Letters: Jared Polis under fire for his endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS

Polis under fire for his nod to Kennedy

Re: “Polis cheers RFK Jr. nod, then clarifies comments,” Nov. 15 news story

I was horrified by Gov. Jared Polis’s endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is an anti-vaxxer who promotes false conspiracy theories and disputes almost anything backed by science.

HHS is an important department that envelops such agencies as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institute of Health. Its job is to protect the health of Americans. Kennedy’s extreme beliefs are a threat to public health and putting him in charge of HHS is irresponsible.

Colorado needs a governor who backs medicine validated by science. Polis, I expected better of you.

Misty Davidson, Denver

Thank you, Gov. Jared Polis, for your expression of support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of HHS and for your acknowledgement of efforts here in Colorado to protect medical freedom. At an event during your first campaign for governor, you shook my hand and said that you support vaccine choice because it is about freedom, and freedom is “a Colorado value.” Your immediate and full support of Kennedy’s appointment to HHS is a powerful testimony to your commitment to this vital ideal.

Thank you for seeing beyond the present bitter partisan divide and having the courage and integrity to recognize that what Kennedy is saying and offering to the country goes beyond whether one is Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. No matter who one may have voted for or what other issues may be important to them, I think most of us can agree that health, both personal and as a country, is of utmost importance. I have many profound concerns about the new president-elect and what negative repercussions many of his policies and cabinet choices might have on our country. Yet, this singular appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is worthy of everyone’s enthusiastic endorsement.

It is curious and sad that you are receiving such immediate and harsh criticism from so many of our friends on “the left.” As a lifelong liberal, I always thought it was a fundamental liberal trait to question and stand up to transnational corporations that exploit people and the planet purely for financial gain. What Bobby simply wants to do is to rein in the unchecked power of Big Ag, Big Chem, and Big Pharma.

Phil Silberman, Denver

One must remember that before Gov. Polis got into politics, he was an entrepreneur with libertarian leanings. As a politician, he has successfully morphed into an effective, moderate Democratic governor. His initial reaction to the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may simply reflect his earlier libertarian beliefs in smaller government. However, when taking all of Kennedy’s beliefs and the lack of scientific evidence backing them into consideration, the governor should rightly temper or retract his support for the nomination. We don’t need someone who doesn’t follow science leading one of the nation’s most science-based programs.