Thank you.
I deeply appreciate the thoughtful responses, difficult phone calls, and messages I’ve received urging me to reconsider my respectful disagreement with Mr. Kennedy’s decision to suspend his campaign and support President Trump.
I will continue to listen.
Most of all, thank you to the 100,000 volunteers, staff, and countless others who gave so much time, money, and energy in service of an independent president leading a unity government. Thank you to Mr. Kennedy for believing in this vision and tirelessly working toward your principles your entire life.
In the early 2000s, my father publicly opposed the Iraq War at a time when 70% of the American public supported it. He was a Presbyterian minister then, and we lived in an Air Force town, so you can imagine the kind of scorn we faced as a family. It was deeply painful. But I believe that when one adheres to principles over personality, one must accept the name-calling, vitriol, and conspiracies as part of the collective sense-making process.
It’s not fun, but it is what it is.
Groupthink does some interesting things. Most notably, it creates the illusion of invulnerability, a belief in inherent morality, and the stereotyping of opponents as evil.
I’m certainly not immune to it. And I’ve made many personal errors because of it.
I left the Democratic Party in 2016 because of the pervasive groupthink symptoms I saw every day. Adrift from politics, I felt lost and confused. Then I spent the next several years producing a film where I interviewed and engaged in healthy conflict with those on ‘the other side.’ Through this process, I realized that I would always remain an independent.
Part of the reason I respectfully disagree with Mr. Kennedy’s decision is because I believe we had a unique opportunity to put a sizable dent in a system that incentivizes in-group/out-group dynamics. I believe strongly that the two-party system fuels groupthink. It thrives on it. This isn’t about personalities; it’s about the systemic trickle-down effect of ultimately conceding to the immense and corrupt forces we swore to resist. Team Kennedy would have likely lost the election, but I believe we would and could have done so while adhering to the principles upon which we founded our independence.
I hold no ill will toward anyone who believes Mr. Kennedy made the right decision, nor do I hold any ill will toward Mr. Kennedy himself. If the Republicans are victorious in November, I sincerely hope beautiful things will happen. I also hope Mr. Kennedy garners more than 5% of the popular vote and that his team is able to establish a new, competitive third party. But I deeply worry that after supporting President Trump, he will struggle to achieve this. I hope I’m wrong.
I apologize for suggesting I know what was in Mr. Kennedy’s heart. It was a misguided sentiment expressed from a place of complicated emotion. I’ll be honest: I wanted him to change his mind and make a last-minute decision to commit to continuing his independent campaign until the end. Like millions of his supporters, I was deeply saddened by his decision not to do so.
That’s not to say his words on Friday weren’t articulate and beautifully stated. As with many things Mr. Kennedy has said throughout this campaign, there are aspects I agree with and others I disagree with. Ultimately, I don’t believe President Trump will be true to his word, and I fear Mr. Kennedy’s support of him will have been for naught.
I remain committed to the independent movement and am now fervently focusing my efforts on ensuring its future. We have myriad reasons to believe in independence flourishing in this country. One is this inspiring 2020 Alaska case study, in which Alaska implemented an open primary and ranked-choice voting system — one of the most effective ways to loosen the two-party grip on our collective psyche. It also systemically dampens the spoiler narrative, which has been among the most difficult argument for independents to combat.
Independence Works is the foundation of this initiative. We will support grassroots ballot measures at the state level, focused on open primaries and ranked-choice voting. Our goal is to pass as many of these initiatives as possible across the country by 2026. Yes, the two-party system will likely challenge many of these measures in court — but we can and will do everything we can to ensure that by the 2028 presidential election, the spoiler narrative will be completely eliminated through these reforms. By then, we will have laid the groundwork for the first independent since George Washington to win the White House.
Our particular area of focus is creating an unstoppable digital mobilization funnel to fuel voter education and persuasion.
Social media ➡️ list-building ➡️ funding ground game ➡️ digital activation tools ➡️ systemic change
Many of you have graciously connected me with incredible folks already doing so much of this good work. The goal is to collaborate wherever possible.
We need each other right now.
Peace to you all.
Jonathan Hiller
Thanks Jonathan. I think given your honest disagreement with Kennedy on this point (will write thoughts on that later if you are willing to read them), it is wise and productive to pivot into this work. Bravo!
Many times in life we must pivot down alternate channels in a divided river to hopefully rescue one another amid the rapids down the next bend! To our good faith in one another let us be true.