Sen. John Kennedy urges ban on naming buildings after living

Ask most Americans whether we should put a living politician's name on a federal building and you'll get a shrug. Ask John Kennedy, and he'll tell you it's a bad idea that invites embarrassment. His suggestion this weekend on Face the Nation isn't radical. It's common sense dressed up as a Senate proposal. The real tension is that the White House happens to be running a paid ad praising President Trump as "the toughest" thing to come along in a while. That's not a building. That's just flattery with a budget.

Kennedy's underlying point is worth defending. Public monuments should be reserved for people whose work is done. Trump has plenty of time to make more history, and that's exactly why he doesn't need a federal structure with his name chiseled in granite. A building named after a president is a hazard before the funeral. The man can still make decisions that change how we remember him. Why freeze the portrait early? The left spent four years painting Trump as a dictator. If anything, a law against premature naming protects his legacy from their future vandalism.

But let's be honest about the politics. Kennedy is a Republican who backs Trump's agenda, yet he's not afraid to throw a bucket of cold water on the cult of personality. That's a feature, not a bug. The American right doesn't need to build monuments to its leaders while they're still drawing breath. We already have a culture that treats every election like a coronation. The best tribute to Trump is his record, not his name on a post office. If the administration wants to reward loyalty with buildings, that's how you get a hallway in every county honoring some guy who lost a primary.

The real lesson from this little clash is simpler. Kennedy shouldn't need a bill to state the obvious. The White House shouldn't need an ad to make the case for the president's strength. And the press shouldn't treat a sensible comment as a "crash course" between allies. Naming things after living politicians is a lazy way to flatter power. We can do better. If the Democrats want to put Joe Biden's name on a bridge before the paint dries, let them. That's their business. Republicans should hold the door open.