Kennedy's Message of Economic Hope

At Richmond meet-and-greet, candidate expresses need to help 'all' Americans

On August 23, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with some 400 voters in Richmond, Virginia, at the Ember Music Hall, to talk about residents’ concerns over the high cost of food, energy, and housing. 

Kennedy argued that money being spent on the war in Ukraine has caused inflation at home, which he explained is a “tax on the poor.” He told Virginia voters that he wants to “bring a message of economic hope,” and he spoke about his plans to help all Americans get out of the holes they’re in and start living better.

He also spoke about how BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street investors are “strip mining the wealth from the poor and middle class,” taking away their chances at home ownership by buying up single family homes. As president, Kennedy promised to work toward changing the tax code to make it unprofitable for corporations to buy single-family homes in the U.S. He said Uncle Sam could help home buyers with mortgages at 3%—without adding to the debt—by selling tax-free bonds. 

Kennedy noted that 57% of Americans cannot get their hands on $1,000 if they have an emergency, and, he added, “That’s not the America I want to live in.”

He told a story of a 22-year-old, whom he had met on the campaign trail, who said he has no hope for his future. Kennedy said he is passionate about running for president to fill the next generation with hope. 

A passionate communicator, Kennedy related to his audiences by telling stories like a beloved uncle at the dinner table. In general, he doesn’t present his policy ideas as abstract theories, but rather relates his answers to his own life. For example, when asked about gun control, he begins by noting that he was a victim of gun violence. When asked about the nations’ drug abuse problem, he talks about his own struggles as a young man. 

While Kennedy addressed his audience in Virginia, the first Republican debate was just getting going across the country in Milwaukee. As reported by the Richmond Times Dispatch, Fox News moderator, Martha MacCallum, opened her network’s coverage with an observation about Virginia musician Oliver Anthony. He’s the overnight music sensation whose impassioned ballad—about the working poor who have been crushed and forgotten by DC politicians—is entitled, “Rich Man North of Richmond.”

Anthony’s song, which debuted at number one on Billboard, took off the way it did because his lyrics resonate deeply with the many millions of Americans who, as the song says, work “overtime hours for bullshit pay.” In a country that was once known as the “land of opportunity,” Anthony bemoans the fact that he continually labors without getting ahead, “So I can sit out here and waste my life away / Drag back home and drown my troubles away.

In Milwaukee, MacCallum said Anthony’s lyrics “speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country.” She asked the candidates to respond. They weren’t able to match Anthony’s passion with their answers.  

Referring to the mention of Anthony during the debate, Kennedy tweeted, “The #GOPDebate last night was out of sync with the mood of the country. It began with a request for comment on Oliver Anthony’s @AintGottaDollar song, “Rich Men North of Richmond.”