For some time now, it's been obvious that Democrats have been panicking about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent bid for the presidency. But, the truth is, he's taking support from both Biden and Trump, and in some cases, his presence on the ballot appears to be helping Biden.
For example, in Michigan, where Kennedy has officially secured a spot on the general election ballot, his inclusion on matchup surveys makes the race tighter. According to the current RealClearPolling average in the state, in a two-way race between Trump and Kennedy, Trump is up +1.2 points. However, in a five-way matchup with Kennedy, Cornel West, and Jill Stein on the ballot, Trump's edge became a mere +0.2 points.
For reasons that are hard to understand, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been propped up by conservatives for months. In fact, last year Kennedy was a speaker at a CPAC event in Las Vegas. Figure that one out. Of course, much of his appeal to conservatives is rooted in his opposition to COVID vaccines and vaccine mandates. But, as I've pointed out in the past, despite a few positions that conservatives have a tendency to agree with him on, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actually a radical leftist who chose a radical leftist as his running mate.
The question is: what can be done about the Republican voters who are flirting with supporting Kennedy?
According to a top Democrat pollster, once Republicans are aware of his real views on the issues, his support from the right will collapse.
During an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Mark Penn, a former adviser to both Bill and Hillary Clinton, said that he thinks Kennedy's support from the right will "will drop in half if Republicans learn the views, right now they don’t know these things.”
“And there’s a group of Republicans that don’t like anybody, and he’s now the alternative to the alternative,” he continued. “So he’s got some votes, but I agree with you, he would lose a lot of Republican votes if this screen that you’re putting up there really got out and got broadcast.”
WATCH: Mark Penn on RKF Jr's base of support:
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 10, 2024
"I think that it will drop in half if Republicans learn the views, right now they don't know these things. And there's a group of Republicans that don't like anybody and he's now the alternative to the alternative. So he's got votes… pic.twitter.com/TjDhUXimaf
Anyone who does their homework on Kennedy will discover he is by no means an independent, middle-of-the-road candidate. He has a long history of supporting Democratic candidates, including endorsing Hillary Clinton and voting for Joe Biden.
But his loyalty to the Democratic Party is by no means the most troubling aspect of his record. He can't even claim to be a moderate Democrat. He's as radical as they come. Kennedy aligns himself with socialist Bernie Sanders and has expressed admiration for Louis Farrakhan, a controversial figure known for his anti-Semitic views. His environmental agenda is as crazy, as he supports initiatives like the Green New Deal, China's cap-and-trade policies, and the Paris Climate Agreement. Kennedy has advocated for divesting from fossil fuels, imposing carbon emission taxes, and ending energy subsidies, while opposing fracking and projects like the Keystone pipeline. He holds oil companies culpable for environmental harm, advocating for what he terms the corporate "death penalty."
Kennedy's stance on abortion mirrors that of the most extreme Democrats, supporting abortion rights without restrictions up until the moment of birth. Additionally, he backs tax hikes, including a proposed top rate of 70%, and has voiced support for Biden's unilateral student loan debt relief efforts while criticizing the Supreme Court for overturning them.
Related: Don’t Be Fooled: RFK Jr. Is a Radical Leftist
Why would anyone who is conservative support this man? Because of his position on the COVID vaccines?
