By Joe Trippi
Our media is failing us and our democracy at a critical moment.
We have an indicted former president who fueled an insurrectionist movement and incited the storming of our nation’s Capitol in a failed attempt to thwart the peaceful transfer of power to a duly elected President Biden. There can be little doubt that Trump continues to lead the MAGA-controlled Republican Party that remains the greatest threat to our republic since the Civil War. Should he win the White House again in 2024, the danger America faces increases exponentially.
A second Trump Administration likelihood is increased through the efforts of a “Democrat” and a “non-partisan centrist group.”
We have Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who carries one of the most famous and historic names in the Democratic Party but harbors extreme views and is on a mission to challenge and weaken President Biden by contesting the Democratic Party’s nomination. RFK, Jr. has nothing to lose by attacking and questioning President Biden with reckless abandon, but any damage he does to Joe Biden accrues to the benefit of Donald Trump and no one else.
Then, of course, there is No Labels launching a plan to put a third-party ticket on the ballot for President and Vice President in 2024. Let me be clear: No Labels might as well be a Trump super PAC. They could be the final stake in the heart of our Republic, if they follow through with their reckless plan. The wrong-headed idea that a third-party ticket will somehow take votes away from Donald Trump is incredibly naive. Have they learned nothing since he came down that escalator nearly 8 years ago?
No Labels insults voters’ intelligence in claiming that Joe Manchin at the top of their ticket would do anything other than draw votes away from Joe Biden in the 2024 general election and deliver the presidency to Donald Trump. It would be ok with me if they were just taking their donor’s money and burning it in trash cans behind No Labels’ headquarters. That would be as big a waste of money, but it would not destroy our democracy. Note to No Labels funders: No independent third-party presidential candidate has won a single electoral college vote since George Wallace in 1968. Not one. There will not be a No Labels President - but there will be a No Labels spoiler to join the ranks fr George Wallace, Ross Perot, and Jill Stein, among others, who would ensure Donald Trump returns to the White House. Hopefully, Joe Manchin won’t want to add his name to that list. Hopefully, no serious American will.
One of the media’s great failings is reporting all this as three separate stories. Unconnected. Where are the Woodwards and Bersteins following the money and connecting the dots? Why is Harlan Crow one of No Labels’ biggest contributors? For that matter, if No Labels’ goal is so noble, why won’t they disclose their donors? Why all the secrecy? Why does every possible ticket No Labels suggest always have a Democrat at the top of the ticket? How did RFK, Jr. get recruited to enter the Democratic primaries in the first place? Why are hardcore MAGA extremists Alex Jones and Michael Flynn heaping praise on RFK, Jr.? Why did Steve Bannon spend months convincing RFK, Jr. to challenge Biden? Will a dark-money Super PAC align behind him to fuel his primary challenge? Does no journalist see the dots connecting to achieve one goal - returning Donald Trump to the White House?
Yes, RFK, Jr. has every right to run for the Democratic nomination. Certainly, No Labels has a right to run a third-party ticket for President, and Donald Trump, unfortunately, has the right to run and win, even while under indictment.
The next election will be decided by fewer than a few hundred thousand votes across six or seven states. Our democracy is fragile, and it will take all of us to save it.
What we need in America today are citizens who put country over party — not two parties - not three parties, but citizens standing together with one shared goal - putting all our differences aside to defend our republic and ensure our American experiment continues. What we need is a press that digs deeper, makes the threat clear to every American, and works to expose the dark money and forces that threaten our democracy.
Greed and personal ambition be damned. Clicks and ratings be damned. This is about preserving our democracy, which means making sure Donald J. Trump never gets anywhere near the White House again. RFK, Jr. and No Labels will only help Trump. Spread the word. Our democracy is at stake.
