Staff Reports
The stage is set for another round of Biden vs. Trump, and let’s be honest, it’s more akin to a WWE match than a presidential debate. The two titans of American politics are back, squaring off in Atlanta, each armed with a laundry list of legal tangles, dubious records, and character doubts that would make a reality TV producer blush. The mainstream media is buzzing, predictably treating it like the Super Bowl of politics, but the undercard story—RFK Jr.’s debate debacle—is almost too pitiful to ignore.
RFK Jr.’s failure to muscle his way onto the CNN debate stage is a fresh dagger to his already faltering campaign. Kennedy's absence speaks volumes with the debate stage offering a megaphone to American homes.
Despite his attempts to collect enough signatures and polling numbers, he fell short of the 15% requirement in four national polls. Kennedy’s plaintive wails about Biden and Trump’s supposed collusion with CNN to exclude him sound like the same old excuse playbook. Somewhere, the real RFK is spinning in his grave.
The Kennedy campaign recently announced ballot access in nine states and joyously dreamed up numbers that claim access to 323 electoral votes. Fact-checkers would call it creative accounting at best. So far, only five states have actually confirmed him on their ballots. President Biden and Donald Trump, despite their polarizing personalities, seem to be consolidating voter interest, making Kennedy’s polling fall to the wayside like a New Year’s resolution by February.
🚨 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is going live during CNN’s presidential debate.
According to RFK Jr’s son, “Our debate might actually get more views than the real one.
Our plan is to hold our own debate. We’ll have the other two candidates up there as well. Say… pic.twitter.com/0FIzFaim6W
— Anna Matson (@AnnaRMatson) June 23, 2024
Kennedy’s numbers tell the tale of a sinking ship. Once polling at over 12% in March, recent figures show RFK Jr. down to 10.7%, with some polls dipping into single-digit territory. Political scholars aren’t too optimistic either, noting that debate appearances rarely offer long-term gains, especially for third-party candidates. One can’t help but chuckle at the comparison to Ross Perot, whose blend of humor, drama, and genuine outsider status eclipsed anything RFK Jr. could muster.
Kennedy’s financial prospects look as bleak as his political ones. With fundraising stagnating and reliant mainly on the deep pockets of his running mate and a few wealthy donors, it’s hard not to see the similarity to a high school band funding a nationwide tour. With a mere $2.6 million raised in May, Kennedy’s coffers look like piggy banks compared to the $85 million and $141 million raked in by Biden and Trump, respectively.
Adding salt to the wound, Democrats have launched legal challenges to Kennedy’s campaign in battleground states, fearing a repeat scenario from 2016. The DNC’s adviser didn’t mince words, labeling Kennedy’s campaign a sinking ship propped up by elite money rather than grassroots support. Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign had no reservations about facing Kennedy, correctly pointing out that it’s the Dems who see Kennedy as a threat siphoning off those wayward leftist votes.
So, as the political circus continues, the prospects of RFK Jr. taking the stage remain in limbo. Unless he suddenly finds a trove of grassroots support or some miraculous boost in polling, Kennedy’s campaign might just be another footnote in the annals of American electoral history.
