RFK Jr and His Systemically Strange Campaign

The Kennedys are a political dynasty in American politics, with John F. Kennedy remembered most fondly among past presidents, and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy was to be the next torchbearer of the family legacy, only to himself be cut down before he could reach the highest office in the land. These men were uncle and father, respectively, to Robert F. Kennedy Jr, but for some reason, he seems to have strayed far from the famous family and its current lineup.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had a long and storied life, observed by others if not simply for his last name, for his legal-conservation focused work. Then came Covid-19 and his antivax stance become a front and center issue for him, leading right into the election of 2024, and all the crazy came out. In what was slated to be a rematch of the same grumpy old men from 2020, RFK Jr first tried to work his center-left positions into the democratic primary, but quickly fell out due to various interparty hurdles. He next went for his Independent bid, where he stood as a real threat to both major party campaigns-capable of drawing in disenfranchised voters from both parties, giving those across the political spectrum a chance at what was presented as a "Unity" campaign, meant to bridge the gaps between an increasingly polarized America. Even at his strongest, he polled no higher than 10% as his campaign struggled to get on enough ballots and enough media attention to threaten a competitive race. Then the seemingly unthinkable happened- the entirety of publicly active Kennedys came out against their own relative in favor of Joe Biden. Then the stories started to trickle out- Brain worms? Then summer came, and the race would be thrown for a hell of a loop.

The debate: this was supposed to pit the two seniors against each other for the soul of the nation, until Sleepy Joe walked on stage. After a disastrous performance, Biden faced calls to drop out, long after he had seemingly cinched up the nomination. His polling numbers plunged, then some nineteen year old nut with bad aim popped shots at Trump- tilting the race further into the former presidents favor. A dead bear set up like a prop in Central Park? Eventually terrible enthusiasm to see Biden try to survive another term pushed top party brass to kick Biden off the ticket and promote his number two to the top of the ticket- Kamala Harris jumps in to save her party from disaster in November, and seems far more prepared for the role than she did a mere four years ago when she first threw her hat in the race. What we have now is an image of stability that can weather the storm and be an effective leader, all while fending off a certain Cheeto-shaded ex president turned felon. However, this is America, so the race is still razor thing. One difference now- It looks like each candidate siphoned off Kennedy supporters as his numbers have sank to 3-5% But then came another bombshell- Kennedy got kicked off the ballot in New York? without his home state in play, his dismal chances of electoral victory fell further; coupled with the news his campaign was struggling to raise money and pay existing debt, it seemed RFK Jr's moment in the sun had come to an end...He cut off a whale's head? In a move that only makes sense for this odd run, Kennedy has now suspended his campaign, is petitioning to remove his name from the ballot in several swing states, and has thrown his support behind Donald Trump in an effort to secure a position on his transition team should he win, and hopefully another job after that. The Absurdity of this campaign has come full circle.

This campaign has been all over the place ideologically, all while claiming to be running to unify America, when we now know it was always about getting a job as he attempted to leverage his backers as collateral to endorse either candidate for said job, ultimately going with the Cheeto of Deals, who I wouldn't trust to deliver, even if I had a six pack at 70.