At one time, the CDC was held in high esteem by the government and the public. When malaria was out of control in the Deep South, the CDC rose to national prominence because of its work for disease prevention and scientific integrity.
We trusted the CDC like we trust our fire departments: competent, nonpartisan, and laser-focused.
However, after trying to flatten the curve and get the booster or lose your job, a crack finally appeared.
This crack wasn't small or a misunderstanding. The foundation cracked when science became politicized, dissent became silenced, and the CDC began to shape guidance for public health.
Political narratives outweighed objective safety metrics. That was never more obvious during COVID-19.
A few years later, we see those same people who condoned that decay fight the vapors and clutch their pearls because Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite his flaws, idiosyncrasies, and conspiracies, showed up to a CDC panel and did something they weren't expecting. He asked questions.
Hmm. A man known for his distrust of government health agencies wants to participate in the CDC's public meetings.
OMG!
This MSNBC article posted on a Rachel Maddow site shows how a professional whiner writes. The headline, "...makes a bad decision worse," highlights RFK Jr.'s decision to participate in a public meeting.
There was no disruption or shouting; he was there and spoke.
Hold on, I need to sit and process this.
Back when adults were in the room, that would be the definition of civil engagement, where if a person has any concerns, we hear them. We would show data, answer questions, and act like adults.
This is what an agency run on evidence-based science should do.
It's sad what the CDC has become. It's not upset about Kennedy supposedly spreading falsehoods; it's about a non-club member refusing to genuflect.
This isn't a case of MSNBC hating misinformation; it's a case of fear when the monopoly on information seeps through cracks.
This is where the CDC stands: Asking questions is considered dangerous, and dissent is disqualifying.
There are fair examples of Kennedy being labeled a kook or quack. But we have to give him this: He stretches the imagination.
However, what have those highly qualified people done to earn the moral high ground?
Remember what these scientists said:
What we saw firsthand wasn't disinformation or fringe paranoia; it was institutional gaslighting.
If the CDC believes it's a victim of a smear, it needs to look in the mirror, not across the stage to the man participating with their panel.
The sacred cow RFK Jr. undermined is THE NARRATIVE; the CDC is a competent, pure, and noble organization.
However, the truth is something else. Career bureaucrats have repeatedly mismanaged crises, demonstrated ineptness in communication, and stifled opposing views while exerting unaccountable power over public policy, often with the assistance of tech platforms that suppressed all criticism.
This crisis of trust didn't begin with Kennedy; he's simply occupying the space where trust once existed. According to the CDC, this cannot stand. Not because Kennedy was wrong about everything, but because there is a fear that even if a fraction of what he said is true, then the rot runs deeply into the foundation.
If the CDC had any integrity, this would serve as a wake-up call to return to its former strengths and rebuild trust. Instead, it needs the headlines demanding obedience while scorning all skeptics.
It could have made Kennedy irrelevant by telling the truth and being transparent. That's something it can never do because it would reveal just how political the organization has become.
RFK Jr. shouldn't be a hero for exposing a broken system. All he did was his job: showing up, asking questions, and challenging credibility.
Silencing critics shouldn't be the job of the CDC. It needs to listen, effectively argue, and stop calling skepticism treason.
The same goes for the drive-bys that caught a case of the vapors when Kennedy leaned forward to speak into the microphone.
Agencies have long forgotten what truly matters: Public health. They need to serve everybody, not just the political class, pharmaceutical donors, or social media influencers who wouldn't know the truth if it showed up wearing a MAGA hat and quoting the Constitution.
In cursive.
Kennedy created a scandal by attending a CDC meeting and speaking at it. His presence reminded us of what the CDC once was: open, accountable, and focused on public safety instead of headlines.
The CDC didn't lose its credibility because of one person or one crisis. It lost it because it stopped doing its job long ago.
Now? Those people who are responsible for making that foundational crack are angry because somebody has the temerity to point out those cracks.
It will take more than an MSNBC segment to regain its integrity. It's going to take admission, repentance, reform, and one single word.
Truth.
Unelected bureaucrats are shaping your life more than your elected officials. That’s not democracy, that’s D.C. tyranny.
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