It's at a time like this that we're reminded that Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) is a treasure, and needs to be protected at all costs. During Day 3 of the slog known as Schumer Shutdown, the loquacious and often funny lawmaker took to the Senate floor for some remarks.
He of course was on fire over the Democrats' reckless stunt driving escapade, which has left the government shuttered for a third straight day, and likely to remain so through the weekend after Friday's failed vote in the U.S. Senate by the same tally as Wednesday's. The Dems, as my colleague Susie Moore noted, do not seem to be taking things seriously, based on their behavior.
SEE: Senate Dems Continue to Show They're Unserious With Friday CR Vote
Before we get to the clip with Kennedy's expansive comments about the "mistake" Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) made by "instructing" his caucus to continue in their effort to keep the U.S. government closed for business, he said something of especial importance. And it's information that will be no surprise to most conservatives and Republicans reading in these pages.
The Louisiana senator reminds us that radical leftists have all but hijacked the once semi-reasonable major political party on the other side of the aisle at this moment. It's crucial to stress this during the shutdown battle, since it is a reality that the Democrats would rather keep hidden from the voters at large.
This week, though, the issue that the Left is not dealing with in an honest way is: Why the federal government is closed. Kennedy does not mince words on the facts, while including a fun and apparently favorite personal saying involving his upbringing.
It takes a few sentences before he unwinds the saying, but it's worth reading:
"Here is what the socialist wing of the Democratic Party, led by Congresswoman [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez, has said to the American people and to the United States Congress and the Republicans in Congress:
'If you Republicans don't agree to make the federal government $1.5 trillion - not million dollars, not billion dollars - $1.5 trillion bigger, we're going to shut government down.'
Well of course we said no! I'm not going to vote for that. My mother didn't raise a fool. And as I've said before if she did, it was one of my brothers!"
After his funny quip about his mother, Kennedy takes a major swipe at Schumer and his party's shutdown, stating that it reveals what we already know about the Democrat Party. It's in the vise-like grip of the far-left socialist wing -- and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC).
"They can only be accurately described as the socialist wing of the party," he says, and he notes, "that party [sic] is in ascendancy. That party is in control."
He moves on to talk about Senator Chuck Schumer, whom he called his "friend," asserting that despite appearances at many a media microphone this week, Schumer isn't really leading "this [shutdown] effort":
"I don’t think Sen. Schumer is the leader of this effort. I don't. I think Sen. Schumer like many of his colleagues would like to be loved by everybody in the party--and he would like to be loved by the socialist wing of his party. I think that is part of what is motivating this shutdown, and that's why I say it's all about politics."
"I think any fair-minded person has to look right now and say that the two leading members of the socialist wing of the Democratic Party," Kennedy continued during his speech, adding that "the quarterback is Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. Her substitute is Senator Bernie Sanders [I-VT], but I think it’s the congresswoman who’s calling these shots."
He mentions Ocasio-Cortez's recent remarks (alongside Sanders) about the Schumer Shutdown have made it sound like she needs to sign off on any deal to reopen the federal government, though she seems to have walked that back in recent hours (during an interview on Thursday with NBC News reporters).
READ MORE: Watch: Bernie Sanders Ducks Question About AOC Running for Senate
Sen. Kennedy says, "When I say my prayers... I say, God, don’t let me hate. I certainly don’t hate Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. I want to make that very clear. She has the right to her opinion."
"She has the right to try to have the socialists take over the Democratic Party. That’s the American way. Ironically, I think what she’s doing is anti-American, but she has the right as an American to do it, so I don’t hate her."
WATCH:
BREAKING: Senator John Kennedy just DESTROYED Chuck Schumer and AOC and made it clear that the Democrats are SCREWED!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 3, 2025
EPIC! 🤣
"I don’t think senator Schumer is the leader of this effort... Because senator Schumer is not the leader of the socialist wing of his party.… pic.twitter.com/ol3t86IXA5
It's remarkable that Kennedy even manages to lighten the mood, as we sit in neutral in the midst of a government shutdown. He calls for no malice towards or from anyone on the other side - in sharp contrast to the rhetoric from the Democrats. That's how he, and many of us were brought up. The paramount concept in a free society like ours is that it's ideas that can be confronted, opposed, and debated. Or embraced, of course. We all should be reminded of what Kennedy is saying here more often.
UPDATE: This absolutely pairs perfectly with Kennedy's other remarks today. Watch as the good senator lists off the junk the Democrats insist needs to be added back into government spending. Every American should feel outraged that they even try this with a straight face:
OMG.. you cannot make this up..
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 3, 2025
These are some of the things the Democrats are demanding we fund:
- $3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia
- $833k for transgender people in Nepal
- $4.2 million for lgbtq people in the Western Balkans and Uganda
- $3.6 million… pic.twitter.com/maGvy3mLvC
- $3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti
- $500k for electric buses in Rwanda
- $6 million for media organizations for the Palestinians
- $300k for a pride parade in Lesotho
- $882k for social media and mentorship in Serbia
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member