My view is somewhat speculative, given how little daylight has been shed on the deliberations — not only for the public but also for many quite senior scientists working in the various subagencies of the Department of Health Human Services, some of whom have complained that they have essentially no access to agency leadership or insight into its decision making. But my read is roughly this: Kennedy is a canny operator, mindful of the limits imposed by public opinion and coalition politics, and it seems likely that the ACIP meeting and the autism report were the products of strategic consideration. Perhaps he saw and took seriously the polls showing that a very clear majority of Americans support routine vaccinations (though the share is steadily declining).
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