There is plenty to be said about the picks of the 47 administration, but I’ll stick to just the ones that are in my lane.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services
Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric
Kennedy has promoted the scientifically discredited belief that childhood vaccines cause autism.
- Debunked Study: The initial study that suggested a link between vaccines and autism was published in 1998. This study was later retracted due to serious flaws and ethical violations. The author, Andrew Wakefield, lost his medical license.
- Large-Scale Studies: Numerous large-scale studies have found no link between vaccines and autism. For example, a study published in JAMA in 2015 analyzed the health records of over 95,000 children and found no increased risk of autism associated with the MMR vaccine.
- CDC Findings: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has conducted multiple studies that found no association between vaccines and autism. These studies also found no link between thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in some vaccines, and autism.
- Meta-Analysis: A meta-analysis of ten studies involving more than 1.2 million children reaffirmed that vaccines do not cause autism. In fact, immunization was associated with a decreased risk of developing autism.
The overwhelming consensus in the scientific community is that vaccines are safe and do not cause autism.
He questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and made misleading claims about vaccine testing.
Controversial Statements: He has invoked Hitler and Nazi Germany when speaking out against vaccine mandates and using a metaphor that vaccinating children is like sex abuse in the Catholic church. Not only is that minimizing the impact of the harm from sexual abuse, but also minimizes the horrors of the Holocaust.
Misinformation: Kennedy has spread various conspiracy theories, including false claims about the origins of HIV and the safety of vaccines.
Personal Scandals: He has admitted to bizarre incidents, such as dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park, cutting the head off of a whale and taking it on the roof of his car, and has been accused of engaging in an online relationship with a political reporter despite being married. I visited the carcass of a dead whale two weeks ago and had ZERO desire to cut off its head, much less to take it somewhere on the roof of my car.
It’s pretty clear that all of this is a revenue and political scheme for him. Without those motives, most people would think he needs some professional help. He’s definitely not worthy of this position. Trump talked today about wanting RFK Jr. to investigate autism further, in spite of how much it has been studied. Even when given the information that the increase has to do with better detection, he still deflected, and even went as far as saying maybe chlorine in the water is causing it. It wasn’t that long ago that Trump was talking about injecting bleach for COVID. I can’t believe he is going to be in office again.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Bhattacharya is a professor of health policy at Stanford University and a proponent of natural immunity through infection.
Great Barrington Declaration: Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD), which opposed lockdowns and advocated for “focused protection” of vulnerable populations. This stance was criticized by many public health experts who argued that it underestimated the risks of COVID-19 and could lead to higher mortality rates. There are many problems with the GBD.
- Unrealistic Assumptions: The declaration assumes that “focused protection” of vulnerable populations is feasible. In reality, it is extremely difficult to isolate vulnerable individuals completely from the rest of the population.
- Herd Immunity Misconception: It promotes the idea of achieving herd immunity through natural infection, which is risky and could lead to a high number of deaths and long-term health issues. The idea of getting a vascular disease known to cause damage to every organ system to provide immunity to that disease is insanity, especially when it would require repeat infections.
- Lack of Long-Term Immunity: The declaration does not account for the fact that immunity from natural infection may not be long-lasting, especially with the emergence of new variants. We knew this would not work very early in the pandemic due to the events that unfolded in Manaus, Brazil.
- Ethical Concerns: Many experts argue that allowing the virus to spread unchecked among the young and healthy is unethical and could overwhelm healthcare systems. Ethicists in the future will be reviewing this era as a case study around the notion of harming children to protect society.
- “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- Public Health Impact: The declaration undermines public health measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccination, which are proven to reduce the spread of the virus. Problems with the GBD are thoroughly covered by Dr. Jonathan Howard in an episode of his excellent podcast titled “The Great Barrington Declaration’s Doomed Herd Immunity Plan.”
Criticism of Lockdowns and Mask Mandates: Bhattacharya has been vocal against lockdowns and mask mandates, which put him at odds with many public health officials. His testimony in a Tennessee school mask mandate case was described as “troubling and problematic” by the judge. Imagine how bad things would have been during the delta and original omicron waves if these interventions would not have been in place.
Social Media Censorship: His views on COVID-19 policies led to his Twitter account being placed on a “Trends Blacklist” to prevent his tweets from appearing in trending topics.
Lack of Leadership Experience: Critics have pointed out that Bhattacharya lacks leadership experience in government or large organizations, which raises concerns about his ability to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
He also supports letting 25% of the population die of disease, such as during the plague of Athens.
Dr. David Weldon for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Weldon is a former U.S. Representative and has a history of opposing vaccines, including claiming that thimerosal causes autism, which has been debunked long ago. He was in Congress from 1995-2009, so there’s a pretty good chance that he didn’t stay very current on medicine during that time, although he returned to private practice.
He is an internal medicine physician whose “interests include the management of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, cancer screening, preventive care and general illnesses of the elderly.” He lacks any specific skills in public health, infectious diseases, or epidemiology, which are core to leading the CDC. He’s likely to follow the antivaccine agenda of RFK Jr. closely.
Dr. Mehmet Oz (Dr. Oz) for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Mehmet Oz was likely a good cardiothoracic surgeon, but his troubles started when he was to kick off the 83rd annual American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) conference. His presentation was based on a flawed study design and he was banned from speaking at the conference or publishing in their journal for two years.
He promotes and sells supplements though TV and other media channels, often without disclosing his financial ties. Typically, the supplement market is filled with grifters selling the modern version of snake oil and is unregulated. Even his colleagues think he is a quack, notable among them, Dr. Scott Atlas, who was a special advisor under Trump related to COVID, and a quack in his own regard.
Dr. Marty Makary for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner
Makary is a COVID misinformation spreader. Some examples include the effectiveness of masks, the risk of myocarditis from vaccines, and the benefits of natural immunity. He argued that the US would reach herd immunity by April 2021, hence opposing vaccine mandates, lockdowns, and universal masking. He seems to be part of the club that wants children diseased or dead.
There is plenty more to be found about Makary at Science Based Medicine. He is in no way suited to lead a government health agency.
We are in serious trouble with these five.
