I’ve had a lot of fun at the expense of garrulous Gret Stet Senator John Neely Kennedy over the years. Most notably in a 2018 piece about his cornpone use of language, Neelyisms: Translating Louisiana’s Junior Senator.
I’ve also had a long and complicated political relationship with the man I call Neely. This mouthy Trump ally was once a center-left Democrat who I voted for several times for Gret Stet Treasurer. In the 2004 Senate race to replace John Breaux, Neely was the most liberal candidate by far, so I supported him and even attended a rally at which he appeared with John Kerry. Neely gave the best speech that day with nary a Neelyism in sight.
Even after changing parties, Neely was a critic of the voodoo economics practiced by PBJ DBA Gov. Bobby Jindal. Neely’s ambition got the better of him when he was finally elected to the Senate on the third try in 2016. That was when Neely began blowing with the wind with the prevailing breeze coming from the windbag I call the Kaiser of Chaos.
Neely’s loyalty to the Insult Comedian appeared unshakable until he said this about the lethal attack on an Iranian girl’s school:
“It was terrible. We made a mistake. Other countries do that sort of thing intentionally, like Russia. We would never do that intentionally. I think the department is investigating it now, and I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry it happened. It was a mistake.”
Simple human decency should not make news, but it’s rare in the Trumpfied GOP. It’s a sign that Trump’s grip on Republican senators is not as strong as it once was. They can read the polls, which show President Pennywise’s support in free fall.
Neely also played a role in Cosplay Kristi’s demise but that’s a story for another day. I came to praise Senator John Neely Kennedy for getting it right about this dreadful mistake. It was a pleasant surprise in a political landscape devoid of them. Here’s hoping he doesn’t crawfish on these comments and resume his role as a Trump sycophant.
Repeat after me: Sycophancy kills.
The last word goes to The Smithereens:
Naturally, because I’m a liberal and never satisfied, I wonder if Neely is going to do anything beyond stating an obvious fact followed by a dubious conclusion: “It was terrible. We made a mistake.” Was it really a “mistake” or a reckless disregard of human life? A quibble to be quobbled on another day. Will Neely insist on identifying the person who made this mistake and advocating for a reasonable accounting/punishment? Or is this statement enough and Neely will sail to re-election (whenever he has to run again) as the Independent Senator Who Stood Up to Trump?
The we in question is America. Otherwise, it beats the hell outta me. He’s not up until 2028. Stay tuned.