GOP Sen. Kennedy stumps for Sununu, predicts another government shutdown this fall
By Kevin Landrigan, Union Leader
U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said he decided to speak before the high-profile Politics & Eggs forum at Saint Anselm College Friday to promote the election of former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu rather than kick the tires in this first-in-the-nation primary state on a potential White House run in 2028.
But Kennedy, 74, didn’t totally dismiss the notion either.
“I am happy as a U.S. senator. I plan to run for reelection” for a third term in 2028, Kennedy began.
He’s received some encouragement about a presidential run however, Kennedy said.
“In Washington, some folks came to see me. They probably have more money than brains,” Kennedy joked.
“They said, ‘You have to think about (running for president in) ‘28.’ I have one thing on my mind right now, the midterm elections. That’s probably all I will say. A wise man once said, nothing. Why? Because he’s a wise man.”Kennedy began his remarks with a shameless plug for the Granite State.
“I love New Hampshire better than sex, not really, OK, but you get the point I am trying to make. You just have a wonderful state and I’m so glad to be back,” Kennedy said.
The American people should have little faith that much will get done on Capitol Hill before the midterm elections, Kennedy warned.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., won’t allow Senate Democrats to reach any compromises with the GOP leadership, Kennedy said, though he added that the pair remain good friends.
Lawmakers should pass a housing bill, extend the federal spy authorization powers, enact a market reform for cryptocurrency and place a $35 per month cap on what all Americans could be charged for insulin, Kennedy said.
Congress faces another deadline to fund much of the federal budget by Oct. 1.
“I think he is going to shut the government down in September because that would create more chaos,” Kennedy said of Schumer. “I wish I didn’t have to say that, but I think it’s a reality.”
Shaheen has been ‘wonderful to work with’
Kennedy had kind words for both retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the latter who seeks a sixth six-year term and is one of the most targeted GOP incumbents in the country this fall.
“I am really going to miss Senator Shaheen. She is great, John (Sununu) is a great replacement, but she has been wonderful to work with,” Kennedy said.
Speaking earlier about Shaheen and Collins, Kennedy had deadpanned, “They are so nice. Jeanne and Susan think WTF stands for, ‘Well that’s fantastic.’”
In 2016, Kennedy, a former Democratic state treasurer, first won his U.S. Senate seat on his third try and nine years after he became a Republican. In January, he becomes Louisiana’s senior senator after President Donald Trump targeted for defeat Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a GOP primary last month because Cassidy voted to impeach him.Kennedy was also in the state to promote his autobiographical book, “A Breakdown of Quotes, Political Humor, and How to Test Negative for Stupid in Washington” which has already sold half a million copies.
“It’s not a policy book per se; it’s a story,” Kennedy said. “I try to use stories to make points about policy, some are funny, some are bizarre and they are all true.”
As for Trump’s daily desire to comment on everything in American life, Kennedy admitted failure when he tried once to convince the president to pick his spots more.
“It’s not the volume, though that is an issue, but it’s what you say sometimes,” Kennedy said recalling his advice to Trump. “It is what it is, but it’s not going to change.”
Kennedy said the decision of the Biden White House to support multiple prosecutions of Trump while he was out of office only drove the American people further apart into two warring camps.
“I said, ‘The American people are going to see this as political, and you are going to unleash spirits that you can’t control.’ And here we are, it’s not good, it’s not healthy. We don’t prosecute our political leaders in this country,” Kennedy said.
The biggest long-term challenge the country faces is the lack of faith the American people have in the country’s institutions from the judicial branch, Congress and the news media to higher education, he summed up.
“There is a dread, a gloominess in America. If you talk to our young people, they don’t think their future is going to be as good,” Kennedy said. “We have got to get our shine back.”