Senator John Kennedy

I understand why.

Every poll I've seen, we poll right up there with toenail fungus.

There's a reason for that.

I think part of it generally, Ben, is that the Americans today, American people today, have much less confidence in their institutions.

And that's the fault, frankly, of both parties.

And it's happened over a long period of time.

The only institution that I know of, there may be others that the American people seem to have confidence in, is the military.

But other than that, the numbers have been down.

Let me say this, and if I go on too long, cut me off.

Part of the reason, many people complain that the Senate gets nothing done.

And you know the old joke, doing nothing is hard, you never know when you're finished.

But the Senate is designed in part for that purpose.

About half of my job is to advance good ideas.

The other half of my job is to kill bad ideas.

And that, in large part, explains why the Senate moves so slowly.

I think our founders intended it to.

Well, that's a good point, Ben.

I understand how people feel.

The American people look around, and they see too many at the top getting bailouts.

They see too many people at the bottom getting handouts, and they're in the middle.