femaleWhat if everyone is wrong? What if Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign was smarter, more organized, and more cunning than we thought? Last weekend, Kennedy's “We the People” party exploited a loophole to secure a spot on Iowa's 2024 election ballot. Rather than spending months gathering thousands of signatures, Kennedy's allies persuaded hundreds of voters to show up at the same place on the same day and participate in an event akin to a Potemkin political convention. The summit lasted less than two hours. It was a bold gamble and it worked.
On Saturday in West Des Moines, Kennedy gave an impromptu speech (without a teleprompter or printed remarks) at the historic Val-Air Ballroom after “accepting” his fledgling party’s presidential nomination. Twenty years ago on the same stage, Howard Dean grabbed the microphone and screamed “YAHHHHHH!” It was an alien cry that many believe ruined his 2004 campaign. Kennedy's mood was more tame, but his language crackled with a fiery, fiery spirit. He assured the room that the most confusing spoiler campaign of the year would continue, even if no one knew exactly where it would lead.
Kennedy is officially on the Utah ballot, and his team (and super PAC) says it has met the necessary qualifications in Nevada, Idaho, Nebraska, North Carolina and New Hampshire, in addition to Iowa. Depending on who you ask, he is either mocking America's electoral process for his own ego and enrichment, or rightfully exposing the system's fatal flaws through prolonged, patriotic, chaotic protests. Perhaps he is doing both.
Can voters trust him? Can anyone do it? From the podium, Kennedy warned his followers not to believe his faith. any government leader. As president, he promised to direct journalists to rediscover the virtues of journalism known as “extreme skepticism.” He also said: “Don’t even believe it. me! “Don’t do that!”
teaA week is a year Since Kennedy began his campaign, he has settled into a relaxed atmosphere. That is, a flame-throwing extremist who acts as a soft unifier. Kennedy portrays President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as equally vicious leaders of equally vicious political parties propping up extremely vicious systems of power. He insists that he, a conspiratorial anti-vaxxer denounced by several members of his family, is the only voice of sense in the race. Kennedy deftly expresses his own origins, often using phrases such as: When my uncle was president. For virtually his entire life, Kennedy, like his uncle, father, and dozens (hundreds?) of others with his last name, was a staunch Democrat. Then, six months ago, standing outside the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, he declared “independence” from the DNC and its authoritarian political duopoly. Instead of challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination, he announced his intention to single-handedly “ruin” the election for both sides.
Kennedy may criticize Trump and Biden equally, but his words these days are clearly much closer to Trump than Biden. In Iowa, he began his “acceptance speech” by telling the crowd that he had just participated in a backstage interview with ABC News. At that moment, an audience member shouted “Fuck them!” to which Kennedy grinned a mischievous Trumpian grin. He said ABC asked him about his recent events. new york times/According to a Siena poll, his approval rating is only 2%. This led him to go on a rant about what he believed to be rigged polls. To be fair, Kennedy may have had a bit of a point. Survey respondents were not automatically given Kennedy's name, unlike Trump and Biden's names. That methodology may have harmed Kennedy and other third-party candidates, but it was not “rigged.” Nonetheless, for him this was new evidence that the corrupt media was part of the crooked system he was trying to destroy.
Most polls have Kennedy hovering around 10 to 20 percent approval ratings, which is particularly high among third-party contenders, but history suggests his approval ratings will likely decline as Election Day approaches. Tony Lyons, an iconoclastic book publisher who runs the pro-Kennedy American Values super PAC, said Kennedy's recent shift toward independence has led to a big increase in fundraising. His newly announced running mate, Silicon Valley businesswoman Nicole Shanahan, will bring more money to the operation.
Many believe Kennedy will ultimately win more votes for Biden than for Trump in November. However, results may vary depending on your condition. In Iowa, which Trump won in 2016 and 2020, I spoke with several attendees who identified themselves as Republicans. Most of them were former Trump voters. A 63-year-old farmer named Howard Vlieger drove four hours that morning to help Kennedy get out the vote. (State rules required the campaign to find at least 500 “qualified electors” in at least 25 of Iowa’s 99 counties. It could end up being well over 600.) Around noon, I saw Vlieger standing near the sun. I saw that. Mid-century neon of places dance I grabbed a large cardboard box and signed it. What's inside? I asked. A variety of GMO-free summer sausages made from the family's livestock were presented to Kennedy on ice. Vlieger was wearing a bolo tie with a cross on it, very similar to the one on his belt buckle. He said he was a registered Republican his entire life. “I voted for Trump in 2016,” he said. “I thought he was real, but he definitely proved me wrong.”
Another 54-year-old man named Dan (no last name given), wearing an American flag bandanna, rolled into the dance floor on a vintage red, white and blue Sears Roebuck bicycle with a Kennedy Yard sign unfurled. handle bar. He too was a lifelong Republican. Ten years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer. He underwent chemotherapy, but over time he became skeptical of conventional medicine. He refused a COVID-19 shot and said he only uses 'God's grass' to manage his own pain. If he could turn back time, he said, he probably wouldn't agree to chemotherapy.
A young couple, Brady and Madison, ages 20 and 21 (no last names given), drove two hours southwest from Black Hawk County to get here. Brady said he works at Dollar General and this will be his first time voting. He said he became interested in Kennedy after hearing him speak on several podcasts. “I would say that even if some people think it’s a waste, it’s definitely better than not voting,” Brady said of supporting Kennedy. “And it’s definitely better than voting for the other two options.”
Kennedy isn't wooing the MAGA world so much as cleverly lifting the wings of the circus tent and providing a safe space for some Trumpites. Like Trump, there's a coyness to Kennedy's campaign merchandise. By far the most popular shirt I saw on Saturday. No shoes, no shirt, no secret service., which features a black-and-white photo of Kennedy sitting barefoot at an airport gate. One of the items for sale is a camouflage trucker hat with Kennedy's name emblazoned in orange letters, bearing a striking resemblance to one of the many versions of the current MAGA hat. Kennedy described his campaign as “an idealistic journey to restore everything that is in our country,” which was a little more prosaic than “Make America Great Again.” The official new slogan sounds like it was created by ChatGPT. “The future begins now.”
Beyond the obvious attendance of many former and current Republicans, Kennedy's “convention” featured perhaps the largest cross-section of people I have ever witnessed at an Iowa event. I saw a mix of young, old, flat brims, brims, billowing blazers, Harley-Davidson shirts, earth tones, floral prints, tie dye, work boots, and more. I overheard a woman admonishing her fellow volunteer for drinking water from a plastic water bottle instead of a reusable aluminum container. I also saw attendees clutching cans of Miller Lite. (Cold beer is and always will be a bipartisan unifier.) Like MAGA, RFK Jr.ism has become a veritable movement, a club, a place to belong. A little later in the afternoon, I ran into a Trump convention captain whom I had met at the former president's pre-Christmas rally in Waterloo, Iowa. Currently, approximately 1,000 people are lined up to meet Kennedy. He said there are only two candidates in Iowa who can draw these kinds of numbers. this man. He's here for the show.
Like Trump, Kennedy added a call-and-response section to his speech, giving the event a church revival feel. So who owns all those pharmaceutical companies? Black stone! He soon launched an attack on processed foods. (The venue's snack bar had Domino's pizza, and several attendees were eating slices.) He used his fingers to turn an air quote into a dire quote, warning that we would soon see “more pandemics.” Regarding this, one audience member exclaimed:Epidemic!”—a reference to the conspiracy theory-filled movie that became wildly popular in 2020. When Kennedy spoke, people in the crowd periodically raised their fists in strong support, regardless of the topic.
Kennedy promised, “Give me a sword and a land to stand on, and I will give you my country back.” It was the best needle thread. Not only did this comment sound Trumpian, but the “sword” was possibly a sly reference to his uncle's White House nickname, Camelot.
femaleAt that time, I interviewed Kennedy. For the profile shoot last spring, he was traveling with a very small crew anchored by his press secretary, Stefanie Spear. On Saturday I found Spear hovering next to the VIP section inside the ballroom. She looked tanned and rested. She was the complete opposite of someone who had just spent a year on a grueling presidential campaign. Everything was falling into place. Spear said the campaign has advanced ahead of all important goals and is confident Kennedy's name will appear on the ballots in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, she said.
Nonetheless, both Democrats and Republicans have sought to impede Kennedy's progress with legal challenges. Spear said the campaign found several solutions. Iowa’s “one-day competition” was unique. In many states, her team is involved in clock maintenance. The campaign currently has the signatures needed to place Kennedy on several state ballots, but is waiting until closer to the final deadline for filing paperwork. This would give the DNC and RNC less time to file legal objections.
Democrats are finally considering the threat Kennedy poses to Biden's re-election. The DNC recently hired operatives to take on a third-party candidate, namely Kennedy. Meanwhile, Trump's allies are reportedly planning to boost Kennedy (and other third-party candidates) in swing states. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon recently said: “The way to win here is clearly to maximize the reach of left alternatives.” new york times.
Liberal voters who say they will abandon Biden for his support of Israel in the war in Gaza will not necessarily find solace in Kennedy, who is to the president's right on this issue. On Saturday I spoke with an attendee named Priscilla Herrera, a Transcendental Meditation instructor from Fairfield, Iowa. She wore a red Kennedy baseball cap and brought her 3-month-old son with her. She said she had been a fan of Kennedy ever since she saw him. Joe Rogan Experience last year. “There are some policies I don’t agree with,” she said. “And he may have lost a lot of people, a lot of young people, because he did not speak out against the atrocities that were happening in Palestine against the people of Gaza. And it gives me goosebumps because I was really upset about it too,” she said. “But despite that, I think I’ll still vote for him.”
Kennedy no doubt hopes to attract more voters like him. Maybe they heard him speak his truth on a podcast, maybe they think Biden is too old for his next term, or maybe they like that he looks like a more crunchy version of Trump. He is an outspoken outsider who seemingly fears no one. He's a guy who's willing to say almost anything and seems to worry about the consequences later.