quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
Seems the DNC has a recent history of tilting their playing field - as I recall they were caught doing that in 2016 to ensure Clinton was their candidate.

You needn't go back to 2016, if you were paying attention to biden being "installed" by Clyburn and the D party, in 2020 SC primary.

In both instances, they burned the Bernie contingent. These people are absolutely shameless, and were it not for a compliant press, a good chunk of D's would have been pissed off by that.

With regards to RFK, dang at the conspiracy theories...
And yes, Cornel West is aligned with the green party.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Robert Kennedy Jr Admits His Campaign Has Done Polling on Running Independent and He Takes More General Election Votes from Donald Trump Than Joe Biden…

I don't want that lost as this thread moves on.

What Kennedy’s Independent Candidacy Means to Biden and Trump
By J. Robert Smith

Democrats are in a snit. RFK Jr. is returning the copious fairness -- even generosity -- that they’ve shown him with big slaps on their kissers. On October 9, Kennedy is expected to announce he’s running for president sans Democrat by his name. The announcement will be made from Philly, no less, where Unser Führer Joe Biden staged a very Third Reichian denouncement of Donald Trump and millions of MAGA voters who “threaten the very foundations of our republic.” Kennedy may have chosen the locale to smite the tinhorns.

In the coming weeks and months, lively speculation will abound as to who Kennedy’s independent venture helps or hurts more, Biden or Trump. We’ll say it hurts old Joe -- or whoever Joe’s replacement is, if he’s replaced.

In his announcement, Kennedy is expected to condemn attacks on First Amendment rights. He does so now. Defense of the First Amendment unsettles Democrats, unless it conforms to their Orwellian twist: “Censorship is free speech.”

Kennedy is jumping ship because he’s a little worn out by Democrats’ indulgences -- like rigging primaries to favor Biden, who, since his virtuoso Great Dictator impersonation, has drifted deeper into stumbling, babbling dementia. Yet, even when old Joe was forced to hang out in the basement, Democrats pushed him over the finish line, successfully fixing some key state elections to defeat Trump by a whisker.

Four years later, Democrats have fine-tuned election rigging. You can bet on it. Plus, they’re arrogant p***ks. They doubtlessly believe that however lopsided public sentiment is against Joe, they can drag his withering carcass across the finish line yet again. Or, heaven forefend, if Joe kicks the bucket, they can Weekend at Bernie’s him into the White House.

RFK Jr. is also skedaddling because he’s made repeated requests for Secret Service protection. He’s convinced that the CIA killed his uncle Jack or played a part. His dad was gunned down in the kitchen of the long-demolished Ambassador Hotel. Kennedy suspects that Sirhan Sirhan wasn’t the trigger man.

Kennedy must calculate that Biden’s handlers refusal to provide protection for him goes beyond adherence to protocol and budget consciousness.

With Trump’s ascension in 2015, government elites revealed themselves to be a ruthless bunch. False accusation, entrapment, impeachment, and lawfare have targeted Trump and others. Nonviolent J6ers languish in prisons and some who have been tried and convicted of misdemeanor offenses have received punitive sentences.

Two Democrat-run state jurisdictions and a thoroughly corrupted DoJ have leveled sham indictments against Trump, 91 in all. These unprecedented abuses of law are designed to terminate Trump’s presidential bid, thereby denying voters a legitimate choice. The second is to utterly ruin the man.

That’s a long way of asking if a darker motive is possible in denying Secret Service protection to Kennedy?

That RFK Jr. is jumping ship is no small deal. The Democrat Party is the Kennedys ancestral home politically. Jack and Bobby were loyal Democrats, even though Bobby helped nudge out LBJ in ’68. Teddy challenged the flailing Jimmy Carter for his party’s nomination in ’80 and was competitive. Though he didn’t help Carter in the general, he didn’t bolt the party, either.

But if old bootleggin’ Joe Kennedy was alive to see how his grandkid is being kicked around by a bunch of party hacks and hustlers, his Irish would be way up. Not only would he bless RFK Jr.’s maverick run but invoke the old family motto: “Don’t get mad, get even.”

As to Kennedy’s chances of winning the presidency, keep in mind that he’ll have to secure enough state ballots to gain 270 electoral votes. That’s a tall order. His best bet would be to run on the Libertarian ticket, if possible. The Libertarian Party has the infrastructure to get him on most state ballots.

It could be that Kennedy simply intends to get even with Democrats by trying to shift the party’s locus back toward the middle.

For him, ’24 may be about an insurgency, kinda like what young leftists staged in the aftermath of Humphrey’s ’68 loss to Nixon. That insurgency came to full bloom in ’72, when George McGovern captured the Democrat presidential nomination. Though McGovern was crushed by Nixon, the Democrat Party would no longer be the party of bosses and old JFK-style liberalism.

If Kennedy’s aim is to drag the Democrat Party back toward the center, that’s a long shot. The party’s momentum drives it leftward, toward tyranny. Today’s Democrats threaten the republic in ways that rival the threat posed by Democrats in the 1850s. It actually may be worse this time because these Democrats seek dominance, not disunion.

But how could Kennedy’s independent candidacy hurt Joe and help Trump?

Kennedy provides a safe haven for Democrats who are disenchanted with Biden or aspects of his administration’s agenda. Yes, those Democrats exist. Democrat-leaning independents -- who are anti-Trump but sick of Biden -- could park their votes with him. That could constitute a critical drain on Biden’s support in five states that decided the ’20 election: Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire.

There are other states -- like Michigan and North Carolina -- where Kennedy could pull enough votes to put those states in play. North Carolina in play wouldn’t be to Trump’s advantage, but we’ll bet Trump holds the Tar Heel State.

What are Kennedy’s prospects of damaging Trump?

Among what cohorts is Trump likely to see defectors? Among establishment Republican voters (RINOs) and squishy Republican-leaning independents. But aren’t they prone to defect, anyway?

Keep in mind that Trump’s base support and then some are a Rock of Gibraltar. It drove Trump’s candidacy through ’16 and drove him to achieve an historic vote total for an incumbent president in ’20. That base plus will be there for him in ’24. (We’re assuming Democrat lawfare fails to waylay Trump next year.) In a three-way race, where Kennedy has more pull among unhappy Democrats and Democrat-leaners, Trump’s base support plus may be more than sufficient to win swing states -- at least the right combination to give him the presidency.

In a three-way race, it becomes tougher for Democrats to manufacture more votes from the same number of jurisdictions -- tougher, not impossible. Democrats would certainly try to up their tallies to offset the Kennedy Effect.

A key question is, “Will Biden be the Democrat nominee in ’24?” Even if Biden dies or is given the hook, Democrats’ alternatives aren’t appealing.

Michelle Obama? The smart money is that she adores being a really rich woman who’s paid lavishly to spout her opinions at high-dollar progressive soirees. There’s no heavy lift in her.

Kamala? How do Democrats sack Kamala without cutting a backroom deal with her involving a lot of money and plenty of face-saving? She could be their nominee, and even for a party that cheats, she might be too much to overcome.

Gavin Newsom? He’d probably be the elite’s favorite. But slick-haired Gavin won’t wear well. He comes across like a smarmy used car salesman. His political success is due to family connections (Nancy Pelosi is his aunt) and the dreary fact that California is a one-party state.

Whatever RFK Jr.’s impact is on the contest, he needs to be taken seriously. His agenda, while in many ways conventionally progressive, offers some truly bold departures for a contemporary Democrat. He’s for liberty in important ways. He’s against war, and against concentrations of power in the private and public sectors.

Let’s hope Kennedy helps defeat Biden or whoever next year. Then let’s hope Trump extends a hand to him and his allies. Defeating the wannabe tyrants in our midst and restoring this nation to the fullest measure of liberty should be every patriot’s aim.

https://www.americanthinker.co...iden_and_trump_.html

RFK Jr. drops Democratic presidential bid, re-enters 2024 race as independent
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...59438242d837a1a&ei=9

This is no surprise.

Robert Kennedy Jr Admits His Campaign Has Done Polling on Running Independent and He Takes More General Election Votes from Donald Trump Than Joe Biden…

Remember Ross Perot? How many Clinton votes did he draw away?

^^^ of course he drew more votes away from Bush and it ended up helping Clinton.

quote:

Originally posted by akcopnfbks:
Dunno if there's any truth to it, but I saw an article on Breitbart indicating Sen. Cruz believes a last minute Dem candidate could be the former first lady Michelle......

If true that might change the dynamics of this election somewhat. Food for thought is all.

There could be some entertaining TV commercials of Mrs. Obama's statement that the first time she was proud to be an American was when Barry was sworn in as President. Now that the his and her Obamas are ultra-rich from selling books to left wing readers and live in Hawaii and "summer" on Martha's Vinyard she might not want to live in DC.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
^^^ of course he drew more votes away from Bush and it ended up helping Clinton.

I think except for Romney types, RFKjr will syphon far more votes from Biden than from Trump. But it’s crystal ball politics. No one really knows yet.

October 10 WSJ poll who likes RFK, Jr.: 48% of Republicans and 21% of Democrats. This man can be a grenade going off.

quote:

October 10 WSJ poll who likes RFK, Jr.: 48% of Republicans and 21% of Democrats. This man can be a grenade going off.

Yes, exactly.
Instead of holding their nose and voting for Trump over Biden, some squishy Republicans will go for this "third way".


As Expected, Robert Kennedy Jr. Announces He Is Leaving the Democrat Party to Run as an Independent Candidate in 2024

In his own words two weeks ago, RFK Jr. admitted, “if he ran as an independent, he would hurt Trump more than Biden,” therefore he announced today he is running as an independent. Stopping Donald Trump is the priority. Despite the pontifications to the contrary, RFK Jr’s status in the race is secondary.

The best thing anyone can do to disrupt his effort is simply to share his leftist, big government, policy proposals.

The now-independent candidate struggled to label himself when USA TODAY asked him where he falls on the political spectrum earlier this year.

“I think the party definitions are so topsy-turvy right now, I wouldn’t know how to describe myself,” he told USA TODAY. “I would describe myself as a liberal Democrat, which means I’m for civil liberties, I’m against war, I’m against corporate domination, I’m against censorship. But I don’t know now − those are kind of Republican issues now, strangely.”

And Kennedy has made an effort to reach to the right. He is scheduled to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Las Vegas later this month, alongside other Republican figures.

Kennedy told USA TODAY earlier this year part of his campaign strategy is to reach all supporters − even those registered to the opposite party. He found endorsements and airtime with celebrities including Comedian Rob Schneider, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, actress Alicia Silverstone, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and the ultra-conservative InfoWars host Alex Jones.

Joe Rogan, a talk show host who has been critical of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines and hosted Kennedy on his show to discuss vaccines.

https://theconservativetreehou...t-candidate-in-2024/

It is far too soon to put stock in any poll numbers from any source.

Biden will not be the Dem nominee. Any alternative has not been subjected to national scrutiny yet. The economy, wars overseas, and a million other unknowns will be in play a year from now.

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Robert Kennedy Jr Admits His Campaign Has Done Polling on Running Independent and He Takes More General Election Votes from Donald Trump Than Joe Biden…

I don't want that lost as this thread moves on.

Agree he may Perot the election, Heck wouldn't put it past the left to be treating him that way just to see him go I in order to pull people from Trump.

Trump should get him to be VP, piss off the left, eliminate the I pull, move votes to the Trump ticket, run on a mixed ticket R/I.

That would be a hoot to see the talking heads on the View and CNN explode...

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
It is far too soon to put stock in any poll numbers from any source.

Biden will not be the Dem nominee. Any alternative has not been subjected to national scrutiny yet. The economy, wars overseas, and a million other unknowns will be in play a year from now.

I think the strategy is in place to prevent scrutiny.

^^^^^^

So "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Seems RFK, Jr. is the enemy of the Demotards and President Trump is also the enemy of the Demotards. I think it makes PERFECT sense, Mr. HRK, that President Trump engage RFK, Jr. in a SERIOUS conversation about being his running mate. Yes...that would PISS OFF the destructive left to the nth degree!!! And I will just laugh and laugh and laugh and......

I don't think this will take any significant number of votes away from Donald Trump. I don;t think anyone is "holding their nose" to vote for Trump. That's a lockstep true believer leftist behavior. I think the supposed conservatives who are permanently bent out of shape about Donald Trump for whatever reason will simply refrain from casting a vote at all. Whether or not they do that, or write in a candidate, they wouldn't have been voting for Trump in the first place.

Furthermore, we're still a year out from the election. Who knows what Kennedy will do between now and then, and who knows who else will throw their hat in the ring as an independent?

My Brother is that way, devout Trump hater, buys 100% of the LSM line on him, reads WSJ, WaPo, Atlantic, last time he just sat out, figure he'll do the same, claims he's now an I donated to Chris Krispy

A bit of perspective:

RFK Jr. comes out in favor of reparations, carving out lane to Biden’s left

https://nypost.com/2023/10/18/...lane-to-bidens-left/

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports issuing reparations to the black community, making him the most prominent 2024 candidate to favor the controversial policy meant to atone for slavery and legal segregation.

President Biden has largely been silent on the issue, leading to frustration among the far left.

Kennedy — who ditched his Democratic primary challenge to Biden earlier this month — has spoken out in favor of issuing federal dollars to “rebuild black infrastructure” like banks and businesses, and as well as “direct redress payments or tax credits” rather than no-strings cash giveaways.

“Communities that were specifically targeted for destruction need to be specifically targeted for repair,” he states on his campaign website.

“During Jim Crow, Black banks, businesses, hospitals, schools, and farms were targeted for destruction. Racists knew that without these, the Black community had no chance of building wealth. We must set federal dollars aside to rebuild Black infrastructure.”

“These programs complement direct redress payments or tax credits to the descendants of the victims of Jim Crow and other victims of persecution,” the pledge continues. “RFK Jr. will find ways to offer this redress that are legal, fair, and win the approval of Americans of all races.”

Kennedy has also said he supports establishing development projects like the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which his father helped found in 1967 along with then-Mayor John Lindsay, and then-Sen. Jacob Javits.

Those actions are “less likely to contribute to polarization between blacks and whites because it benefits everybody. Everybody, even people who are Trumpers … everybody wants business to work and to flourish,” Kennedy Jr. told YouTuber Math Hoffa in a July interview.

The 69-year-old son of the late attorney general and senator from New York has courted traditional Republican and Democratic voters, raising concerns the environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist may take votes away from both major party nominees next November.

Biden has faced pressure from activist groups and Democratic members of Congress to issue an executive order on reparations amid congressional gridlock. The White House has maintained that the president supports a “study” into reparations, but has not specifically said whether he would sign a reparations bill.

Far-left independent candidate Cornel West, who some Democrats are worried will steal votes away from Biden, also states that he supports reparations.

West’s platform includes plans to issue a directive to complete “the reparations process and findings within two years so checks can be cut and sent to eligible recipients,” and a call to “push Congress to pass filibuster-proof budget reconciliation for reparations and Land Back provisions.”

RFK Jr.’s campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry about specifics of his plan.

It's very telling to me that the MSM stopped attacking him the second he announced he's running as an independent.

RFK Jr picks a running mate even wackier than he is:

Link: PJ Media

quote:

Speculation can finally end as sources reveal that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has selected Nicole Shanahan, a California attorney, as his vice presidential candidate for his campaign.

In addition to being an attorney, Shanahan, 38, runs a foundation dedicated to left-wing causes like abortion rights, criminal justice reform, and fighting climate change. According to the Wall Street Journal, prior to joining forces with Kennedy, Shanahan had a history of supporting Democratic campaigns, including Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. Kennedy is expected to formally introduce Shanahan as his running mate during an event scheduled for Tuesday in Oakland, Calif., Shanahan's hometown.

Shanahan, a political novice, was thrust into the spotlight over her public split with [Google co-founder Sergey] Brin amid a brief alleged affair she had with Elon Musk in 2021 that ruptured the billionaires’ long friendship, The Wall Street Journal reported. After the article published, Musk denied the allegations and Shanahan later followed suit.

A Journal spokeswoman has said the Journal stands by its reporting.

In addition to donating to Kennedy’s campaign, Shanahan told the New York Times she donated $4 million to the Kennedy-aligned super PAC that ran the Super Bowl ad supporting his candidacy. Shanahan not only paid for a significant portion of the controversial ad—which repurposed an ad from when his uncle John F. Kennedy Jr.ran for president and caused controversy with some members of his family—but she was a key force in the ad’s production.

She has said that she aligns with Kennedy on issues such as vaccine skepticism and the environment. Kennedy is known for his claims—debunked by public-health experts—linking childhood vaccinations to autism and casting doubt on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines. In an interview with the Journal last year Kennedy said he wasn’t antivaccine but believed they should go through more rigorous scrutiny. Shanahan used a similar line in her New York Times interview.

But wait, there's more:
1. Her father was bipolar and schizophrenic; her multiple marriages, affairs etc. raise serious question of bipolar disorder in her IMO
2. She is a six-figure donor to George Gascon
3. She's very rich, but probably most of her money came from divorce from Sergei Brin

In my opinion, the more people--even anti-Biden Dems--learn about her, the less likely they are to support RFK in November. RFK is now drawing more votes away from Biden than Trump. If anti-Trump Republicans find out about McShanahan, they are even less likely to vote for RFK.

IMO he's shot himself in the foot--maybe the balls---with this choice of a wacko woman who is very cute and waaaaaaaaay off the crazy scale.