pretty closely together with roger stone and steve bannon if that tells you anything about the messaging he's been putting out.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Junior is going to find out quick and in a hurry why Ross Perot decided to create a political party in 1992. There are 51 different sets of ballot access laws that range from easy to byzantine. Good luck with that.

He's totally out of step with the Democratic base. It takes about a minute and a half to figure out the guy is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. His coalition, what there will be of it, will come off both fringes, but primarily off the right fringe and fringe libertarians.

He will take more votes from Trump than Biden

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Maybe we can somehow convince the right that voting for him will somehow take votes from Biden.

[–] Cruxifux 14 points 1 year ago

That should be easy. His name is Kennedy and he was running democrat. And a large portion of republicans vote based on buzz words.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“He was originally running to get the nomination in the Democrat party” (shibboleth intentional) should help

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

OK, what does that mean "Democrat Party?" I know it's supposed to be jibe against Democrats, but I never understood it.

[–] captainlezbian 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s supposed to deny calling them democratic

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[–] CharlesDarwin 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No such party. People like Newt (the man who worked harder than almost anyone to divide this country) really ran with it to purposefully irritate those that know better.

Since donnie is dumber than dirt, he said as much out loud, in front of his idiot base, too.

[–] Candelestine 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They'll never understand that. They are accustomed to authoritarian ideas, and in those systems, you simply follow your leaders. You give your loyalty, and once given, your honor dictates it remains there. You know, old tradition.

This is why they love to accuse science of being another kind of religion, instead of a process or method. That authoritarian idea of loyalty is creeping in.

So, they can't understand a world where we don't just trust him because he carries the correct label and looks presentable. Remember, when their authority tells them to take Ivermectin or something, they just go fucking do it. So, they think we're the same, and when someone says "vote Kennedy" we just will.

Remember, they also think we're all stupid. Like, really, really stupid. They do not see us as peers, they see us an inferiors who do not understand how "hard" the world is "supposed to be".

Naturally, this is kinda amusing when its not sad and irritating.

edit: Just thought of another good example. When covid was raging, if you wore a mask regularly, why did you? Was it just because you were told to, and you didn't think about it further? Nothing wrong with that of course, not everyone has time to research everything and sometimes you do just have to trust your doctor.

But there's a second possibility. Did you maybe wear a mask because you understood how diseases get transmitted through the air and you figured, for yourself, that yeah, that might be a good idea?

Authoritarians do not acknowledge the existence, or even the right to exist, of that second possibility. It's literally disallowed by authoritarianism itself, because it proposes the possibility of facts beyond the control of any authorities. In their world, should anything at all be beyond the control of the highest of authorities? No. No it should not, because the highest of all authorities is actually an omnipotent deity that is fully responsible for everything that exists.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Great news!

[–] CharlesDarwin 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

He will take more votes from Trump than Biden

I sure hope so. I think internally, Republicans are (supposedly) freaking out over that, but at this point, I take nothing for granted after donnie's "win" in 2016.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can't be a spoiler candidate designed to siphon votes away from Biden in the general election if he isn't on the ballot, hence this move to run as an independent as there's no fucking way he would win a primary.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Polls are showing hes more likely to pull votes from Trump, the "centrist antivax conspiracy both sides" nonsense.

The Trump campaign is rearing up attacks on him now.

[–] assassin_aragorn 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Have you got links to those handy? It'd be reassuring to see

[–] captainlezbian 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

He’s not wrong that there’s corruption in both parties leadership. Everything else on the other hand, completely insane about

[–] njm1314 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

He's wrong if he's going to pretend that he's not part of that same corruption.

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[–] TwoGems 11 points 1 year ago

He's literally a chaos agent of Steve Bannon. He's not right about anything, and legitimizing him as a real candidate makes this worse.

https://www.salon.com/2023/04/06/steve-bannon-spent-months-recruiting-anti-vaxxer-rfk-jr-to-run-against-biden-as-chaos-agent/

"Former chief Trump strategist Steve Bannon spent "months" encouraging anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run against President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, according to a report from CBS News.

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that Bannon hoped Kennedy could serve as a "useful chaos agent" in the election while also spreading "anti-vaccine sentiment around the country," according to CBS News' Robert Costa."

[–] assassin_aragorn 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yep, he just announced it. Truthfully I have no idea if this schedule hurts Biden or Trump more, but my gut says the latter

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Well good. Not only is this more honest of his ~~policies~~ weird racist conspiracies, it's also much less likely to go anywhere.

Cool. Spoil on friend!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If anything, the more conspiratorial wing of trump voters might vote for him instead. I don't see antivaxx Harambe-did-911 voters realistically voting democrat anyway.

[–] TechyDad 5 points 1 year ago

My father has said he really likes RFK Jr. My father also voted for Trump twice and would vote for him in 2024 if he's the candidate - though there's a chance he'd get pulled over to vote for RFK Jr. instead.

[–] Sho 9 points 1 year ago

Another politician trying to shave off votes, it happens every 4 years

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Covid-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.

-RFK Jr.

[–] shalafi 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews

This is some medieval, "How come the Jews are surviving the plague better?!", boolshit.

Perhaps because they have a history of practicing good hygiene?

[–] captainlezbian 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“Who survived Covid most?”

“The ethno-religious group required to practice medically sound infectious disease practices and an ethnic group predisposed to wearing masks while sick. Both are disproportionately medical professionals.”

“Conspiracy!!!”

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[–] Potatos_are_not_friends 6 points 1 year ago

Well of course. The Jewish space laser blasts anti-covid beams over synagogues and the Chinese invented the virus as well as the REAL™ cure, and everyone else has CCP activation codes inside the vaccine and will activate during the FEMA broadcast test on ~~Oct 4th~~ rescheduled since too many people knew about it and turned off their phones.

He also forgot the lizard people who cured themselves with 5G waves.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Lmfao and the democrat voters were worried about Cornel West siphoning the few far leftists, there goes your center right republican votes.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

The one Kennedy nobody wanted.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Oh no, stop, come back.....

Democrats: 🕺💃

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Yet another Useful Idiot for #Ruzzia

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Asked for comment on his potential independent run, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji.

Monday’s announcement comes less than a week after the progressive activist Cornel West abandoned his Green Party bid in favor of an independent White House run.

In campaign emails and videos, he blasted the DNC’s decision not to host debates between Biden and other candidates and railed against the committee’s plan to give South Carolina rather than Iowa or New Hampshire the leadoff spot on the primary calendar this election cycle.

Far-right and anti-vaccine influencers close to Kennedy also have sent strong signals on social media suggesting he should or will leave the Democratic Party.

He appeared on a channel run by the Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and headlined a stop on the ReAwaken America Tour, the Christian nationalist road show put together by Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

He also has gained support from some far-right conservatives for his fringe views, including his vocal distrust of COVID-19 vaccines, which studies have shown are safe and effective against severe disease and death.


The original article contains 642 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 71%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] CharlesDarwin 2 points 1 year ago

I hope he takes votes away from donnie mostly. And the Green Party just looks like a Russian front these days - I wonder if whatever useful idiot they prop up realize that, or do they come to terms with it later?

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