RFK Jr. draws 600 in Asheville; talks housing, corporate control, Ukraine; not Israel
ASHEVILLE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., denounced as a spoiler by Democrats and now Republicans, was cheered for his anti-corporate, anti-war message here by about 600 people, many of whom said they didn't care if voting for the recently declared independent led to the election of a candidate they didn't like.
"I'm running against two presidents who both are running on a platform that they brought extraordinary prosperity to our country. When I travel around this country, I'm not finding people echoing that. I find them saying that 'we're being gaslit,'" Kennedy said at his Oct. 15 West Asheville stop at the Crowne Resort Plaza, a week after leaving the Democratic primary to run independently.
Political observers say Kennedy's chance of winning is almost nil, but that he does have the ability to siphon votes from the Democratic and Republican candidates, currently assumed to be President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Republicans had seen Kennedy as a boon ― until on Oct. 9 he became an independent and potentially attractive to conservatives who lean libertarian.
Kennedy, 69, who is married to actor and director Cheryl Hines and lives in Los Angeles, is part of the once-mighty Democratic Kennedy family, the son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, who were both assassinated in the 1960s.
Some of those attending his Asheville campaign stop said if Kennedy weren't running they wouldn't vote at all. Others said they might vote for Biden or for Trump, but didn't really care if Kennedy's candidacy hurt their second choice.
Paula Hanke, 62, of West Asheville, said she's leaned Democratic all her life, but was tired of the "duality" and thought Kennedy represented a "new wave."
"I feel like he's the only one that hasn't been bought. I feel like he's the only one who's really speaking truth and facts. And I came to catch the vibe, because I don't feel I'll vote any other way. He's kind of my hope."
Christopher Tomsic, 47, of Weaverville said he favored Trump over Biden, but would vote for Kennedy.
"At some point, you have to vote your conscience," he said.
Kennedy talked about his love for Asheville and environmentalism. He also dove deep into the causes of homelessness and his opposition to war funding, including for Ukraine.
Notably, he did not address Israel and its war with Hamas, sparked this month by the Gaza-based group's historic incursion and slaughter of Israeli civilians. There was no opportunity for questions from media after his speech, as Kennedy stood to take selfies with hundreds of supporters. The Citizen Times reached out via email to his campaign to ask whether he supported U.S. military aid to Israel.
More: Asheville's Jewish community gathers amid Israel-Hamas war, local threats
Kennedy spoke glowingly about Asheville, saying he has visited for many years, and that it was a special place of "consciousness and enlightenment." He noted his work as an environmental advocate and lawyer that helped lay the groundwork for the French Broad Riverkeeper and similar river protection groups.
“It is a very special place of consciousness and enlightenment. I always love coming here and I’ve come here for many, many years because one of the organizations I helped run was the French Broad River Keeper.”
French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson, responding to a Citizen Times query, said Kennedy "played an important role in helping found the Waterkeeper Alliance, the support network for Riverkeepers."
"He has supported hundreds of Riverkeepers' fights for clean water around the globe, including hear on the French Broad River and we are grateful for all his work to protect and cleanup our waterway," Cartwell said.
Kennedy did not discuss his views against vaccination, for which he has been widely criticized, though railed against millions of dollars in government spending to battle COVID-19 as well as aid to Ukraine's fight against Russia.
He said both major parties are benefiting from the $113 billion in military and other assistance that is going to U.S. arms makers.
"Democrats and Republicans, they're all getting money from Raytheon, General Dynamics, Boeing and Lockheed and there's no anti-war party anymore. It's just one war uni-party," Kennedy said.
He called the war in which Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago a "war of choice," saying the Russians had made "very, very generous peace offers that were not taken."
Ukrainians have rejected such offers, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying key points such as Russian withdrawal and reestablishment of Ukrainian borders, are “not up to negotiations.”
With homelessness, Kennedy pointed not to drug addiction or mental health problems, but said instead high housing prices were to blame. Those were being driven up by corporate buyouts of housing stock.
"This epidemic that we've seen from homelessness in San Francisco is about to travel across the country like a tsunami and carry with it the same levels of social deterioration and economic destruction," he said.
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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at [email protected], 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: RFK Jr. in Asheville talks housing, corporations, Ukraine; not Israel
