Kennedy on Mike Gallagher Show: Democrat leadership has Americans scratching their heads

I feel a little bit like Captain Ahab and I snagged Moby Dick because I've wanted to interview Senator John Kennedy for a very, very long time. I have to say of all the great quotes from Senator John Kennedy, the junior senator from Louisiana, my favorite is when he said, I say this gently, this is why the aliens won't talk to us. I mean, this guy's a classic. He's smart. He's got clarity coming out of his pores. Senator Kennedy, I hope you can hear my voice, how excited I am to get to spend a few minutes with perhaps one of my favorite senators of all time. Thanks

for joining us, sir.

Oh, thank you, Mike, for having me. I love your show, man.

Is that the problem, do you think, right now, with the Democrat Party, that the leadership has just become so far left that they'll never come back to normal again?

Well, here's what I think most Americans say, Mike. It's a great question. Republicans aren't perfect. God knows, we're not. But the other side's now crazy. If you wanna understand the shutdown,

here's what's going on. About Tuesday, a couple of weeks ago, two weeks ago yesterday, or whatever day it is, our country was rocking along. We were minding our own business. Our federal budget expired at midnight, but we weren't worried. We've been talking to the Democrats about just extending it and continuing to negotiate. And then all of a sudden,

Senator Schumer comes forward at the last minute and says I'm not going to vote to keep government open and I'm not going to let my people vote to keep government open. Unless you give the Democrats $15 trillion dollars and we're gonna tell

you how it has to be spent. Well you can imagine our reaction. My mother didn't raise a fool and as I say if she did it was one of my brothers and my colleagues felt the same way and President Trump felt the same way. And President Trump felt the same way. And that's what this shutdown is all about. The Democrats have tried to muddy the waters to make them look deep, but that's all this thing is about.

Now, why is Senator Schumer being like that? Well, first, it takes 60 votes to get anything done in the Senate, which is why Senator Schumer has leverage over us. But number two, Senator Schumer is in trouble politically with his party. The Democratic Party is now run by the Hamas wing, the Loon wing, the Socialist wing, whatever

you want to call it, of the Democratic Party. And they're mad at Schumer, and he wants them to love him. And the leader of the party is Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. And Senator Schumer wants to ingratiate himself to her. And really, that's why we're shut down.

It's not a policy shutdown, it's a politics shutdown.

Of course it is. And Senator, we're seeing the Democrats implode. And I know as a conservative talk show host, this might seem too good to be true, but it does feel like the Democrats are cratering. This week, you saw Nancy Pelosi blow up at a young reporter

and scream, shut up, to her and stick her finger in her face when the reporter dared asked about the then speaker's actions during January 6th. You've got this communist who possibly is gonna become the next mayor of New York. They're like a drifted sea.

It feels like they're a cork bobbing around in the ocean right now. Or am I overstating that? Do you think there's in as bad a shape as I think they are?

Well, they're clearly in disarray, Mike. I mean, and clearly the socialist wing of the party is, is in ascendancy. They're in control, and again, the leader is Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. It's not Nancy Pelosi anymore. It's not, though I think she'd like to be,

it's not really Senator Schumer. And these people, they're crazy. They hate George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head. They think they're all racist. They think our children should be able

to change genders at recess. They believe in open borders. They believe that cops are a bigger problem than criminals. I could go down the list. And that's why the American people, that's why they lost the last election,

and why the American people are just scratching their heads. And I think they're as exasperated as I am. I don't want to be in the shutdown, but I'm not gonna agree to give them $1.5 trillion.

Well, and we're not going to agree.

I mean, healthcare for illegal immigrants, Senator Kennedy, is a bridge too far. And of course, they're gaslighting us. They're pretending, well, they don't want healthcare for illegals. Of course they do.

They want illegals to be able to vote. They want to provide want healthcare for illegals. Of course they do. They want illegals to be able to vote. They want to provide more benefits to illegals than they do many poor Americans who are desperate for assistance. This is the craziness that you're talking about

with today's Democrat Party.

Well, they do support free healthcare for foreign nationals in our country illegally. In fact, one of their demands is that we repeal the portion of the one big beautiful bill that would crack down on the provision in the blue states of free healthcare to illegal immigrants.

And the truth is that if you're in our country illegally and you want free healthcare, is that if you're in our country illegally and you want free healthcare, all you have to do is claim asylum. And we tried to, and a lot of people who claim asylum are not telling the truth. They're not here because they're being

politically persecuted, they're economic migrants. Which is fine. We have a legal immigration system. You're supposed to get in line and allow yourself to be vetted. So my Democratic colleagues are just not telling the truth

when they say they don't want healthcare for people in our country illegally.

But Senator, you're the kind of guy that I've wanted to ask about the Democrats true intention. I've said as just a big-mouth talk show host that when you see the intentional, the willful way Democrats oppose law enforcement, oppose border security, oppose things that make communities better, safer, cleaner. It feels to me and to many people in my audience that this destruction is intentional, that

they either hate America so much that they want to tear it down or they want to destroy our cities and our states because they want to take control. But do you agree, Senator Kennedy, that this feels like this is deliberate, that it's intentional, that they are absolutely with purpose trying to destroy our country state by state,

city by city? Is that fair or not?

Yes, it's fair. I mean, just look at the facts. Now, I want to add this caveat. Not every Democrat agrees with the socialist wing of their party. But the socialist wing of their party has taken control. I call them the loon wing of the party.

And the more moderate Democrats are scared. They're sitting back and watching the socialists about to elect a new mayor, a socialist mayor of New York. If the reasonable Democrats, the moderate Democrats, the non-crazy Democrats would stand up to the loon wing of their party, I think they would have the votes to throw them out,

but they're scared of them. And frankly, I tell this to my Democratic colleagues who aren't crazy all the time. You need to go to Amazon and buy Spine online. Why do you want to allow these folks, the loon wing of the party, who do hate America, they feel animosity for America when they should feel gratitude.

And I don't understand why the other Democrats allow them to run things. But they do, and that's, you know, from a selfish political standpoint, that's probably good for Republicans, but it's horrible for our country.

Oh, I mean, I feel that way about as a longtime New Yorker, and finally I fled to Florida a few years ago, like our mutual friend, Sean Hannity did, and so many others. I hate what New York might be experiencing if they get this guy elected,

but from a political, from like you said, a selfish political point of view, this'll be great for the GOP. This will be great nationally if the country sees what a failed experiment this is gonna be like.

It's good for us politically. And by the way, quickly, can I ask you, when you talk to your normal Democrat friends, and I have normal Democrat friends too, and they quietly and sort of secretly say to me that they are appalled at the Zoran Mondami and Ayanna Pressley wing

of the Democrat Party. Is that what you get too from your colleagues, Senator on the Hill? Do your colleagues who are normal Democrats, do they express the same mortification about some of these crazies that we do?

Yes, but they're scared. And they see that the socialist wing, the Loon wing is taking control. And they don't want to be necessarily supportive, but they don't want the Loon wing to be mad at them. So they just do nothing and go along.

That's why Senator Schumer is behaving this way. Senator Schumer, I know Chuck very well. Chuck's a very smart man. He knows this is nonsense. He knows this is foolishness. He knows that the loon wing of his party

is gonna lead his party to destruction, but he's scared of it. He's up for re-election in a few years. And you have to understand this about many politicians, not all, but many politicians, the first thing they want more than anything else

is to be re-elected. That's part of the problem.

But- Well, I'll say this about many politicians. The old joke is, how do you know a politician is lying? Well, their lips are moving. But I'll say this about many politicians. The old joke is, how do you know a politician is lying while their lips are moving? But I'll say this about Senator John Kennedy. Nobody ever says that about you. You know, whatever criticism you get, nobody ever accuses you of pulling punches or not

telling the truth or not being completely and utterly transparent and truthful to your constituents in Louisiana and to the American public. I admire you greatly and honestly I've been wanting to talk to you for a long time. You're truly one of my political heroes and I'm just grateful that you're able to take time on your out of your busy day to visit with us here on the Mike Gallagher Show. Look, I have

the right to remain silent but not the ability. That's just the way my God made me. And some people like what I have to say. Some people don't. I try not to worry what anybody thinks about me, except dogs. I really like dogs. I want dogs to like me.

But otherwise, you know, if you disagree with me, that's cool. I don't hate anybody. But I am going to say what I think. And I love your show. I thank you for having me, Mike. You're a rock star, man.

Listen, like dogs, we all love you. Keep fighting the good fight. We appreciate you joining us, sir.

Thank you, my friend. Thank you, my friend. Thanks so much.