Senator John Kennedy didn’t mince words on Fox & Friends, quipping that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was “as nervous as a pregnant nun” as Democrats squabbled amid the shutdown stalemate. His colorful line isn’t just a punchline — it captures real panic in the Democratic caucus as the socialist wing tightens its grip and forces leadership into impossible choices.
The latest shutdown shows exactly what happens when politics come before governing: leaders grandstand while essential services hang in the balance, and ordinary people pay the price. Republicans pressed for a clean reopening, but Democrats repeatedly blocked sensible fixes and used the leverage to hustle their left-wing wishlist instead of funding the government.
Kennedy’s diagnosis is blunt and accurate: Schumer isn’t steering his party so much as trying to survive it, cowed by the “loon wing” that prizes ideology over results. That internal chaos explains why Democrat messaging collapses into tantrums and insults rather than solutions, and why moderate Democrats are left with the choice of appeasing the extremists or facing political retribution.
This is political malpractice dressed up as principle. While the left stages theatrical resistance, responsible lawmakers should reopen the government and protect Americans from the fallout of reckless brinkmanship, not reward the tantrum with concessions that invite more hostage-taking down the road. Voters remember who shut things down and who kept the lights on.
Credit where it’s due: Republicans have shown they can use leverage and public pressure to force votes and expose Democratic fractures, and Kennedy’s straight-talking approach on cable has helped frame the debate in plain terms that voters understand. If GOP leaders keep pressing practical solutions rather than getting sucked into performative fights, the line between patriotism and political theater becomes obvious to everyone.
Kennedy is also turning his trademark wit into a wider critique of Washington in his new book, How to Test Negative for Stupid, which hits shelves in October and promises more of the comic, no-nonsense takedowns Americans have come to expect from him. The book’s timing — and his willingness to call out both extremes — only amplify his message that governing requires brains, backbone, and an unwillingness to indulge nihilistic partisan games.
At the end of the day, this isn’t theater; it’s governance. Leadership means opening the government, defending the public interest, and making sure career politicians stop using taxpayers as bargaining chips for their internal power struggles. If Chuck Schumer won’t lead his caucus out of the tantrum, then he should stop pretending the chaos is anyone else’s fault — and the Senate should get back to work.
