“‘He is a very sensible old man,’ said Lloyd George to me when next we met; and so indeed he proved as long as his faculties remained. Even some of his most bitter opponents were forced to admit, ‘Better a Zero than a Nero.’ However he was 77, and his term of office was to be seven years. Few expected him to be returned again.” — Winston Churchill writing about Paul von Hindenburg, the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934 (“The Gathering Storm”)
When historians rank the Presidents of the United States, President Biden will be in the top tier, along with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Historians have a soft spot for Presidents who governed in trying times, and President Biden has been faced with a deeply divided nation, global warming and the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which may have been encouraged by former President Trump.
While the President has a great deal of power, it is checked by Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution, which requires the President to get the advice and consent of the Senate both for treaties and appointments. Advice is freely available, but consent can be hard to come by. The result is that although he’s been an excellent President, Biden’s poll numbers are disappointing. The web site 538, which analyzes poll numbers from several polling organizations, shows the President’s approval rating at 40.7% and disapproval at 54.9%. If he gets the nomination, which seems probable, we will be treated, not to celebrations of President Biden out maneuvering the Republicans by saving the world economy from US default on the national debt, but to pictures of President Biden falling down on the stairs to Air Force 1.
While there is speculation that a number of Democrats might run for the nomination, notably Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, only two people have declared candidacy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., polling at about 20%, and Marianne Williamson, polling at around 8%. What seems significant about Mr. Kennedy’s poll numbers are that they are at about the same level as Ron DeSantis’ among Republicans, even though Gov. DeSantis has received considerably more press attention. Mr. Kennedy almost certainly benefits from name recognition, although some people may think they’re supporting his uncle or even his father.
To Mr. Kennedy’s credit, he is leaving a brilliant future behind him. Among his past achievements was 33 years of service to Riverkeepers, reversing the pollution of the nation’s waterways, so that it is now possible to go fishing, and even swimming in New York’s Hudson River. His election web site manages to avoid specifics, essentially promising to bind the nation’s wounds, and return to the Camelot of John Kennedy’s administration. These are probably impossible achievements for anybody below the rank of Archangel. On the other hand, an article in Politico magazine (May 8, 2019) is headed “RFK Jr. Is Our Brother and Uncle. He’s Tragically Wrong About Vaccines.” It was written by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Maeve Kennedy Mckean, They write “Americans have every right to be alarmed about the outbreak of measles in pockets of our country with unusually high rates of unvaccinated citizens, especially children. Right now, officials in 22 states are grappling with a resurgence of the disease, which was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. With over 700 cases already reported and indications that more outbreaks will occur, 2019 will likely see the most recorded cases of measles in decades. And it’s not just measles. In Maine, health officials in March reported 41 new cases of whooping cough, another disease once thought to be a relic of the past—more than twice as many cases as this time last year …”
These tragic numbers are caused by the growing fear and mistrust of vaccines—amplified by internet doomsayers. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—Joe and Kathleen’s brother and Maeve’s uncle—is part of this campaign to attack the institutions committed to reducing the tragedy of preventable infectious diseases. He has helped to spread dangerous misinformation over social media and is complicit in sowing distrust of the science behind vaccines.”
Jim Newell, writing in Slate.com (5/1/23) said, “He has been one of the leading figures of the anti-vaccine movement since the 2000s and a proponent of the debunked theory that childhood vaccines cause autism. He was not, to say the least, a fan of the COVID-19 vaccines or mandates, and he accused Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates of teaming up to profit off them. His conspiratorial thinking spreads much further, as he’s also been on a crusade against 5G. In the mainstream, he’s long been cast off as a kook. But kooks have followings too.”
If Mr. Kennedy is to be taken seriously as a candidate he has an obligation to state his positions on vaccines and cryptocurrency among other things. Vague promises about truth, justice and the American way simply aren’t enough.
Sam Uretsky is a writer and pharmacist living in Louisville, Ky. Email sdu01@outlook.com.
From The Progressive Populist, July 1-15, 2023
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