If Kennedy were to prove his case — the case for an alternative to Biden — one can be sure that others would jump in. When Eugene McCarthy proved his apparently quixotic case against LBJ in the March 1968 New Hampshire primary, pulling down 42 percent of the vote, McCarthy’s success drew Kennedy’s father into the fray. RFK Jr. would have the same effect on Gavin Newsom and one or two other antsy Dems if he were to demonstrate that a challenge to Biden is not merely quixotic.

As a liberal St. Paul high school student in 1968 I preferred McCarthy to Kennedy. Indeed, I canvassed in Wisconsin for McCarthy before LBJ withdrew. In 2024, as a conservative Republican, I prefer Kennedy to Biden (or Newsom, for that matter). I offer the prospective Biden campaign an adaptation of the old Carter campaign slogan for its use in 2024: Why not the worst?

[All due respect to my dear friend Scott, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. RFK Jr is no Eugene McCarthy, or even a Jimmy Carter. All RFK Jr reminds us is that it could get worse than Biden, even if it seems difficult to imagine. And make no mistake, voters given a choice between RFK Jr and Donald Trump might be tempted to go with the worst, especially once Hollywood and the media jump in with both feet to support Cheryl Hines’ hubby if he managed to push Biden out. — Ed]