Monday News Round Up – A New Declaration of Independence

Oct 10, 2023

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run for president as an independent and drop ...

“I am here to declare myself as an independent candidate for President of the United States. And that’s not all. I am here to join all of you to make a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation. We declare independence from the corporations that have hijacked our government. We declare independence from Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Ag, the military contractors, and their lobbyists. We declare independence from the mercenary media that fortifies corporate orthodoxies and urges us to hate our neighbors and fear our friends. We declare independence from the cynical elites who betray our hope and amplify our divisions. And finally, we declare independence from the two political parties and the corrupt interests that dominate them, and the entire rigged system of rancor and rage, corruption and lies, that has turned government officials into indentured servants of their corporate bosses. We declare our independence from these corrupting powers because they are incompatible with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that our original Declaration of Independence invoked in 1776.” – RFK Jr., October 9, 2023

More quotes from Kennedy’s historic speech:

“Instead of two parties, we have a uniparty, a monster with two faces loudly bickering with itself as it lumbers over a cliff. At the bottom of that cliff lies the destruction of our country.”

“Americans are angry at being left out, left behind, swindled, cheated, and belittled by a smug elite that has rigged the system in its favor.”

“People suspect that the divisions are deliberately orchestrated, and that getting us to hate each other is part of the scam. And they’re fed up with being fooled, and they are ready to take back their power.”

“My sacrifice is nothing compared to the risk our founding fathers took when they signed the Declaration of Independence 247 years ago right over there. THEY knew that if their revolution failed, every last one of them would be hanged. They chose to place everything on the line. When John Adams put his pen down after adding his signature to the Declaration, he turned to those present and said, ‘Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, from this day on, I’m with my country.’ I make that same pledge today, so that I may stand before you as every leader should – free of partisan allegiance and backroom deals – a servant only to my conscience, to my creator, and to you.”

I Declare My Independence – Team Kennedy

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Substack: “Americans are weary of the culture war, the phony slogans of politicians, and the partisan blame game that has us all at each other’s throats. And people suspect that the divisions are deliberately orchestrated, and that getting us to hate each other is part of the scam. And they’re fed up with being fooled, and they are ready to take back their power.” Today, I Declared Myself an Independent Candidate for President (substack.com)

The media response was massive – some positive, some negative. In my opinion, some seem to have been written before the speech was completed, indicating that some “journalists” had preconceived themes before listening to RFK Jr.’s speech. That said, even some of the DNC-aligned media did allow supporters of Kennedy to make positive comments before going into the usual “anti-vaccine” and “conspiracy theorist” commentaries:

Brian Noble is a 42-year-old Army veteran who served during the Iraq war who has grown cynical of U.S. politics. He voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 but has sat out each subsequent election. He is so engaged in a Kennedy run that he drove from Alabama to attend the announcement on Monday. “I believe he’s a truth teller,” Noble said. RFK Jr. declares independent 2024 presidential run, raises millions more | Reuters. American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting the candidate, has raised $17 million, cofounder Tony Lyons told Reuters at the event, an increase from about $10 million reported in July. He expects $10 million more after the announcement, he said.

Attendees at Monday’s event spanned the ideological spectrum, with conservatives, liberals, and independents all gathering in Philadelphia for the announcement. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces independent run for president, ending Democratic primary challenge to Biden | CNN Politics

To roars of applause, Mr. Kennedy told his supporters they were “declaring independence” from a lengthy list of perceived adversaries: “Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma”; the “military industrial complex”; “the mercenary media”; “the cynical elites”; both of the major political parties and “the entire rigged system.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Run for President as Independent, Leaving Democratic Primary | The New York Times

“We declare independence from the two political parties and the corrupt interests that dominate them, and the entire rigged system of rancor and rage, corruption and lies,” Kennedy said to applause. – RFK Jr. says he’s running for president as an independent | NPR

Kennedy addressed the suggestion he could play a spoiler for Biden or Trump, saying: “My intention is to spoil it for both of them.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shifts to Independent Presidential Bid, a Potential Spoiler in 2024 | WSJ

“I’ve come here today to declare our independence from the tyranny of corruption which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future, and our respect for each other,” Kennedy said. “But to do that I must first declare my own independence. Independence from the Democratic Party and from all other political parties.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid | AP News

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to be the most formidable independent presidential candidate in more than two decades.” How RFK Jr.’s independent campaign could hurt Trump more than Biden | POLITICO

Reactions from the two parties:

RNC – “He’s not even close to an ‘independent,’” the RNC said in a statement, one of several missives the party pushed out around Kennedy’s announcement. “In fact, there is very little daylight between RFK Jr. and a typical Democrat politician.”
DNC – Some political experts saw Kennedy’s entrance as dangerous for Trump. “If he hurts anyone it will be Trump and people on the right,” said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh. But she added: “Does he get on the ballot in the states that matter that are going to decide the election?”

We wrap remembering that Monday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Many thanks, love, and respect to Tribal Elder Lewis GrassRope of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe for leading the invocation before yesterday’s speech – in Lakota and English.

RFK Jr. has long been an advocate and supporter of indigenous people. “RFK Jr. has long defended indigenous peoples, and I support him for President of the United States.” – Everett Iron Eyes, quoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr on X: https://t.co/xVazot2hqM

Sioux Prayer

Grandfather Great Spirit
All over the world the faces of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have come up out of the ground.
Look upon your children that they may face the winds,
And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spirit
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.

What is Indigenous Peoples Day? A day of celebration, protest and ...

Monday News Round Up – A New Declaration of Independence

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