The only thing that strikes more fear in the White House than Donald Trump these days is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
How else to explain the political photo op President Joe Biden took this weekend with the now unidentifiable and cloutless Kennedy family--without RFK Jr.?
It was a clear and somewhat pathetic sign of just how worried the Biden campaign is about RFK Jr., the rogue former Democrat who is running an independent campaign without the support of his family.
Kennedy family members have denounced RFK Jr.'s campaign as an "embarrassment" and "dangerous" to the country.
Kennedy, the son of the slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, is getting 10-15 percent of the vote in polls, which show him taking more from Biden than Trump, and is close to picking a running mate.
Biden's campaign is especially worried that RFK Jr. could tip the balance toward Trump in a few key swing states.
Among the powerless Kennedys in the St. Patrick's Day photo at the White House was Joe Kennedy III, the failed former congressman who was shellacked by a fossil--Ed Markey--in his attempt to win a Senate seat.
Kennedy was given a plum post by Biden--special envoy to Northern Ireland--but his political career is essentially finished in Massachusetts, a sign of how far the Kennedy family has fallen.
The vast majority of Americans couldn't name anyone in that White House photo.
RFK Jr.'s campaign must get enough signatures to get on the ballot in a number of states, a daunting task that's going to cost millions of dollars. So far he's only on the ballot in four states, including New Hampshire.
But that's where Kennedy's running mate could step in. One of his top VP picks reportedly is California philanthropist and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, a Democratic fundraiser who paid for Kennedy's slick Super Bowl ad that he later denounced because it invoked the Kennedy family political dynasty.
Shanahan could pour tens of millions of dollars into Kennedy's long-shot campaign, getting him on the ballot in most states and making him an even bigger threat to Biden. Kennedy is planning to make his VP announcement on March 26. Other candidates include former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The speculation about Kennedy's running mate comes as Biden continues to unravel despite the hype about the president's robust State of the Union address.
Polls show that Biden got no boost from the speech, while his job approval rating is in the tank. The polls also show Trump's advantage widening when RFK Jr. is included in the mix.
NBC News reported this weekend that 81-year-old Biden behind the scenes has grown increasingly angry with his poor standing in the polls, questioning staffing and travel decisions and communications strategy.
Biden is especially angry that he hasn't gotten any credit with voters for improving the economy--a lament of a loser.
Maybe that's why he was screaming through most of the SOTU.