Listen To The Man They Won’t Let Speak

By George Capsis

I learned about Robert F. Kennedy Jr in an unusual way. A friend and an award-winning writer-producer, Kelly Gallagher, told me about him and his incredible accomplishments throughout his career. She wrote a superb article titled “Hero of the Hudson” that impressed me so much that I published it on the cover of the May 2023 issue, praising Kennedy’s battle with polluters to clean up the Hudson. Anyone who can encounter such a daunting challenge and emerge victorious has my vote. It doesn’t surprise me that other candidates are going to extraordinary lengths to prevent the public from getting to know him. It appears that former President Trump and President Biden are reluctant to debate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and there are allegations that their campaigns are colluding with CNN to prevent him from participating in the debate. Kennedy, who filed a complaint with the FEC, argues that CNN, Biden, and Trump violated federal law by not using “pre-established” and “objective” criteria to determine candidate participation. The failure to use objective criteria could classify the debate as a campaign contribution, subject to strict donation limits.

CNN’s published debate criteria state that a candidate’s name must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold. While CNN is enforcing this requirement for Kennedy, they are not requiring Biden and Trump to meet the same criteria, claiming that they are each the “presumptive nominee” of their respective political parties. Despite the FEC clarifying that the phrase “presumptive nominee” is not in their debate regulations, CNN continues to use this approach, potentially exposing themselves and their staff to prosecution for violating campaign finance laws. Washington Post reported on May 17th that, “Biden’s advisers quickly let it be known that they had not agreed to any terms that could include Kennedy” The post also reported that “one of the CNN producers on a Wednesday call with Trump aides had explained at the time that “RFK will not be on the stage” While it may be flattering for Kennedy to know that both President Biden and former President Trump are afraid to debate him on the issues they have been avoiding throughout their campaigns, it is concerning. These issues include the bloated $34 trillion national debt, which they both contributed to, the forever wars they both support, the chronic disease epidemic that is debilitating our children and occurred under their leadership, and the toxic polarization of our country that is tearing us apart, which both of them perpetuate. Excluding Kennedy from the debate undermines democracy. It’s not just about silencing Kennedy as a candidate, but also an attempt to avoid discussing the ideas he represents.