I wrote an essay for The Unz Review last May about why I supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr for president. I also explained my reasons for backing Kennedy in an interview with Kevin Barrett at the time, and even in a silly song that I wrote. I have prepared this follow-up essay to explain why I still support Kennedy, despite my disappointment with some of his campaign developments.

Although I plan to vote for Kennedy in November, assuming that the fascists who control Illinois even allow him on the ballot, I also support the candidacy of Cornel West, of “Literally Anybody Else,” and of any other challenger to the evil two-party system. That corrupt dysfunctional system needs to be destroyed, though the thoroughly propagandized American population makes that difficult task pretty damn impossible. It might be impossible, but it’s certainly worth the simple effort of going to the voting booth and casting a vote for an independent or third-party candidate. No one should ever vote for any Republican or any Democrat anymore!

Articulate and intelligent

Kennedy has articulated America’s most serious problem—the corrupt fascistic merger of government and corporate power—more clearly and more intelligently than any other political or public figure. I’m not sure what he would be able to do to fix this problem, should he somehow miraculously get elected in the rigged system that we have, but at least he understands the problem. No one else in the political arena seems to.

He has also demonstrated that he clearly understands the serious problem of the military-industrial complex and the endless wars of the American Empire. He has spoken out particularly forcefully against U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war, as well as about the U.S. provoking of that war. I think he would quickly put an end to that horrific war and the terrible waste of U.S. money there, and he would be much more likely than any other potential president to avoid further imperialistic military adventures and foolish attempts at empire building.

Wrong on Gaza

That said, I have been very disappointed by Kennedy’s apparent support for Israel’s colonialist genocide campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. Cornel West, to his credit, is the only candidate who has spoken out against this obvious-for-the-whole-world-to-see genocide.

So, that’s a big problem with Kennedy—and 99 percent of other American politicians. Unfortunately, American politicians consider it necessary to cater to the wealthy and influential Zionists in order to have any hope of getting elected. That is just the disgusting reality of American politics. I myself was not awakened to this problem until the ongoing Gaza situation worsened to the point of finally shaking me out of the propaganda brainwashing in which I had long been lost. Reading Rashid Khalidi’s The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine further educated me.

Kennedy is wrong on Israel and Gaza. But I think he is right on just about everything else. I’m not going to reject a candidate because I disagree—even strongly disagree—with him on one issue. Plus, he’s a smart guy with an open mind, and I have hopes that he will eventually modify his position on Gaza by listening to and learning from people like Douglas Macgregor and Scott Ritter.

Right about a lot of things

Kennedy is right about a lot of things. He is right about vaccines and the evils of the pharmaceutical industry. He is right about the corruption of medicine and science. He is right about looking into the causes of worsening chronic diseases. He is right about toxins in our environment and the need for better environment and nature protections. He is right about the land and cultural rights of American Indians. He is right about the need to fight the censorship and propaganda of the media and Big Tech. He is right about the declining middle class and the greedy irresponsible actions of Wall Street and the Fed. He is right about trying to inspire and restore some hope among disillusioned young people. He is right about trying to stop all the ugly hatred and anger and trying to bring people together over some common basic decent values.

I am not crazy about his selection of Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. But I really don’t know much about her, other than the smears that the mainstream media and other detractors are now painting her with. I was hoping that he might pick someone else, like Tulsi Gabbard or Rand Paul, but I assume that such high-profile political figures did not want to hitch a ride with a probably losing campaign and spoil their relationship with a potential new Trump presidency.

I like the fact that Shanahan is young, energetic, and obviously intelligent. Those characteristics, as well as her wealth, should be beneficial to Kennedy’s campaign. I like her proven interests in the environment, health, and criminal justice. She would certainly make a better president than Kamala would (or Pence would have). But then, any sentient, reasonably smart person would probably make a better president than most any professional politician these days. So, I wish her luck on the campaign trail. She gave a pretty good speech at the VP announcement, though she needs to control the (understandable considering the circumstances) nervous laughter.

Can Kennedy actually win?

I think Kennedy’s only hope of winning is if he can get on a televised debate stage with Biden and Trump. The marked differences in intelligence, in straightforwardness, and in awareness of important issues would become glaringly obvious to all viewers! But I doubt if either Trump or Biden will want to expose their own weaknesses and mental declines in any debates. Or, if they do have a debate, they probably won’t let Kennedy in.

Without such televised debates, the general media blackout of Kennedy’s campaign will cause most Americans to either remain completely unaware of Kennedy or to believe in the unfavorable media caricatures of him. Of course, even if he does get more media exposure and public opinion polls eventually indicate that he might have a chance at winning, the end result will depend on a free and fair election, which, needless to say, is highly doubtful.

In an interesting essay posted on The Hill after the Shanahan announcement, former Reagan/Bush speechwriter Douglas MacKinnon seems to think that Kennedy might have a shot. MacKinnon writes about the weird “Alice in Wonderland” nature of this year’s presidential race, with voters worried about “Biden’s age, perceived cognitive issues, his son Hunter’s legal and perception problems, growing policy failures, and a country and world going more sideways by the day.” As for Trump, “it’s hard for some voters to unsee the FBI raid on Trump’s home in Florida, his mug shot, multiple indictments by Democratic prosecutors and district attorneys, trial dates and the greater ‘lawfare’ campaign being purposefully amplified by some in the media.”

MacKinnon notes that Kennedy has “a higher favorability rating than both Biden and Trump. He is also the favorite of voters under 35 years old, as well as independents, and is gaining rapidly among minorities—three constituencies that Kennedy now has a chance to grow substantially thanks to his selection yesterday of Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.”

MacKinnon describes Shanahan as a “game changer,” writing that she “has a remarkable life story. She grew up on welfare, is Asian American, a lawyer, the California-based founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation—a nonprofit that issues grants for issues including reproductive rights, equality, criminal justice reform and the environment—is a single mother to a daughter with autism and is the former wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin.”

He adds, “Aside from her entrepreneurial background, high energy and intelligence, Shanahan immediately amplifies or outright fills multiple needs of the Kennedy campaign. She can speak directly to female voters, the high-tech community, young voters, minority voters, the working poor, the disenfranchised—and dissatisfied Democrats.”

I think the most interesting part of MacKinnon’s essay is this paragraph:

“The line between ‘long shot’ and ‘the people’s choice’ is much narrower than many believe. It often comes down to reaching a tipping point. In but a few weeks, the conversation can instantly switch from ‘Kennedy can’t possibly win’ to ‘I can’t believe it, but Kennedy now has a real shot.’ Shanahan can very quickly help flip that conversation to Kennedy’s favor.”

Trump and Biden BS

Time will tell. I’m an old guy (64) who has become increasingly cynical, and sometimes even hateful, about my country and about its politics over the past several years. Trump was a disappointment, with his BS about the wall he never built; with his tough-guy-posturing bombast and bluster about Russia, China, and Iran; with his stupid son-in-law and their further fucking up of the Palestinian situation; with his horrible authoritarian phony-science Covid policies; with his endless fighting, insulting, and arguing about every kind of unimportant nonsense… Now he’s in numerous legal messes, many that are at least partly of his own making, he’s still trying to talk tough to the world, and he’s selling Bibles with asshole has-been country singer Lee Greenwood.

I cannot stand Liz Cheney (or her war criminal father), but she did have a great line for Trump about his Bible peddling: “Instead of selling Bibles, you should probably buy one. And read it, including Exodus 20:14. Thou shalt not commit adultery.” That pretty nicely sums up Trump’s BS and hypocrisy.

Trump is bad enough. But Biden has probably been the worst disaster in American history—certainly the most reckless warmonger ever in the White House. But that’s what happens when the elite class rigs an election to get a dementia-ridden sock puppet in office so that they can easily and effortlessly manipulate him to serve the needs of the government-corporate combine and American war machine. The only place Biden belongs is in a nursing home drooling over his ice cream and getting his diaper changed.

Perhaps there is hope?

Trump and Biden are both perfectly representative of the stinking decay and rot of American society and culture at almost every level. The decay and rot are probably irreversible. In my old age, I have mostly given up. It must be a desperately depressing situation for young Americans, who have known only this rot all their lives. I, at least, have memories of better, freer times from the 1960s and 1970s.

But perhaps enough young people will become inspired by the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket to go out and vote. Perhaps their votes will make a difference. Perhaps the election will be free and fair. Perhaps Kennedy and Shanahan will win. Perhaps President Kennedy and Vice President Shanahan will get in office and enact the good, needed, dramatic changes that they are promising.

Yeah, perhaps. But, then again, perhaps I should get my sick, delusional head examined.