The email I received from "Team Kennedy"

I want to share with you the email that I received from Robert Kennedy Jr.’s campaign.

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Emanuel --

This message is for people who would like to support our movement, as well as those who are, for now, still learning about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

If you're just curious, we thank you for still having hope for American politics. Stay tuned so you can better understand our candidate and his positions.

For those who would like to support us in practical ways, here are some suggestions.

1. Share our website and its beautiful launch video with friends and family, and encourage them to subscribe to this newsletter.

2. Follow RFK Jr. on Twitter and Facebook.

3. Donate to the campaign. Money is the lifeblood of a campaign and, needless to say, we depend on grassroots contributions from small donors.

We are so grateful to those who have shared and donated already. Your generosity affirms our feeling that there is still hope for America to return its government to the people.

With thanks,

Team Kennedy

http://www.kennedy24.com/

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PAID FOR BY TEAM KENNEDY

What is significant to me here is that I, as a potential supporter, am not allowed any way to contact the organization other than to give money. I have no role to play in the campaign other than to foward the emails to my friends. I cannot meet a local organizer, or be a local organizer. I cannot submit my ideas, or contact someone on the team. That is to say that there is no democratic dialog possible with the candidate, or with his team.

I sent an email to the address “info@teamkennedy.com” but did not receive any response. I could not find any way to contact a live person on the website either.

Of course, this campaign is no different than any other campaigns I have seen. They are all non-participatory and they strictly rule out any input from we the citizens. I have tried to actually work on campaigns before and had the same experience. This is because we the citizens are consumers, not citizens, and there is no more a dialog to have here with the campaign than that which you have with Google or Mastercard.

The email says, “money is the lifeblood of a campaign” as if this was a God-given fact; but the truth is that a corrupt system that makes candidates dependent on money is precisely what got us where we are.

If, just imagine if, I were running for office. I would accept those who could contribute to policy, could organize people, could create new communities. Money would be but one consideration.

I would want a campaign that would not end, but would become the foundations of a social movement and a new economic and political system.

I believe that the only way to beat the corrupt and exclusionary political system is to create a system in which we the citizens can actually participate as citizens. As the Japanese philosopher Ogyu Sorai wrote, there are two ways to play a game. You can master the given rules. Or you can make up new rules. In this case, I think we have no no choice but to make up new rules for politics.

My guess is that if Robert Kennedy actually created a participatory system, he would be tossed out of the Democratic Party overnight.

What do you make of this note?