President-elect Barack Obama is strongly considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Environmental Protection Agency, a Cabinet post, Democratic officials told Politico.
I must say, I don't see this:
The selection of Kennedy would be a shrewd early move for the new presidential team. Obama advisers said the nomination would please both Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
It might please Clinton and Kennedy, but by my count it will piss off just about everyone else. Enviros are still pissed about his opposition to Cape Wind. Sensible people are pissed about his naive acceptance of the phantom vaccine-autism connection. Many journalists are pissed that his overheated work on Republican vote theft in 2004 served to discredit more modest but verifiable theories. He's also, to put it bluntly, widely considered considered kind of an arrogant jerk -- which makes me like him more, but I don't know how it will play in a delicate and highly constrained bureaucratic position.
Also, the guy's run Waterkeeper, which is a great group, but not exactly training for running a huge government agency.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of RFK Jr.'s environmental work, but he strikes me as more of a strident activist voice than a careful, detail-oriented managerial type. His appointment would sure send an unmistakable message, though! I suppose I'm ambivalent and should give it more thought.
What do y'all think?
Postscript: Huffington Post got him on the phone, where he said he would happily serve if asked. He also said:
"I think that Barack Obama understands that energy must be the centerpiece for his administration. That there really are two big issues, one is health care and the other is energy," he said. "And energy is intertwined with all other issues. If we can get off of foreign oil, for instance, we can save 700 billion a year. We can pay back the Wall Street debt we just ran up in just one year."
"That whole dark cloud of the Bush administration," he added, "has all the sudden been lifted."
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Comments
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Jon Rynn Posted 5:55 am
05 Nov 2008
Also, I disagree with some of his positions (like Cape Wind) but he's generally spot on. But I think Obama might pick someone safer.
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Jon Rynn Posted 6:09 am
05 Nov 2008
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josullivan58 Posted 6:24 am
05 Nov 2008
That whole vaccinations and autism stand brings him very close to crackpot territory. Considering the past eight years the EPA needs someone who embraces science, not rejects it. How can the EPA use science as a basis for decisions when the head selectively picks the science he likes. The Luntz memo stated enviros have scientific facts on our side, and RFK jr risks losing this advantage.
He is also sure to be a lightning rod for the right. He doesn't get any more liberal elite. The confirmation might be a tough and costly battle for a subpar administrator.
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josullivan58 Posted 6:39 am
05 Nov 2008
RFK jr has great qualities for an activist but not those needed to run the most important environmental regulator in the world.
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VTpowderhound Posted 6:59 am
05 Nov 2008
For as much problem I have with his/his family's selfish opposition to Cape Wind, I cannot believe the criticism he is getting for the tremendous work he has done to highlight the dangers of vaccines laced with thimerosal (mercury).
If you want to shoot your kids up w/mercury, you go right ahead, but don't you dare belittle those of us who refuse to believe the denials of a pharmaceutical industry which is known for blatantly lying (Vioxx, anyone?)
We don't know for sure why autism rates have skyrocketed, but to discount a possible link between environmental toxins and neurological disorders is completely idiotic.
Remember, industry groups insisted DDT was safe, too. How'd that work out?
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Sean Casten Posted 7:19 am
05 Nov 2008
Check out the Skeptical Inquirer (no shill for the pharmaceutical lobby) who did a pretty exhaustive analysis of the science. Here is one of the more exhaustive critiques specifically of mercury and MMR vaccines, with lots of links to the literature if you want to dig farther. This also has some interesting observations that autism rates haven't actually increased, but rates of autism diagnosis have, addressing at least one of your questions. Here is a more general discussion of the broader anti-vaccine backlash.
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Sam Wells Posted 7:42 am
05 Nov 2008
There some really cool candidates from California Air Resources Board, NESCAUM, STAPPA-ALAPCO, and other groups that could be considered as well. Haven't we though of bringing somebody up through the EPA itself, rather than importing some policy wonk from somewhere else? Or have all the good folks at EPA that had multi-media policy experience retired in disgust?
One brain fart I caught in the postscript was Mr, Kennedy saying that energy and health were the biggest issues, like clean air, water, and land was not. I truly believe that the way to ratchet down on fossil fuel caused greenhouse gases is for the EPA to do that part. I think it is a huge task and he kind of blew it right there - sorry amigo. -sam
Onward through the fog
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ferret Posted 7:45 am
05 Nov 2008
There are many competent people who would do a good job for the EPA other than RFK Jr. This would be a horrible pick.
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josullivan58 Posted 8:03 am
05 Nov 2008
Kennedy Son Given Probation in Drug Case
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE7DF10 ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F_Kennedy_Jr#cite_not ...
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Sean Casten Posted 8:06 am
05 Nov 2008
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Sam Wells Posted 8:32 am
05 Nov 2008
Onward through the fog
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Gloss Posted 8:58 am
05 Nov 2008
The article added momentum to the then weak and now failed idea that thimerosal in vaccines cause autism.
At the parent of an autistic child, I have looked at this closely. The article was bad when it was written, it is thoroughly debunked now. And, yet, RFK Jr, is still standing up at anti-vaccine rallys as though he made no mistakes.
He has caused major harm to the autism community, creating a divide that may never be fully healed. He has added momentum to the ideas that have led many to avoid vaccines, leading to outbreaks of measles this year and possibly worse in the future.
Worst of all--the vaccine/autism notion has given momentum to the alternative-medical practitioners who prey on the autism community. Children have been harmed by these treatments, at least one has died. No apologies from RFK.
The only thing I could think of that would be worse than giving him a position in EPA (or Interior as has been mentioned elsewehre) would be for him to be in a position where he could directly influence autism policy.
Mr. Obama has the best, most clear autism policy that any presidential candidate has ever put forth. Now is NOT the time to scuttle that by giving credence to someone who has brought such grief to the autism community.
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caniscandida Posted 4:13 pm
05 Nov 2008
Obama's "short list" for Secretary of Treasury, as announced yesterday on CNN, includes Lawrence Summers, Jon Corzine, and a couple of CEOs of big financial institutions -- and NOT Paul Krugman. Krugman perhaps would not want that job anyway; but it is certain that he has no executive experience.
Similarly, for the less urgent appointment of Secretary of Agriculture, Michael Pollan would be a great pick, except that there too, executive experience may be required.
But as for the EPA, one gathers that the career scientists and lawyers there would be keeping the basic work going well enough while RFK Jr. got caught up. And the catching up would not take him all that long, since he has been observing the functioning of the EPA for a long time now. Also, the career scientists and lawyers would probably be pleased to work for somebody who actually appreciates what they do, and encourages them to carry on, instead of stifling them, and redacting and suppressing their reports.
On the other hand, if there is in RFK Jr.'s background a pattern of hasty, alarmist remarks along the lines of the vaccinations-cause-autism business, then that might point to a certain fun-loving recklessness that we do not want to find in the head of the EPA. Given our political and social culture, in which the statements of environmental scientists are regularly vilified and discredited, the head of the EPA will need to be prudent and scrupulously accurate when he announces policy decisions.
Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
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ferret Posted 9:25 pm
05 Nov 2008
Compare to GW Bush, RFK jr. has a very well documented drug history, it has been written in many books about the Kennedys. (I am not condoning GW Bush's antics, and I feel his administration policy toward AGW has been borderline criminal)
RFK jr. wasn't experimenting, he was a full blown heroin addict, and was an addict for years...
He got involved in the Environmental Movement because it was part of his community service agreement, (Before that he was working for Native American rights, why he was flying to Rapid City, SD, and was found passed out/overdose with a needle in his arm)
I have no problem that RFK jr. is a vocal advocate for his pet environmental issues.. However he was known as being kind of dictatorial with groups like Riverkeeper, in which the board resign in protest over some of RFK jr.'s antics
There are way too many demerits in front of RFK jr's name to have him head of a very important agency. I would leave him in his gadfly role, where he is much better suited.
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jcox1240 Posted 12:07 am
06 Nov 2008
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guade00 Posted 1:56 am
06 Nov 2008
Here's a better choice--California Attorney General Jerry Brown.
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Earth Posted 2:13 am
06 Nov 2008
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riverguy Posted 6:13 am
06 Nov 2008
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lunamay Posted 9:14 am
06 Nov 2008
anyone who's ever attended a speech of RFK Jr.'s understands completely that this guy is not messing around...and this is Obama's opportunity to come out strong by appointing people who are going to take care of our environmental infrastructure and move on to preventive measures.
things are looking up already...woohoo!
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DeuceDarts Posted 11:10 am
06 Nov 2008
Deuce Darts
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ed abbey Posted 10:23 pm
06 Nov 2008
As to "overheated work on Republican vote theft", you mean like the two stolen elections that gave us the Bush regime?? (you've GOT to be kidding). Furthermore, do you really think a f'ing lawyer ISN'T a "detail oriented managerial type"??
I don't know what's going on here on this page, but it smells like a lot of you have stepped in a steaming pile of compromise. Phew!
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Earth Posted 12:38 am
07 Nov 2008
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NonprofitWatch Posted 1:16 am
07 Nov 2008
Note to Earth, yes he's the real deal, the real hypocritical deal.
I find it pathetic that he as an environmentalist and his sister the human rights activist had no problem with Chevron underwriting their family's charity honoring their Dad and that they remained silent while the Clinton administration was caving in to Chevron and big oil in regards to human rights issues in Nigeria, Angola and elsewhere.
There's more to be said, but deserves an essay.
bernardo issel - http://www.NonprofitWatch.org -
bernardo (at) NonprofitWatch.org
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SusaninMT Posted 8:37 am
07 Nov 2008
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krazedkeeshond Posted 10:46 pm
07 Nov 2008
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Wolverine Posted 3:10 am
08 Nov 2008
However, on a realpolitik level, his baggage is far too great for the jerks in Congress to confirm him. On the other hand, he's the best we could possibly hope for from an ideological perspective. Krazedkeeshond has the best ideas for who would be ideal choices, but people like that are too radical for the people in power to ever accept.
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RFKforEPA Posted 8:22 am
09 Nov 2008
If Obama wants to demonstrate change away from politics as usual, RFK would be a brilliant choice for EPA.
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ferret Posted 3:36 pm
09 Nov 2008
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_stub ...
He is a self serving ego monster.
The EPA needs a scientist/government bureaucrat who puts formulates policy with the best science available and get it through Congress, besides knowing how to get the funds to support the agency.
RFK jr. has pissed off way too many people, and his weakest point, much weaker than his heroin addiction, Cape Wind hypocrisy, etc... his weakest point is that he doesn't admit his mistakes when he is grossly wrong. This has happened countless times.
It is better off leaving him as an Environmental lawyer fighting for his crusades both real and imaginary.
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josullivan58 Posted 9:09 pm
09 Nov 2008
First of all there is the felony drug conviction at the age of 30, which can't be written off as some youthful indiscretion. Second is that he needed treatment for a full-blown heroin addiction and there is an understandable stigma associated with that. Last he was arrested, convicted and did time for protesting the US Navy in 2001. In the post-9/11 world and in wartime hostile protests of the military are a big negatives.
When these things are considered I don't know how anyone could think that the Senate would confirm him. If the Senate was composed of environmentalists he might have a chance, but its not.
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josullivan58 Posted 9:31 pm
09 Nov 2008
RFK jr works for the NRDC. He is not the lead attorney for the NRDC, he doesn't work for the litigation division.
http://www.nrdc.org/about/staff.asp
At Pace University Law School he participates in the clinic which means he helps students get real world experience, but he is not a professor or legal scholar in the normal usage of the that term.
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LAGreenAttorney Posted 4:13 pm
10 Nov 2008
Besides, he's a KENNEDY for cryin' out loud.
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Backcut Posted 12:38 am
11 Nov 2008
<plays air guitar>
Scenic pics at http://Lhfotoware.blogspot.com
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jcox1240 Posted 11:45 pm
18 Nov 2008
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gumby Posted 3:54 pm
21 Nov 2008
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