Donald Trump nominee abruptly withdrawn
With the awful nominees of RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel all making it through the Senate (due largely because of Republicans having a sizable majority – even if not a solid one), it’s easy to despair over the worst that can happen. We’re seeing some of the effects of that now, with a measles outbreak – despite that disease being largely eradicated for the past 60 years. It would seem that just about any of Trump’s lackeys will get through – so what’s the point of fighting back? That narrative actually did fall apart quietly on Thursday, as Trump’s nominee for CDC director quietly withdrew from consideration.
Dave Weldon isn’t particularly well-known, which is likely part of why he wasn’t able to survive politically and didn’t make it out of committee in the Senate. Apart from that, and knowing he’s a close ally of RFK Jr. who shares his preposterous views on vaccines, there’s not really much that’s worth knowing about him. Well, that and the revelation that not everything this administration intends to do is a sure thing.
The measles epidemic that has actually forced RFK Jr. to admit MMR vaccines are probably a good idea has also cost this administration some of its political leverage, and the GOP majority was wise to shut the door on Weldon so they wouldn’t have to deal with the fallout – but it also means that we can and should fight back when we find winnable battles.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making