The nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr to the office of Secretary of Health and Human Services opens this nation to a couple of positive and truly revolutionary potentials; not to mention it proves we were well advised to elect Donald Trump President. Keeping his word on this is a very big deal.
Robert Kennedy Jr., seems, to me, to be the most informed and seemingly well intention-ed advocate for the vigorous health of the America people on the current national stage. They try to slur him about vaccines from long ago, but it doesn't matter. When you listen to his expansive erudition on the subject you realize that slur is at worst a tiny wavelet compared to the veritable tsunami of knowledge and dare we say it, wisdom, he brings to the discussion about our national crisis of chronic disease. I expect him to be as good as his word, and sincerely work to empower us to greatly improve our national health.
While we can be pretty sure he will be resisted in his efforts by the most sluggish, corrupt and disobedient bureaucracy in the history of failing empires, that actually opens up the potential for truly revolutionary action when Robert Kennedy Jr. does become the head of HHS. If Secretary Kennedy produces some obviously beneficial policies (as I think, hope and expect he will ) a great many more than the 51% of the people who voted for this administration will probably favor the implementation of these policies as soon as possible. Especially if someone as persuasive as a Secretary Kennedy is making the case. Or going further, playing the role of a conductor of an orchestra of citizen activists.
Then, the revolution can really start. We simply empower the people, especially the people who interact with the bureaucrats as clients, by keeping them up to date on the latest policy edicts from the Secretary. Every recipient of services can be encouraged to know and assert their rights in dealing with a government employee or agency, and be empowered to identify agencies or individuals who seem to be tardy or lax in adhering to new directives from the secretary. In other words, we, the people can play a role in enforcing these new policies from the bottom up, if we have a mind to, and even more if the Secretary's office was helping coordinate bottom up enforcement. We could then deal with the state, as individuals, with the power of the state on our side for once. Then, with pressure for reform being exerted from both above and below, it is feasible that a corrupt center of a dying empire might possibly, this once, get beaten back by an aroused populace. Non-violent revolution indeed.
Which brings up the second revolutionary potential; being that his confirmation as Secretary of HHS will probably will be a positive development we, the people, should step up as one at this time to make sure he is confirmed. Consider this: Even before he joined with the Trump campaign, many people on both sides regarded Kennedy as a good, but impossible to elect, second choice. Almost every one who listens to him acknowledges he could do a lot of good in the areas of health and nutrition.
If everyone who in their heart agrees with Bobby Kennedy; agrees with him that it is past time we stand up to Big Pharma, would actually write their senator asking them to confirm him, he would win easily. All it will really take is for a lot of well meaning progressives to drop their unthinking resistance to every aspect of the incoming administration. Get over that paralyzing mind bias. Sure, Donald Trump won, and is going to have a lot of power, and that might be hard to take. So what?
The important thing at this point is to realize a lot of that power President Trump wields has to be delegated by him to the various secretaries of the various departments. Much real power is in the hands of those secretaries. In a lot of ways, we should think of it as though Robert Kennedy Jr. is running for President of the Department of Health and Human Services. Anyone who thinks he would make a good president of that department has one more chance to vote for him, and that is by writing a letter to each of your senators telling them your opinion. Especially if you are dyed deep in the wool blue in an ocean blue state. Any word from you in favor of Mr. Kennedy's confirmation will carry tremendous weight. Thus, the overwhelming influence of Big Pharma might actually be resisted and broken. That would also be revolutionary, in a good way.
These senators are under heavy pressure from their Big Pharma donors, and the only way to overcome that pressure from above is even greater pressure coming from below. Everyone, and that means every ding dang one of us has to contact their senators. If everyone who stands to benefit, or hopes to benefit, by Robert Kennedy Jr. being the head of HHS will make their voice heard between now and the confirmation hearings, it will be a truly revolutionary move because he should then easily win confirmation.
While that might seem an over confident assertion, consider how Mr. Kennedy has, in the last few months, improved American politics by re-inventing them., More accurately, he did it by re-introducing a long lost element of American politics; which is maneuvering across party lines with real working coalitions.
He started this cycle a Democrat, then went independent, and then threw his support (and supporters) to Trump with the understanding he would be named head of HHS. With that agreement and Kennedy's endorsement, the health issue swung in their direction in the hearts of (especially) White women. I do think the coalition of MAGA and MAHA is why Trump won, and it bodes well for our future.
For decades it has been loudly lamented by some that we don't really have meaningful political coalition building in our system, and because of that defect maybe a parliamentary system would be superior. That is an understandable but incorrect analysis because our system has, historically, been a cauldron of competing and combining coalitions. For some reason we stopped, for the most part, doing that kind of coalition building sometime in the 1930's
Many competing coalitions was certainly normal at the time of Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, William Allen White, and many other Progressive characters. Minor parties would bargain with both major parties for accommodations and guarantees. The same held true during the era of the Whigs dying and the GOP being born. There was a convoluted, writhing mass of competing and cooperating coalitions, small parties and special interests.
Probably the central malfunction in our system of government for the last seven or so decades is that we have gotten trapped between these two permanently competing but completely moribund political coalitions. Our vaunted two party national divide. The political moves of both Robert Kennedy Jr. and President-elect Donald Trump have combined to break that trap and present us with a new/old way of doing politics. We would be wise to move into such a mode; wherein interest groups cohere within themselves enough that they can move, in a coordinated way, between the major parties. That way of doing things will tend to give more power to smaller voices, and put a premium on debate and persuasion. We can, as a people, endorse and further that mode change in our politics by getting Robert Kennedy Jr confirmed to be Secretary of HHS
So it has come to this, our true moment of revolution.
At this time, we the people must make our voices heard in the halls of congress. Anyone who is already convinced by having heard Mr. Kennedy speak regarding health, nutrition, and chronic disease, it is time for you, for once in your life, to send an actual letter to your senator. Both of them in fact, because all senators will vote for or against his confirmation.
For those of you who have never heard him speak to the issues, by all means find some of Robert Kennedy Jr.'s speeches online. I am confident most of you will come to agree with almost everything he says. When you do find yourself in agreement with him, then you also, for once in your life, should make your voice heard in the halls of congress. Write a senator or two.
Finally, let me further emphasize this point. Actually writing a letter (call, text, email X whatever, Make contact !!), at this time, on this one issue, is probably more important than any vote you have ever cast or will ever cast. There are some terrible and powerful forces arrayed against Mr. Kennedy, undoubtedly the most evil forces in history, well known to the Kennedy family. This is a real chance to defeat them, possibly the first and last chance we will ever have. If what Mr. Kennedy espouses is true, and it sounds logical and feels true to me, then we absolutely must reverse the chronic decline of our nation's health if we are to survive. Happily, Robert Kennedy Jr. is just the person to get that reversal accomplished.
Getting him confirmed gives us the first real hope we have ever had that we might get out from under the thumb of Big Pharma. Plus, it could move us into a coalition building mode, a much better mode, of American governance. Kennedy's only real protection against the onslaught of evil he faces, and thus his only real prospect of confirmation, is us; our prayerful, collective, vigilant, intentional and active participation as citizens of this blessed nation.
Write a letter. Confirm RFK Jr to HHS.
