Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to announce run as an independent

Karma, baby. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. almost, but not quite, told supporters and would-be supporters on Friday that he is going to leave the Democrat Party primary and run as an independent. This is me doing the happy dance.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a member of the Kennedy clan. Their place in American politics is well-established. The DNC and Team Biden made a huge miscalculation when they decided to just ignore the fact that RFK, Jr. launched a presidential primary run to challenge Joe Biden. They did the same to Marianne Williamson but she has not shown the same sincerity as Kennedy in her run this time around. Where is she?

Kennedy has reached up to 20% in polls since he entered the primary. He has since gone down but still polls in the middle to upper teens. Reading the Real Clear Politics aggregate of polls, the Democrat primary looks a lot like the Republican primary. The leader (Biden) is way out in front with 65 percent while the next candidate (Kennedy) is back at 14-15 percent support.

The DNC made the decision early on to not hold any debates. That was not only insulting to Kennedy and Williamson but it was an insult to primary voters. Why shouldn’t they have an opportunity to see the candidates together and make their own decision? Kennedy is 69-years-old and Marianne Williamson is 71-years-old. Biden, as we are all painfully aware, is 80. That’s a group of oldsters for the Democrats to choose from but Kennedy and Williamson are both still on their game while Biden has slipped into what looks to be full-on dementia. I understand why his campaign staff want to hide him in his basement as he did in 2020 but that doesn’t play this time around.

So, Kennedy is taking action. He has asked and tried to reason with the DNC about debates and it falls on deaf ears. Until and unless they convince Biden to not run for a second term, nothing will change. Biden’s numbers are historically bad in most categories. He’s underwater in all the important markers – especially his handling of the economy, the southern border, and in voter confidence – and primary voters do not want another Biden vs Trump match-up. Guess who is going to benefit from Kennedy’s run as an independent? Yep. Trump.

Kennedy posted a video on YouTube inviting supporters to a special event on October 9 in Philadelphia.

“I’ll be speaking about a sea change in American politics,” he said, decrying corruption in “both parties.”

“How are we going to win against the established Washington interests?” he asks. “It’s not through playing the game” by the current rules, he said.

It will be interesting because Kennedy has a lot of support from Republicans, maybe more so than from Democrats. He is a regular guest on Fox. He is reaching out to everyone because he isn’t stupid. That is what a candidate is supposed to do in order to bring in independents and new voters. If you are only preaching to the choir, you aren’t growing your support. That’s what Trump did in 2016. He appealed to the Rust Belt and blue collar workers. He asked black voters, “What the hell do you have to lose?”

Kennedy’s campaign machine is now planning “attack ads” against the Democratic National Committee in order to “pave the way” for his announcement in Philadelphia about running as an independent, according to a text reviewed by Mediaite.

“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy so an independent run is the only way to go,” a Kennedy campaign insider told Mediaite.

Kennedy, a notorious anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist challenging incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, has been flirting with a third party run in recent weeks. The New York Times reported last week that he met with the chair of the Libertarian Party, raising the prospect of a departure from the party that decades ago became synonymous with his family name.

A Libertarian candidacy wouldn’t be a good fit for Kennedy but the meeting brought publicity to the fact that Kennedy is open to move away rom the Democrat Party primacy.

The DNC tried to rig the primary and push Kennedy out. So, he’s leaving. His support may be enough to be very bad news for Biden. He may be able to hand the election to Trump with enough dissatisfied Democrat voters. It will definitely shake up what will likely be a close presidential race. Get the popcorn ready. It’s going to be fun to watch.