Butch Finds an Honest Politician!

 I admit that I’m not much into politics. Never have been. I scan the headlines each day, catch a few soundbites on TV, listen to other people’s viewpoints and complaints . . . that’s about the extent of it. I don’t enjoy discussing politics because I get frustrated with people telling me who I should vote for and what policies and laws I should be for or against. I have my opinions, and they have their opinions. That’s the way it should be in America. We can agree, or we can agree to disagree. As far as national politicians . . . Congressmen and Senators, there are a few good ones, but many of them are self-serving phonies whose main goal is to stay in office and reap the benefits, financial and otherwise. A very small percentage will tell you what they really think. But recently I listened to one U.S. Senator who DOES speak his mind, and he could care less what people think of him, and at times he can also be quite funny.

   John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, has been a senator since 2017. He was a typical smalltown boy who studied hard, worked hard, and had fun in high school and college . . . sometimes a little too much fun. But he was no dummy, graduating as high school valedictorian, and then attending Vanderbilt, the University of Virginia Law School and earning another law degree from Oxford. Before being elected to the Senate, he served as Louisiana State Treasurer for many years. Kennedy was a Democrat, but switched parties in 2007 as he became opposed to many Democrat policies. In listening to him, I soon realized that he is not afraid to say what he thinks. I decided to read his book, “How to Test Negative for Stupid.” (c 2025, Harper-Collins). What does he think about all of the people who hate President Trump and want you to convert to their beliefs? Here is a quote from his book:

   “People don’t want to be led by leaders who talk and look down to them. They don’t want to be told that all whites are racist and all minorities are victims. They don’t want to be divided by race at all. They don’t want to be told that they are terrible people for using a gas stove. That they are anti-science for asking questions. That they are selfish for wanting to keep more of their paychecks. And they sure don’t want to be led by people who tell them to just send all of the money and all of their freedom to Washington and shut up. Trump ran against all of that. And he won. Twice.”

  “He won because he understood that too much of the system only works for the insiders. That too many people at the top are getting bailouts, too many at the bottom are getting handouts, and the people in the middle get the bill. He won because he understood that millions of Americans feel like strangers in their own country.  That the governing class is worried more about their problems than those of the voters who elected them. He won because Hillary and Kamala kept finding new ways to be stupid, and there weren’t enough childless cat people to bail them out. He won because, in both elections, he represented hope, while his opponents represented more hurt . . . Trump disturbed the hell out of the syndicate called Washington and its five families: the entrenched politicians, the bureaucrats, the media, the academics and the corporate phonies.”

   Sen. Kennedy knew that Biden was on a steep decline and was being controlled by “moral snobs” whose attitude seemed to be “that everything in America is poisoned and everything in America needs to change . . . and they were the ones to do it.” One columnist referred to Biden’s advisors as “high IQ stupid people.” Kennedy prefers the term “weenie-wokers.”

   But don’t get the idea that Sen. Kennedy agrees with President Trump 100 percent of the time. He is like many of us who realize that the president just needs to keep his mouth shut at times, and Kennedy has voted against some of his policies and proposals . . . but he tells him why to his face. The media hated Trump. They still do. But the public is tired of the “jackassery of the ruling class screwing everything up and blaming us for noticing” and the media trying to sway our opinions. They mock folks “for owning guns, believing in God, and teaching their children values. Hillary Clinton called us deplorables, as if we aren’t real people.”

   The next time you get a chance, listen to what Sen. John Kennedy has to say . . . or better yet, read his book. No, you may not agree with him on every issue, but at least he actually tells people what he truly believes . . . and he will toss in a few funny zingers to boot!

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 37 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.