Spoiler Alert
Mother Jones|May/June 2024
Third-party candidates never win national elections, but they can still have serious consequences.
DAVID CORN
Spoiler Alert

IN THE SUMMER of 2000, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a scion of the Democratic Party dynasty, took time out of his schedule as an environmental attorney to write an op-ed for the New York Times. In the piece, Kennedy hailed consumer advocate Ralph Nader as his "friend and hero," but he lambasted him for mounting a third-party run for president. Nader could "siphon votes" from Vice President AI Gore, who was running against Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Kennedy warned, saying it was "irresponsible" for Nader to argue that there was "little distinction" between the Democratic and Republican nominees. A vote for Nader, Kennedy asserted, "is a vote for Mr. Bush" and for what he considered a disaster: the Republicans' anti-environment agenda.

That was then.

Twenty-four years later, now an antivaxxer and conspiracy theorist, Kennedy has broken with the Democratic Party and is running for president as an independent. He insists that unlike Nader, he's no spoiler, and he dismisses the notion that his presence in the race will help either former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden. Political analysts are uncertain which candidate will benefit more from Kennedy's campaign. The Kennedy brand could hold appeal for some Democrats, but his paranoia-drenched attacks on the public health community could also be catnip for Trump voters. "I think Americans should have a choice," Kennedy told NBC News, "that they shouldn't be forced to choose the least of two evils."

Denne historien er fra May/June 2024-utgaven av Mother Jones.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May/June 2024-utgaven av Mother Jones.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOTHER JONESSe alt
Data Blockers- Overturning Roe didn't just bludgeon abortion access. It sabotaged science, too.
Mother Jones

Data Blockers- Overturning Roe didn't just bludgeon abortion access. It sabotaged science, too.

Overturning Roe didn't just bludgeon abortion access. It sabotaged science, too. In early May 2022, reproductive health researcher Liz Mosley was at a dinner celebrating her first day as an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine when the news broke: A leaked draft of the Dobbs decision revealed the Supreme Court’s plan to gut abortion rights in the United States—the “worst-case scenario,” as one dinner guest put it.

time-read
5 mins  |
July/August 2024
Growing Pains - Why are governors rejecting funds for kids' summer meals?
Mother Jones

Growing Pains - Why are governors rejecting funds for kids' summer meals?

The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (EBT), the first new federal food aid initiative in decades, is a permanent extension of Congress’ Covid-era relief that sought to provide extra meals for more than 30 million school kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. But more than 10 million children will miss out this summer, according to the USDA. Thirteen other states—Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming—also chose not to enroll. And they all have something else in common: Republican governors.

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
Mission from God. Church And Statehood– A new Puerto Rican political party puts faith before status.
Mother Jones

Mission from God. Church And Statehood– A new Puerto Rican political party puts faith before status.

A new Puerto Rican political party puts faith before status. Puerto Rico’s churches, which in recent decades were mostly confined to private life, are now reshaping political dynamics. Proyecto Dignidad is a reflection of a broader populist global trend, and it draws inspiration from the Trump playbook and other domestic right-wing currents that helped him win over significant numbers of Latino voters in 2020.

time-read
6 mins  |
July/August 2024
40 Acres and a Lie
Mother Jones

40 Acres and a Lie

We compiled Reconstruction-era documents to identify 1,250 formerly enslaved Black Americans given land-only to have it returned to their enslavers.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
The Conversion Therapist Will See You Now
Mother Jones

The Conversion Therapist Will See You Now

The counselors once discredited for their "ex-gay" theories have rebranded. And now they're coming after trans kids.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
"I Hope My Hindsight Will Be Others' Foresight"
Mother Jones

"I Hope My Hindsight Will Be Others' Foresight"

A decade after Elliot Rodger's horrific massacre, his mother is on a quest to help threat assessment experts-and other parents-prevent the next tragedy.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
RAGING BULL DONALD TRUMP'S PUGILISTIC SPOKESMAN HAS TAKEN CAMPAIGNING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF LOW.
Mother Jones

RAGING BULL DONALD TRUMP'S PUGILISTIC SPOKESMAN HAS TAKEN CAMPAIGNING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF LOW.

IN late February, after Donald Trump had nearly vanquished the entirety of the Republican primary field, his spokesman, Steven Cheung, took aim at the one opponent still standing. \"Birdbrain, are you a liar or just plain stupid?\" he posted on X.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
SAVED
Mother Jones

SAVED

Finding self-love after Christian conversion therapy

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
WHAT WE ARE OWED
Mother Jones

WHAT WE ARE OWED

Technology and genealogy have made the case for reparations specific-and undeniable.

time-read
9 mins  |
July/August 2024
PARADISE STOLEN
Mother Jones

PARADISE STOLEN

Black families were cheated out of their land on Skidaway Island. Now it's a wealthy white enclave

time-read
7 mins  |
July/August 2024