Anti-Vaxxer Confirmed As Health and Human Services Secretary
[guest post by Dana]
The Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health and Human Services secretary, a victory for President Donald Trump after Kennedy faced intense scrutiny over his controversial views on vaccines and public health policy.
The 52-48 vote was largely along party lines, though Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky once again joined with Democrats to oppose the nomination. McConnell has now voted against three of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, more than any other Republican senator.
(Polio survivor) Mitch McConnell’s statement on the vote:
“This Administration – led by the same President who delivered a medical miracle with Project Warp Speed – deserves a leader who is willing to acknowledge without qualification the efficacy of life-saving vaccines and who can demonstrate an understanding of basic elements of the U.S. healthcare system,” McConnell said. “Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency.”
What is there left to say about another catastrophe in the making? Not much, other than between Kennedy, Gabbard, and Hegseth, one can be assured that we are not in the best of hands.
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (1829cc) — 2/13/2025 @ 9:47 amRemember, this is a guy who thinks that we should have given half the population a placebo instead of a COVID shot, so we could compare death rates. Never mind that those who self-selected into the control group died at 10 times the rate across all demographics and cohorts.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:00 amMaybe there is something that needs breaking is all I can say. The CDC’s temptation to call guns a health hazard comes to mind. But I fear that RFKJr’s ideas are more towards blocking life-saving drugs and vaccines in favor of “go to the gym, you fat slob.”
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:03 amStill, it’s no worse than putting Syria on the UN High Commission for Human Rights.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:08 amOne is the loneliest number:
Rip Murdock (03fbfb) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:09 amThere aren’t four GOP Senators brave enough to stand up to a con man and bully.
Paul Montagu (c36845) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:19 amWe’re going to get Trump’s appointees, good and hard. I expect RFK Jr. will live down to my expectations.
Except that Syria on the Human Rights Commission has no impact on the health of Americans.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/13/2025 @ 11:59 amAs Kash Patel’s nomination heads toward a confirmation vote, should we expect anything different?
No.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/13/2025 @ 12:07 pmSyria isn’t a member of the UN Human Rights Council, but even if it were, its influence would be miniscule compared to the influence (and authority) that the HHS Secretary will have over health care in the US.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/13/2025 @ 12:12 pmKennedy, Gabbard, and Hegseth,
Patel, Noem, McMahon, Rubio ….
Quality people don’t work for Trumps.
nk (88e4ea) — 2/13/2025 @ 12:50 pm#5 — It doesn’t matter. Mitch will never live down failing to get fellow senators to vote to convict Trump (and disqualify him). No amount of sternly worded letters will salvage his reputation.
Appalled (f24838) — 2/13/2025 @ 12:52 pmOk.
Give it a few months…
I’ll be happy to compare Trump 2.0 administration to the Biden administration.
I think you’re forgetting how awful the Biden administration was…
whembly (b7cc46) — 2/13/2025 @ 1:07 pmThat’s never the standard most or all Senators use to vote for confirmation, or else they’d be rejecting the nominations of most nominees from all presidents
zit is the standard most presidential candidates pretend to use for picking their vice presidents,
Sammy Finkelman (c143ba) — 2/13/2025 @ 1:47 pmThere was zero ink spilled detailing the awfulness of the last administration. It’s rank partisanship, nothing more.
NJRob (2a509b) — 2/13/2025 @ 2:52 pmExcept that Syria on the Human Rights Commission has no impact on the health of Americans.
Give it time.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 3:09 pmRip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/13/2025 @ 12:12 pm
Simile and metaphor aren’t your strong suits, are they Rip?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 3:10 pmIrrelevant ones, no.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/13/2025 @ 3:16 pmIt doesn’t matter. Mitch will never live down failing to get fellow senators to vote to convict Trump
Three who did vote to convict, voted for this assh0le. If they’d joined Mitch, RFKJr would be home by now.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 3:18 pmIrrelevant ones, no.
What, pray tell, is the difference between a relevant metaphor and an irrelevant one?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 3:19 pmThere was zero ink spilled detailing the awfulness of the last administration.
To Democrats who say things like “Put country before Party” the answer ought to be “You first.” The posturing is risible.
RFK Jr got this job for one reason and only one: His backing of Trump was the difference in the election.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/13/2025 @ 3:21 pmThere wasn’t anything to say. Biden was a Democrat, who picked people in the administration that largely wouldn’t be surprising any Democratic administration. What exactly would have been written? Democrat picks normal democratic cabinet?
Trump on the other hand is picking people no one else would consider, and for good reason. Most democrats pick “Democrats who are qualified for the job.” Most republicans pick “Republicans who are qualified for the job.”
Trump picked “Whackos who are loyal to me.” RFK, Patel, Gabbard, etc aren’t there because he thinks they are going to be good stewards of this country. They are there because they supported him. That’s worth spilling ink about in a way that previous administrations have not been.
That includes his own previous administration, which had a lot of fairly anodyne picks. In 2016, Devos in Ed, Perry in energy, and Carson in HUD were the stand-out odd picks, but those have nothing on this year.
When someone does crazy things, complaining “why didn’t the last person (who didn’t do these crazy things) get called crazy?” seems silly.
Nate (cfb326) — 2/13/2025 @ 9:27 pmIt’s rank partisanship, nothing more.
NJRob (2a509b) — 2/13/2025 @ 2:52 pm
Have you considered that this same description could apply to you?
If memory serves, our host said you were “broken by partisanship”.
norcal (a72384) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:01 pmIt’s rank partisanship, nothing more.
NJRob (2a509b) — 2/13/2025 @ 2:52 pm
Have you considered that this same description could apply to you?
If memory serves, our host said you were “broken by partisanship”.
norcal (a72384) — 2/13/2025 @ 10:12 pmI’m a partisan, I admit that over and over again.
IT’s that former conservatives have become so anti-Trump that they made excuses for the last regime which was atrocious and had an incompetent invalid as the figurehead of the party.
I can admit that Trump is a distasteful person. I can also happily admit that his policies are good for the nation. The NeverTrump brigade has become so partisan they are willing to cut off their own nose to spite their face.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 2/14/2025 @ 4:29 amHaving a president who puts himself above his country isn’t good for the nation.
Tariffs aren’t good for the nation.
Welshing on a trade agreement that he signed isn’t good for the nation.
A president breaking the law isn’t good for the nation.
Cutting taxes isn’t good for the nation, not when we’re $36.2 trillion in debt.
Having a documented crank in charge of HHS isn’t good for the nation.
Having election deniers running the DOJ isn’t good for the nation.
Pushing for ethnically cleansing an entire territory isn’t good for the nation.
Imperialist nonsense like proposing to annex Canada, Panama and Greenland isn’t good for the nation.
Prostrating to a Russian terrorist leader isn’t good for the nation.
Trump treating allies like enemies and enemies like bosom buddies isn’t good for the nation.
Pardoning J6 insurrectionists isn’t good for the nation.
Has Trump a few good things? Yes. Have the good things outweighed? Not that I’ve seen.
Paul Montagu (c36845) — 2/14/2025 @ 6:28 amT’s that former conservatives have become so anti-Trump that they made excuses for the last regime
OK, Rob. Defend RFK Jr and the betrayal of Ukraine. You’re the one making excuses now.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/14/2025 @ 7:29 amThe problem, Paul is the both parties brought us to a position where a large segment of the population supports radical change. That it takes the destruction of the regulatory state, rather than reform, is evidence that 50 years of the GOP working for reform has led much more of the same.
And then babies are in the bathwater.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/14/2025 @ 7:33 amMoving from West LA, where the only admitted Republicans you see are on Fox News, to New Mexico where there is a much greater diversity of opinion has been an eye-opener. The people here who support Trump are not (all) crazy flag-wavers or gap-toothed cretins. And there a lot of them.
One of the things I wish our 1000-channel world allowed was easy access to local news in other places, since that reflects local sentiment well. I suspect that local coverage of Trump is markedly different between Knoxville and Seattle.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/14/2025 @ 7:45 amHow serious is the current flu outbreak? This serious:
Fortunately we now have an HHS secretary — and president — who are uniquely qualified to respond to this outbreak. /sarc
Jim Miller (039bdd) — 2/14/2025 @ 7:54 amDr. Wen has five tips “for getting through the rest of this flu season”.
All five seem sensible to me. (But I must mention that I am not a doctor.) Among other things, I plan to follow her second tip, and get a supply of rapid flu tests.
Jim Miller (039bdd) — 2/14/2025 @ 8:04 amThere are combined COVID/flu tests.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/14/2025 @ 8:10 am#31 Good point. And they don’t seem to be terribly expensive.
Jim Miller (039bdd) — 2/14/2025 @ 8:20 amThere is no betrayal of Ukraine. It’s not our obligation to destroy ourselves for them. You haven’t discussed the spending to Ukraine or where the money goes or the EU’s obligation to them.
RFK Jr was actually honoring an agreement made with him. Since those on here claim Trump welches on all his agreements, I thought you’d applaud him for sticking with one.
HHS cannot be run worse than the last administration that claimed men could have babies.
NJRob (2442a4) — 2/14/2025 @ 9:38 amKevin M (a9545f) — 2/14/2025 @ 7:45 am
I think that is available, or at least snippets are available n the Internet. It just doesn’t come up too often in general searches.
But you can get it
https://www.krqe.com/hill-politics/senate-confirms-rfk-jr-as-health-secretary-mcconnell-lone-gop-dissenter/
Sammy Finkelman (505566) — 2/16/2025 @ 12:26 pm