General Discussion

The daughter of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who’s served as U.S. ambassador to both Japan and Australia, is RFK Jr.’s first cousin. Caroline has been notoriously private when it comes to press, but as RFK heads to Capitol Hill in hopes of being confirmed as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, she’s speaking out in a very public way.

In a letter to Congress, Caroline calls RFK Jr. a “predator” who “preys on the desperation of parents and sick children” with his anti-vaccine rhetoric. She says that her father and both her Kennedy uncles (including RFK Jr.’s own father) would be “disgusted” by his political conduct. And she declares that Americans deserve “a stable, moral, and ethical person” to lead the charge on our healthcare system — and therefore, she formally asks the Senate to reject his nomination.

snip

Overseeing the FDA, the NIH, the CDC, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us — is an enormous responsibility, and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed. These facts alone should be disqualifying. But he has personal qualities related to this position which, for me, post even greater concern.

snip

I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator. He has always been charismatic — able to attract others through the strength of his personality, willingness to take risks and break the rules. I watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction. His basement, his garage, and his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.