Kennedy's lies about vaccines got him here. Now he's lying to the Senate – and you. | Opinion
The man is a single pecan shy of a bucket of mixed nuts. And Trump, in his infinite lack of wisdom, wants to put him in charge of America's health.
Today in “Oh, gimme a break!” news, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguably the most bonkers of all President Donald Trump’s abundantly bonkers Cabinet picks, declared in a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing that he is not anti-vaccine.
I’ll give you a few moments to stop laughing before you continue reading. I’ll also remind you that Kennedy – RFK Jr., of all people – is being considered to head up the sprawling U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And now I’ll give you a few moments to scream.
Ready? OK.
To be clear, Kennedy’s years of dangerous anti-vaccine rhetoric are the only reason any of us know who he is. If you take away his anti-vax street cred, the man is little more than a sun-worn leather saddle that became a real boy.
Kennedy's claims that he's not anti-vaccine are beyond absurd
“I want to make sure the committee is clear about a few things,” Kennedy said at the opening of Wednesday’s hearing. “News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety.”
C’mon, buddy. We’re not all suckers like the folks you’ve fleeced with your two-bit pseudoscience and horrifically manipulative fearmongering about lifesaving vaccines.
That have-it-both-ways comment is like a flat-earther saying, “I am not a flat-earther, nor am I anti-sphere. I am just asking questions and refusing to accept the lies Big Telescope has been feeding us.”
Medical professionals plead with Senate to not confirm RFK Jr.
Earlier this month, more than 15,000 doctors signed on to a letter posted by the Committee to Protect Health Care that read, in part:
“RFK Jr. has spent decades undermining public confidence in vaccines, spreading false claims and conspiracy theories, even going so far as comparing vaccination programs to Nazi Germany. His organization, Children's Health Defense, has fueled the long-debunked myth that vaccines cause autism. This falsehood – based on a retracted study by a doctor who lost his medical license – has generated widespread distrust in life-saving vaccines, leaving children unprotected from preventable diseases and communities at risk of outbreaks.”
RFK Jr. in charge of America's health is 'too much of a risk for our country'
During the hearing, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire called BS on Kennedy’s claims of being pro-vaccine.
“This is too much of a risk for our country, and there is no reason that any of us should believe that you have reversed the anti-vaccine views that you have promoted for 25 years,” she said.
That’s absolutely right.
Kennedy's monstrous conspiracy theories are wholly disqualifying
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon smartly said of Kennedy: “He has made it his life's work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids lifesaving vaccines. It has been lucrative for him and put him on the verge of immense power.”
Kennedy has called the COVID-19 vaccine “the deadliest vaccine ever made.” He promoted ivermectin to combat the coronavirus, which is nonsense. He has falsely claimed mass shootings are connected to antidepressants.
He has suggested that 5G wireless service can “harvest our data and control our behavior.” He founded the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense and made a slew of money off it, but now he likes vaccines?
The man is a single pecan shy of a bucket of mixed nuts. And Trump, in his infinite lack of wisdom, wants to put him in charge of America’s health.
Republicans will likely bow to Trump and confirm Kennedy
Pliant Republican senators will undoubtedly sit and nod and pretend to admire Kennedy’s blather. And because they apparently fear Trump more than a massive measles outbreak, they’ll probably vote to confirm him.
Democrats don’t have the votes to stop his confirmation, though I’d recommend they do a little more than what they’ve been doing to stop or at least get in the way of Kennedy getting the job. And I’d recommend that Americans who aren’t easily duped by con artists light up their senators’ phone lines and email inboxes and encourage them to find someone – anyone – more qualified. (Quite literally anyone would be more qualified.)
Remember, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying he believes in vaccines is like a Satanist saying he believes in God. Don’t be fooled. Take a sniff and you can smell the sulfur.
Follow Paste BN columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk