The Kennedy name has been enshrined in the minds of Americans since the early 1960s as a symbol of American liberalism.
This legacy has been tarnished and ruined by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy were transformative political figures for the Democratic party in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
During RFK’s campaign for the presidential nomination in 1968, he visited the underprivileged regions of Appalachia and focused heavily on the unseen Black voters across the country, according to the U.S. History Organization.
Two of the brothers were unfortunately assassinated: JFK in 1963 and RFK in 1968, before they could implement most of their liberal reforms in government. But their legacy lives on.
Their principles and political ambitions extended to their youngest brother, Edward Kennedy, who served as a senator for Massachusetts from 1962 to 2009. He was a strong advocate for health care and the unspoken voters of America, according to an October 2009 ASHA Leader article.
In April 2023, RFK Jr., the eldest son of Robert F. Kennedy, filed his candidacy for the presidency with the intention to run as a democratic candidate against Biden, according to an April 19, 2023, NPR article.
In October 2023, he announced he would instead run as an Independent candidate, according to an Oct. 9, 2023 New York Times article.
With this announcement, many believed that the nostalgic and memorable times of the long-dead Kennedy brothers would return. They were proven wrong almost instantly.
During RFK Jr.’s short-lived presidential campaign, he propagated his opinions on modern vaccines, healthcare in America, abortion and his controversial thoughts on the assassinations of his father and uncle, according to a Nov. 14, 2024 Associated Press article.
RFK Jr.’s campaign ended in late August 2024, when he cut a deal with Donald Trump to support him in return for a cabinet position, according to an Aug. 23, 2024, NPR article.
RFK Jr. then crossed the party lines of his father and uncles and wholeheartedly threw his support behind Trump.
About a week after the election, Donald Trump announced Kennedy would run the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a Nov. 14, 2024 CNN article.
This nomination is ironic, as RFK Jr. has no qualification to oversee this department and has ardently voiced his hatred of scientifically proven vaccines.
Also, RFK Jr. is the founder and lead attorney for the Children’s Health Defense organization: an anti-vaccine organization facing lawsuits from news organizations for the spread of misinformation surrounding vaccines and diseases in children, according to a March 18, 2024 Associated Press article.
It’s safe to say that Kennedy was woefully unprepared for the Department of Health and Human Services, which some senators, such as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), called out.
In late January, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK, sent a letter to the Senate warning of her cousin’s nature and calling for them not to confirm him to the cabinet, according to a Jan. 28 New York Times article.
She claims that her cousin’s views on vaccines are dangerous and that he encouraged substance abuse among family members such as David Kennedy, who died in 1984 following a drug overdose, according to the same New York Times article.
His sister, Kerry, warned against her brother’s controversial views on vaccines and race, calling his remarks “deplorable and untruthful,” according to the Jan. 28 New York Times article.
She further disavowed her brother, claiming he has set fire to their father’s memory by supporting Donald Trump, according to an Aug. 26, 2024 article from The Independent.
Kerry runs the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization, a non-profit advocating for the promotion of human rights in America, and carries on the legacy of her father.
Jack Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s son, has posted multiple videos on social media warning people of RFK Jr.’s dangerous political nature, according to a Jan. 29 Politico article.
Despite this, Kennedy was approved by the Senate by a 52-48 vote, with McConnell being the only opposing Republican, according to a Feb. 13 CNN article.
He now has the power to influence the U.S. Drug and Food Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medicare programs, according to a Feb. 13 article from Health Policy Watch.
Kennedy seeks to underplay the importance of vaccines and instead promote false information regarding their symptoms.
Instead of endorsing the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, Kennedy told doctors to give children Vitamin A to counteract the measles outbreak in West Texas, according to a March 2 article from The New York Times.
In the coming years, Kennedy and Trump can alter much of American healthcare. The only things stopping this from happening are Congress and other members of the government.
If you are concerned for the future of American healthcare, write to your representatives and senators. Organize peaceful protests in opposition to their coming changes. And when the time comes, elect the politicians who will truly fight for the good of the American people.
The ideas being spread are increasingly dangerous for the health of the American people and we must fight back and push against their attempts to destroy American healthcare.
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