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RFK Jr. gives glory to God during his confirmation hearing:
— Anna Lulis (@annamlulis) January 29, 2025
“The first thing I’ve done every morning for the past 20 years is get on my knees and pray to God that He would put me in a position to end the chronic disease epidemic and help America’s children.”
Jesus is Lord. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/HaXDNR8Sg5
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And while I have some rather severe things to say about RFK Jr. when it comes to his record on childhood vaccines, I also think it’s crazy for conservatives to reflexively adopt the current FDA’s status quo as if ingesting Red Dye No. 5 were some ancient and profound liberty.
If the GOP follows conservative advice and spikes him, it will be doing something to maintain the lines of conservative orthodoxy. And it will be doing it at a cost. Because it will also be the first step in dismantling Trump’s narrowly winning coalition.
Ed: There are good arguments to oppose this nomination, but Michael Brendan Dougherty makes a good argument about what the impact would be. One has to ask: is the priority “draining the swamp,” or just managing the status quo?
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In their own way, both Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. represent parts of the new coalition in our party.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 29, 2025
To say they’re unwelcome in the cabinet is to insult those new voters.
To reject their confirmation is to reject the idea that President Trump decides his cabinet.
Ed: J.D.. Vance grasps that point, too.
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"The receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, and charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He's made it his life's work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines," Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the panel, charged in his opening statement.
Moments later, as Kennedy delivered his own opening comments and said "news reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety," a protester shouted out "you lie."
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Senator Bernie Sanders, screaming:
— Dr Manhattva (@Manhattva) January 29, 2025
“Are you supportive of the onesies!”
We live in clown world. pic.twitter.com/pQjoRZuISq
Ed: And we thought that Democrats might learn a lesson...
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Dr. Robert Redfield, who led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during President Trump’s first-term administration, asked senators in a letter to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite the nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services attacking Redfield in his 2021 book.
Redfield, who supports the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, worked with the Trump campaign to help mesh the “MAGA-MAHA” alliance between the Trump and Kennedy camps. “Kennedy is not anti-vaccine,” Redfield wrote in a letter to senators earlier this week. “His inquiries prove he’s more science-oriented than many of his critics.”
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I would say that Sheldon Whitehouse treated RFK Jr worse than he treats black people at his beach club, but that’s not true because Sheldon Whitehouse’s beach club doesn’t allow black people. https://t.co/lRZyqDZizK
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) January 29, 2025
Ed: And we thought that Democrats might learn a lesson … but at least Whitehouse was slightly more honest about it. Mazie Hirono and a few other Democrats have only barely avoided monologues by posing their lecture in the form of questioning without waiting for answers. Also, Kurt’s spot-on about this embarrassment in the Senate.
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This moment sums up exactly how RFK Jr's confirmation hearing has gone.
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 29, 2025
Sen. Peter Welch asked him a bunch of questions, and just when Bobby opened his mouth to answer, Welch interrupted him.
"But you've asked me 5 questions. You gotta give me a chance to answer one of them." pic.twitter.com/XKP2eu99pj
Ed: As I said … at least Whitehouse was slightly more honest about it.
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When asked by senators on both sides of the aisle about abortion, Kennedy reiterated his personal position that “every abortion is a tragedy” and declined to go into detail on abortion policy. He acknowledged that he has previously expressed pro-choice views.
“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy. I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year,” said Kennedy.
Ed: This is one of my biggest concerns with Kennedy at the top of HHS. He insisted that he would implement Trump’s policies, but the position allows for a lot of power to promote abortion and penalize pro-life providers. Is draining the swamp worth ceding that ground? I … don’t really think so, and I’m not reassured yet on this point.
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JUST IN: Billionaire Nicole Shanahan vows to fund primary challengers of 13 specific U.S. Senators who don't support RFK Jr's confirmation, calls them out by name.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 29, 2025
Good.
"I will make it my personal mission that you lose your seats in the Senate if you vote against the future… pic.twitter.com/JushhFdAcM
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was thought to be open to voting for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, now says the nominee is in serious trouble after his rocky confirmation hearing.
“I don’t think it went well for him today. I don’t think that was a good one,” he said after Kennedy sparred with Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee over his past statements and stance on vaccines.
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RFK Jr's confirmation hearing is officially OVER. The entire room just erupted in cheers for him. Now the Senate MUST vote to confirm!
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 29, 2025
"Mr. Kennedy, I look forward to working with you." - Chairman Mike Crapo. pic.twitter.com/bWUOS17YRJ
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