To Rescue the Union
Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just joined together on a Unity Ticket - a political strategy not seen since Lincoln's "Team of Rivals." Here's how it works.
In the coming days and weeks, you will see gleeful announcements of "RFK JR. DROPS OUT" and "RFK JR. ENDORSES TRUMP" in the headlines.
Typical; with a total lack of nuance.
In reality, RFK Jr. just announced a "Unity Party" with Donald Trump. This brilliant political strategy dates back to the Civil War Era; where Lincoln and Johnson ran “for the country” instead of “against” each other, intending to rescue the Union.
Here's how it works:
RFK Jr. has decided to pull out of swing states while staying in the overall Presidential race. He is doing this to avoid becoming a "spoiler candidate" in states where Harris has a chance of winning, and every vote against her counts. These states include Pennsylvania, Arizona, Iowa, and others still to be announced.
In every other state, RFK Jr. will stay on the ballot. “I encourage you to vote for me,” he said to voters of deep blue and red states. If he earns more than 5% of the national vote, he can establish a strong third party, earn 8 -figures in publicly available funds, and enter 2028 with a strong enough foundation to be a real contender.
This "Unity Party" arrangement opens the doors to more votes, by allowing for Republican voters in blue states to "count" for something. Instead of a wasted vote for Trump, voters in deep blue states can cast a vote for Kennedy, and participate in the long-term strategy of party takedown.
Understanding that Ross Perot only turned in 300,000 signatures and still ended up with 19% of the vote in 1996, there is a chance that this effort works better than planned. Kennedy has one million signatures, and an American legacy for a last name; along with 100s of 1000s of volunteers across the country.
In this case, we’re in for a wild ride: a contingent election is where none of the candidates reach 270 votes. It is then sent to our national representatives to settle.
Should independents turn out for Kennedy in droves, there is the possibility of blocking both Kamala and Trump from earning 270 electoral votes - which he only needs 5 states to do (no swing states needed).
Throughout history, the moderate always wins in a contingent election (and Kennedy stands an excellent chance).
The actions taken by Kennedy to team up with Donald Trump against Kamala Harris are historic; and will ensure a robust third-party future for the United States.
We have desperately needed someone brave enough to make this choice.
The corporate stranglehold on the Republican and Democrat parties is obvious to all. The same donors look to find puppets in both parties. Promises to "drain the swamp" are rarely followed up with, because the parties are the swamp.
This election, we can fix that for future generations.
Kennedy's campaign was the first step in this direction.
This is the second.
Independents are ready for a new party.
Not one that is owned by banks or corporations... but one reflecting us:
We, the People.
—
Lauren Lee (@sheislaurenlee) is a political theorist, humanist, and entrepreneur. Her mission is to build thought architecture for a new earth. Founder of the largest daily talk show on X for unaffiliated voters, “The Daily Independent”(@theINDdaily).
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RFK Jr is working within a system - he should be disrupting it. Imagine if Jeff Bezos decided to work with brick and mortar retailers instead of disrupting them. Imagine if Craigslist, iTunes, YouTube, Yelp, Travelocity, Uber, Airbnb, etc... decided the best course of action was to join industry leaders instead of disrupt them. Democracy is an information play - its about getting information into the hands of voters and giving them tools (apps) to organize and manage it. Election campaigning is no different than all the aforementioned startups. The way we disrupt the duopoly is by building an platform connecting candidates and voters directly and giving them all the tools necessary to do business (aka democracy) directly. Election campaignig is a business - an industry - don't let them fool you into thinking its something else.
It's not simply a matter of ushering in yet another party along with Libertarian, Green, or Peace & Freedom which are always marginalized. We must also overhaul the voting method itself from only one choice to ranked choice. That is not only the most mathematically sound method for a truly democratic method, but also allows third party candidates an actual chance. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-how-math-could-design-the-perfect-electoral-system/