U.S.: Dream of an autumn night?

It is extremely difficult to face the two-party system in the United States, as all these centuries have proven, with a distribution of power in which, at the beginning, the Republican factor was the bad one and the Democrat the worst, later changing the roles, as convenient to the undaunted ruling establishment.

Every time a third party decides to present in the presidential election, they are convincingly swept away. In fact, this element has generally been used by one of the two most powerful parties to weaken the other, no matter what. Somewhere in between, they care nothing for improving the lives of the common American citizen, whether middle class or below.

However, and despite the aforementioned fact, on an extremely warm night in autumn, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his candidacy as an independent in Philadelphia.

Son of the assassinated Robert Kennedy and nephew of the also shot dead President John F. Kennedy, "Bobby" continues to make progress in his controversial political career. With his latest decision, to run as an independent candidate for the White House, he has managed to get Democrats and Republicans to agree in turning their backs on him, especially because he opposes the warmongering of the current administration and the supremacism of the previous one.

The decision has caused both his party and the Republican opposition to seek to distance themselves from this controversial politician.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the reason for this widespread rejection, which even reaches his own brothers, is that, despite his limited chances of success in the presidential race, his mere participation could cost any other candidate enough votes.

“People stop me everywhere –in airports, hotels, and on the street– and remind me that this country is ready for historic change,” Kennedy said on Monday, announcing his decision in front of an audience of hundreds of people. They met at Independence Mall in Philadelphia. “Today, I am here to declare myself an independent candidate.”

The until now Democratic candidate made it clear that he did not want to be attached to either of the two major parties, and assured that his intention is to present a “new declaration of independence” against corporations, the media, and the political elite.

According to the current average of RealClearPolitics polls, Kennedy barely had 14.6% support among the Democratic base, compared to 61.6% for the current president and candidate for re-election, Joe Biden. On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump clearly leads the polls, with 57.4% support; He is followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 12.6%.

It is expected that Robert F. Kennedy could take one in every seven votes in the country, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, taking votes from both Biden and Trump.

AMBIGUOUS?

For Microsoft News, Kennedy, who has spent weeks accusing the Democratic Party of “manipulating” the primary process, maintains some stances that made him a somewhat marginal figure in his party, but have earned sympathy among the Republican opposition.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Republican Party Committee, through its president, Ronna McDaniel, was quick to distance itself from the now independent candidate.

“Don't be fooled, a Democrat dressed as an independent is still a Democrat,” McDaniel said in a statement. “RFK Jr. cannot hide his record (…) he is the typical elitist liberal and voters will not be fooled.”

AND YET…

The vehement response exposes the unknowns in Kennedy's long-anticipated decision to run as an independent. The move is likely to affect the 2024 race, which appears headed toward a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden, but it is still unclear exactly how he will do so.

Kennedy has better preference ratings among Republicans than among Democrats. Even Trump said of Kennedy just two weeks ago: “I like him a lot. "I've known him for a long time."

Allies of both Biden and Trump have at times questioned whether Kennedy would hurt his candidate's chances.

“The truth is that they are both right,” declared Kennedy, and stressed: “My intention is to ruin it for both of them.”

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff