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RFK Jr.: the last relevant man of the Kennedy Dynasty

The Kennedys, a dynasty in decline, have no choice but to appreciate how the black sheep of the family is triumphing in the political arena.

Elecciones presidenciales 2024: Kennedy bajó su candidatura en agosto para respaldar a Trump/

A file image of RFK Jr.AFP / Mattew Hatcher

6 minutes read

Update: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as secretary of health and human services on Feb. 13.

For years now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made a name for himself nationally (and globally) through his litigation as an environmental lawyer.

His main achievement in his career as a litigator was related to major lawsuits against corporations and the protection and cleanup of rivers.

RFK Jr., who holds a BA in History and American Literature from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Virginia, began to approach the world of environmentalism when he studied at Pace University, where he earned a master's degree in environmental law. He then worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan before being admitted to the New York State Bar.

But his biggest step as a lawyer came when he started volunteering with the Hudson River Fishermen's Association (now known as Riverkeeper).

This non-profit organization, which sought to clean up the Hudson River in New York, took legal action against government and private entities that caused pollution in the waterway with the help of RFK Jr. In 1997, according to his biography, the one-time Democrat, now reconverted to independent leader, played a key role when Riverkeeper negotiated a NYC watershed memorandum to protect the upstate reservoir system as well as the city's drinking water quality.

Later, RFK Jr. rose to fame with his book “The Riverkeepers,” which earned him a profile in Time which listed him, along with environmental activist John Cronin, as a "hero of the planet."

Following that success, Kennedy Jr. became a co-founder of Pace's successful Environmental Litigation Clinic and founder of Waterkeeper Alliance, a clean water advocacy group that has a presence in many countries around the world.

RFK Jr. could have devoted himself to only having a brilliant career as an environmental lawyer. However, in 2023 his life took a different turn when, despite his family's scorn and rebuff, he launched a Democratic presidential candidacy that, at first, was not planned.

Seeing that in the blue party the chances of a primary were unlikely, especially since Democrats were not interested in Joe Biden stepping into a debate ring, RFK Jr. opted for an independent candidacy where he vowed to "bash" the Democratic president and Donald Trump.

Following in the footsteps of his uncle and father, both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s, 'Bob', who achieved his greatest political accomplishment months ago after being named nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by President-elect Donald Trump, became a politician with many views at odds with the dominant trends of the day, mainly on health-related issues, which have earned him harsh nicknames such as "anti-vaccine" and "conspiracy theorist."

However, beyond the headlines of the establishment media, it is a fact that RFK Jr., the black sheep of the Kennedy family, is today the last relevant man of a dynasty in decline.

Against all odds, RFK Jr. managed to break through in a presidential campaign where, until the day of his retirement, he stood with numbers ranging between five and seven percent of voting intention in swing states, a fact that led President Trump to approach Kennedy to negotiate his endorsement.

In the face of all possible criticism, Trump, who once harshly questioned Kennedy, acknowledged his support and performance during the final months of the campaign and handed him the much sought-after health care portfolio, setting off the media and Democrats who see RFK Jr. as an outdated and dangerous man.

However, RFK Jr.'s proposals, today, are the subject of debate. While there is some consensus that Kennedy's views on traditional vaccines were for many moments out of tune, in recent years he forged a harsh criticism of the pharmaceutical industry and health authorities for inaccurate recommendations and information about COVID-19 vaccines.

"We have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic. I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth," Kennedy said on the day Trump revealed his nomination. "Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science. I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families."

Under the slogan of Make America Healthy Again, RFK Jr. now faces a big challenge: to stop being an outside critic of government bureaucracy, to start getting muddy in it and generate profound changes from within a complex structure that sees him as an insider threat.

First, RFK Jr. must convince enough senators at his confirmation hearings, likely having to answer many questions about his ideas related to vaccines and agricultural pesticides, a key issue for many Republican senators in targeted states.

RFK Jr. has also held controversial views related to fluoridation of drinking water, arguing that it is an unnecessary way to deliver the mineral, also available in toothpastes.

However, RFK Jr. is actually gaining popularity in his approach to making America healthy again in food.

It's no secret that the United States has been going through a severe obesity crisis for decades. According to DC data from 2023, in 23 states more than one in three adults (35%) are obese. And, if all states are counted, at least one in five adults (20%) in every state in the country is obese.

RFK Jr. makes a clear case for improving Americans' eating habits. Urging citizens to maintain healthier diets and discouraging the use of vegetable oils or excessive sugar consumption.

One of the biggest proposals of the Health Secretary candidate is to ban ingredients used in foods that are not allowed in European countries.

"The reason for that is corruption," RFK Jr. said in an interview on Fox & Friends. "The food industry and big agriculture producers control the FDA, and so they're not worried about public health; they're worried about advancing the mercantile interests of those corporations."

To that end, RFK Jr. weighs an idea that would radically change the US food industry: a major rewrite of the Food and Drug Administration's rules governing food additives, a move that is in sync with his pledge to eliminate toxic chemicals from the food supply.

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