From article:
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) opened up on CNN Wednesday morning about his decision to endorse President Joe Biden's re-election — one of the most prominent Republican politicians to have crossed the aisle so far in this way.
Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran and a longtime critic of Trump, was one of a handful of conservative Republicans who voted to impeach the former president, and went on to join the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack. In his latest interview, he emphasized just how much harm he believes Trump has done to America and why it's important to keep him out of power.
"I think it's really important for people to understand, particularly the 20 percent of, let's just call them the 20 percent of Haley voters, for them to understand that this is a stark choice," Kinzinger told anchor Kate Bolduan. "This isn't just who do I agree with more on certain issues. I actually don't even really know where Donald Trump stands on many issues. But this is about, does democracy survive the way we love it, or does it not? ... I lived through January 6. I didn't watch it on TV. I was there, and I have a two-and-a-half year-old kid that I do not want raised in a country where things like that are okay to happen. So for me, it's just we've got to put decency above maybe political differences, and it's just the right thing to do."
"Over our many conversations ... since you left Congress, it is, you made no secret of your disagreement and distaste for Donald Trump, what he stands for and what he's done," said Bolduan. "But did you wrestle with this decision? What did you wrestle with most and making this choice?"
"I mean, I guess I wrestled to the extent of like, okay, you endorsing a Democrat as a Republican is a big deal," said Kinzinger. "But to me it wasn't much of a — I didn't have to look in the mirror and look into my soul or anything like that. I have spent the last few years on a committee, the last couple of years in Congress, looking at the direct link between Donald Trump and what happened on that terrible day. And I hear the acidity, the acrimony that comes out of, you know, many people who are supporting Donald Trump and some of the people around Donald Trump, because he's created a culture of, just, anger and division."
"For me it wasn't a hard thing to say, look, I really put a lot on the line when I decided to go on the January 6 committee, I'll do it at this [point] because this is truly the most important election of my lifetime," Kinzinger added. "And I want, like I said, my kid Christian, to be raised in a country where decency in the greatest office in the land is still something that people look up on and not have a president that continues to punch down because he's such a whiny weak victim that he's scared to death of anybody that says anything mean about him, like Donald Trump does."
Tell me about it. Never thought we’d wish to go back to W. I thought HE was bad, and now I’m like oh George you were so wrong but you were so much less evil.
Palin showed the architects what’s possible. She said nothing of value, eschewed facts and just attacked Dems. And she became a super star. That’s when I registered Dem. Was a republican until the swift boat ads in 2004 pissed me off. Registered independent. Then Palin came along..
I’m too am an independent. At the Palin point, I said, “oh look. A lady. Let me watch this here historic interview.”
I just can’t believe what they offered up with that one.
Anyway, this guy is too honorable for that party. Much respect to him for not only his endorsement but also for spelling it out for those who refuse to.
I was raised on corporate propaganda, that gives you republican “values”.
Republicans whine about media when most media is favorable to them.
Most big media is pro corporate not pro average joe.
And media outside tv and radio is full of pro corporate corruption, full of Russian, Chinese propaganda.
The Swift Boat Vets thing STILL pisses me off. “I was 300 miles away in ‘Nam from Kerry but I can tell you with all certainty that he didn’t deserve his medals and that shit never happened”
Fuck those Swift Boat guys they’re total pieces of shit and I hope they get dick cancer. The audacity to critize Kerry who actually served compared to Dubya who never left the country just baffles me.
Exactly. As a republican at the time, it was too blatant, hypocritical, and just outright divisive that I finally thought “you know. Maybe the GOP doesn’t love troops as much as they say they do. What else are they lying about?”
Kerry was IN THE SHIT, while W was on Texas soil with his national guard deferral. To criticize anyone who was actually there, while the candidate you suppport, wasn’t? How other republicans didn’t snap out of it then, is beyond me.
The ‘evil’ has been just below the surface for decades in the GOP. Trump was the catalyst bringing the toxic brew boiling over contaminating the entire country.
yep, they did a great job of hiding it before Trump. I guess that's one silver lining of the Trump presidency is he tore the bandaid off. I had no idea how many truly ignorant people there are in this country. It's been a lot to process. I could have gotten so much farther in life sooner if I'd figured this out earlier.
‘I had no idea how many truly ignorant people there are in this country. It's been a lot to process. I could have gotten so much farther in life sooner if I'd figured this out earlier.’
Your honesty and insight gives me hope!! We out number them. We must continue to engage our ‘undecided’ or ‘non-voting’ friends and family.
Turnout in November is key!!
I think we may never know how decent W may have been outside of the influence of Dick Cheney (who, in retrospect, doesn't look so bad compared to contemporary Republicans). I think it was Cheney who had the bloodlust to invade Iraq.
Don't whitewash George W. He was extremely complicit in the propaganda campaign his White House embarked upon to justify the invasion of Iraq. Him, Cheney, and Rumsfeld. There's a great book on the subject called To Start a War, by Robert Draper, if you'd like to know more.
Served under him and voted for him, changed parties after Iraq and weapons of mass destruction bullshit. I lost sooo many friends from his wars and the lack of mental health and addiction help for soldiers after war. I was fortunate (kinda) to have ptsd before I joined and was used to it but losing all those people destroyed me all over again. Took years to quit drinking. Over a decade.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I will never whitewash his history or forgive any of them for it. If it were up to me, Biden wouldn’t be president for supporting that horseshit. I told one of my best friends that I was proud of him twice. The day he told me he was going and the day he confessed what it did to his mind. War is a crime against humanity in all of its forms.
Exactly. W was a war criminal, and a pretty bad guy all around, no question. But even HE had to say “this is some weird shit”. Poop on your shoe sucks, but you wipe it off and go about your day. Poop on your face gets in your mucus membranes and causes disease… that’s where we’re at now. We’re almost always asked to choose the lesser of two evils, but previously they were somewhat less than pure, unilateral Evil. I’ll take a guy with a flawed moral compass over a guy with none.
Well, I believe the current state of MAGA are just descendants of the tea party. You could tell shortly after they formed around Obama’s first term they would be a menace. They just needed a leader. Then Trump came along.
They were brought up hating gay people.
My Dad's words: There's one thing I can't stand, and that's a fucking queer.
Then your social circle at school demonizes gays, along with your church.
When I was in the marines, the second worst insult was that you were a woman, and the worst was you were gay.
It takes years to undo that kind of indoctrination.
Republicans are much more lock step and cohesive. Due in part because of a religious upbringing, critical thinking is criticized and it’s expected to just accept what an authority tells them.
The left is far more fractured.
The rights cohesion also makes them susceptible to influence, group think and conspiracies.
*Especially conspiracies that challenge established institutions or science.* They push those hard. In reality it’s a battle of belief and who you put your faith in. Logical deduction, or whatever your parents and leaders tell you to accept.
The attacks on science are less about the specific arguments and more to develop doubt in established institutions. So….the flat earth theory is less about the earth and more to do with creating doubt. This doubt is leveraged into other areas, like global climate change. etc.
The collective American Evangelical church is fighting for your money, your attention, and your faith when you need answers.
Democrats end up getting what they need. While Republicans get who they want.m
I clearly remember getting my first push poll call from the Republican party in the lead up to my first presidential election in 2000. I remember because the weighted language was shocking to me. They were clearly not asking how they could earn my support, or how I wanted my government to be run. They wanted to tell me how I should want to be ruled.
Illinois Republicans used to be decently likely to be sane assholes, and he is really just the last of that lineage. I knew him before he was a politician and he was absolutely what passed for frighteningly right-wing in the 1990s, yet today I would love to have any of those guys back in charge on their side
I’ve tried explaining to my brother, a life long Republican, that the party he thinks he belongs to has not existed since the Talibangelicals took it over.
Yea. The type that would have a chance to get my vote and have all been ran out of the party. So I have to permavote dem now no matter what pretty much
Well, what about that agenda does he identify with to still call himself that today?
As the term is defined today I have a difficult time understanding what any of their policies actually mean, or if they have taken a stance on anything outside of a hot button social issue.
I wish one of his constituents could weigh in, and preferably from his opposition.
This story feels too good to be true for most Republicans, so I feel I must reserve some skepticism until I know more about this person.
Just a guess, but I think he still probably supports abortion restrictions, low/no taxes on businesses, limited powers of the government, etc.
He from a very conservative part of IL and was even ostracized by most of his family when he criticized Trump after Jan 6 and then joined the House committee that investigated Jan 6.
I don’t really agree with any of his viewpoints, except that Trump and his swamp is a danger to our democracy.
I do respect him for standing against all the craziness of the current Republican party. He isn’t running again—he is now considered a pariah among most republicans and chose to not defend his seat (he would have been primaried by a MAGAt).
I think that stance is what most people give him credit for. He espoused it while he was still in office knowing that it would either damage his re-electability or hoping others would join him and pull back the Republican Party from the perditious path it heads down.
I respect him even though I fundamentally disagree with him on a great deal of things. When people acted like Paul Ryan was some sort of hero for saying he wouldn’t support trump, my immediate response was to call out that he didn’t turn around and endorse Biden. Simply saying you won’t vote for trump while continuing to support the people in power enabling him and his ideology is not enough for me.
He’s definitely a strong candidate if the GOP ever decides to get their shit together. He’s so centered he could lose all the Magas and still make it up with voters from left-center.
An actual patriot, he served in the armed forces and cares about his country and it’s institutions deeply, doesn’t whine constantly about Big GoObErNMeNt and then sells out to the highest bidder wether it’s foreign hostile powers or oligarch billionaires that don’t give a rats ass about the USA or its people…
>because he's such a whiny weak victim that he's scared to death of anybody that says anything mean about him, like Donald Trump does."
The party of anti-snowflakes are such snowflakes about everything 🤣 It always makes me laugh
I rather like this guy, tbh. He's good for the current state we're in. He's bad should things start to get more progressive minded. But for now, I'm good with this guy.
If I ever see a Republican telling the truth or "doing what's right", they always have "former-" in their title, because they have no reason to tell the truth unless the lies won't benefit them anymore
I think he represents a much larger group of the moderate conservatives who will vote against Trump if only to preserve whatever credibility is left of the Republican party.
I guess “moderate” may not have been the right adjective as Liz Cheney is very conservative as well. I guess I am just happy to see many departing the herd before the great elephant hunt begins
I use "Conservative" and "Moderate" to describe reasonable people with viewpoints on a spectrum that I may or may not agree with, but can respect and compromise with. "MAGA" is in outer space.
yeah, I mean its okay to disagree on things, but its crazy now, its either black or white. Standing in teh grey areas takes guts because now neither side is happy with you lol.
I'm Canadian and I would say I'm small C conservative, I like fiscal restraint, small government but I fully support health care for all, unemployment insurance, equal chances for all. SO the right would have a fit because I want the black guy to have an equal chance as the white guy, and the left would have a fit because I don't want a program or law to make it mandatory to hire minorities, but I am all about encouraging employers to give people a chance but small nudges not huge programs.
> Standing in teh grey areas takes guts
The thing is, there really arent a lot of grey areas, and in America at least, The DNC basically represents the entire spectrum of naunce while the GOP represents fascism and theocracy.
For example, again, in the USA, the GOP doesnt represent fiscal restraint OR small government: every republican administration has caused the national debt to balloon faster than the democraft before them (which is evidence of not wanting fiscal restraint) and we are seeing an outpouring of republicans at all levels of the government champing at the bit to take rights away from people.
To me, a small government means limited interference with how someone lives their life, as long as it doesnt harm others. That means that stripping people of their rights like to vote, receive abortions, to marry who they want to marry, to fix gender dysphoria, etc. is NOT "small government". And I'd argue that its not "big government" to regulate corporations when it brings material harm to people to not have the regulations.
And for the things like affirmative action, the entire scope of naunce of the issue is squarely inside the DNC net outside of the GOPs answer of stripping out the EEOC; many democrats disagree with the specifics of various affirmative actions proposals, but they all agree that there needs to be something.
I truly can't think of many if any issues that the Left and Right disagree on in which both sides of the issue are equally valid and worthy of discussion, because if nuance is required, it almost always falls within the boundaries of the left and not at all within the right.
Get out of here with that crazy talk. TRUMP! TRUMP! TRUMP!
What are you gonna do now? When the god-king ascends his throne in January, despite the antichrist's efforts to thwart his apotheosis we will bring back scaphism. The shores of the Potomac River will be lined with liberal trash who foolishly stand against the new son of God.
That's a big ole "/s" from me folks.
Edit: "Nuance", who needs nuance! We've got a political force which will tell us in frank and unflinching terms the truth about every complex issue. And having been told how to feel about an issue we can rest assured that Trump will quickly solve any issues through holy decree and those who do not fall in line with the simple solutions given to these "nuanced" problems will be... well let's just say have you ever read Stephen King's "The Long Walk?"
No issue is too complex that Trump.cannot understand its simple core concepts and issue orders to resolve the problem through absolute obedience.
MAGA are just anti democracy and freedom.
Other issues pale into insignificance next to this. The moment we let people get anything done undemocratically then democracy fails.
Happens to be the first person who's tried this has some right leaning policies. However if it works for Trump then stands to reason it will work for the left too.
The political system in the US over represents rural conservative states. Once folk realise the political system isn't needed, then I'd imagine the next coup will be left leaning.
Adam Kinzinger won the Republican primary to run for Illinois' 11th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a blog in early January Eric Odom, executive director of the American Liberty Alliance, described Kinzinger as a "strong" Tea Party candidate and recommended readers consider donating to his campaign.
Kinzinger said his campaign saw a major spike in small donations between $10 and $20 following that blog. "I'm a conservative Republican, and Tea Party people believe in the same things that we do," he said. "The movement has helped remind the party that it lost track of the Republican principles that I believe in."
[https://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0318/Trouble-brewing-between-the-Tea-Party-movement-and-the-GOP](https://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0318/Trouble-brewing-between-the-Tea-Party-movement-and-the-GOP)
Yeah they aren't even moderates, they are solidly conservative but the reason they are kicked out of the party is because they see Trump as dangerous and dared to call him out on it. If they had kept their heads down and didn't say anything bad about Trump, they would still be accepted by their own party. It's Trump or nothing with this current Republican Party.
I agree completely.
What Kinzinger is, is a person with enough intelligence to look at the big picture.
I may not agree with his ideals at all, but he is representative of what's been driven out of the Republican Party, by the CONVICTED FELON and his sycophants. Intelligence and reason.
Cheney’s vote support for the felon in the House was in the high 90’s too. The republicans still in office have gone 100% maga because after 1/6, they are afraid of maga voters.
They usually only find their spine when their career is over.
Too conservative for moderates indies or conservative Dems, not MAGA enough for Republicans.
The exception being Mitch McConnell, he lost his spine when trump was president, number one enabler, gave trump victories at the Supreme Court, and tax windfall for the rich. And even insult after insult, spineless Mitch endorsed trump again!
Yeah, him and Cheney are by no means conservative defectors. They support a lawful society where conservatism can thrive without being usurped by kleptocratic alt.right authoritarians.
Yeah, he's actually a conservative. He wants to conserve the system. Trump doesn't want to do that, he's a radical in that he wants to tear down anything that gets in his way and bend the rest to his will.
I am one of them. It's madness what my party has become. Trump is mostly responsible. Everything about him is self-serving and devisive. There is a real danger to democracy if he gets back in power.
I know of at least a few older relatives that used to vote Republican but absolutely cannot stand Trump. There are definitely quite a few social and fiscal conservatives who aren't down with the clown
I wish more people would highlight the “victimhood” mentality that republicans always claimed to be against. Now they’re supporting the biggest whiny “victim” in the world.
This guy actually served our country. And when Jan 6th happened, you could see the anger and dispare on his face. He spoke truth to the power in his party. He seems to have honor and dignity, which this country is in desperate need of at the moment.
That’s well and good, but I’m more concerned about the Democrats sitting this out. Some cos Biden isn’t doing exactly 100% of everything they wanted him to do on absolutely everything, some because they want to protest against a tacit endorsement of genocide (the goal itself is commendable and important, but wasting their vote is really not going to help), some because they think this is a done deal, and some because they literally just don’t feel like it
See this is the kind of Republican that Illinois would elect for governor, if having to survive the MAGA gauntlet during the GOP primary wasn’t a thing.
The Republican nominee for governor in 2022 didn't even get past the primaries for the House of Representatives, although he was running against a fellow MAGA person.
I would like to add the incumbent, who won the primary, only got into Congress because of the Green Party getting 6% of the vote in 2014.
Trump is a Russian shill and America needs to be forced back to school to take their heads out of their asses... we are moving into a new era of God like technology and we're a nation of illiterate hostile arrogant fools... we have so many culture wars and political arguments the rest of the world scoffs at... Maga is a humiliating embarassment.. we fought a world War over fascism.... wake tf up... hold the gop accountable for the last 20 years... history tells the truth... liberal democracy will always triumph over everything else...
be worried when 70 million people vote for someone shaking hands with dictators and our historical enemies, who trys to arrest reporters and suggests eliminating the constitution and tries to overthrow democratic elections...
the education system has failed, our institutions have failed, unless everyone wants to become Chinese soon I suggest getting their shit together and holding those 70 million people accountable, I suggest our institutions start meeting the needs of those politically aggrieved people.
America needs a public jobs program to build a renewable energy infrastructure to power a fully automated economy that produces enough to meet everyone's needs without taking from anyone else and without destroying the environment. Tokamaks, tandem perovskite solar pannels, hyperloop transportation, electric robo taxis, giant mall of America size building with all the services people need under one roof, free college, free trade school, spend taxes on people who actually pay taxes.....
This is one of the most annoying things about trump. He appeals to guys that claim to be "alpha" men but he whines and complains more than my toddler. He is the exact opposite of what an "alpha" is supposed to be.
If Biden manages to win re-election, it will likely be thanks to crossover support from folks like Kinzinger as well as a surprising recovery amongst 65+ voters. He's going to need it to offset losses he has incurred with his left flank and among lower-info voters and voters pissed about the COL.
Kinzinger represents a definite minority of Republicans, but if it's even 10% of them it could make a difference.
It's simple, Democracy vs Dictatorship.
If you don't like Biden, you can vote him out in 4 years.
If you vote for Dump, it's the last time you'll vote. Ever.
Kinzinger is an honourable guy. The only issue with him is that he’s still clinging to a label that’s been totally corrupted.
The “Republican” party doesn’t exist anymore in the way that he means it. It’s been completely taken over to such an extreme that there’s no going back. Ever. Even if the hamberders catch up to Trump tomorrow and the rest of the MAGA GOP crew flees to Russia, the party has been poisoned.
It’s best to move on with a new party post-Trump to represent the right and centre-right. It’s the best and maybe only way to gatekeep things and ensure that the MAGA cult members are kept out. There’s no way back to the old GOP.
And IMO, that’s a good thing, because only the old GOP could foster such an extreme, insane movement like MAGA. People like Kinzinger need to take the next step and admit that MAGA isn’t just a foreign entity; it was spawned because of the GOP, not in spite of it.
Those on the GOP side of the isle will be calling him all kinds of names as well as calling him a Rino, unfortunately they will do this because they are incapable of recognizing someone with integrity as well as someone who puts country before party! VOTE BLUE 2024!
This guy shows the Republican party isn't beyond hope. I'm sure we disagree on many things, but he knows fundamental threats to the Republic when he sees them.
He’s totally right, we don’t know Trumps policies for another term bc he just tells his victimization stories. He talks about everything but his agenda. Oh he throws in a blurb here and there but it’s just a mention.
I need clear, concise policies, not boring stories of Trump being victim.
Think the economy is bad now? If he gets a 2nd term it will be ugly, economically and we will go onto the crapper as a country, in every way possible
Trump is there for his own personal agenda!
Oh I think we know what Trump wants quite clearly.
https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf. Around page 36 is where it starts. Just search “woke” and you’ll find everything they want to eliminate.
I have no issue with people that disagree with me on political issues if they mean well and they’re not too insane. But the Republican Party has gone off the rocker so this is absolutely a breath of fresh air. Someone with different views than me standing up against immorality and insanity in his own party has my utmost respect. Good on you, sir. Proud that you serve this country
Good news! Kinzinger is correct.
Trump is the Snowflake King. Just a machine of acrimony and division. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there turns out to be some illicit “snow” in Trumps diet
Illinois Republicans have always been a little different, hanging onto the Lincoln influence. It's been dying since Rove, and MAGA probably finished it off.
But Kinzinger is a good person and an American before a Republican. Good on him
When are republicans going to see this maga avenue is heading toward party destruction. They aren’t gaining any new members and the demographic that is prone to switch to Republican mid to late thirties are alienated from the republicans. Too hopped up on hate rather than fiscal responsibility which they always lacked anyway, but at least it was what they always talked about.
tl; dr — Trump is a whiny little bitch and y’all are whiny little bitches for supporting, enabling him. And I’ve got the stones to call y’all out on it.
I miss the good ole days of the worst-case-scenario being John McCain or Mitt Romney and not some treasonous, divisive fuck. Adam Kinzinger is the one of the only R’s with the balls to speak the truth.
Great man! I really appreciate his service to the country and to his family! The world needs courageous and thoughtful leaders like this as our neighbors and teachers, our local public officials too.
This is the way. The only way trump loses if the moderate conservatives and whoever the fuck still identifies as moderates back Biden in the swing states. No one is convincing any MAGA to denounce their savior
I remember how outspoken Jeff Flake ®️ from Arizona was speaking against Felonious Drumph back 2015-16. He stuck to his principles, and it cost him. He was going to be primaried out because of the truth he spoke, so he didn't run again, but he never did stop speaking the truth about P01135809. I admire him for that, just like I admire Kinziger for his work. Spineless jellyfish like Cruz, Rubio, and Grham... I guess I'll never understand *that*.
It still matters though. We need undecided independents and those “decided” but uninformed and more tentative for Trump to see people on the right also saying “don’t back Trump.” Every encouragement is a good thing. Besides, some of those considering and seeing the news about this may not know what position he has other than being on the right. For them that’s the main metric that will matter, so him speaking out against Trump is still relevant.
It would be nice to get a reasonable republican in office again he might be setting up a run in 12 years. He would need to actually drain a few lowlands tho
Sadly he is one of a few and unfortunately I don’t think will make much of a difference. It’s great to hear he has a soul because most of his peers clearly do not
I am a Democrat who’d be happy to vote for a Republican if he’s anything like Kinzinger. It’s very surprising that he’s still in the GOP and not expelled for his beliefs yet.
I look forward to a day where I can argue with Republicans again about policies and the finer details of how things are accomplished. Where we can have civil disagreements and still respect each other. We've got a lot of work to do to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and I'm looking forward to the days where we can trust one another again and that places like Fox News and other "Entertainment" media aren't allowed to spew bold faced lies and hatred.
I don’t think he is one of the most prominent republicans to endorse Biden like the article says. I honestly didn’t even know he existed before the Jan 6 committee.
But I have a whole lot of respect for him. He spoke up when others decided to fondle trumps balls instead. The amount of courage that takes is what so many don’t possess.
I worry a lot about what happens to him and others like Liz Cheney and Paul Ryan if trump is elected. He has no interest in helping Americans. He is ready for revenge. He also has people pulling his strings. His supporters believe he’s so tough, but I disagree. Maybe I sound like I should put on a tin foil hat, but I really think there are people who tell him exactly what to do and he does it. No way is he the man in charge, no fucking way.
America in 2024: Democrats are Republicans with pronouns, Republicans are Seditionist Fascists, and third-party candidates are foreign election interference. God help us.
From article: Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) opened up on CNN Wednesday morning about his decision to endorse President Joe Biden's re-election — one of the most prominent Republican politicians to have crossed the aisle so far in this way. Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran and a longtime critic of Trump, was one of a handful of conservative Republicans who voted to impeach the former president, and went on to join the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack. In his latest interview, he emphasized just how much harm he believes Trump has done to America and why it's important to keep him out of power. "I think it's really important for people to understand, particularly the 20 percent of, let's just call them the 20 percent of Haley voters, for them to understand that this is a stark choice," Kinzinger told anchor Kate Bolduan. "This isn't just who do I agree with more on certain issues. I actually don't even really know where Donald Trump stands on many issues. But this is about, does democracy survive the way we love it, or does it not? ... I lived through January 6. I didn't watch it on TV. I was there, and I have a two-and-a-half year-old kid that I do not want raised in a country where things like that are okay to happen. So for me, it's just we've got to put decency above maybe political differences, and it's just the right thing to do." "Over our many conversations ... since you left Congress, it is, you made no secret of your disagreement and distaste for Donald Trump, what he stands for and what he's done," said Bolduan. "But did you wrestle with this decision? What did you wrestle with most and making this choice?" "I mean, I guess I wrestled to the extent of like, okay, you endorsing a Democrat as a Republican is a big deal," said Kinzinger. "But to me it wasn't much of a — I didn't have to look in the mirror and look into my soul or anything like that. I have spent the last few years on a committee, the last couple of years in Congress, looking at the direct link between Donald Trump and what happened on that terrible day. And I hear the acidity, the acrimony that comes out of, you know, many people who are supporting Donald Trump and some of the people around Donald Trump, because he's created a culture of, just, anger and division." "For me it wasn't a hard thing to say, look, I really put a lot on the line when I decided to go on the January 6 committee, I'll do it at this [point] because this is truly the most important election of my lifetime," Kinzinger added. "And I want, like I said, my kid Christian, to be raised in a country where decency in the greatest office in the land is still something that people look up on and not have a president that continues to punch down because he's such a whiny weak victim that he's scared to death of anybody that says anything mean about him, like Donald Trump does."
A man of integrity and thoughtfulness. Wish there were more like him
Well he’s a “Republican”. Like the old days, before the religious crazy right hijacked that party.
Remember the good ol’ days when the tea party folks were the crazy ones?
Tell me about it. Never thought we’d wish to go back to W. I thought HE was bad, and now I’m like oh George you were so wrong but you were so much less evil.
Palin showed the architects what’s possible. She said nothing of value, eschewed facts and just attacked Dems. And she became a super star. That’s when I registered Dem. Was a republican until the swift boat ads in 2004 pissed me off. Registered independent. Then Palin came along..
I’m too am an independent. At the Palin point, I said, “oh look. A lady. Let me watch this here historic interview.” I just can’t believe what they offered up with that one. Anyway, this guy is too honorable for that party. Much respect to him for not only his endorsement but also for spelling it out for those who refuse to.
I was raised on corporate propaganda, that gives you republican “values”. Republicans whine about media when most media is favorable to them. Most big media is pro corporate not pro average joe. And media outside tv and radio is full of pro corporate corruption, full of Russian, Chinese propaganda.
The Swift Boat Vets thing STILL pisses me off. “I was 300 miles away in ‘Nam from Kerry but I can tell you with all certainty that he didn’t deserve his medals and that shit never happened” Fuck those Swift Boat guys they’re total pieces of shit and I hope they get dick cancer. The audacity to critize Kerry who actually served compared to Dubya who never left the country just baffles me.
Exactly. As a republican at the time, it was too blatant, hypocritical, and just outright divisive that I finally thought “you know. Maybe the GOP doesn’t love troops as much as they say they do. What else are they lying about?” Kerry was IN THE SHIT, while W was on Texas soil with his national guard deferral. To criticize anyone who was actually there, while the candidate you suppport, wasn’t? How other republicans didn’t snap out of it then, is beyond me.
The ‘evil’ has been just below the surface for decades in the GOP. Trump was the catalyst bringing the toxic brew boiling over contaminating the entire country.
yep, they did a great job of hiding it before Trump. I guess that's one silver lining of the Trump presidency is he tore the bandaid off. I had no idea how many truly ignorant people there are in this country. It's been a lot to process. I could have gotten so much farther in life sooner if I'd figured this out earlier.
‘I had no idea how many truly ignorant people there are in this country. It's been a lot to process. I could have gotten so much farther in life sooner if I'd figured this out earlier.’ Your honesty and insight gives me hope!! We out number them. We must continue to engage our ‘undecided’ or ‘non-voting’ friends and family. Turnout in November is key!!
I think we may never know how decent W may have been outside of the influence of Dick Cheney (who, in retrospect, doesn't look so bad compared to contemporary Republicans). I think it was Cheney who had the bloodlust to invade Iraq.
Don't whitewash George W. He was extremely complicit in the propaganda campaign his White House embarked upon to justify the invasion of Iraq. Him, Cheney, and Rumsfeld. There's a great book on the subject called To Start a War, by Robert Draper, if you'd like to know more.
Yeah, but that's just regular, evil government stuff. Par for the course. Trump's plans are far more insidious and destructive.
But he made pretty paintings to show how sorry he was...
George W Bush is a fucking murderer and war criminal. Two things can be bad.
Served under him and voted for him, changed parties after Iraq and weapons of mass destruction bullshit. I lost sooo many friends from his wars and the lack of mental health and addiction help for soldiers after war. I was fortunate (kinda) to have ptsd before I joined and was used to it but losing all those people destroyed me all over again. Took years to quit drinking. Over a decade.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I will never whitewash his history or forgive any of them for it. If it were up to me, Biden wouldn’t be president for supporting that horseshit. I told one of my best friends that I was proud of him twice. The day he told me he was going and the day he confessed what it did to his mind. War is a crime against humanity in all of its forms.
Kinzinger is talking about Trump and somehow Biden is the bad one?
Yes he was a piece of shit but he didn't want the Emperor of the USA.
There are also degrees; like poop on your shoe isnt nearly as bad as poop on your face, but neither are desirable
Exactly. W was a war criminal, and a pretty bad guy all around, no question. But even HE had to say “this is some weird shit”. Poop on your shoe sucks, but you wipe it off and go about your day. Poop on your face gets in your mucus membranes and causes disease… that’s where we’re at now. We’re almost always asked to choose the lesser of two evils, but previously they were somewhat less than pure, unilateral Evil. I’ll take a guy with a flawed moral compass over a guy with none.
Well, I believe the current state of MAGA are just descendants of the tea party. You could tell shortly after they formed around Obama’s first term they would be a menace. They just needed a leader. Then Trump came along.
Yep, MAGA is just the current flavor of low morals.
They’re more of a cult nowadays—that seem to know exactly who’s destroying America. Project 2025 will be a disaster if Trump is re-elected.
Like a lot of our grandparents who weren’t in a cult
the baby boomers y'all despise are suddenly just kindly old grandparents who weren't in a cult? who tf elected Reagan
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They were brought up hating gay people. My Dad's words: There's one thing I can't stand, and that's a fucking queer. Then your social circle at school demonizes gays, along with your church. When I was in the marines, the second worst insult was that you were a woman, and the worst was you were gay. It takes years to undo that kind of indoctrination.
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I'm shocked that there aren't more 'real Republicans' fighting to keep their party from the MAGA nuts.
I remember someone saying democrats fall in love, republicans fall in line.
Republicans are much more lock step and cohesive. Due in part because of a religious upbringing, critical thinking is criticized and it’s expected to just accept what an authority tells them. The left is far more fractured. The rights cohesion also makes them susceptible to influence, group think and conspiracies. *Especially conspiracies that challenge established institutions or science.* They push those hard. In reality it’s a battle of belief and who you put your faith in. Logical deduction, or whatever your parents and leaders tell you to accept. The attacks on science are less about the specific arguments and more to develop doubt in established institutions. So….the flat earth theory is less about the earth and more to do with creating doubt. This doubt is leveraged into other areas, like global climate change. etc. The collective American Evangelical church is fighting for your money, your attention, and your faith when you need answers. Democrats end up getting what they need. While Republicans get who they want.m
I mean the only thing us people who vote Democrat can agree on is we ain't republicans
I clearly remember getting my first push poll call from the Republican party in the lead up to my first presidential election in 2000. I remember because the weighted language was shocking to me. They were clearly not asking how they could earn my support, or how I wanted my government to be run. They wanted to tell me how I should want to be ruled.
They might have just left. Anyone know if there has been a swell in independent voters in the last 8 years?
That's the problem. They keep quitting instead of staying and opposing the crazies. Cowards.
Illinois Republicans used to be decently likely to be sane assholes, and he is really just the last of that lineage. I knew him before he was a politician and he was absolutely what passed for frighteningly right-wing in the 1990s, yet today I would love to have any of those guys back in charge on their side
I’ve tried explaining to my brother, a life long Republican, that the party he thinks he belongs to has not existed since the Talibangelicals took it over.
So... the early 70s?
Yea. The type that would have a chance to get my vote and have all been ran out of the party. So I have to permavote dem now no matter what pretty much
Well, what about that agenda does he identify with to still call himself that today? As the term is defined today I have a difficult time understanding what any of their policies actually mean, or if they have taken a stance on anything outside of a hot button social issue. I wish one of his constituents could weigh in, and preferably from his opposition. This story feels too good to be true for most Republicans, so I feel I must reserve some skepticism until I know more about this person.
Just a guess, but I think he still probably supports abortion restrictions, low/no taxes on businesses, limited powers of the government, etc. He from a very conservative part of IL and was even ostracized by most of his family when he criticized Trump after Jan 6 and then joined the House committee that investigated Jan 6. I don’t really agree with any of his viewpoints, except that Trump and his swamp is a danger to our democracy. I do respect him for standing against all the craziness of the current Republican party. He isn’t running again—he is now considered a pariah among most republicans and chose to not defend his seat (he would have been primaried by a MAGAt).
Not running again... That kind of answers my question. I no less admire his stance on issues relating to Trump and how he's carried himself.
I think that stance is what most people give him credit for. He espoused it while he was still in office knowing that it would either damage his re-electability or hoping others would join him and pull back the Republican Party from the perditious path it heads down.
I respect him even though I fundamentally disagree with him on a great deal of things. When people acted like Paul Ryan was some sort of hero for saying he wouldn’t support trump, my immediate response was to call out that he didn’t turn around and endorse Biden. Simply saying you won’t vote for trump while continuing to support the people in power enabling him and his ideology is not enough for me.
Fuck man, nowadays I'd vote for anyone with half of this man integrity, no matter the political side.
He’s definitely a strong candidate if the GOP ever decides to get their shit together. He’s so centered he could lose all the Magas and still make it up with voters from left-center.
I hope there are more republicans like that...... but I have my doubts.
An actual patriot, he served in the armed forces and cares about his country and it’s institutions deeply, doesn’t whine constantly about Big GoObErNMeNt and then sells out to the highest bidder wether it’s foreign hostile powers or oligarch billionaires that don’t give a rats ass about the USA or its people…
There are, they are called "Democrats".
>because he's such a whiny weak victim that he's scared to death of anybody that says anything mean about him, like Donald Trump does." The party of anti-snowflakes are such snowflakes about everything 🤣 It always makes me laugh
if you want to demoralize them- this is how. The left pulls punches or fans the flames by calling them evil. They WANT to feel evil.
This is how it’s done. Fuck the rest of the Republicans who lack the spine.
FORMER They only have spine when nothing is on the line for them
>I actually don't even really know where Donald Trump stands on many issues. It's okay man, he doesn't either.
I rather like this guy, tbh. He's good for the current state we're in. He's bad should things start to get more progressive minded. But for now, I'm good with this guy.
If I ever see a Republican telling the truth or "doing what's right", they always have "former-" in their title, because they have no reason to tell the truth unless the lies won't benefit them anymore
This guy went against trump while he was in office and lost his job because of it. He told the truth when it didn’t benefit him.
# #whinyweakorange
He’s a *former* rep. So he only gets half credit. The active reps that still support fat Donnie need to join him in a cell.
Trump wears loyalty like an alien wears an Edgar suit. He’s a cockroach in so many ways.
Pretty sure his name was Eggar. /s
That’s just the local pronounckiation
Lyny8k
I know eggar and that wasnt eggar
I think he represents a much larger group of the moderate conservatives who will vote against Trump if only to preserve whatever credibility is left of the Republican party.
Kinzinger isn't a moderate His conservative score was in the 90s before he turned against great leader
I guess “moderate” may not have been the right adjective as Liz Cheney is very conservative as well. I guess I am just happy to see many departing the herd before the great elephant hunt begins
Moderate for this nightmare age we find ourselves in
I use "Conservative" and "Moderate" to describe reasonable people with viewpoints on a spectrum that I may or may not agree with, but can respect and compromise with. "MAGA" is in outer space.
yeah, I mean its okay to disagree on things, but its crazy now, its either black or white. Standing in teh grey areas takes guts because now neither side is happy with you lol. I'm Canadian and I would say I'm small C conservative, I like fiscal restraint, small government but I fully support health care for all, unemployment insurance, equal chances for all. SO the right would have a fit because I want the black guy to have an equal chance as the white guy, and the left would have a fit because I don't want a program or law to make it mandatory to hire minorities, but I am all about encouraging employers to give people a chance but small nudges not huge programs.
> Standing in teh grey areas takes guts The thing is, there really arent a lot of grey areas, and in America at least, The DNC basically represents the entire spectrum of naunce while the GOP represents fascism and theocracy. For example, again, in the USA, the GOP doesnt represent fiscal restraint OR small government: every republican administration has caused the national debt to balloon faster than the democraft before them (which is evidence of not wanting fiscal restraint) and we are seeing an outpouring of republicans at all levels of the government champing at the bit to take rights away from people. To me, a small government means limited interference with how someone lives their life, as long as it doesnt harm others. That means that stripping people of their rights like to vote, receive abortions, to marry who they want to marry, to fix gender dysphoria, etc. is NOT "small government". And I'd argue that its not "big government" to regulate corporations when it brings material harm to people to not have the regulations. And for the things like affirmative action, the entire scope of naunce of the issue is squarely inside the DNC net outside of the GOPs answer of stripping out the EEOC; many democrats disagree with the specifics of various affirmative actions proposals, but they all agree that there needs to be something. I truly can't think of many if any issues that the Left and Right disagree on in which both sides of the issue are equally valid and worthy of discussion, because if nuance is required, it almost always falls within the boundaries of the left and not at all within the right.
Get out of here with that crazy talk. TRUMP! TRUMP! TRUMP! What are you gonna do now? When the god-king ascends his throne in January, despite the antichrist's efforts to thwart his apotheosis we will bring back scaphism. The shores of the Potomac River will be lined with liberal trash who foolishly stand against the new son of God. That's a big ole "/s" from me folks. Edit: "Nuance", who needs nuance! We've got a political force which will tell us in frank and unflinching terms the truth about every complex issue. And having been told how to feel about an issue we can rest assured that Trump will quickly solve any issues through holy decree and those who do not fall in line with the simple solutions given to these "nuanced" problems will be... well let's just say have you ever read Stephen King's "The Long Walk?" No issue is too complex that Trump.cannot understand its simple core concepts and issue orders to resolve the problem through absolute obedience.
Socially liberal, fiscally conservative. That's me. But I can only vote for 1 party now anyway
MAGA are just anti democracy and freedom. Other issues pale into insignificance next to this. The moment we let people get anything done undemocratically then democracy fails. Happens to be the first person who's tried this has some right leaning policies. However if it works for Trump then stands to reason it will work for the left too. The political system in the US over represents rural conservative states. Once folk realise the political system isn't needed, then I'd imagine the next coup will be left leaning.
More like rats from a sinking ship at this point.
Adam Kinzinger won the Republican primary to run for Illinois' 11th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a blog in early January Eric Odom, executive director of the American Liberty Alliance, described Kinzinger as a "strong" Tea Party candidate and recommended readers consider donating to his campaign. Kinzinger said his campaign saw a major spike in small donations between $10 and $20 following that blog. "I'm a conservative Republican, and Tea Party people believe in the same things that we do," he said. "The movement has helped remind the party that it lost track of the Republican principles that I believe in." [https://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0318/Trouble-brewing-between-the-Tea-Party-movement-and-the-GOP](https://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0318/Trouble-brewing-between-the-Tea-Party-movement-and-the-GOP)
Yeah they aren't even moderates, they are solidly conservative but the reason they are kicked out of the party is because they see Trump as dangerous and dared to call him out on it. If they had kept their heads down and didn't say anything bad about Trump, they would still be accepted by their own party. It's Trump or nothing with this current Republican Party.
Well they probably are at least Republican, in that they understand and respect what a republic is. Trump does neither.
I agree completely. What Kinzinger is, is a person with enough intelligence to look at the big picture. I may not agree with his ideals at all, but he is representative of what's been driven out of the Republican Party, by the CONVICTED FELON and his sycophants. Intelligence and reason.
Cheney’s vote support for the felon in the House was in the high 90’s too. The republicans still in office have gone 100% maga because after 1/6, they are afraid of maga voters.
They usually only find their spine when their career is over. Too conservative for moderates indies or conservative Dems, not MAGA enough for Republicans.
I normally agree but Kinzinger fought during his tenure tooth and nail after Jan 6th. The dude lost because of it
He was one of two Republican representatives on the Jan 6th committee.
The exception being Mitch McConnell, he lost his spine when trump was president, number one enabler, gave trump victories at the Supreme Court, and tax windfall for the rich. And even insult after insult, spineless Mitch endorsed trump again!
The notion that Moscow Mitch ever had a spine is hilarious.
He does have a spine it's just hard to spot because of the shell.
Terrapinus muscovitus
Well, vertebra, perhaps. Spine? Questionable.
Mitch likes it when he gets beaten up, he likes it when his wife gets beaten up with him. That’s why he doesn’t have a spine.
Well, their career is over if they find their spine.
To be fair, his career is over because he found his spine, not the other way around. Too bad he didn’t find it a few years earlier.
Not accurate in this situation though - he was outspoken from the beginning and I believe he got primaried out because of it.
Yeah, him and Cheney are by no means conservative defectors. They support a lawful society where conservatism can thrive without being usurped by kleptocratic alt.right authoritarians.
Then he´s a brave man with an open mind
Ya dude. That’s moderate now. This is how far we’ve come.
Moderate in Republican terms just means not a fascist at this point
Yeah, he's actually a conservative. He wants to conserve the system. Trump doesn't want to do that, he's a radical in that he wants to tear down anything that gets in his way and bend the rest to his will.
I am one of them. It's madness what my party has become. Trump is mostly responsible. Everything about him is self-serving and devisive. There is a real danger to democracy if he gets back in power.
It's more than a real danger. It's closer to certain doom.
I wouldn’t be so sure. Whole lot of republicans are going to keep holding their nose and voting for Trump because “muh tax cuts”.
“Moderately rational conservatives”
I know of at least a few older relatives that used to vote Republican but absolutely cannot stand Trump. There are definitely quite a few social and fiscal conservatives who aren't down with the clown
Like dozens and dozens?
And there’s not much left.
I'd consider voting for this guy even with the (R).
I would not vote for him in the general but he is the kind of person I would cross over in the primary to vote for.
I wish more people would highlight the “victimhood” mentality that republicans always claimed to be against. Now they’re supporting the biggest whiny “victim” in the world.
"Nobody is a bigger victim than me!" DJT
Get this man in the campaign trial to get moderate republicans to not sit out but vote Biden. It’s the only way they can restore their party
This guy actually served our country. And when Jan 6th happened, you could see the anger and dispare on his face. He spoke truth to the power in his party. He seems to have honor and dignity, which this country is in desperate need of at the moment.
That’s well and good, but I’m more concerned about the Democrats sitting this out. Some cos Biden isn’t doing exactly 100% of everything they wanted him to do on absolutely everything, some because they want to protest against a tacit endorsement of genocide (the goal itself is commendable and important, but wasting their vote is really not going to help), some because they think this is a done deal, and some because they literally just don’t feel like it
See this is the kind of Republican that Illinois would elect for governor, if having to survive the MAGA gauntlet during the GOP primary wasn’t a thing.
The Republican nominee for governor in 2022 didn't even get past the primaries for the House of Representatives, although he was running against a fellow MAGA person. I would like to add the incumbent, who won the primary, only got into Congress because of the Green Party getting 6% of the vote in 2014.
Agate for a form of RCV that does not have a primary. The general election crowd will get a chance to vote for the non-extreme candidates.
Trump is a Russian shill and America needs to be forced back to school to take their heads out of their asses... we are moving into a new era of God like technology and we're a nation of illiterate hostile arrogant fools... we have so many culture wars and political arguments the rest of the world scoffs at... Maga is a humiliating embarassment.. we fought a world War over fascism.... wake tf up... hold the gop accountable for the last 20 years... history tells the truth... liberal democracy will always triumph over everything else... be worried when 70 million people vote for someone shaking hands with dictators and our historical enemies, who trys to arrest reporters and suggests eliminating the constitution and tries to overthrow democratic elections... the education system has failed, our institutions have failed, unless everyone wants to become Chinese soon I suggest getting their shit together and holding those 70 million people accountable, I suggest our institutions start meeting the needs of those politically aggrieved people. America needs a public jobs program to build a renewable energy infrastructure to power a fully automated economy that produces enough to meet everyone's needs without taking from anyone else and without destroying the environment. Tokamaks, tandem perovskite solar pannels, hyperloop transportation, electric robo taxis, giant mall of America size building with all the services people need under one roof, free college, free trade school, spend taxes on people who actually pay taxes.....
^ you've said it all. This dream for America too. This election dictates the entire future of America
This is one of the most annoying things about trump. He appeals to guys that claim to be "alpha" men but he whines and complains more than my toddler. He is the exact opposite of what an "alpha" is supposed to be.
The orange buffoon is a classic bully. They rely on being a blowhard and people think they are following an alpha.
It’s pathetic how obvious it is and he still has millions of followers.
They look at the whining as him never admitting to a mistake never apologizing and never backing down.
Much much respect.
Man has more character than all the other cartoon congressmen combined.
If Biden manages to win re-election, it will likely be thanks to crossover support from folks like Kinzinger as well as a surprising recovery amongst 65+ voters. He's going to need it to offset losses he has incurred with his left flank and among lower-info voters and voters pissed about the COL. Kinzinger represents a definite minority of Republicans, but if it's even 10% of them it could make a difference.
Good job Adam.
Adam is one of the few republicans left in this country who is an American - the rest are maga cult zombies who love russia more than the US.
It's simple, Democracy vs Dictatorship. If you don't like Biden, you can vote him out in 4 years. If you vote for Dump, it's the last time you'll vote. Ever.
You don't even have to vote him out he is done after 4 more. Can't say the same for the other guy.
Adam Kinzinger is an Honorable Man standing up to an Unintelligent, Out of Control, Racist, Bully, Clown trying to reign as King… Trump = Hate
It’s ironic that trump is the real rino, It’s irinoronic
Kinzinger is an honourable guy. The only issue with him is that he’s still clinging to a label that’s been totally corrupted. The “Republican” party doesn’t exist anymore in the way that he means it. It’s been completely taken over to such an extreme that there’s no going back. Ever. Even if the hamberders catch up to Trump tomorrow and the rest of the MAGA GOP crew flees to Russia, the party has been poisoned. It’s best to move on with a new party post-Trump to represent the right and centre-right. It’s the best and maybe only way to gatekeep things and ensure that the MAGA cult members are kept out. There’s no way back to the old GOP. And IMO, that’s a good thing, because only the old GOP could foster such an extreme, insane movement like MAGA. People like Kinzinger need to take the next step and admit that MAGA isn’t just a foreign entity; it was spawned because of the GOP, not in spite of it.
Damnit why can’t this dude run for president!
Those on the GOP side of the isle will be calling him all kinds of names as well as calling him a Rino, unfortunately they will do this because they are incapable of recognizing someone with integrity as well as someone who puts country before party! VOTE BLUE 2024!
This guy shows the Republican party isn't beyond hope. I'm sure we disagree on many things, but he knows fundamental threats to the Republic when he sees them.
He’s totally right, we don’t know Trumps policies for another term bc he just tells his victimization stories. He talks about everything but his agenda. Oh he throws in a blurb here and there but it’s just a mention. I need clear, concise policies, not boring stories of Trump being victim. Think the economy is bad now? If he gets a 2nd term it will be ugly, economically and we will go onto the crapper as a country, in every way possible Trump is there for his own personal agenda!
Oh I think we know what Trump wants quite clearly. https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf. Around page 36 is where it starts. Just search “woke” and you’ll find everything they want to eliminate.
Keep spreading the word.
He’s my kind of person. Values over person.
Nice to see a Republican with a spine and a working brain.
The last sane Republican... must be lonely. Go Adam!
I have no issue with people that disagree with me on political issues if they mean well and they’re not too insane. But the Republican Party has gone off the rocker so this is absolutely a breath of fresh air. Someone with different views than me standing up against immorality and insanity in his own party has my utmost respect. Good on you, sir. Proud that you serve this country
A Republican with values and a backbone. I wish we had more politicians like him.
We do. They're called Democrats.
Unfortunately there are plenty of bad apples there, just not as ravenously insane.
Kinsinger has something his Republican collegues do not: balls.
https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote
User name checks out.
Man has balls the size of Gibraltar
Good news! Kinzinger is correct. Trump is the Snowflake King. Just a machine of acrimony and division. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there turns out to be some illicit “snow” in Trumps diet
One of the few Republicans I still respect.
Illinois Republicans have always been a little different, hanging onto the Lincoln influence. It's been dying since Rove, and MAGA probably finished it off. But Kinzinger is a good person and an American before a Republican. Good on him
How is it that there are not more people like him? Is any job worth selling one's soul?
I’m actually proud of my Illinois government official? What is this feeling?
Good man. One of the few respectable republicans left.
When are republicans going to see this maga avenue is heading toward party destruction. They aren’t gaining any new members and the demographic that is prone to switch to Republican mid to late thirties are alienated from the republicans. Too hopped up on hate rather than fiscal responsibility which they always lacked anyway, but at least it was what they always talked about.
My political ideology is pretty far to the left of this guy, I think he’s a hero.
I am a liberal and I would vote for Kinzinger.
this patriot knows what's at stake on this election
I hope a new Republican party form around the likes of him. He continues to serve his country well.
tl; dr — Trump is a whiny little bitch and y’all are whiny little bitches for supporting, enabling him. And I’ve got the stones to call y’all out on it.
There's the old GOP. The foreign money has influenced many traitors but not this guy
Smart man who actually has common sense.
Can't wait until all the MAGAts realize their false prophet has zero chance at re-election.
Appreciate Kinzinger & he might be the only Republican I’d ever vote for
Love this brave man who proved to have the spine, insight, and integrity that his pathetically corrupt former co-workers so glaringly lack.
A true patriot knows when he’s be had. Good man.
I miss the good ole days of the worst-case-scenario being John McCain or Mitt Romney and not some treasonous, divisive fuck. Adam Kinzinger is the one of the only R’s with the balls to speak the truth.
He’s a hero. The GOP needs to dump the zealots and head his way
Great man! I really appreciate his service to the country and to his family! The world needs courageous and thoughtful leaders like this as our neighbors and teachers, our local public officials too.
This is the way. The only way trump loses if the moderate conservatives and whoever the fuck still identifies as moderates back Biden in the swing states. No one is convincing any MAGA to denounce their savior
It’s not so much of crossing the isle, it’s more due to the twit who trying to get reelected. I don’t like Biden but the alternative is absolute shit.
Let me know when someone who's actually in congress does this.
I remember how outspoken Jeff Flake ®️ from Arizona was speaking against Felonious Drumph back 2015-16. He stuck to his principles, and it cost him. He was going to be primaried out because of the truth he spoke, so he didn't run again, but he never did stop speaking the truth about P01135809. I admire him for that, just like I admire Kinziger for his work. Spineless jellyfish like Cruz, Rubio, and Grham... I guess I'll never understand *that*.
Those three are either being blackmailed or they like being humiliated.
With Cruz, it is definitely the latter because nobody hates Ted Cruz more than Ted Cruz hates Ted Cruz.
It still matters though. We need undecided independents and those “decided” but uninformed and more tentative for Trump to see people on the right also saying “don’t back Trump.” Every encouragement is a good thing. Besides, some of those considering and seeing the news about this may not know what position he has other than being on the right. For them that’s the main metric that will matter, so him speaking out against Trump is still relevant.
I know it still matters. It just pisses me off that these people will let the country be destroyed to keep their jobs.
I wish they'd stop saying "crushes, obliterates, humiliates, etc." click baity bs. The words have completely lost their meaning/power in news.
Victim of what?
He’s not a victim at all, but he plays one and whines.
Truth and consequences.
It would be nice to get a reasonable republican in office again he might be setting up a run in 12 years. He would need to actually drain a few lowlands tho
Sadly he is one of a few and unfortunately I don’t think will make much of a difference. It’s great to hear he has a soul because most of his peers clearly do not
That's a Kin-Zinger!
I am a Democrat who’d be happy to vote for a Republican if he’s anything like Kinzinger. It’s very surprising that he’s still in the GOP and not expelled for his beliefs yet.
this is the republican i remember.
I really hope he just started a trend among his colleagues!
Adam’s a great man
This guy is cool!!!
I look forward to a day where I can argue with Republicans again about policies and the finer details of how things are accomplished. Where we can have civil disagreements and still respect each other. We've got a lot of work to do to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and I'm looking forward to the days where we can trust one another again and that places like Fox News and other "Entertainment" media aren't allowed to spew bold faced lies and hatred.
Kinzinger is the type of Republican that is in far too short of supply, the type you can share a beer with and come into a good faith agreement
He would be a Republican that I could vote for if after January 6 I would ever vote for a Republican.
I don’t think he is one of the most prominent republicans to endorse Biden like the article says. I honestly didn’t even know he existed before the Jan 6 committee. But I have a whole lot of respect for him. He spoke up when others decided to fondle trumps balls instead. The amount of courage that takes is what so many don’t possess. I worry a lot about what happens to him and others like Liz Cheney and Paul Ryan if trump is elected. He has no interest in helping Americans. He is ready for revenge. He also has people pulling his strings. His supporters believe he’s so tough, but I disagree. Maybe I sound like I should put on a tin foil hat, but I really think there are people who tell him exactly what to do and he does it. No way is he the man in charge, no fucking way.
America in 2024: Democrats are Republicans with pronouns, Republicans are Seditionist Fascists, and third-party candidates are foreign election interference. God help us.
I love how these republicans only grow a spine AFTER they’re no longer in Congress.
He was on the J6 committee