When you may say that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an old style Democrat, he takes daring anti-establishment positions that transcend simply being a Social Democrat. Social Democrats are likely to consider in centralized energy and powerful establishments whereas RFK jr. appears extra sympathetic to decentralization. Regardless, the old fashioned left is nearly handled as rightwing, as outdated left values are very a lot at odds with the present Democratic Get together, which RFK jr. would say has remodeled into one thing unrecognizable from that of his father and uncle. He emphasizes that his values are in step with theirs. A Kennedy liberal is a pro-free speech, environmentalist, who’s skeptical of company management over authorities.
Detractors have dismissed RFK jr. as a 90s/00s center-left Democrat who adopts some kooky conspiracy theories to win over the Proper. Whereas I reject that view, he has endorsed institution Democrats, together with Hillary Clinton towards Donald Trump and campaigned for Obama. Whereas there’s legitimate criticism of him not overtly opposing the Democratic institution till the election of Biden, it’s the latest transformation of the Democratic Get together that pressured him to go impartial. It may have been that he noticed Democrats as higher on the setting, which is his signature challenge.
The up to date Democratic Get together is mainly divided into two primary camps, the woke progressive left and the corrupt neoliberal institution, each of that are horrible. The present Democratic Get together has no room for the form of center-left populism that RFK Jr. represents, and was even fairly widespread within the latest previous. Different politicians who represented that form of center-left populism, included Tulsi Gabbard and Jim Webb, although Bernie Sanders and Marianne Williamson are considerably to the left of RFK jr.
Trump initially appeared to be a kind of populist centrist, however as soon as elected shifted in a extra conventionally conservative route, deregulating companies and dramatically growing the army price range. In distinction, RFK jr. desires to chop again the scope of the army industrial advanced. RFK Jr. has immense crossover enchantment, that few different candidates have on this age of polarization. On James Howard Kunstler’s podcast, RFK jr. stated that a left-right populist coalition is the one factor that may save America.
RFK jr. has broad enchantment to independents voters. His core demographic of help are the Obama to Trump and Sanders to Trump voters, who characterize that populist heart, broadly anti-establishment relatively than left or proper. These are typically working class Whites, who may be center-left on economics however center-right on racial and cultural points. RFK jr. has enchantment to those that supported Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang’s campaigns, disillusioned former Trump supporters, Libertarians, and disillusioned Boomer, old-school Democrats, who backed mainstream Democrats prior to now and have an affinity for the Kennedy household.
RFK Jr. has taken some extra conservative positions, resembling border safety and defending the twond Modification, although even Bernie Sanders initially opposed sure gun management laws and known as open borders a Koch Brothers conspiracy. RFK jr. can also be going after Biden on progressive points like corporatist insurance policies favoring the rich, civil liberties abuses, and warmongering. Whereas paradoxically Biden and RFK jr. are shut on the political compass, I suppose you may say that RFK jr. is concurrently to the correct and to the left of Biden. He’s additionally much more intellectually fascinating and keen to speak about a greater diversity of points than both Bernie or Trump.
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RFK jr. is calling for ending the corrupt merger between State and company energy,’ which has ruined the financial system and center class. Principally socialism for the wealthy however brutal cruel capitalism for the poor and center class. He blasted the lockdowns as the largest wealth switch in historical past. The progressive Democrat answer is extra energy to centralized forms relatively than straight empowering individuals, whereas Trump simply desires to chop taxes for oligarchs and companies. If something, RFK Jr.’s financial views are in step with Distributism, in addition to agrarian Jeffersonian populism, which may enchantment to each left and proper populists. In an interview with libertarian, ReasonTV, RFK Jr. emphasised the significance of defending the excellence between the commons and people/personal property, and towards whole privatization.
RFK Jr. denounces the corruption of the Federal Reserve and its persecution of banks that associate with crypto companies. He’s professional Bitcoin on decentralization grounds, and is towards the CBDC. He’s additionally outspoken towards Wall Road corruption and monopolies, like BlackRock. In distinction, Trump did little to combat corruption on Wall Road. On healthcare, he’s really pivoting to the middle, however populist heart relatively than neoliberal. As an example, he’s for a public choice but in addition emphasizes selection in healthcare, thus towards nationalizing healthcare. He’s vital of Obamacare for missing worth caps and in addition emphasizes more healthy life and meals.
RFK Jr. is so much nearer to the middle on economics than Bernie, although his fiscal outlook is in step with the outdated left place of elevating taxes on the rich to fund social applications. Nonetheless, he’s towards Trendy Financial Idea, which he blames for inflation and growing revenue inequality. He’s additionally vital of the Fed elevating rates of interest and agrees with conservatives that fiscal accountability is vital to preventing inflation. He doesn’t wish to increase general taxation, as it could hurt the financial system, however relatively shift the tax burden from the center class to the highest bracket.
There’s a lack of honesty in regards to the form of the financial system and RFK jr. calls out the horrible financial system below each Trump and Biden. Whereas Trump’s financial system was higher than Biden’s, like with Bidenomics, Trump used the identical propaganda in regards to the GDP, inventory markets, and employment stats, which masks main financial vulnerabilities, revenue inequality, and general hardship.
RFK Jr. could be very involved that millennials won’t ever be capable to personal properties, and the implications of the transition from an possession society to a rentier society, the place the younger haven’t any stake in society. He’s proposing utilizing low rates of interest tied to treasury bonds to assist millennials get into properties. Nonetheless, treasury bonds are risky and low rates of interest may inflate the price of housing with out growing provide. Regardless, his proposal is a gateway to anti-usury and public banking, which is sweet.
Completed as an environmental legal professional, RFK jr. is anti-trust on large agriculture, in addition to towards manufacturing facility farming and technocratic management over meals manufacturing. As an example, he sued the pork manufacturing monopoly, Smithfield. In distinction, Trump was in with Massive Ag, which is among the large industries that favors Republicans. The Democratic Get together’s environmentalism quantities to soulless bureaucrats managing carbon credit, whereas conservatives flat out reject environmentalism as leftwing. RFK jr. frames environmentalism in patriotic phrases, in step with Teddy Roosevelt conservationism, in addition to his love of the outside, an appreciation of magnificence, and even a religious aspect.
RFK jr.’s demise penalty for local weather deniers was taken out of context by conservatives, as he was speaking about Koch Brother NGOs. He’s proper that companies that do great hurt to the setting ought to lose their company charters, which must also apply to companies that censor dissent and subvert nationwide sovereignty.
Supply: @RobertKennedyJr on X
On covid lockdowns, RFK jr. really attacked Trump from the correct. Whereas a few of his statements sound anti-vaxxer, there’s quite a lot of nuance and his opponents by no means trouble to debate him. I’m not an anti-vaxxer, however there’s quite a lot of corruption, revenue motives, and lack of oversight within the pharmaceutical trade, which is an old style left stance. To not point out the vaccines have been rushed as a result of emergency and covid was used to justify blatant authoritarianism. Additionally his assertion on race particular bio weapons was taken out of context, as he was citing a examine and speaking a few situation which may hypothetically occur.
RFK jr.’s immigration stance is that amnesty shouldn’t be thought of till the borders are closed. He additionally has a robust emphasis on the humanitarian angle and appears to be pro-legal immigration. I wouldn’t say he’s rightwing on immigration however extra in step with the usual centrist Democrat or Republic place from the 90s/00s. It’s simply that the Overton Window on immigration has moved to this point to the left, and he’s definitely technique to the correct of Biden on immigration. Nonetheless, he’s in all probability extra liberal on immigration than Trump and for hardline immigration restrictionists.
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RFK jr. is extra liberal on race and civil rights points, together with supporting affirmative motion, which isn’t shocking contemplating his father was a Civil Rights icon. He’s definitely extra liberal on race than that core populist centrist demographic that he wants. Nonetheless, most of his agenda on race is about tackling Black poverty by investing in Black communities relatively than DEI bullshit or penalizing Whites, just like the Democrats do. Nonetheless, I really choose his nobles oblige method to race relations and sophistication to Republicans vulgar worship of the clean slatist, capitalist meritocracy. To not point out, not even Trump would come out in favor of freedom of affiliation.
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My evaluation is that he views Israel pretty much as good and simply attempting to outlive whereas being exploited by US warmongers. Regardless, he’s extra non-interventionist, which is most necessary. The American consensus is pro-Israel, although there’s a pro-Palestinian shift among the many younger and the Left. He’s a boomer and most boomers are pro-Israel. It’s simply that a lot of the demographics open to his views on Ukraine and vaccines, are additionally extra skeptical of Israel. Whereas his pro-Israel stance could value him some help, quite a lot of pro-Palestinian sorts nonetheless may vote for him as a protest towards “Genocide Joe.”
On Ukraine, he’s good at hanging a steadiness between exhibiting compassion for Ukrainians, as victims of a proxy conflict, whereas additionally criticizing the conflict effort. He has additionally averted coming throughout as too sympathetic to Putin, as Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard have, even when they’ve been unfairly smeared. He additionally has credibility on Ukraine, pores and skin within the recreation, since his son volunteered to combat for Ukraine. Nonetheless, like Republicans, he views China not Russia because the US’s primary adversary.
To be continued
