PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Hundreds of people gathered in America’s birthplace on Oct. 9 to support former Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he declared himself an independent candidate for president.
Standing in front of the National Constitution Center, Mr. Kennedy told an enthusiastic crowd, “I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate.”
Pausing to let the applause die down, he continued: “But that’s not all. I’m here to join you in making a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation.”
Mr. Kennedy then listed a litany of things from which he will declare independence as he runs for the nation’s highest office: big corporations, Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, military contractors and lobbyists, and the “mercenary media.”
Further, he said: “We declare independence from the cynical elites who betray our hope and who amplify our divisions. And finally, we declare independence from the two political parties and the corrupt interests that dominate them, and the entire rigged system of rancor, of rage, of corruption, of lies, that has turned government officials into indentured servants for their corporate bosses.”
School Teacher: ‘Healing the Divide’
Patrick Brown is a schoolteacher from Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He came to hear Mr. Kennedy speak, he said, because “He’s a unifier. A message of union and healing the divide from the right and the left. That’s why believe in him.”
Mr. Brown said he likes Mr. Kennedy’s “willingness to look to both sides, his willingness to look for information before making a decision.
“He is nonpartisan. And of course, antiwar and pro-freedom, pro-health, pro-farmers, small family farms. It was a lot of good with him.”
Mr. Brown expressed his appreciation for what Mr. Kennedy is doing.
Realtor: ‘We All Need More Unity’
“I’m here to support. I love President Trump. But I also love Bobby Kennedy. I love their ideology. They want unity. That’s what we need,” realtor Megan Heaton told The Epoch Times after Mr. Kennedy’s speech.She wore a baseball cap labeled “1776.” She said she is proud to live in Philadelphia, “where it all started: 1776, the Constitution, ‘we the people.’”
“Right now, it doesn’t need to be about the two-party system, right or left. We need to be about what the policies are and what’s really right for the people. And right now, we need—more than ever—unity.”
“The message that he’s giving is unity and [about] the people that come together. It’s not about race. It’s not about divide,” Ms. Heaton said. “And more than ever, with everything going on and today’s events, we all need more unity, and more love and more respect for one another.”
“I love Donald Trump too, and that’s okay. That’s the purpose of today. He even said in his speech, it’s not about left and right ... You can like somebody for who they are ... People get caught up into the left, the right, red and blue, way too much. It doesn’t need to be that way.”
Ultimately, she said, we’re all human beings, with more that unites us than divides us: “We all have the same ideology, and we want our kids to be safe. We want to live in a safe place. It’s not about divide and conquer.”
Student: Time to Get Past the Two-Party System
Kyle Baker is a history major at Rowan University in neighboring New Jersey.“I support Robert Kennedy just because I believe that it’s time that we get past the two-party system. We’re so divided with almost every issue in America,” Mr. Baker said. “It’s definitely time that we start building a better way of life for everybody.”
Mr. Kennedy mentioned his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, in his speech. The candidate’s distinguished family history leads Mr. Baker to believe he is a good fit for the White House.
“He comes from a ... historical political family, and he knows what pitfalls to avoid, and how to be a successful and professional candidate for his voters and for the citizens that may not even vote for him,” Mr. Baker said.
‘We’re All Together. We’re All Americans.’
Meg Holden drove from Delaware to support Mr. Kennedy. “I’m a big fan of Bobby. And I think this is exactly what we need: just to bring everybody together,” she said.
“Because what he says is really true—that it’s not Democrats versus Republicans. We’re all together. We’re all Americans.”
Art Therapist: ‘Coming from the Heart’
Christina Yeyel said she was touched by Mr. Kennedy’s speech: “I think it’s coming from the heart. And I think that’s something that we’ve been wanting to hear from any kind of leader ... something that actually comes from the heart. You can see he has tears in his eyes at some points.”
Ms. Yeyel is a teacher and an art therapist; she has been following Mr. Kennedy for a long time, taking particular interest in his stance on vaccines.
“One can feel there’s a genuine human being behind him. And I hope that ... everyone who’s wanting a better world can connect with that place in him.”
‘I Aligned With All His Views’
“I’m here today because the Democratic Party is not even giving him a chance,” Sarah Pacelli told The Epoch Times before Mr. Kennedy’s speech. The stay-at-home mom said: “I aligned with all his views—his views on war, his views on the environment, his views on making our children healthier, keeping us safer. And that’s why I’m here to show my support.”Ms. Pacelli said she had been expecting Mr. Kennedy to announce his run as an independent or a libertarian.
