Dem
47
GOP
53
"Cemetery Gates" is a song about a woman who dies unexpectedly, and well before her time. That could be a story that plays out a whole lot more than it needs to over the next 4 years, as Donald Trump announced yesterday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is his pick to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.
We probably do not need to explain to readers why Junior has no business running this department, but just in case we'll note that, first of all, he has nothing on his résumé that prepares him to lead an agency with over 83,000 employees and an annual budget in excess of $1.6 trillion. Second, and more obviously, Kennedy's approach to health has nothing to do with science, and everything to do with conspiratorial thinking, gut feel, and whatever he's pulled out of his a** on any particular day. Just last week, he went on a rant about Froot Loops, of all things, thundering: "Why do we have Froot Loops in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients, and you go to Canada and it's got two or three?" Obviously, we admire anyone who casts a critical eye in the direction of the Great White North, but the fact is that Canadian Froot Loops have 17 ingredients. The 'Nades are less comfortable with food dyes, so the cereal has slightly fewer dyes up there, and the colors are less bright.
In case you don't believe us when it comes to RFK Jr., how about some actual medical professionals?
Sanjay Gupta (CNN): "Well, you know, it's not often that the entire medical and public health community is going to be in lockstep on something, but they're pretty close on this in terms of their significant concerns—horror, even. Somebody said to me today, 'I can't think of any single individual who would be more damaging to public health than RFK.'"
Apu Akkad (USC): "A scary day for public health."
Alastair McAlpine (Children's Hospital of British Columbia): "It is hard to overstate what a terrible decision this is. RFK Jr. has no medical training. He is a hardcore anti-vaccine and misinformation peddler. The last time he meddled in a state's medical affairs (Samoa), 83 children died of measles."
Howard Markel (University of Michigan): "We've gone back to the idea of 'Every man his own doctor.' It was a bad idea [in the 19th century] and it's even worse now."
Jonathan Reiner (George Washington University): "He fits with the pattern of hiring people who are not just unqualified for a Cabinet post, but unfit... Kennedy has already shown, over the last 10 years, his penchant for not just promoting unproved ideas, but for promoting disproven ideas."
Yep, the pros are not happy and are definitely not impressed.
We must admit, we don't entirely understand this pick (or the Tulsi Gabbard pick). In general, Trump favors long-term, hardcore loyalists, and neither Kennedy nor Gabbard fit the bill. Let us not forget that we are only about 2 months removed from Kennedy peddling his support to the highest bidder, depending on which major party candidate would grant him the juiciest concessions.
It is true, of course, that Kennedy, if confirmed, will do whatever crazy things Trump demands. But this doesn't explain the appointment satisfactorily either, in our view. We entirely understand the President-elect's desire to seed the Justice Department, or the intelligence services, or the State Department, with loyal lapdogs. Trump has things he wants to accomplish, corrupt or illegal as they might be. But does he REALLY want the nation's health management to be badly disrupted? Has he forgotten that the COVID pandemic is what effectively booted him out of office in the first place?
Our best guess, such as it is, is that Trump doesn't particularly trust RFK Jr., and doesn't particularly care about what Junior might do, but he DOES want to pander to the base, and a lot of the base buys what Kennedy is selling. Trump does not need votes anymore, but he loves adulation, and he also needs to move product (branded Bibles and tennis shoes and collectible NFT cards), so he's still motivated to keep his followers happy.
That said, there might well be a serious miscalculation here. Yes, much of the base eats up RFK Jr.'s views on vaccines and mask mandates and Big Medicine. However, Junior is also pro-choice, while the base is not. It's hard to accept that Trumpy voters will gladly accept someone who is on the wrong side of their single-biggest healthcare-related issue. Between Kennedy, and Matt Gaetz, and a few others, it's going to be quite the show when the Senate has to start wrestling with these confirmations.
Oh, one last thing. RFK Jr. did get a vote of confidence from an unexpected place, as the pick was lauded by... Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO). The Governor fired up his social media accounts for a long post that included such comments as this: "I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I'm most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health."
We note Polis' response for only one reason. Like most governors and senators, he looks in the mirror every day and sees a future president. Indeed, we tend to guess that this comment was meant to lay claim to the "centrist who can attract crossover votes" lane. Whatever the purpose was, his presidential aspirations (which were already dubious, given that he is gay and Jewish) are over. Polis does not seem to have noticed that while some Democrats and wacky independents hate vaccines, most Democrats like them very much, particularly with memories of the COVID pandemic still fresh. The Governor realized he had goofed, and followed up with a second posting about how he's a big vaccine fan, but we think he will not be able to live this down, even with 4 years to do so. (Z)