Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana can never be confused with another Senator (who would become President) named John Kennedy. The current Senator Kennedy however sometimes makes some ‘did he really say that?’ statements and offers up some interesting quotes. No doubt he’d rather be spending the weekend and days ahead back home fishing, or getting ready for hunting season. Instead he’s headed to THREE red states to campaign for fellow GOP Senators who are in surprisingly tough fights to keep their seats. Kennedy clearly feels put out having to go help out people in what normally would be safe seats and he said so.
I actually saw a clip of his comment shortly after he said it, and saw it again later in the day. It’s also gotten some attention from print outlets as you can see in this short article from The Hill. Yes, you’d think there’d be no need for GOP Senators in Kansas, Nebraska or a GOP candidate running to replace retiring Joni Ernst in Iowa to call in reinforcements but that’s where things are these days. It says something important about just how much territory the GOP has to defend to keep control of Congress. I’ll get to that in a minute.
Yesterday (Thursday) Kennedy spoke with reporters and admitted Republicans are facing unexpected challenges this year. The three states mentioned above would one assumes be solidly and safely RED. Yet as noted all three have a very real possibility of seeing a Democrat win a Senate seat in November. Texas it turns out isn’t the GOP’s only “sure Red” seat that’s up for grabs. GOPers have been grumbling for a while about the money and resources they’ll have to spend to hold Texas because that same money/resources could be needed elsewhere. And sure enough it is, hence Kennedy’s new travel plans:
Kennedy told reporters Thursday that he plans to travel to Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa this weekend to campaign and raise money for Republican Senate candidates.
“If you told me six months ago I was going to be having to spend my time in those three states, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Kennedy said. “Those oughta be fat guy layups for us.”
“Now we’re going to win there,” he added. “But the races are close.”
There’s more than one thing to unpack in that. Kennedy isn’t exactly what one would call a charismatic or dynamic speaker. However it’s probably believed his ‘aw shucks’ personae will play well in those mostly rural states. That “Fat guy layup” comment isn’t a polite thing to say but will probably get plenty of smiles and chuckles where Kennedy is going. On the other hand those same people will wonder about their Republican Party having to send in reinforcements. And that the best they could come up with is a relative back-bencher known mostly for the odd, weirdly entertaining comment here and there.
I don’t see Kenney as someone with the stage presence to fire up those voters. In fact as I just suggested it might make them think the GOP is going to lose so why bother voting? Or worse donate or help get out the vote. We’ll have to wait and see but Kennedy might depress rank and file Republicans instead of motivating them. Much as I’d like to see a lot of these farm state GOPers finally vote in their own best interests (as in for Democrats who for almost a century have been the ones helping them) if they just stay home it’s almost as good.
While Kennedy’s “Fat guy layup” is getting all the attention that last part blocked out above points to something more important. That last part about ‘we’re going to win but it will be close’ to me is what matters. When Kansas which hasn’t had a Democratic Senator in a hundred years has an incumbent polls show is tied or even a bit behind something huge is going on. I can’t help but wonder if Kennedy is whistling past the political graveyard. Or, as suggested with the title picture his Party is about to be devoured by the monster (Trump/MAGA) they unleashed.
Republicans are fighting to win in places they simply should have to be fighting in. Their own voters are ticked off at Trump and Congressional Republicans who’ve refused to rein him in. Most will in the end grudgingly vote for GOP candidates but given how close some of these races are even a few percent of them not voting or worse, ‘just this one time’ switching sides can make all the difference. The Republican Party is backpedaling and playing whack-a-mole as every week a new formerly safe seat in the House or Senate is suddenly in play.
When the GOP is forced to find people like John Kennedy to head to ruby red states to ‘fire up’ their voters it’s clear they are in panic mode. They fear, and I think with good reason that Democrats won’t merely win both chambers of Congress, but with decisive majorities. That could thwart a strategy being floated of Johnson and Thune not seating Democrats (or some of them) when the new Congress convenes. For now it’s clear we’ve got them on the run and we need to keep the pressure on. Like Patton in WWII we have to attack on all fronts and NOT give them a chance to breathe and regroup.
