I came across the phrase, kind of sums things up in the article written by Dana Milbank in Washington Post (July 20) under the headline The new party of Reagan.
The phrase appears in the following remark of the House Democrats, caucus chairman John Larson.
“The Congress’ brinkmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veterans benefits. Interest rates would skyrocket, instability would occur in financial markets, and the federal deficit would soar. The United States has a special responsibility to itself and the world to meet its obligations.”
“Kind of sums things up,” Larson said, playing the same clip again at a news conference."
I also found a similar usage of kind of sums things up in the quote of Unambig.com.
“This kind of sums it up for me. Are we still counting silly things like carbon footprints and measuring every theoretical cloud of carbon and methane created by existing and breathing on this planet.”
What does kind of sums things up, mean? I have no idea. Is it a popular English phrase?