This is a great perspective and shows how you can win and still lose. The messaging is very important and must accurately explain complex issues in a manner that the public understands.
This could be another job for Tiffany! This administration likes to task people with multiple jobs!
Thank you for reading! We learned that lesson during the pandemic. If people can’t trust because there’s a lack of connection and communication, policy loses power. We have to be able to showcase the good as it happens. And thanks for the vote of confidence! It takes a village!
Thank you so much for reading (& listening). It was cathartic to write. I’m glad you enjoyed the voiceover! I know personally sometimes I find it much easier to listen than read every word so grateful to have you in this community!
This piece nails the most frustrating gap in the whole MAHA conversation: the movement has a vibe, a villain list, and a lot of content, but not a credible policy package that survives contact with Congress, industry, budgets, and implementation.
And that matters, because “Make America Healthy Again” can’t be won with awareness alone. Chronic disease is downstream of boring systems: food pricing, school meals, marketing to kids, built environment, insurance design, primary care capacity, and what we subsidize vs. what we tax.
What I keep coming back to is: if MAHA is serious, it should be able to answer a few concrete questions in plain English:
1. What changes for school food and for SNAP/WIC (and how do we make the healthier choice the cheaper default)?
2. What’s the plan for front-of-pack labeling and marketing restrictions aimed at children?
3. What’s the mechanism to reduce ultra-processed food dependence without simply making groceries more expensive for the families already struggling?
4. What’s the plan to improve access to prevention (time with clinicians, obesity/diabetes treatment coverage, sleep apnea diagnosis, mental health care), not just blame individuals for outcomes?
And when you look at the last wave of “MAHA strategy” rhetoric versus what’s actually been floated, you can see the collision you’re describing: bold claims in public; vague, low-teeth recommendations once industry pressure and political reality show up. 
If MAHA wants to be more than a brand, the next step is simple (not easy): publish a one-pager of specific legislative/regulatory proposals with budgets, timelines, and measurable endpoints. Until then, it’s a movement optimized for attention, while the health crisis keeps compounding in the background.
You write that RFK Jr. has credibility. He does not. When you are Secretary of HHS and say things like "I don't fear germs - after all I licked cocaine off toilet seats" or something close to that you lose all respect. When you go to your first hearing before your confirmation hearing and are asked to explain what Medicare does and what Medicaid does and are unable to answer that after weeks to prepare - you lose credibility. When you post a video "working out" with Kid Rock you lose credibility. And given his history of battling against glyphosate and then signing off on a letter defending the President's EO on domestic production as ensuring national security by denying China control of the production it makes no sense when the best thing for RFK Jr. to have done would have been remain silent.
No matter how talented you are and others are in terms of communicating policy - you cannot overcome that no matter how hard you try.
In the area of glyphosate, there is just no argument to be made on credibility. When you go up against industry in the courts and you actually win a huge lawsuit that requires proving harm to the tune of almost $300 million. It’s just hard to argue that you don’t know what you’re talking about. But that’s why I think it was such a blow to anyone wanting less of these chemicals in our food supply. The fact that he did drug drugs over four decades ago doesn’t matter to me at all because his credibility when he condemns pesticides is objectively provable based on outcomes and results. I do appreciate you reading and appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Ok, I have to comment. You’re a bit delusional here. MAHA is hardly a movement. It’s at best a potential blueprint for some long term possibilities but the needle hasn’t moved too much. While I know people love to worship Makary, last week he got his wrist slapped by the President and he himself refers to himself as nothing more than a regulator these days. It’s a pure waste of medical talent. And he’ll be gone in less than 3 years. Jay is now head of CDC pulling double duty. Talk about burnout. Brilliant mind but he’ll underperform. Let’s see some results in things like child obesity, better nutrition in schools, etc. Declaring new ways to do things is swell, let’s see them implemented. MAHA isn’t a movement, it’s barely an incremental change so far.
I can't disagree that we aren't seeing results of the changes yet, but the movement that's happening matters! I look at simple things like changing the menus for kids getting free lunch that come from changing dietary guidelines, and I have to believe those things matter. Or even the Moderna flu shot nonsense... shouldn't we want regulators make pharma do better science. Those changes WILL make a difference and they WILL make our society healthier. I like Marty and I like Jay, so I'm obviously biased, but I don't think that's all of it. Things aren't perfect but they aren't nearly as bad as they look on cable news. This movement deserves to get a fair run through the news cycle.
I’m in total agreement. So, to say it’s a movement without seeing appreciable positive results is premature.
Also, you can’t confidently say, “here’s what really happened” unless you were in the room. Hearsay is fun, it’s just not trustworthy. The Moderna thing is pure politics, the lobbyists were at work, IMO. I like Marty as a brilliant surgeon. As an administrator, the job is over his head and he answers to the whims of 2 non-scientists.
The parts where I say 'here's what happened' are based on the paper trail. When you look at what Moderna submitted it was not the right comparator and then Vinay responded exactly the way indicated he would long before he was appointed. He did the thing he always complained the FDA didn't do. I just put the known pieces together. At the risk of sounding unreasonably sympathetic, I do think Marty is doing an excellent job and while I'm sure his patients would love to have him back, he'll make a positive impact here. Always a good day to disagree with you Mordo.
This is a great perspective and shows how you can win and still lose. The messaging is very important and must accurately explain complex issues in a manner that the public understands.
This could be another job for Tiffany! This administration likes to task people with multiple jobs!
Thank you for reading! We learned that lesson during the pandemic. If people can’t trust because there’s a lack of connection and communication, policy loses power. We have to be able to showcase the good as it happens. And thanks for the vote of confidence! It takes a village!
In the absence of communication, people hallucinate, or worse, someone else does the communication for you... But not usually in the good way 😫
Yes… Waiting to see what happens generally doesn’t work out well when the New York Times is defining the narrative
I wish Kennedy would listen to you! This is a great piece. And I enjoyed the voiceover.
Thank you so much for reading (& listening). It was cathartic to write. I’m glad you enjoyed the voiceover! I know personally sometimes I find it much easier to listen than read every word so grateful to have you in this community!
This piece nails the most frustrating gap in the whole MAHA conversation: the movement has a vibe, a villain list, and a lot of content, but not a credible policy package that survives contact with Congress, industry, budgets, and implementation.
And that matters, because “Make America Healthy Again” can’t be won with awareness alone. Chronic disease is downstream of boring systems: food pricing, school meals, marketing to kids, built environment, insurance design, primary care capacity, and what we subsidize vs. what we tax.
What I keep coming back to is: if MAHA is serious, it should be able to answer a few concrete questions in plain English:
1. What changes for school food and for SNAP/WIC (and how do we make the healthier choice the cheaper default)?
2. What’s the plan for front-of-pack labeling and marketing restrictions aimed at children?
3. What’s the mechanism to reduce ultra-processed food dependence without simply making groceries more expensive for the families already struggling?
4. What’s the plan to improve access to prevention (time with clinicians, obesity/diabetes treatment coverage, sleep apnea diagnosis, mental health care), not just blame individuals for outcomes?
And when you look at the last wave of “MAHA strategy” rhetoric versus what’s actually been floated, you can see the collision you’re describing: bold claims in public; vague, low-teeth recommendations once industry pressure and political reality show up. 
If MAHA wants to be more than a brand, the next step is simple (not easy): publish a one-pager of specific legislative/regulatory proposals with budgets, timelines, and measurable endpoints. Until then, it’s a movement optimized for attention, while the health crisis keeps compounding in the background.
You write that RFK Jr. has credibility. He does not. When you are Secretary of HHS and say things like "I don't fear germs - after all I licked cocaine off toilet seats" or something close to that you lose all respect. When you go to your first hearing before your confirmation hearing and are asked to explain what Medicare does and what Medicaid does and are unable to answer that after weeks to prepare - you lose credibility. When you post a video "working out" with Kid Rock you lose credibility. And given his history of battling against glyphosate and then signing off on a letter defending the President's EO on domestic production as ensuring national security by denying China control of the production it makes no sense when the best thing for RFK Jr. to have done would have been remain silent.
No matter how talented you are and others are in terms of communicating policy - you cannot overcome that no matter how hard you try.
In the area of glyphosate, there is just no argument to be made on credibility. When you go up against industry in the courts and you actually win a huge lawsuit that requires proving harm to the tune of almost $300 million. It’s just hard to argue that you don’t know what you’re talking about. But that’s why I think it was such a blow to anyone wanting less of these chemicals in our food supply. The fact that he did drug drugs over four decades ago doesn’t matter to me at all because his credibility when he condemns pesticides is objectively provable based on outcomes and results. I do appreciate you reading and appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Ok, I have to comment. You’re a bit delusional here. MAHA is hardly a movement. It’s at best a potential blueprint for some long term possibilities but the needle hasn’t moved too much. While I know people love to worship Makary, last week he got his wrist slapped by the President and he himself refers to himself as nothing more than a regulator these days. It’s a pure waste of medical talent. And he’ll be gone in less than 3 years. Jay is now head of CDC pulling double duty. Talk about burnout. Brilliant mind but he’ll underperform. Let’s see some results in things like child obesity, better nutrition in schools, etc. Declaring new ways to do things is swell, let’s see them implemented. MAHA isn’t a movement, it’s barely an incremental change so far.
I can't disagree that we aren't seeing results of the changes yet, but the movement that's happening matters! I look at simple things like changing the menus for kids getting free lunch that come from changing dietary guidelines, and I have to believe those things matter. Or even the Moderna flu shot nonsense... shouldn't we want regulators make pharma do better science. Those changes WILL make a difference and they WILL make our society healthier. I like Marty and I like Jay, so I'm obviously biased, but I don't think that's all of it. Things aren't perfect but they aren't nearly as bad as they look on cable news. This movement deserves to get a fair run through the news cycle.
I’m in total agreement. So, to say it’s a movement without seeing appreciable positive results is premature.
Also, you can’t confidently say, “here’s what really happened” unless you were in the room. Hearsay is fun, it’s just not trustworthy. The Moderna thing is pure politics, the lobbyists were at work, IMO. I like Marty as a brilliant surgeon. As an administrator, the job is over his head and he answers to the whims of 2 non-scientists.
The parts where I say 'here's what happened' are based on the paper trail. When you look at what Moderna submitted it was not the right comparator and then Vinay responded exactly the way indicated he would long before he was appointed. He did the thing he always complained the FDA didn't do. I just put the known pieces together. At the risk of sounding unreasonably sympathetic, I do think Marty is doing an excellent job and while I'm sure his patients would love to have him back, he'll make a positive impact here. Always a good day to disagree with you Mordo.