Ah, Bobby Jr., we hardly knew ye, to paraphrase the title of an old book about President John F. Kennedy, uncle of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Some had hopes that RFK Jr. would provide a fresh alternative to the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees, the boisterous MAGA meister Donald Trump and the declining Joe Biden.
After all, Kennedy has really given it to Big Pharma, including blasting the liberty-crushing efforts of the COVID vaccinistas. And some might say he can’t be too bad if the Democrats didn’t want anything to do with him.
In his search for a vice president, Kennedy considered NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and even had talks with Mr. Sensibility himself, blue-collar advocate and conservative favorite Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” fame.
But before anybody could take it off the lot, it was determined Tuesday that the shiny new 2024 model Kennedy has a problem.
It always turns left.
Kennedy chose Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, Business Insider reported.
Shanahan is a Silicon Valley lawyer, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a philanthropist, and a major donor to various Democratic candidates.
“She’s a lifelong Democrat,” said Tony Lyons, co-chairman of the American Values 2024 super PAC, according to another Business Insider report. “And she believes that Bobby Kennedy is aligned with her fundamental values.”
In 2020, Shanahan gave $25,000 to the Biden campaign and $19,400 to the Democratic National Committee.
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The same year she gave $5,600 to Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the 2020 New York Democratic primary.
In 2019, she gave $2,800 to the presidential campaigns of current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Marianne Williamson. Shanahan has also given $17,800 to hard-left Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents much of California’s Silicon Valley.
Kennedy, meanwhile, got $6,600 from Shanahan, as well as $4 million to cover most of the cost of a Super Bowl ad, Business Insider reported.
But perhaps worst of all, Shanahan donated $150,000 to the 2020 campaign of George Gascón, the radical George Soros-backed district attorney who has since wreaked havoc on Los Angeles County.
And if her left-wing bona fides were in any doubt, she is the founder of Bia-Echo, a philanthropic organization involved with “criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet,” according to its website.
As for the ever-apolitical Mike Rowe, there’s no indication Kennedy actually offered him the VP position. And it could be that he would have rejected a job in politics.
Too dirty, he would probably say.
