Ruthless Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: How to Test Negative for Stupid w/ Sen. Kennedy
Air Date: October 10, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Featured Guest: Senator John Kennedy (R-LA)

Episode Overview

This Fun Time Friday episode of the Ruthless Podcast delivers the typical high-energy blend of “next-generation conservative talk” and sharp-edged humor, with a strong focus on recent political news. The team welcomes repeat guest Senator John Kennedy, celebrated for his witty Southernisms and no-nonsense commentary, to discuss the government shutdown drama, Senate intrigue, overreaches by the DOJ and FBI, the state of Obamacare, and his new book, How to Test Negative for Stupid and Why Washington Never Will. In classic Ruthless fashion, the group rounds out the episode with spirited takes on budget airlines, political protestors, and questions of the day—from “who’s testing positive for stupid?” to listener shout-outs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Washington, the Shutdown, and Schumer’s Dilemma

• Senate as High School: Senator Kennedy colorfully describes the Senate as “high school, but no one ever graduates,” poking fun at career politicians who refuse to leave.
  • [02:04, Sen. Kennedy] “We've got some guys have been in the 10th grade for 37 years.”
• Shutdown Showdown: The conversation examines the government shutdown's political theater. Kennedy accuses Senate Majority Leader Schumer of caving to his party’s “loon wing,” namely AOC and progressives.
  • [03:01, Sen. Kennedy] “The Democrats have done a pretty good job of muddying the water to make it look deep, but it's very simple… Schumer came to us and said, here's the deal. We're going to vote to shut down unless you give us $1.5 trillion and we're going to tell you how to spend it.”
  • On Schumer’s motives: “Senator Schumer is nervous as a pregnant nun…”
• AOC’s Future: The hosts and Kennedy riff on rumors of AOC’s potential challenge to Schumer, invoking his signature biting humor.
  • [05:11, Sen. Kennedy] “The congresswoman is single handedly trying to put an end to dumb blonde jokes… our secret plan is Operation Let Her Speak.”

2. GOP Unity & Obamacare Subsidies

• Republican Cohesion: Kennedy says the GOP is largely united but wary of President Biden cutting a side deal.
  • [06:43, Sen. Kennedy] “We're, for the most part, united. We understand the stakes.”
• Obamacare Critique: Kennedy rails against ongoing, expanded Obamacare subsidies—even to households making up to $600,000/year.
  • [07:43, Kennedy → Holmes]: “And they get the subsidy.”
  • On the exchanges: [08:03, Kennedy] “Obamacare exchanges are broken. They were supposed to make insurance cheaper and more accessible. It's done neither.”

3. Political Leverage and Senate Language Wars

• Democrat Tactics: Kennedy and the hosts mock the notion that shutdowns give Democrats “leverage” over Republicans.
  • [10:48, Kennedy] “Okay, Comrade Bernie.”
  • [14:11, Kennedy] “Your leverage sounds a lot like cleavage… I love Sheldon [Whitehouse]. It's a nice suit. I remember when it was in… back in 1978.”
  • Regional quips about how “leverage” would play back home.

4. FBI/DOJ Overreaches & Congressional Oversight

• Latest FBI/DOJ Revelations: The team discusses reports that Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed 8 sitting Senators’ phone records—a breach of basic Constitutional boundaries.
  • [17:29, Kennedy]: “We're going to have to get some new conspiracy theories, because all the old ones turned out to be true.”
  • [17:45, Kennedy]: “He [Jack Smith] went and basically got the phone records for eight sitting United States Senators. And… the telephone companies… have a lot of civil liability.”
  • Kennedy urges speed and direct oversight, calling for subpoenas for Jack Smith, AG Garland, and possibly FBI Director Wray.
  • [19:46, Kennedy]: “I've listened to them talk about the president… destroying democracy and weaponizing. Give me a break. Gag me with a spoon, man. These guys started it.”
• Larger Pattern of Abuse: Holmes cites the Lois Lerner IRS scandal, Obama admin’s seizure of AP phone records, and the weaponization of government across cycles.
  • [23:38, Kennedy]: “No, it's got to be stopped… my charge [to the AG] … you need to go and get rid of the bad people and lift up the good people…there were a bunch of folks over there that were total ass clowns.”
  • [24:30, Duncan]: “All of those people test positive for stupid.”
  • [24:38, Kennedy]: “Yes, they do.”

5. Sen. Kennedy’s Book: “How to Test Negative for Stupid”

• A Book Born in the Kitchen: Kennedy discusses his new book—part story, part satire, all true anecdotes from his Senate tenure.
  • [24:52, Duncan]: “You just wrote a book about how to test negative for stupid and why Washington never will.”
  • [25:23, Kennedy]: “It's not a policy book per se, it's a storybook. I use stories to make my points… to explain to them why in Washington, D.C. normal is a setting on the clothes dryer.”
  • [26:19, Kennedy]: “I tried to speak very plainly in, in, in basic English. You know, no Sanskrit.”
• Classic Kennedy Storytelling: Anecdotes about McConnell and Senate life, including this gem:
  • [27:26, Kennedy]: “America was founded by geniuses, but it's being run by idiots. And I also said… I don't know how some people in leadership made it through the birth canal.”
  • On McConnell’s comeback: “John, I had no trouble making it to the birth canal.”

6. Audience Engagement & Ruthless Listener Stories

• Listener Feedback: The team reads and riffs on five-star Apple Podcast reviews, including a fan whose relationship began with a Ruthless conversation.
• [41:49, Ashbrook]: Reading praise from listeners across age and geography, reinforcing the show's broad cultural reach.
• [41:55, Unidentified Co-host]: “I even learn things. Thanks so much for standing up and speaking truth.”

7. The State of Air Travel: Budget Airlines Edition

• Spirit & Frontier Airlines Pandemonium:
  • [49:18, Co-host]: “It's the Greyhound in the sky.”
  • The hosts mock the chaos unique to ultra-budget air travel, with tales of aisle-blocking parents on Spirit and drunken brawls on Frontier.
  • [53:23, Ashbrook]: “There’s no winner here. There's no one in the wrong, there's no one in the right. This is just the morass you find yourselves in… you're surrounded by other monsters like yourself.”
  • Calls for unruly passengers to be sent to “Guantanamo Bay” or black sites becomes an extended tongue-in-cheek riff.

8. Boomers, Protest Fetishism & Liberal Hypocrisy

• Footage of aging protestors sparks a debate on “liberal boomers,” entitlement culture, and generational divides.
  • [46:36, Unidentified Co-host]: “A liberal boomer is the most selfish person that's existed on the face of this planet.”
• The difference between “the greatest generation” and the “liberal boomer protest crowd” is lampooned.

9. Question of the Day: Who’s Testing Positive for Stupid?

• The team encourages listeners to submit nominations for the “stupidest” politician, public figure, or even neighbor of the week—tying into Kennedy’s book theme.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Sen. Kennedy’s signature zinger:
  • “[The Senate] is like high school, but no one ever graduates.” [02:04]
• On Schumer’s political predicament:
  • “Senator Schumer is nervous as a pregnant nun because the loon wing, the socialist wing of his party does not like him.” [03:46]
• On government spending demands:
  • "We're going to vote to shut down unless you give us $1.5 trillion and we're going to tell you how to spend it." [03:19]
• AOC as foil:
  • "She's single handedly trying to put an end to dumb blonde jokes." [05:12]
• Obamacare critique:
  • "Obamacare exchanges are broken… they were supposed to make insurance cheaper and more accessible. It's done neither." [08:03]
• Leverage as cleavage:
  • "Your leverage sounds a lot like cleavage… Leverage, Sheldon." [14:11]
• On government weaponization:
  • "Gag me with a spoon, man. These guys started it." [19:46]
• On Senate staffers:
  • "There were a bunch of folks over there that were total ass clowns." [24:29]
• On his book’s style:
  • "It's not a policy book per se, it's a storybook." [25:23]
  • "Normal is a setting on the clothes dryer." [25:44]
• Classic McConnell story:
  • "I don't know how some people in leadership made it through the birth canal." [27:05]
  • “John, I had no trouble making it to the birth canal.” [27:29]
• On unruly airline experiences:
  • "It's a zoo in the sky and all the other animals are there with you." [54:01]

Segment Timestamps

• Opening & shutdown discussion: 00:00–15:49
• FBI/DOJ scandal & oversight: 16:56–24:29
• Kennedy’s book interview: 24:45–29:49
• Listener feedback & audience interactions: 39:27–41:49
• Boomers & protest culture: 45:00–48:48
• Budget airline rants: 49:16–55:27
• Question of the day/closing: 62:45–end

Tone, Style, and Takeaways

The episode’s tone is as irreverent and fast-talking as ever—equal parts banter, pointed analysis, and gallows humor about DC dysfunction. Senator Kennedy matches the Ruthless wit with punchlines and sharp analogies, offering an insider’s perspective on current GOP strategy, Democratic infighting, and ongoing fights over healthcare and government overreach. His folksy metaphors and candid anecdotes make for genuinely memorable radio.

Bottom Line:
This episode is a robust engagement with the intersection of news and comedy, painting a vivid (if acerbic) picture of Washington gamesmanship and the cultural absurdity of American politics. If you enjoy a blend of cutting satire, practical wisdom, and outright mockery of both institutional and social dysfunction, this episode is a must-listen.

Additional Resources

• Sen. John Kennedy’s “How to Test Negative for Stupid and Why Washington Never Will” is available wherever books are sold.
• For more on government shutdowns and advocacy: MakeGovernmentWork.com
• Submit your “Who’s testing positive for stupid?” entries for next week’s show!

Keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs!