Oakland, CA (FCP) – In a move that has left liberty-minded independents scratching their heads, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has chosen lawyer and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate. The announcement was made at a campaign event in Shanahan’s hometown of Oakland, California, attended by 500 people and watched by over 30,000 online.
Kennedy has spent the last 12 months diligently building interest in his campaign by strategically targeting potential Republican cross-overs and independent liberty-minded voters. Though originally running as a Democrat, Kennedy broke with his party back in October 2023 and has been running as an Independent. Appearing in interviews with Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson and a slew of other podcast and independent media shows, Kennedy’s emphasis on freedom of speech, issues like untrustworthy government bureaucracy, exemplified by his stance on vaccines, and the growing crisis at America’s southern border, has regularly brought liberty-minded conservatives and independents to pay close attention to his campaign. Likable, intelligent, and willing to openly challenge and question orthodoxy, Kennedy has a natural appeal to those who, for one reason or the other, don’t love the idea of former President Trump being the only alternative to the disastrous Biden-Harris Administration. So, this announcement likely strengthens Trumps ability to fight off voter erosion from Kennedy, and mildly weakens Biden’s candidacy generally.
In the lead up to his VP announcement, unconventional choices like Aaron Rodgers (NFL Quarterback), Tony Robbins (Life Guru) and Mike Rowe (TV Host) were all part of feverish speculation in both legacy media and social media channels. But, more conventional choices like former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard dominated conversations in the days leading up to this announcement and seemed to be the far and away favorites of the liberty-minded crowd.
Today’s choice of Shanahan has alienated those potential Republican cross-overs and liberty-minded independents. First, Shanahan cements Kennedy’s bid as a longshot bid. Rather than choosing to add experience and some conventional balance to his ticket, Kennedy went with a person with no political experience at all. Certainly, some will see that as a virtue. But generally it will feed into the cold feet of crossovers. Second, Shanahan’s personal politics on many issues are defined by far-left indicators, such as her prominent support for controversial Soros-backed Los Angeles County District Attorney, George Gascone.
At his announcement, Kennedy praised Shanahan for her commitment to health, organic foods, and her insights into the technology industry’s manipulations using artificial intelligence, alongside her spirited athleticism and administrative talents. Yet, Shanahan’s selection is peculiar. Despite her Democrat registration, Shanahan’s lack of political or executive experience juxtaposes rather than complements Kennedy’s own outsider reputation.
Shanahan’s past contributions to Kennedy’s campaign, amounting to more than $4 million, including funding a surprisingly effective Super Bowl advertisement, raise questions about the motivations behind her selection. Her tech industry connections and significant financial contributions underscore a potential strategy by Kennedy to bolster his campaign through resources rather than political experience or alignment with the voters he so desperately needs to convince.
While Shanahan may be a high quality person with significant strengths and personal accomplishments in her own right, her choice as a running mate by RFK Jr. was underwhelming to many potential crossover voters and represents a missed opportunity to connect with the broader audience of liberty-minded individuals who are independent Americans looking for real hope given the disastrous state of Washington D.C.
Former president Trump likely remains the preferred choice to most independents when political reality sinks in. Absent some major development between now and the election, Kennedy has missed his best chance to really challenge the disbelief in a Third Party bid. Choosing Shanahan today left many possible Kennedy supporters feeling deflated. His campaign did not gain any ground in believability, and now appears more like a far left alternative to Biden, rather than a possible unifying, first-ever independent to succeed to the American Presidency.
As of today, for liberty-minded folks, Trump is the only serious option. Kennedy has a powerful personal appeal that transcends politics. Electing him as President, would almost certainly be an improvement of the current administration. But therein lies the problem. Kennedy, like Trump in 2016, would have to bring in thousands of individuals to run the government. It is a serious question whether all of his strengths and idealism would be able to overcome the kind of institutional inertia that is a pernicious reality in Washington. Choices like the one he made today, give cause to worry. Elections and governing, are inevitably political tasks.
Whatever his flaws, Trump currently presents the most believable path forward against the lunatic leviathan targeting America’s children, destroying America’s border, undermining America’s ability to project international strength and resolve, and determined to keep printing endless supplies of money as it works to undermine the survival of our joint experiment in self-government, that has been the United States of America.