George Magazine Interview: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Announces His Run as an Independent
Few things are more closely associated than "Kennedy" and "Democrat," but with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s historic announcement that he is leaving the party altogether, the association has come to an abrupt and bittersweet end. Censored and deplatformed for sharing peer-reviewed, statistically significant studies challenging vaccine safety, Kennedy solidified the labels already placed upon him like "conspiracy theorist" and "anti-vaxxer." For some, Kennedy seems like a dangerous candidate based on these stances, but for others, Kennedy has become the poster child illustrating how tyranny does not care what political party one associates with, only that the rules of the game it created are obeyed.
Despite some lawmakers calling party switches "opportunistic" in nature, a way to make it easier to get elected in red states, people like Tulsi Gabbard and North Carolina Representative Tricia Cotham made waves with their departures from the Democratic Party: Cotham was a Democrat for years but did not agree with gender-affirming care for minors, among other arguments. She stated that the Democratic Party had "become unrecognizable."
But this isn't just about leaving the Democratic Party, not in the least. Kennedy's platform is one of independence from parties altogether. In his speech on October 9th, he laid out the case for how the two-party system is meant to perpetuate division, that if we only associate with our respective parties, it will always be an 'us versus them' mentality. It's hard to unite under that premise.
Kennedy has more support than meets the (mainstream media news) eye. Kennedy's run might not be as "longshot" as depicted, having raised $11 million in just six hours following the announcement. Many speculate he will split each party, taking votes from both the Democrats and Republicans. Which political party will be affected most is yet to be seen, but the buzz is all over social media.
Read the full interview here.
