More than a dozen members of the Kennedy family supported President Biden at a campaign rally on Thursday (April 19). They said he reflected the values and "moral leadership" of their clan's most famous members.
The event took place at the end of the president's three-day tour of the embattled state of Pennsylvania, where he is trying to present himself as a champion of the American middle class in the style of Kennedy. It was an unusually personal rebuke to the son of the slain senator, who portrays himself as the true heir to the Kennedy tradition. And it reflects the Biden campaign's concern that he could take at least a small number of votes away from the president. The Kennedys made no mention of their family member's candidacy, and said the choice between Biden and former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, was both politically and morally clear. The candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has given an unexpected twist to this year's presidential campaign. He is the son and namesake of a legendary Democratic Party figure who spoke passionately about injustice. He has embraced unorthodox and even conspiratorial ideas, such as questioning the effectiveness of vaccines and the role of those involved in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Democrats have now developed a deep-seated fear of third-party campaigns. Some in the party believe that Ralph Nader cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000 and that Green Party candidate Jill Stein cost Hillary Clinton the White House in 2016. This year, Biden is running not only against Kennedy and Stein, but also against Cornel West, a scientist and scientist and candidate for the Democratic nomination for the first time. He said: "Can we disagree without hating our opponents? Can we restore civility and respect to public discourse? I think we can do it."