The ultimate push from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. towards changing into overseer of America’s well being care system bought off to a spicy begin on Wednesday in his opening hour earlier than the Senate Finance Committee. There have been protesters. A menace to herald the police. A fiery efficiency from the normally low-key Michael Bennet!
Dramatic worth apart, the early back-and-forth additionally supported the widespread assumption heading into this affirmation: No matter how tough the affirmation questioning will get or how squirrelly Kennedy’s solutions, the Republican majority will jam him on via.
The panel’s Democratic members got here out swinging, confronting Kennedy along with his controversial, at occasions contradictory, statements on all the things from vaccines to abortion entry. Republicans, in flip, principally steered onerous towards points that had been extra generic — or not less than far afield of Kennedy’s bother spots: division transparency, pharmacy profit managers and, considerably peculiarly, youngsters inappropriately positioned by the Workplace of Refugee Resettlement.
Kennedy’s efficiency was notably unsteady. Sure, he has a neurological situation that makes his voice raspy, however he additionally appeared slightly shaky and decidedly nervous. He bought some stuff incorrect. And he repeatedly let himself get sucked into attempting to disclaim or clarify away questionable statements for which the Democrats had introduced the receipts. As this course of rolls on, somebody would possibly need to remind him of Ronald Reagan’s commentary that “for those who’re explaining, you’re dropping.” The periodic outbursts from the viewers weren’t serving to his move.
However at this level, whether or not Kennedy can clarify himself coherently, a lot much less convincingly, could not matter. If the president is pondering of his cupboard secretaries extra as entertaining entrance women and men than as top-tier leaders or managers, then Kennedy suits the invoice higher than most: He’s a celeb, he’s usually fairly charismatic, he’s into performative masculinity, he’s thirsty for consideration, he’ll say just about something …
As for the weirder parts of Kennedy’s file, it’s onerous to see Republican senators getting all that labored up in regards to the issues just like the bear carcass or the conspiracy theories involving the C.I.A. or his disrespectful remedy of girls or his youthful delight (per his cousin) in puréeing small creatures to feed his pet falcon. If something, these tendencies simply make him appear extra on model for Trump world. And, as Pete Hegseth’s affirmation confirmed, Trump world is keen to steamroller over the considerations and objections of even Republican senators.
Kennedy is a first-class disrupter — and one keen to alter his form as Trump sees match. He might have 30 bear heads in his freezer and a dozen manifestoes denouncing trendy medication, and my cash would nonetheless be on his getting confirmed.
