Well, you can never ask one for an answer, as a radical on either side of the spectrum you will only ever see the opposite as radical and will be in complete denial that their own beliefs are radical. If you are moderate on a fair amount of subject matter, then you will be able to identify radicals on both sides. And by me answering obviously infers that I am not a radical on a fair amount of subjects
As others have mentioned, a radical is dependant on geography as they donât correlate well across borders.
While I might agree with most of your post, I have to point this out as its essentially a miss direction (being polite). He is not a anti-vax, he is anti-covid-vax, literally 2 different things that have been combined to purposefully label dissenters into conspiracy theorists. Its much easier to say someone is a anti-vax even though he is not anti measles vax, anti-mumps vax, anti-polio vax, anti-âŚ, you get the picture. That being said, he does have some out there (being polite) theories about Covid and that particular vaccine.
No, he is anti-vax. The video I posted quoted him and then showed him saying that he doesnât believe any vaccination is safe. He does saying he would leave the choice up to parents but in the words of Austin Powers - âWhoopdie-doo Basilâ.
To be honest, didnât watch the video, just remember reading an article where he stated he was not anti vax, but thatâs all politicians in a nutshell, say 1 thing to you and another behind your back.
This isnât making the point you think it is making.
Abortion has become an animating issue in elections because a fringe right group has managed to push through changes to the status quo that means medical procedures that are unfortunately required in significant number of wanted pregnancies are now either drastically restricted in lots of the country or outright unavailable. This is not a theoretical issue but the new practical reality that women all across the country are now faced with the prospect of a failed pregnancy making them sterile oir killing them, all because what is otherwise considered routine medical care has been withheld from them.
The people who brought in these changes are very open about their intention to keep goingâŚexpanding these restrictions geographically, and even pushing them into banning contraceptives. This is extreme stuff and it is an incredible commitment to reactionary centrism to act like opposition to this makes one similarly extreme on the other side and is a position that can only be held by someone who just has done absolutely nothing to learn anything about the reality of the situation.
For generations abortion has been an aminating issue for only a section on the right and attempts to match that from the left was faced with ridicule. Now the religious right have chipped away enough that peopleâs reality have been turned upside down it has now become an animating issue for the most normie or normie voter.
If this is your perspective, why would you put such little effort into vetting Kennedyâs defenses of himself before deciding that was enough to correct someone elseâs criticism of him?
Even ignoring Covid, Kennedy has a long history of anti vax rhetoric. He will often do the dishonest 2-step when pressed to appear that heâs not against vaccines per so but just has some pointed concerns, but the bad arguments he presents for his skepticism and the totality of the body work makes it not credible to refer to him as anything but anti vax. One example is his objection to Thimerosal. Ignoring that concern over this ingredient was a fringe position in itself, if this was a genuinely held concern that was the basis of his skepticism, then its removal from US vaccines would surely have assuaged his skepticism, right?. Of course it fucking didnât though, and it didnât because heâs full of shit, as demonstrated by his continued reference to his concerns over its effects even after it was removed from the vaccines he was urging caution against.
Among his other hits
Advancing the MMR-autism link long after the scientific community determined that the original Wakefield study could not be replicated
Refusing to acknowledge the initial link was only demonstrated by virtue of research fraud and continuing to push an idea there is literally no basis for.
Arguing the Polio vaccine caused cancer, which is an incredibly dishonest and easy to refute description of a real case of contamination of a batches of vaccine used in the 50s, but that showed no association with cancer prevalence.
Arguing that heâd be ok with vaccines if only they did safety and efficacy studies, ignoring that of course they fucking do that, and then continuing to move the goal posts to misrepresent how advances on existing treatments are tested and doing so to make it appear to people that they are not well tested.
His comments about the Covid vaccines are perfectly in line with everything he has said about vaccines over the past 20 years.
Amazing stuff. Dems are initially more inclined to say theyâd consider voting for him than Republicans are, but about half of both groups are unfamiliar with his anti vax positions. Once informed of that, consideration of him drops among Dems and rises among Republicans making Dems half as likely to consider him
Compelling read about how much political damage Biden (and Democrats in general) is sustaining right now.
The framing of âbetween genocide and a ban, I will take the banâ is disastrous for Biden, and Michigan is absolutely a state the Democrats need to hold. A more palatable Republican candidate could tip the state for a generation
I really have no idea how entrenched that is - I havenât lived in Michigan for over 30 years, so really donât have much sense of it anymore. I know that is a fairly culturally conservative community. On the other hand, Tlaib clearly has very deep roots and respect in that community, so armed with some kind of resolution she might be critical for some re-focusing.
I really think its a false alarm, and more of a pressure tactic in order to get him to act. I doubt they go to Trump. The not voting and/or spoiler votes on the candidate election was more of a threat, and I donât think will reflect on election day. The same goes for the university protesters, who first of all probably wont vote anyway, and definitely wont vote for Trump.
As a black man born and raised in Illinois and always voting democrat my entire life, that wonât be happening this election year. A good majority of my family and close friends feel the same way.
Maybe some people see beyond trumpists and actually believe a new administration can do a better job than is being done now, in his particular case. You make it sound like he and his family and close friends are voting on the person and not the issues.
