Shanahan In

 

I knew nothing about her until her name came up as a possible RFK VP pick, but I think Nicole Shanahan was a good choice for that ticket. That she has no political experience, in the current climate, is a plus. RFK is running to change things. She can at least pose as a “tech entrepreneur,” and that’s a background demonstrated to be marketable by such figures as Andrew Yang and Vivek Ramaswamy. Tech entrepreneurs are modern culture heroes. Her youth contrasts well with old Joe Biden and old Donald Trump. She is a glamorous figure, which plays into the Kennedy brand: “return to Camelot.”

The immediate criticism from the right is that she is too left-wing. I don’t think most voters think in those terms. They simply either want change or the status quo. She introduces an issue which is neither obviously left nor right, but could appeal across the spectrum: chronic disease and what is causing it. This dovetails with Kennedy’s concern over vaccines and the environment to make what looks like a coherent ticket and platform. Which speaks of sincerity, an important part of RFK Jr.’s appeal. And it serves to shift the political discourse, which is the whole point of a third-party effort.

Something else occurs to me: she looks like a replacement for Tulsi Gabbard. She ticks a number of the same boxes. As if Kennedy had his mind set on Gabbard, had his strategies worked out assuming she was his running mate, and then could not get her; so he went for a reasonable facsimile. There were indeed early rumours that Gabbard would be his pick; at one point he went to Honolulu, in her home state, to make some rumoured announcement that did not happen. I thought Kennedy-Gabbard would be a dream ticket.

Perhaps a planned announcement was called off because Gabbard got a better offer. Perhaps Trump, seeing this about to happen, picked up the phone and told Gabbard to hold off, and she would be his own VP pick. There are recent rumours that Ramaswamy is out of contention, and Gabbard has recently publicly said she would be honoured. This is not something a politician usually says if they do not expect to be selected—it makes them look needy and embarrasses them when they are not chose.

Gabbard makes excellent sense for Trump as well. If Trump does not pick a woman, when both Biden and Kennedy have, that could hurt his image with women, a huge voting block. Especially in the face of prior claims by his Democrat opponents that Trump is anti-woman. As a Samoan and a Hindu, she also blunts charges of racism or “Christian nationalism” against Trump. But as a woman of faith, she is probably also viewed favourably by his Christian supporters. As an independent and former Democrat, she could broaden appeal to independent voters and disaffected Democrats. She is, like Trump, an anti-establishment figure; this would send a reassuring message to his supporters that he is not going to be controlled by the existing party bosses. Because Trump’s appeal is always that he will stand up to the “uniparty” and the beltway mafia.