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‘Just disgusted’: DNC convenes ‘emergency call’ with fuming Dems over RFK Jr.’s VP pick

March 29, 2024 | | Print Article

Democrats already critical of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running for president had more to complain about after he announced his running mate this week.

The Independent candidate set off a wave of disparaging feedback after announcing attorney and progressive activist Nicole Shanahan as his vice president pick. The news evidently sent the Democrat National Convention into overdrive as reports indicated an emergency call with members of the party expressing how “disgusted” they were with Kennedy.

“Just after Kennedy made his pick of Shanahan public, the DNC convened a call with elected Democrats from swing states to warn about what Kennedy’s bid could mean for Biden’s chances to beat Trump twice,” The Hill reported.

“I am personally offended and just disgusted by his campaign,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said during the DNC call. “He should be ashamed of himself. He should stop running for president.”

With an imminent rematch looming between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Democrats are lamenting Kennedy acting as a “spoiler” in the White House race, picking up potential Biden votes and helping usher Trump back into office.

“He’s a spoiler,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis reportedly said on the DNC call. “He was drafted into this race by Donald Trump’s top supporters.”

“He has no realistic path to victory in Pennsylvania,” Davis added.

The party seems to be trying to connect Kennedy with Trump to discredit his campaign for those who might otherwise vote for Biden. A website called rfkjrfacts was launched by the Biden team and features an image merging Kenndy and Trump.

“RFK Jr. is a MAGA-backed candidate who is bankrolled by billionaires to help reelect Donald Trump,” the site’s page reads. “RFK Jr.’s platform is extremely dangerous: he pushes conspiracy theories that divide our country, has made millions of dollars opposing vaccines, and has a history of anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Semitic remarks.”

Another video, released by a super PAC called Clear Choice, shows a clip of Kennedy saying he’s “proud” that Trump “likes” him.

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Nicole Shanahan have only one chance of seeing the inside of the Oval Office: if Trump wins and invites them in to say thank you,” said Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs of the Democrat group Third Way.

He called out the third-party White House bids as “vanity campaigns” in his statement.

The palpable panic for Democrats could be seen in left-wing media meltdowns as well. The co-hosts of “The View” debated Kennedy’s potential impact on the Biden campaign with Sara Haines making the now-obligatory connections to Trump while Joy Behar called the nephew of President John F. Kennedy a “clown.”

Kennedy defended his VP choice in an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, saying Shanahan “probably has a higher IQ than almost anybody who I’ve seen in public life today.”

“She’s an expert on AI, which we need in the government right now. She’s an expert on chronic disease, which is probably arguably our biggest issue in this country,” he contended, asking why “nobody is talking about” the health issues plaguing Americans.

Frieda Powers
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