Jack, PolitiFact, the fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others, just named Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign the Lie of the Year for 2023. That's quite the honor.

Kennedy is suing Daily Kos for exposing the truth about his appearance at an event organized by Nazis. We have now been in this court battle, in two states, for years. This fight is already expensive and it's getting moreso. We could really use your support. Please help Daily Kos in this fight with a donation of $5 or more.

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Long before Kennedy announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination, and now as an independent candidate, he peddled conspiracy theories, mostly about vaccines. He became a leader within the anti-vaxx movement, pushing bogus, unfounded claims. The COVID pandemic gave the rabid anti-vaxxer a new, hungry audience for his lies.

Kennedy publicly alluded to racist and antisemitic theories about the origins of COVID-19. A study by The Center for Countering Digital Hate found that just a dozen people are responsible for 65% of the COVID-19 disinformation being spread on social media platforms, and that Kennedy and his organization, Children's Health Defense, were the second-biggest offenders.

Unfortunately, Kennedy, as a presidential candidate, now has a much bigger audience for all his lies. He is now cashing in on his family name and raking in campaign donations. So far, his campaign has raised over $15 million. That's not a lot for a presidential campaign, but it's enough to expand his audience through ads, podcasts, social media and political appearances, all under the guise of a political campaign. As PolitiFact cited, "Kennedy’s political following is built on a movement that seeks to legitimize conspiracy theories."

Even though Kennedy has identified the Daily Kos user, we continue to battle Kennedy in the courts to protect our community and our First Amendment rights. We also need to work even harder to debunk the onslaught of Kennedy's disinformation, conspiracy theories, and lies that have continually endangered our public health, and now our democracy.

This all comes at a time when Daily Kos has been struggling financially. Over the past year we have seen our advertising revenue drop, making donations from Daily Kos readers and activists our largest source of revenue.

That's why asking if you can support progressive, independent news and activism by making a donation of $5 to Daily Kos or whatever amount is meaningful to you.

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Thank you for all you do,
Amanda McKay, Daily Kos

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