The Family

 Whose side are you on? 

Robert F. Kennedy Junior, of the (checks notes) Hyannis Port Kennedys, has decided to run as an "independent" candidate for president. You may remember that family name from the many and varied references to the Democratic Party over the past century. Robert F. Kennedy Senior, who served as Senator from New York and Attorney General in his brother's administration, also ran for president. Back in 1968.That was a run that was tragically cut short by an assassin's bullet. 

The Kennedy family is no stranger to tragedy. RFK Jr.'s cousin JFK Jr. was a prominent figure in both politics and publishing before he died at age thirty-eight in a plane crash. His uncle Teddy served in the United States Senate for forty-seven years. He ran for president several times, but his appeal was always diminished by the scandalous death of Mary Jo Kopechne in 1969. And all this time, the Kennedy's marched beneath the banner of the Democratic Party. 

Until now. 

The son of one of history's most famous political martyrs is swapping parties because he understands that he won't have an opportunity to run while Joe Biden is the Democratic front-runner. So he announced on Saturday, "The Democrats are frightened that I'm going to spoil the election for President Biden. The Republicans are frightened that I'm going to spoil it for President Trump. The truth is, they're both right." He's running on the Spoiler Ticket. 

Which might be fine if things weren't already so spoiled. Then there's the matter of RFK Jr.'s less than mainstream thoughts on health care, pandemics and race. His Kennedy apple hasn't fallen far from the tree when it comes to scandal, either. He was an assistant district attorney for Manhattan just shortly before being arrested for heroin possession. This little kerfuffle kept him out of the family business of politics but on the left side of things by practicing mostly environmental law since the mid-eighties. 

Now he'd like to shake that reputation up a bit. His family has other ideas. His brothers and sisters felt this worth mentioning: “Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.” 

What a world we live in when having a Kennedy running for president would be considered "perilous for our country."

Stay tuned.