Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., delivered a blunt warning to fellow Republicans who are treating last week’s crushing midterm defeat as business as usual.
“This was not a normal midterm election loss,” Kennedy said Wednesday night on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “If you think that, congratulations, you’re stupid.”
The Louisiana Republican, known for his colorful Southern sayings, urged Senate Republicans to stop acting as though they have all the answers. He then made his point with a memorable bathroom metaphor.
“A smart man washes his hands after he urinates. A wise man doesn’t urinate on his hands,” Kennedy said. “We Republicans in the Senate need to stop thinking we’re so smart.”
He had made the same comparison on the Senate floor earlier that day.
Kennedy borrowed a favorite line from his colleague, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., who often uses “Toby and Edith” to describe everyday voters.
“As my friend Jim Justice says, Toby and Edith, they didn’t stay home,” Kennedy said. “They voted for Democrats, and we’ve gotta get Toby and Edith back.”
Kennedy said Republicans need to show those voters that they understand what families are going through.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” he said.
He argued that Republicans should use their remaining time in power to deliver results. “We’ve got 50-plus days while Republicans are still in charge,” Kennedy said.
His priorities for the lame-duck session include a permitting reform bill now on the Senate floor, tax breaks for people selling their homes, funding for the Department of Defense, and a ban on stock trading by members of Congress. He also called for a budget reconciliation package to fund defense and combat fraud.
Kennedy acknowledged that those measures would not fix every problem facing American families. Even so, he said they would at least show voters that Republicans are trying.
“Doing nothing, Sean, is hard,” Kennedy told Hannity.
He closed with a call to action for viewers. “So, if you know anybody, make a few calls because we’ve gotta do something,” Kennedy said.
His comments come as Republicans continue to sort through the wreckage of an election that cost them control of both chambers of Congress. Democrats flipped at least eight Republican-held Senate seats, including in states like Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Kansas.
Some conservatives have tried to frame the losses as a typical setback for a sitting president’s party. Hannity himself argued earlier in the week that the results were in line with past midterm defeats.
Kennedy’s remarks put him firmly in the camp of Republicans calling for a reckoning. Justice, the senator he quoted, told the Washington Examiner this week that the GOP can “forget” about retaking the Senate in 2028.
Republicans will keep their majorities until the new Congress is sworn in January.
