Thursday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) sounded off on the decline in quality of life metrics in America’s major cities, including an increase in crime and resources being steered away from law enforcement.
Kennedy urged mayors to improve schools, which would start building a foundation for other improvements.
Transcript as follows:
WATTERS: Louisiana Senator John Kennedy is a member of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Kennedy. I mean, I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, and the videos that we’re showing get more and more dangerous every single week. Are you shocked by how bad this is getting?
KENNEDY: Jesse, here is what I would say to the mayors of many of our major cities and to President Biden, who is advising them. Number one, it is hard not to notice. Mayors that what you are doing is not working. Not to be ugly. But if you ask most Americans to assess your leadership, they would say something like, don’t bother to bring in the clowns, they’re already here.
Number two, in the short-term, if you want things to get better in power, you’re cops. Too many of our mayors think that cops are more of a problem than criminals, they are wrong. Empower your cops, pay them, hire more of them, stand behind them when they have to do their jobs. Tell them to unforce all of our malls, the big ones and the little ones. And mayor’s get rid of your see no evil, hear no evil, prosecute no evil district attorneys.
Point three, and this is longer-term. We have to ask ourselves why is it that these young offenders are more likely to grow up and go to prison than get married or own a home? Now, there are several reasons, but I’ll give you one. Their school suck.
WATTERS: Yes.
KENNEDY: To the mayors, I would say grow some oranges and fix the schools. We need no excuse schools, every child can learn, find out which of our teachers can teach and pay them, find out which of our teachers can’t teach and teach them how or tell him to find a new line of work and social promotion. The new rule ought to be, I don’t care how old you are, you’re not getting out of the third grade until you can read, expand school choice, expand vouchers, expand vouchers, as I said.
The competition will be good for public schools. And the final thing I would say Jesse, this is to the voters, I would tell them be patient but only up to a point. I’m going to put this down with the goats can get it. To the voters, I’d say you deserve better, demand it. Eat your vegetables, don’t elect them.
WATTERS: You’re right, because ultimately, it’s up to the voters to get these idiots out of office. I’m fearful senator, that it’s just business as usual. They don’t vote, they don’t even know who’s running. You get these inner-city party machines that put up the same corrupt people with the same broken ideology year after year, election after election. And things don’t get any better, except the politicians just get paid. Is there any way to break that cycle?
KENNEDY: Sure. You’ll have to have, first, people have to stand up. I mean it. Eat your vegetables, don’t elect them. People have to demand better. We just saw a little bit of that on the West Coast with some of the district attorneys. But number two, in the short-term, the crisis of crime is not going to get better until you empower the cops. And it’s not just about money. It’s about standing behind those cops when they do their job and telling them to prosecute every crime. Murder, rape, and shoplifting.
WATTERS: I think you hit on something. If you don’t have high self-esteem, you don’t think you deserve better. You don’t think you deserve a safe street, a good school, and you just let it, let it happen. And I think people need to step up and realize, they’re worth more and they deserve more. I think you’re absolutely right. Senator Kennedy as always, thanks for joining us on “Primetime.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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