Break The Duopoly

IN DEPTH: Prominence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign gave boost to critics of America’s two-party system A presidential candidate, two congressional candidates and several dozen disparate-but-like-minded advocates gathered in a suburban Denver Marriott on Thursday morning to discuss a political movement that they believe is having its moment. At least, that’s how attendees at the 2024 Independent National Convention (@independent_win) felt. Bolstered by @RobertKennedyJr’s now-paused independent presidential run and convinced of high dissatisfaction with America’s political status quo, several attendees and speakers said interest in #independent candidates and movements was accelerating. They lambasted the country’s dominant two-party political system and pointed to data about the growing number of Americans — and Coloradans — who identify as independent. “The third-party movement is strong and it’s growing, and I think that’s because people are so disillusioned and disgusted with the two major parties and the political status quo,” @RonTupa, a former Democratic state lawmaker, said in an interview. He’s now running a longshot bid as a Unity Party candidate (@RTupa4Congress) against U.S. @RepPettersen, a Democrat. Speakers at the three-day event at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, which ended Thursday night, included (or were set to include) @AndrewYang, the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and entrepreneur who went on to launch the @Fwd_Party; former U.S. Rep. @Dennis_Kucinich; several tech and wellness entrepreneurs; and a handful of alumni from the Kennedy campaign. #RFKJr himself was supposed to headline the convention, but he pulled out. Former Democratic presidential candidate @MarWilliamson spoke in his place Wednesday night. Some attendees and groups advocated for alternative voting methods they thought would help break up America’s two-party political stasis. Blake Huber, the Denver-based presidential candidate for the Approval Voting Party, laughed that he tells people not to vote for him (though he said his ego may require him to vote for himself). He was running, as he had in 2020, to bolster support for “approval voting” — a system under which voters are allowed to select all the candidates they support in a given race, rather than just one. “You want independents to get their true level of support? You want approval voting,” said Huber, who was wearing blue sandals and an impossible-to-miss orange T-shirt that showed how approval voting worked on the back. A variety of minor parties were present, including the @LPCO and its executive director, @James4Peace_ Wiley, who’s running for U.S. Rep. @LaurenBoebert’s current seat on the Western Slope. So were Huber’s party and the Alliance Party. Kennedy’s campaign had a booth, too, complete with a life-sized cutout. Around the corner was a booth for a Sept. 11 conspiracy group. Outside, a @Tesla Cybertruck — emblazoned with cryptocurrency logos and images of former President Donald Trump and Kennedy, who’s now backing @realDonaldTrump — sat parked by the curb. “I think we’re reaching a tipping point,” Tupa said optimistically of independent candidates, groups and voters. It’s true that more Americans view themselves as independents, and in Colorado, unaffiliated voters now greatly outnumber Democrats and Republicans. But that doesn’t equate to a unified political swell, particularly when many self-identified independents still back one of the major parties — and when the existing independent movement is “scattered,” as one activist put it. Case in point: Tupa still describes himself as a progressive, and before he spoke to a small crowd about building independent political power, another speaker — Michael Maxsenti (@MMaxsenti), who’s supported minor parties elsewhere — told the room that they should vote for Trump. “If you really understand Bobby (Kennedy Jr.) and what’s going on, you have to suck it up,” Maxsenti said. “Vote for Trump and hope and pray, as we do, that Trump is truly a changed individual — and, now, that he’s learned his lessons from his first opportunity.” For his part, Yang posted on the social platform X Wednesday: “I’m an Independent Forwardist who will be voting for Kamala Harris in November.” Several attendees credited Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, with giving a boost to independent and minor party candidates and movements; Kennedy buttons and hats were common Thursday. But, as onetime Colorado 5th Congressional District candidate Katrina Nguyen (@kat4house) noted, Kennedy initially sought to run as a Democrat. Then, after securing ballot access in multiple states, he (mostly) dropped out late last month and endorsed Trump — a three-time presidential candidate for one of the major parties. “There are some people who I don’t think they necessarily care as much about growing the independent, third-party movement as they just care about having a voice within the two major party system,” she said. (It was Nguyen who described the movement as “scattered.”) In his morning talk, Tupa had urged attendees to donate money to minor party and unaffiliated candidates. That prompted Huber, a self-described green-libertarian, to call out that he’d just donated $100 to Tupa — a progressive “of the left,” in his telling — and that he would give $5 more for every donation Tupa received at the convention Thursday. Nguyen echoed a similar sentiment: If independent political movements are indeed having a moment now, mutual support for those movements is required to capitalize upon it. “Our project will help third-party candidates that I don’t even like, or third parties that I don’t even like. But that’s not the point. I want them to have a chance,” she said. “At this point, no one has a chance.” By Seth Klamann | The Denver Post

#Journalist, artist & @StateDept's favorite guest @SamHusseini joins us to discuss @VotePact, #journalism,#censorship & more! Thurs Sept 19, 9PM EDT Live here on "X" & 👇 rumble.com/v5fhn2t-candidate… With @Kelleyswords & @MatthewPHoh + more

This debate won't matter. It was just eliminated as an inflection point. The American people still know nothing about Kamala Harris' positions. Donald Trump is still Donald Trump. And the legacy media are still a giant flaming dog turd.

You can vote for a Libertarian Presidential candidate in 47 states.

Both of these clowns need to be fired. #Debate2024

"@marwilliamson was the first presidential candidate to say, 'if elected I will put the #ERA in the #Constitution'-@WMurphyLaw #Duopoly #Democracy #WomensRights #Equality @TheDemocrats @GOP #VoteBlue #Abortion #AbortionIsHealthcare #Abortionrights #PublishTheERA @PublishTheERA #RoeVember2024 #RoevWade #RoevemberIsComing2024 #RoeYourVote @EqualMeansEqual @NationalNOW #Trump @KamalaHarris @VP @JoeBiden @kat4house

Moderators should not argue with candidates. This is a mess. #Debate2024

BREAKING: The Democrat filled Nevada State Supreme Court has kicked Jill stein off of the state ballot for the presidential election. The Green Party turned in 3x the signatures required for ballot access, but due to a Democrat Secretary of State providing incorrect paperwork, the signatures weren’t considered valid. No I am not kidding, you read that right. The person in charge (who happens to be a Democrat) provided the wrong paperwork by “accident”, so the Democrat filled Supreme Court decided all the signatures were not correct and now tens of thousands of Green Party voters have no one to vote for in 2024. This is insane. They are not even trying to hide cheating anymore, there doing it publicly for all to see. The Democrats attack on third parties over this last year cannot be forgotten come Election Day.

Bret Weinstein tells Joe Rogan that he believes Trump has a chance to unite Americans and go down as a “refounder” of the country: “I do think unity is the right message. I think this is exactly the moment at which people do come together because many people feel the jeopardy.” “I sincerely hope that what President Trump discovered when he brought Bobby Kennedy on board continues to grow in his mind because I think actually he has the potential to lead a massive movement to restore the Republic and make it function and I think it would be wonderful for him. I think he would go down in history as not the polarizing figure that people seem intent on turning him into but he would go down in history as a galvanizing figure, as really a refounder of the country. I know that will be hard for many people who have thought ill of him to swallow.” Do you believe Trump has the ability to unite the country?

The lengths DNC-aligned groups went to in sabotaging our independent campaign are unprecedented in American politics. Why? Because the DNC doesn’t trust Americans. If they did, they wouldn’t install candidates—they’d support free and open elections. Democracy is certainly under attack, and the source is the Democratic Party.