Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will pick Nicole Shanahan as his “We the People” party vice presidential running make. This will help Trump, so what is the goal? 
We the People
The Wall Street Journal reports RFK Jr. to Name Nicole Shanahan as Running Mate for Presidential Bid
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.has picked Nicole Shanahan, a California-based attorney who was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, as his running mate for his long-shot presidential bid, according to people familiar with the decision.
Shanahan, 38, also runs a foundation focused on reproductive rights, criminal justice and the environment. Before backing Kennedy’s independent bid, Shanahan had previously been a donor to Democratic campaigns, including supporting Joe Biden’s election in 2020. Kennedy was slated to announce his choice Tuesday in Oakland, Calif., where Shanahan grew up.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer from America’s most famous political dynasty, is currently working to get on the ballot in every state after leaving the Democratic primary to run as an independent. Each state has different requirements to appear on a ballot as an independent, including selecting a running mate in some states. Getting on those ballots will be an expensive proposition for the Kennedy campaign; it isn’t clear yet whether Shanahan plans to assist by tapping into her own wealth.
Political Positions
She has said that she aligns with Kennedy on issues such as vaccine skepticism and the environment. Kennedy is known for his claims—debunked by public-health experts—linking childhood vaccinations to autism and casting doubt on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines. In an interview with the Journal last year Kennedy said he wasn’t antivaccine but believed they should go through more rigorous scrutiny. Shanahan used a similar line in her New York Times interview.
Kennedy also has questioned whether prescription drugs have caused a rise in school shootings and whether Wi-Fi exposure leads to cancer. He has said that the Central Intelligence Agency assassinated his uncle and could have killed his father, Robert F. Kennedy, despite no concrete evidence. And he has said the U.S. is perpetuating Ukraine war to fuel the defense industry.
Is Trump or Biden the Beneficiary?
Many of their positions are far from mainstream.
However, the duo’s key positions on reproductive rights, criminal justice and the environment are very leftist.
A Wall Street Journal February poll confirms.
WSJ February Poll
I had not seen that poll before today, but my guess before looking was was that Trump would pick up 2-4 percentage points net.
Getting on the ballot in every state is an expensive proposition but Shanahan, previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has plenty of money to do so.
What’s Their Goal?
I have not seen anyone else discuss this point. So to answer the question, here are three possibilities.
- If the goal is to win, they won’t.
- If the goal is to not do anything that will help Trump, they will fail.
- If the goal is to make a name for themselves and mount a more serious campaign in the Democratic party for 2028, they may or may not succeed.
Number three is a standout.
RFK Jr., age 70, is no spring chicken. But Nicole Shanahan, age 38, sure is.
Shanahan has the money and if she wants name recognition, she will get it.
Shanahan ticks all the leftist boxes with foundation focused on reproductive rights, criminal justice and the environment.
If she has decided Trump may win anyway, or if she just wants more political name recognition, this move makes perfect political sense, even if both of them understand it may propel Trump.
Throwing Away More Potential Votes
On March 24, I asked Who’s Throwing Away More Potential Votes, Trump or Biden?
The Wall Street Journal noted nearly one-third of voters under 30 have an unfavorable view of both Biden and Trump, a higher number than all older voters. Sixty-three percent of young voters think neither party adequately represents them.
Young voters in 2020 were energized to vote against Trump. Now they have thrown in the towel.
Biden telling everyone how great the economy is only rubs salt in the wound.
Conclusions
Two completely different polls show millennials and zoomers are unhappy. And they are unhappy for the reasons I stated.
Many have concluded they will never be able to afford a house or have kids. Those who have concluded that are likely correct.
For more discussion, please see US Drops to Number #23 in the World Happiness Report
On top of the zoomer malaise, everyone but the radical left is upset with the border.
Trump vs Biden Scorecard
Given the polls show Trump ahead in all the swing states, Biden has more to lose by appeasing the radical progressives instead of reaching out to the middle.
On that basis, plus senility, I suggest Biden is trying harder to lose and will indeed succeed in losing.
To that position we can add the We the People ticket and the No Labels Ticket.
Both rate to take more votes away from Biden than Trump.
Russia and China are supporting and would prefer The Chosen One as president since he can be bought on any issue including scrapping the US Constitution and allow sick father to peep their daughter while taking a shower as he has done.
Mish, I think you are giving too much credit to these two. RFK just likes the glory and limelight, that’s why he is running, and he picked Shanahan because she is pretty. Shanahan has nothing to do after her divorce and also wants to make a name for herself, so she is joining the ride to see what happens later. It’s all purely selfish and short sighted, but it will end up helping Trump who has been on very a lucky streak recently.
“It’s all purely selfish and short sighted…”
That’s politics and applies to Joe, Donny, and the rest as well. Nancy, Mitch, and just about every other D.C.-level pol aren’t trying to win popularity contests to serve their constituency, they do it for personal reasons and most see substantial monetary gain as well.
Australia has a “preferential voting system” – you mark the candidate’s names in order of preference, so that if your number 1 choice gets knocked out early, your vote is not lost, it just moves to the next preference on the list.
So many Americans say that they’re sick of the two main parties – introducing this system would be a huge boost to minor parties and candidates like RFK Jr….
…and yet, Australia can’t seem to get a non-woke government through, despite huge public opposition to wokefacism. Maybe the voting system isn’t the main problem? Maybe it’s the media and who is inflitrating it and influencing public sector depts?
The “woke” Labor Party has been in power less than two years – previously, the Liberal Party (conservative) held government for about ten years, and also for about 50 of the last 75 years.
The woke make some high-profile gains here and there but are widely disparaged and ridiculed. The recent strong defeat in the referendum to change the constitution to give Aborigines privileged access to political power shows how far the radical left still have to go.
He is not trying to win. He is doing all he can to take as many votes from Biden as possible. He is a good man.
She financed $4 million on RFK Jr super bowl ad.
RFK began his descent with his stand on Israel. Now he picks a leftie nut job for VP. All in all it’s a great chojce which will help split the Demo-rats vote.
Trump came out saying Israel needs to finish its war and find peace. That’s a move on the right direction. But he also needs to start a war on the swamp creatures and only stop when they’re all slain.
Trump imitates Bibi. He will finish off the swamp creatures and stop when they are all slain. Between 2016 and 2020 the crocodiles got him. Putin tortured the four Tajikistani terrorist who killed 137 in Moscow. One, by electric shocks in his balls. Another, his ear was cut. He was forced to chew it. All 4 appeared before a judge with busted faces and black eyes. Terrorist who killed Russians will pay the price. On that day Putin condemned Israel, in the UN, for their crimes. The war between “Mother Russia” and the radical Islam is 150 years old. Paris deal with Hamas was 400 terrorists for 40 hostages. Blinken doubled it to 800. Bibi agreed for 700. After the UN vote and Chuck regime change speech Hamas raised the price. End of war. Back to Oct 6 borders. Reparations. Oct 7 will start again if Hamas rules Jasa.
At least try to speak English, this is worse than BBC Pidgin.
Whiskey Joe’s son was running the Peace Corp. He sent food and supply to third
world countries. He “might” have taken a cut. He “might” have been blackmailed for his cuts and his infidelity. When JFK cuts stopped food prices fell by 50%. He was blackmailed. That led to the bloodshed of the sixties. Fake, fake bs by a bot : no proof !
Who was Whiskey Joe ?
Googl Sergey Brin ex
JFK humiliated the russians in the Cuban crisis. Oswald’s wife were a communist. He lived in Mosco.
2+2=?
“He has said that the Central Intelligence Agency assassinated his uncle and could have killed his father, Robert F. Kennedy, despite no concrete evidence.”
As for assassinating JFK: Who had motive? Who had the means to carry it out?
Where there is smoke, there is fire (usually).
There were numerous powerful interests that wanted JFK gone: Banking, the Mafia, DOD, CIA.
Since all of the aforementioned have had interlocking relationships since WW II, have consistently lied to the American people, 3 of the 4 aforementioned have grown in influence and power since ‘63, have no qualms at killing their opponents, have caused more harm across the planet since WW II, (3 of the 4) are the number one facilitators of war, coups, revolutions, counterrevolutions, death, anti-democratic policies, money laundering, (all 4), illegal and legal arms shipments,(all 4).
What does it take to stop release of the JFK file? Corruption. Power. Money. All the more reason to side with RFK Jr. over those that hide in the shadows.
RFK Jr. has already proven that Sirhan Sirhan did not kill his dad. He was part of it but did not kill RFK because all of the bullets fired by Sirhan Sirhan missed hitting RFK.
JFJ humiliated the russians in the Cuban crisis. The wife of Oswald were a communist. Oswald lved in Moscu.
2+2=?
Agreed. The CIA is a para government acting in nefarious ways without any possibility of being reined in due to our entire government being thoroughly corrupt. It’s absolutely disgusting.
JFK’s murder was an obvious Chicago mob hit job, all the way down to Ruby, a mob soldier, getting tipped off on Oswald’s transfer and sent there to kill him. Why did the Chicago mob do it? Because they stole Illinois for JFK after midnight in Chicago, and then JFK appointed his brother Bobby as AG, and Bobby went after the mob starting in 1961.
The Chicago Mafia logically saw it as a betrayal and put out hits on both of them. Was the CIA involved? Could be, which would explain why the feds put out the utterly laughable Warren Commission report. The CIA and the Mafia had often worked together, so a partnership of convenience is plausible.
But the prime mover was the mob. Both of those hits were straight out of The Godfather. That anyone even debates this shows how degraded both government and media have been for 60 years. As for RFK Jr., the guy is a nutcase, but like Trudeau up in Canada he has a famous name, and that will be enough to get him at least 5% of the vote.
The CIA farmed out the assassination of Fidel Castro to the Mafia or the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. The Mafia is very good at killing their own in the US but not so good at killing others in foreign lands. Fidel was targeted on multiple occasions and was never assassinated.
The CIA, on the other hand is the gold standard at coups, assassinations, coups and creating other maelstrom events.
Kennedy won Illinois.But even if he lost it, he still would’ve won the electoral college. He won Cook County by over 300,000 votes.
The OSS, predecessor organization to the CIA went to bed with Mafia during WW II to prevent sabotage at the ports by Germans. The unions under Mafia influence at the time controlled or had major influence over the unions at that time.
The Godfather romanticizes the Mafia. It was,is,and forever shall be a criminal organization that only exists as well as other organized crime because the government and the banksters are corrupted by it and they further enable both the Mafia and organized due to greed, bribery, and the lust for power for only powers sake. Mario Puzo wrote an excellent novel and borrowed from the 5 Families history in NY and Las Vegas lore but it was also fiction.
Lee Harvey Oswald, a dirty little Communist as Jackie called him , killed JFK. A former Marine, he was a good shot. Was Richard Paul Pavlick a CIA asset? No one ever mentions him
Sorry, except for Lincoln assassins are lone gunmen (or women)
Oswald participated in the assassination. He was not the mastermind behind it. The evidence points to two gunmen per a congressional review.
The CIA, FBI and DEA continue to block release of the documents associated with JFK’s assassination. It was supposed to have been released in 2017 but wasn’t. Trump blocked the release and Biden subsequently released some of the documents but still documents remain sealed. Moreover, many of the released documents are redacted from over 60 years ago for national security reasons. The CIA assets, or case officers, and safe houses, etc., that existed in the ’63 to ’64 timeframe are either dead, so old that they are long retired and closed down, respectively. The Cold War has been over since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Soviets and the Cubans alive then that care about this are also dead or retired. The only reason to block the documents is to cover up what the FBI, CIA and DEA don’t want released because it will expose the bureau and the two agencies to more questions and investigations about the Mafia, Jack Ruby, Oswald, Mexico City, etc.
The CIA station chief in Mexico City had over 4 suitcases of files, photos and tapes regarding Oswald’s visit to Mexico City as well as Oswald’s visits to both the USSR and Cuban embassies. It is obvious that the agency was spying on Oswald for some reason.
Inquiring minds want to know why the CIA station chief in Mexico City didn’t or did communicate with Langley about the audio taping and photos of Oswald visiting Cuban and USSR embassies in Mexico City when Oswald also discussed killing JFK.
Inquiring minds want to know, why did Oswald want to get a passport from Cuba to visit? What was the US State Department involvement? Why wasn’t the Secret Service informed about Oswald’s intent on killing JFK? Since the USSR and Cuba intelligence agencies knew about the assassination attempt and threat per a CIA asset in Cuba at the time, and the CIA also knew, why didn’t the CIA and FBI inform the White House about Oswald, Cuba and USSR knowledge? Why didn’t Hoover inform his boss, RFK? What stake does the DEA have in obfuscating this?
Oswald was a troubled soul. He attempted to commit suicide after seeking asylum and wanting to join the USSR communist party. He then subsequently leaves the USSR and reenters the US with his wife? This doesn’t raise at least a yellow flag to US security personnel?
There are so many other questions that demand answers it boggles the mind why the national security state continues to postpone and redact information that would exonerate them if these docs were released and once for all put to bed the conspiracy theories that the security agencies have repeatedly said are not to be taken seriously.
Newsweek: Five Other House Republicans Could Resign after Ken Buck
Mike Gallagher timed his departure so that his seat cannot be replaced till the election. I thought that odd. Dan Bongino is now saying there is an anti-Trump agenda behind the resignations. A few more resignations and Democrats would take over the House, going into the election. Thus they would gain control over committees, squashing Biden investigations, for one.
Also the former governor of New Jersey was thrown around the other day as a potential No Name candidate. He is an anti-Trump Republican.
Oh, apparently TIME commented on the similarity of current U.S., to the Roman Caesar era. Maybe the Potomac should be renamed the Rubicon.
One final note on vice president candidates. George Gallup Jr gave a speech at my college in 1977. At the Q & A Inasked how much of a difference Vice Presidential candidates make in an election. He said while he thought Dole hurt Ford the previous year, the history shows voters don’t care about who the Vice President candidate is. Perhaps it is different 50 years later but I doubt it.
Are we to believe Kamala Harris had no effect on voters in 2020?
I respectfully disagree.
If she reprogrammed the crooked voting machines and stuffed ballot boxes. Remember Jeff Bezos urged absentee voting for the presidency but not for unions in Amazon
Mish quotes public health on Robert Kennedy’s claims of vaccines and autism as wrong. Are those the same experts that told us about WMD in Iraq and keep begging for another $100 billion for Ukraine? Or another government public housing or clean energy program? Why do you blindly feel they are right and RFK is wrong? Who funds them?
RFK Jr only got involved in autism after repeated begging from parents of autistic children that something was wrong, that many vaccines today including Covid are not properly tested.
Mish did not make that claim, that was embedded from a WSJ commentary on RJK Jr.
Not sure why this was hard to differentiate between the blog author vs the block text of the WSJ content snippet.
as for the pick…
RFK Jr.s pick is weak and to have a Google-finance link is right up the leftists alley so he’s going to garner very little of the center/right with a pick that is playing from the YouTube/Goggle search big-tech censorship regime. But surely brings truckloads of money and connectedness to money. You know, the Democrats, the party of the little guy LOL.
He choose to quote it.
“Kennedy is known for his claims—debunked by public-health experts—linking childhood vaccinations to autism…”
They have not been debunked by science. There is a case which went to vaccine court, in which the court explicitly admitted by the evidence, that the child’s autism was caused by a vaccination he received. A couple with triplets took them in for a wellness visit which included vaccination. Within 24 hours, all three were exhibiting signs of autism. The first within 2 hours. Apparently, the result of a bad batch. The CDC ran an in house study on the MMR vaccine, which indicated a 350% increased risk among black children. Dr. William Thomas said he was told to destroy the evidence. Dr. Robert Hooker, who has an autistic son, got Dr. Thomas’s admission in a recorded phone call. “Debunked” is a claim by people with an agenda to protect.
Meanwhile, democrats are trying to preserve democracy by proposing to eliminate rogue third party candidates like Marianne Williamson.
And Biden says democracy is on the ballot.
He’s not wrong is he… voting Democrat is voting AGAINST Democracy!
Assassination insurance, female, and money plus will cement the under 45 vote. Kennedy is covering a wide base and going for name recognition. Look at who he is running against…a choice of two evils. And a lot of folks are waking up to just how badly the pandemic was handled by Trump and Biden
He just became even more irrelevant by picking her. They will not impact the election.
Great choice! I don’t agree with RFK’s politics. But, he is grounded in his core beliefs and more of a true democrat then the existing ilk. Go listen to Megan Kelly’s interview with him. He also has a lot of evidence to back up his claims… he doesn’t just float these concerns willy nilly like the press would have you believe… Check out Children’s Health Defense if you want more info…
Her deep understanding of Motherhood, AI tech, Tech industry and good social welfare programs is not bad for Kennedy at all. He is not going to win pretending to be Trump Lite. He has his own path to march down. Hey, lets face it she is way smarter than Kamala Harris
She also knows where the bodies are buried regarding Big Tech.
I can foresee a friendlier social media coverage for the RFK Jr. – Shanahan ticket.
Could be worse. He could have picked Kamala Harris as his running mate.
It won’t matter here in KY, Trump is still taking this state.
Well, she’s more of a looker than Kamala, anyway. Too bad, Kennedy had a 1 -1000 shot but without a credible VP he’s absolutely DOA.
I think it’s about time… if you can’t have brains, you better have looks or money, and the Dems are the party of broke and brokeback mountain.
“California attorney”
these two words are poison.
terrible VP pick.
Justin Amash, Dennis Kucinich, Tulsi Gabbard… three MUCH better choices, just off the top of my head…
Bentsen: Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.
“Kennedy is known for his claims—debunked by public-health experts—linking childhood vaccinations to autism and casting doubt on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines.”
Sorry sir, you’re not up to speed on this. The mandated (!) so-called vaccines have been a public health disaster, Read his book. Check out Vaers. Of course you won’t do any of these things. One can only try. The truth is in the next room. Al you have to do is open the door.
The public health :experts are responsible for the lock downs which did far more damage than good. I could go on and on, But my dog is pawing me. It’s dinner time!
al rosen is 100% correct.
mRNA is not a vaccine.
“excess deaths” since the fearJabs is a real thing.
Covid-19 was man-made, and it was released – on purpose – for obvious reasons.
HV, you’re also 100% correct.
Just shows the power of the pharmo-industrial-complex and how are government lies on their behalf. Money to be made.
(oops)….our government….
mRNA is a cancer technology being used as a vaccine. Its bad sheet
A person under 50 with some brains as a running mate is more than the big guns have to show –so far. Kennedy will attract more of those undecided voters if this woman comes across well in the media. Possibly the ultimate spoilers for ?
No, just sucked votes from the Dems.
The democrats are losing black votes. Forty percent of the 2 million+ prison population are black ==> 800K. Since the sixties abortions kept their number checked. Many young black are murdered. Many are unemployed and homeless. seventy percent of them have no father in the house. They are taught to hate. They were used in the “summer of love”. They find solace in Islam.
The Kennedy family has been tainted since Joe Kennedy. Trump : “give me a chance.
What have u got to lose”.
Joe Kennedy is dead. With the exception of informed Boomers and a very, very small minority of the remaining generations, they never heard of Joe Kennedy.
And despite all of Joe Sr.’s financial and criminal conduct JFK and the remaining Kennedy clan have had success in nearly every political campaign.
Now do Prescott Bush!
A very unserious pick if looking for credibility. Money, sure, but Harris has better VP credibility, and that’s saying something.
A dog catcher has better credibility than Kamala
Agreed! Thus my disappointment with Shanahan.
Shanahan vs Biden another Irish civil war. She is Chinese. RFK, what have u got to lose, I will do the talking : we will get pd to get out of the way.
She looks Filipina, not Chinese.
Kamala being Willie Brown’s pillow in her youth was not helpful combined with lousy oratory skills and a crappy political record. I’m a Californian and I think she’s a worthless politician and it scares me me thinking of her being president, possibly in charge of our foreign policy/military and having her finger on the nuclear trigger
Kamala is simply low-IQ, meaning that she can’t know how dumb she is. And functionally only capable of being a puppet. Who’s pulling the strings?
RG, your handle is the antithesis of your logic.
I was all in for RFK Jr. until I read about the possible picks of Aaron Rodgers, etc. I’ll leave room to be persuaded if/when she debates anyone.
Doesn’t seem like that was ever a legitimate possibility, yet perhaps a ‘story’ that was told to generate a reaction like you had. Guilt by association and in your mind there is now a taint and you won’t vote for him despite claiming to previously be “all in”.
Incidently, since you profess to be reasonable, have you ever pondered how voters tend to hold their nose and vote for candidates if they have the voter’s preferred letter behind them (D or R), yet when a candidate from a non-major party is considered, it only takes one flaw (real or perceived) for the voter to stop considering that candidate? One strike and you’re out!
You don’t know me, but please understand that I have voted Libertarian my whole life with the sole exception of 2016.
Let’s face it, when you’re voting for a presidential candidate you’re really voting for that candidate’s donors. By voting for this ticket you eliminate the middleman!
The Dems should have let Kennedy run against Biden for the nomination. At least that way they would only have one candidate on the ballot.
But the question that remains is why are the Reps trying so hard to lose the house and senate?
Why are the Reps trying to lose? Because that is their job. They are the Washington Generals to the Dems the Harlem Globetrotters.
Plus, for the Republicans it’s much easier to be the opposition that never actually has to do anything. That’s why when the actually win, the revert back to doing nothing. The job as the Generals pays well and really has almost no risk.
He should have picked Tulsi. Bad choice.
Trump should pick Tulsi. He is no spring chicken and she would at least appear presidential – a lot more than cackles does
If Trump picks Tulsi, he will win the independents. The VP pick will carry much more weight this election. Kamala is an albatross, a California liberal may prove to be a handicap.
“If Trump picks Tulsi, he will win the independents.”
I agree with this.
Landslide
But Tulsi unlikely
…and all the VP candidates will be exotic ladies of varying IQ levels.
My money is on DeSantis.
No one gives a rat’s ass who the running mate is.
Agreed!
With all due respect to RFK 2.0, WTF is he thinking? How does she enhance his campaign or give his independent run any additional credibility?
“How does she enhance his campaign or give his independent run any additional credibility?”
She has money!
RFK Jr’s Cheif-of-Staff must be Jerry Maguire.
She also has the “online/bigtech” access… she’s more instagram-friendly.
That’s not how divide and conquer works.
So only a couple days ago you wrote that RFK Jr.’s candidacy would help Biden even though the Real Clear politics poll aggregator shows the opposite. Make up your mind, why don’t you? LOL
“So only a couple days ago you wrote that RFK Jr.’s candidacy would help Biden even though the Real Clear politics poll aggregator shows the opposite.”
In a post I never mentioned RFK.
In response to a comment I said. “RFK likely helps Trump”
So please learn how to read, or double check your memory
link to mishtalk.com
So when you make a comment, that doesn’t count as writing? How ridiculous can you possibly be? LOL
By the way, how is that purchase of Tik Tok coming?
A walking asterisk in history?