I have enormous respect and admiration for the work that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. performed during the Covid pandemic. Indeed, during the early stages, when he was speaking on the streets of Europe in spite of his vocal impairment, and drawing tens of thousands of people, it was clear he was doing something pretty special.
And after another physician urged me to read his book, The Real Anthony Fauci, I was astonished that he had gotten every aspect of the public health response to the Covid pandemic precisely right. This was a guy who knew his stuff, and also knew how to communicate it.
When the socialists blocked him out of the presidential race and he teamed up with Trump, it was an auspicious moment. But we now have learned the deal that was made.
The fact is that he brings a mixed bag to the table, at best. He is pro-abortion and pro-socialized medicine. He does not respect the proper constitutional limits with regard to the activities of the federal government. The job of HHS Secretary has enormous authority with implications for these important questions.
I think he should have been given perhaps an undersecretary position with responsibility over certain public health functions of HHS, or perhaps a position as public health “czar” within the White House. That would for the most part take him out of the loop with regard to abortion-related policy and socialized medicine.
His zeal to make the FDA more stringent might appear to offer great promise, but there is a flip side. The FDA is an unconstitutional agency– as is the CDC, the NIH and the entirety of HHS. We can’t make those go away overnight; but we cannot pretend that making the FDA more stringent on a massive scale is proper constitutionally.
The FDA has “jurisdiction” over the abortion pill, which raises another set of issues given the fact he is pro-abortion.
Bobby Kennedy, Jr. has important contributions to make on the public health response to COVID, all that entailed, and some of the structural reforms that need to be made within HHS. But he is not the right guy to give authority over the entire realm of health policy.
RFK Jr. is a one trick pony. Give him responsibility for an area in which he is knowledge.
I agree, Fred. He is really very well versed on public health and scientific issues, and was one of the heroes of the pandemic; but the issue of overall political worldview is a deal- breaker for me.
Please, guys, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Be happy the party is in control and realize that each and every thing is not going to be absolutely perfect or exactly what will please everyone.
Control of both houses of Congress and the WH provide the party with enormous power if they remain UNIFIED and don’t squander it by squabbling and infighting like they did last time.
I understand, Jaycee. I am not within the party and have no influence over those events; nor do I intend to squabble or fight. Just expressing an opinion.
TC, not directing my comment at you as much as the R party in general.
This has always been my biggest gripe about the R party in Congress:
Congressional Dems always stick together and move as a single block to push thru what they want.
The R’s get tangled up with fighting each other over nit-picking stuff until the initiative fizzles out.
That’s true, JayCee. I hope RFK Jr. has a meaningful place in the administration where he can correct all the wrongs that led to the way Covid was handled. And he knows what all the wrongs have been, who committed them and what structures encourage their existence.
I lean towards JayCee’s view. RFK sees more clearly than almost anyone the fascistic structure of the medical-industrial complex. That is saying a lot! His instincts are not unfortunately towards free markets but he understands free markets & that free markets have virtues. Furthermore, I think he is a genuine person, a person of goodwill.
JayCee, you understate the problem with the Republican Party. Half or more of them are Uniparty Neocons who will fight Trump’s agenda nearly as much as Dems. Trump’s Herculean struggle has hurdle after hurdle to go. We should temper our expectations
Healey, I agree with you that RFK has a lot to offer, and in many ways could turn out to be transformational. I just hope he doesn’t do the wrong things on socialized medicine and abortion. Of course, much of the GOP has waved the white flag on these issues anyway.