355

GOP Sen. John Kennedy Freaks Out When Reminded He Used To Be A Democrat (www.huffpost.com)

submitted 8 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

“I’ve never been a Marxist!” the Louisiana senator shouted angrily after his attempt to smear one of Biden’s judicial nominees backfired.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Thursday tried to smear one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees by repeatedly calling her a Marxist, an accusation rooted in nothing other than this nominee being a Democrat.

But his effort backfired spectacularly when the Louisiana Republican was reminded that he, too, used to be a Democrat.

“Are you still a Marxist?” Kennedy asked Melissa DuBose, Biden’s nominee for a U.S. district court in Rhode Island. It was his very first question in DuBose’s nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he gave zero context.

“I am not nor have I ever been a Marxist,” replied DuBose, who is now a state district judge.

They went back and forth. Kennedy suggested she was lying under oath about being a secret Marxist, citing an interview she did in 2000 when she was working at a coffee shop and said she was “in my Marxist phase.”

...

And then Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) reminded Kennedy that even if it were true that DuBose had been in a “Marxist phase,” people sometimes take new positions on issues over time. Even him.

“This was many, many, many, many, many years ago,” Whitehouse said of DuBose’s interview. “Perhaps during the time when my colleague Sen. Kennedy was a Democrat, showing that people can change their views, even if it were true that you were in a Marxist phase.”

Whitehouse smiled. Laughs were audible in the room. Kennedy was furious.

“I’ve never been a Marxist!” he shouted. “I’ve never been a Marxist! And I’ve never admitted I was a Marxist and then not turned a document over to this committee!”

top 21 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] marx2k@lemmy.world 91 points 8 months ago

Do republican voters seriously never grow tired or embarrassed by this clown show? I don't get it

[-] Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca 33 points 8 months ago

They only hear good things from their side, if they heard something bad coming out of a Republican it would sound like a Charlie Brown trombone adults.

[-] marx2k@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I really just don't get it. The arguments from the right aren't even convincing or remotely logical half the time. At this point it just feels like the politicians are treating their constituents like they're morons and they may be right since the voters not only keep voting them back in but defend these politicians like they're literally fighting the forces of darkness on their behalf.

wtf happened to the American right??

[-] maniacal_gaff@lemmy.world 34 points 8 months ago

Not only did he change parties, his cartoonishly ridiculous accent showed up out of nowhere. Go listen to him speak before the figured out he could get more votes as an (R).

[-] escapedgoat@lemmy.world 32 points 8 months ago

I think it's only fair that from now on every interviewer of Sen. Kennedy ask him how long he's secretly been a Marxist.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

Just like they should repeatedly ask Trump if he's ever paid for any abortions.

If only the press had balls.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 31 points 8 months ago

This guy has literally coasted through election after election purely because ignorant people associate his name with JFK's. So sure, he can claim he was never a "Marxist" when someone reminds him he used to be a Democrat because his constituents don't remember anyway.

[-] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 24 points 8 months ago

Glorious.

[-] LopensLeftArm@sh.itjust.works 24 points 8 months ago

"I did not ever admit to being a Marxist! I did naaaaht! Oh, hi Mark."

[-] b3an@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

This was a great article

[-] ULS@lemmy.ml 5 points 8 months ago

Politics are lamb.

[-] theotherone@kbin.social 22 points 8 months ago

I’d disagree but a bit of mint sauce couldn’t hurt at this point.

this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2024

355 points (98.9% liked)

politics

19159 readers

4277 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

• Register To Vote

• Citizenship Resource Center

• Congressional Awards Program

• Federal Government Agencies

• Library of Congress Legislative Resources

• The White House

• U.S. House of Representatives

• U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

• News