Good-bye Mr. Kinzinger
Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger gave his farewell address as he ended his 6 term-career in “the people’s House.” It was a speech that got one (at least this one) all choked up. Not out of great emotion but more from feeling nauseous.
But first, a little pretext.
Kinzinger went to Congress as one of the golden boys of the Washington GOP establishment. He was one of their special “top guns,” as the National Republican Congressional Committee designated their favored candidates. Kinzinger was a middle-of-the-road Republican who paraded as a conservative – a designation only he and the left-wing media embraced. But he was not the worst of the so-called RINOs.
Along comes Donald Trump, and Republicans had to make a choice. Many – although never most – Republican voters went with Trump. Some, like me, were never supporters of Trump but saw his policies better than the Democrats. It was issued over personality – and ultimately a binary choice.
Other Republicans headed for the exit. Trump’s hatred trumped all other issues. Kinzinger fell into that camp. He voted to impeach. That seemed to get him a lot more interviews on CNN and MSNBC. But even that was not a deal-breaker for me. (In previous commentaries, I have opined that it was a tactical mistake for Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to bounce Rep. Liz Cheney out of leadership. I would have let the voters of Wyoming decide her fate. I doubt she would be serving on Pelosi’s Committee if she was still in leadership – and neither would Kinzinger.)
Kinzinger sealed his fate when he agreed to accept House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s invitation — along with Cheney — to serve as a shill on Pelosi’s one-sided kangaroo Select Committee supposedly holding “hearings” on the Capitol Hill riot. It was no longer about Trump, but an all-out attack on the Republican establishment … the Republican brand … and the conservative movement. For reasons that are not perfectly clear, Kinzinger chose to be the proverbial “useful idiot” for Pelosi and the left-wing Democrats.
It cost him his career in Congress – as well as it should have. He was no longer representing the voters who sent him to Congress. He lost the support of the local Republican establishment – as did Cheney.
Ironically, Kinzinger’s re-electability was never tested because it was the Illinois Democrats who forced Kirzinger out of office through redistricting – gerrymandering. He lost whatever slim chance he had for re-election.
In his last remarks from the house floor, Kinzinger gave the only speech he could. It was predictable. It was a self-praising speech with his head held high – a real chest-beater, back-slapper. He described himself in the noblest of terms – a brave man who stood up against the power of evil. He said it cost him not only his seat in Congress but also friends and family.
And then came the line borrowed from any number of Hollywood political movies. “But if I had to do it all over again, I would.” Jimmy Steward could not have said it better.
I did not see a noble person in that speech. I saw more of a whiner. Someone trying to grasp at some level of dignity in the face of a betrayal of the conservative voters who thought he represented their issues and their values.
Kinzinger leaves Congress with no friends on the GOP side – and I bet the Democrats will drop him since he can no longer serve their interests.
It was an ignominious end to a mediocre political career. Not sure what he will do in the future – although left-wing news platforms are always a good option for conservative Republican apostates. MSNBC and CNN have entire departments of false flag paid “contributors.”
To phrase from a famous speech applies to Kinzinger more than it die of the original author. The world will little note nor long remember what he said here.
So, there ‘tis.
Kinzinger agreed with McCarthy 90% of the time.
Jordan 78%
Perry 83%
Yeah, bad Republican, bad.
FRank Stetson … You actually think voting with McCarthy 90 percent of the time is a good benchmark? I look at conservative votes. Jordan 78 percent of the time is abysmal because most votes are not controversial. Kinzinger’s lifetime rating with the Heritage Foundation is 49 percent. His Liberty Score is 34 percent. And 57 percent (lifetime) with the ACU. Kinzinger is not a conservative Republican despite what the left likes to call him.
Why would we want them, especially Liz. They are Republicans that you cast off. They are patriots standing up to the DIcktator and his mindless minions of fear and hate.
Randy is correct: Republicans had no defense because they opted out. Their choice after Pelosi, as is her right, threw out TWO out of FOUR McCarthy firebrand assholes, both of which actively and publicly supported the totally unfounded BIG LIE proved false in over 65 courts cases, a half dozen REPUBLICAN recounts. Trump lawyers lost licenses, were sanctioned, sent to retraining, and more because they supported THE BIG LIE in court, where if you lie, it’s illegal. Not like Don’s soap box, social media where the foundation of all is the lie.
Trump was asked to appear to defend; he was too scared of facing Liz under oath. Pussy.
The witnesses were almost 100% tried and true Republicans, faithful to the cause UNTIL 1.6.2021. I guess these Republicans were “show ponies,” discarding their responsibilities too. Hundreds of em. All liars and cads. How did Don even hire them in the first place.
Sorry, you seem to be “ghost posting” in that I guess the machine gun posters, like me, are at it and bump you from the incredible view of like latest five posts and no search engine. Such a cheap site Joe runs.
But point taken, you are right, I am wrong, and now you need to destroy the half dozen valid Republicans, like Cheney and Kinzinger, that vote around 50% hard right. Well, I think Cheney is hard right so that’s a tougher one for you to explain excpe that if someone goes after the facts on what happened on 1.6.2021, they must leave the party.
But you are right, Kinzinger is what you used to call a moderate, or leans left Republican. Now he is trash and must be taken out to the curb.
I thought Kinzinger was a pretty good guy. He seemed more able to work across the aisle than many GOP, and as an independent, I like this. I am not sure he should be characterized by “bad Republican” since there are liberal Republicans, moderate Republicans, and then there is the Trump MAGA conservative Republicans and a few ultra conservative Republicans like M.T Greene. Kinzinger was a moderate in my view that was able to achieve enough independence of thought to not drink the MAGA Kool Aide. I thought he did a good job on the J6 Select Committee in his attempt to get at the truth, along with Liz Cheney. And I believe the committee did expose more truth about that day. I would take 10 Kinzingers before I would take one M.T Greene. I will miss him but do hope he returns one day when the political climate is better and moderate Republicans, and Independents, are a little more appreciated, and MAGA has become to quote a Kansas song from our day, “Dust in the Wind”.
On a side issue but having some relevance, I just heard on the news that one of the items in the Omnibus Budget Bill being voted on this week is that Nancy Pelosi will have a federal building named after her! I wonder how many MAGA people realize this? Trump gets a lost election and law suits, Pelosi gets Majority Leader and a federal building. Who perfected the “Art of the Deal”? Of course, depending on the DOJ, Trump may get a federal building in the end, federal prison. Call it the “Donald J. Trump Correctional Facility”. 🙂
COMMENTReally well stated. I have yet to understand what Trump policies were so wonderful for the country and the world. It seems he tried to make a mess of both.
Really Mike T? Do the damn research, man. If it wasn’t for Trump’s policies, the Dems would have done to us 6 years ago what they have done to us in the past two. Just go right down the line on every national and International policy. You will truly see that the left is utterly satanic, and have been since the death of JFK. You have no excuse for not checking the facts. They are already part of history. If you are lazy and don’t have enough integrity to do the research, that’s on you. Have you not even been keeping up with any of the Twitter Files information? Damn, you either have to be brain dead or totally unconcerned about freedom in the USA to not see the sheer breadth of corruption within the Democrat leadership. It has been there for a ridiculously long time. It’s only being uncovered now because they have stepped over way to many lines since 2016. If we don’t kick these criminals out of office in the next two years, the USA will surely go to a fiery hell in a handbasket either because we have a nation full of utter fools that blindly vote for these criminals, or the criminals have figured out how to control elections without impunity, no thanks to the despicable and hated Mainstream Media.
Well Mike, its like any other POTUS. They have good and bad policies. The one thing I thought Trump was excellent at was throttling the stock market and keeping it humming along. He always released bad news when the market was up, and good news when the market was down. This kept the market from huge swings. But this was not a formal policy but I do think it came from him having an understanding of how what he said could affect markets. I read an interesting analysis on this by a 30 year professional investment manager, I did not realize this on my own. But he showed a graph which was stunning that showed what I just stated. I also think his remain in Mexico policy, the wall, reducing immigration quotas, and operation warp speed were good to his credit, and of course invoking the War Powers Act which got many respirator machines made much quicker thereby saving more lives from Covid, and he was able to get the FDA and ATF to roll back laws on alcohol used for medicinal hand sanitizer purposes and get more of it made quicker. He also got Covid vaccines to market in record speed even though he refused to take those vaccines and when he got Covid he got medical attention and monoclonal antibody treatment that you and I could never get, and he never told you about.. And he should be given credit for the Abraham accords which have stabilized the Middle East some. He also tried to get the strategic petroleum reserve filled and expanded at $24/barrel and we will now pay $90 per barrel to fill it up again. He reduced a lot of environmental regulations and got us to be energy independent, now we beg for oil from our enemies. And in some ways he may have kept Putin at bay but I really think Putin was playing him more than he was playing Putin, but I could be wrong. And if you look at the advisors surrounding Trump, they were pretty good policy advisors but unfortunately Trump often did not listen to them, or his handlers in the end, according to their accounts of the Trump years.
But there was down side to Trump. Trump is a flaming narcissist. And as he moved through the four years in the WH he had more and more trouble controlling it. He made too many enemies too quickly because he has little social skills. The 2016 choice was between Clinton who would have ruined the economy or Trump who would destroy 40 years worth of building foreign relations – just ask Agela Merkel of Germany! Trump never really understood tariffs and lost the trade war with the Chinese. Trump trashed the Pacific Rim Alliance which allowed Xi Jinping’s China to fill the power vacuum. Trump all but destroyed NATO and our relationships with NATO members but he did get them to realize they needed to start investing more GDP in defense. But then he went and screwed Ukraine for his own campaign benefit by wanting them to disclose stuff on Hunter Biden and the “Biden Crime Family”. He was probably right about the Bidens, but again, his personality pissed people off and he had the bully approach which did not work on the international stage. Trump is half responsible for the screw up in ending Afghanistan. Trump is partially responsible for inflation today due to his and Biden’s pumping too much money into the economy – Trump started that, Biden put it on steroids. The CDC reacted way to slow over Covid, and Trump will be remembered for his “drink Clorox and sit under UV light” solution to Covid. As we now know, Trump lied that he was under IRS audit in 2016-2018 – he was not, now that his tax returns were analyzed, but hey, fact checkers agreed that Trump generally lied 72% of the time. Trump dissed several Gold Star Families which pissed off Veterans like me. Trump pandered to bullies and looked up to them, folks like Kim Jong Un, various obvious racists and KKK leaders like David Duke which he denied knowing him but again this was a lie – he had known him for years. With Trump it was all about what you were doing for him today, and while demanding loyalty he had no problem publicly throwing people under the bus. And then there is all this election denialism and Jan 6th which he had a major hand in orchestrating and fueling with his rhetoric but when he had the chance to stop it he did not – and unfortunately for him, this is what he will be remembered for, along with any indictments that come from the DOJ analysis of Jan 8th Select Committee..
Now if you look at the first paragraph you see policy. If you look at the second or middle paragraph you see his poor personality and narcissism, not policy. This is what makes him such and enigma. MAGA rednecks are strongly drawn to the first paragraph and worship the ground Trumps walks on, he can do no wrong in their eyes just like when he said he could shoot a person on Main Street NY and be the only one to get away with it. Independents like me were drawn to some of his policies (particularly Mexico, Markets, Economic) but as the four years progressed we saw Trump as the second paragraph much more than the first paragraph which is why many of us did not vote for him. We became totally sick of him. I hope this helps you see Trump the enigma.
Good policy aside, Trump supercharged the economy by:
– slashing taxes bringing less money in
– free money stimulus sending more money out
End result was everyone had too much free money from taxes and stimulus.
But economy suffered lowest GDP growth since Hoover and the great depression. Not the 4% he promised, actually said he thought he could beat it.
And then he borrowed from the Chinese creating the largest deficits ever. Of course, the debt too was the largest to that point
That’s the mechanics of his great economy. He borrowed it, the bill came due for the next guy who doubled down on the free money and it’s inflation time.
Meanwhile, big business was just fine underneath Trump’s lower cost regulations, tax cuts, creating great profits and those roaring stocks.
FYI: Presidents should not pick winners and losers in the market. As Tom noted, Trump did many times and people got hurt. That’s just wrong.
The party of the second amendment has become the party of the fifth. It’s sad people support liars and cheats.
I agree that Kinzinger was a descent Republican. I am not into calling everyone I have mild philosophic disagreement with RINOs. I guy who is with me most of the time is better than someone opposing my beliefs 90 percent of the time. As I noted, I would not have kicked Cheney out of leadership either. BUT … when they crossed over to the other side and took up with Pelosi’s attacks on the GOP brand and conservative officeholders, I think they deserted to the other side. When they joined the Select Committee, that was the deal breaker with me
Tis your right, but IMO, you’re wrong.
Cheney is a patriot who followed the Constitution, the facts, and her heart.
Put it this way: I am real glad Trumplicants ran her out on a rail scaring anyone else thinking of crossing “the line.” You can’t have this level of disagreement and discord in The Party of Lincoln. She is one less extremally experienced and competent conservative and I, for one, am glad she’s out of the way. If that does not put focus on your mistake, yet another in a long line of strategic blunders about 1.6.2021 and THE BIG LIE, you are blind.
It should be stated that the last for letters in Republican are I CAN!
The last four in Democrats is RATS!
He chose to dine with the nighttime red eyed crowd.
For an elected member of Congress on promises of conservative values that turns turn coat for selfish political sociopath reasons on a kangaroo court is an act of treason. So Kinsinger you stupid bastrds shut up and go hide somewhere
NO ONE WILL MISS THIS TRAITOR. SURPRISING HOW LONG HE LIVED OF THE TAX PAYERS MONEY, WITHOUT DOING A LICK OF WORK.
HAVING A POLITICIANS LIVE PAYS VERY WELL.
What can I say? Opinions are great, but nobody likes backstabbers or crybabies. I agree that having him and Liz as the only Republicans on the January 6th Committee was wrong and sealed the fate of both. Good riddance to them.
Larry, The only thing making patriots nauseous here is your writing. You say that you don’t want trump to run again and will not support him in a primary, however you castigate an individual who is willing to put his money where his mouth is. Kinzinger is a very conservative individual, but he realized that Donald trump was ruining the country, and (finally) set out in an attempt to do something about it. I commend his strength, and pity all the rest of you weak sisters who whisper on the sidelines, but are too afraid of the repercussions to do anything about it. I respect conservative principles (though I don’t always agree with them), and find the rest of you that are too afraid to call an ass an ass to be disgusting…
Mike F … I guess you assume that YOU are the definition of a patriot. And your arrogant suggestion that you speak for all “patriots” is laughable. I would not even give YOU that label. As a liberal Democrat, I can understand your admiration of Kinzinger as your useful idiot on the Jan 6 panel. Your claim that he is a conservative is rebutted by his ratings with every conservative organization. Some folks may find you — especially your anti-Semitic tropes — to be disgusting and UNpatriotic. You say you respect conservative principles but disagree with them. That is impossible. On does NOT respect that with which they disagree. I may respect your right to an opinion, but not the opinion, itself. But then you are name-calling ranter rather than an intellectual debater. I do not have a lot of respect for that approach.
lets get real here : Our country is compromised . By China & The DEMORATS
well they would not post my comment nuff said
Wah, I voted more conservative than most, but Larry hates me because I don’t like my President to break our laws.
Trump broke em before Larry voted for him.
And soon we will see that Trump broke them AFTER Larry voted for him and he still can’t seem to put the guy in his rearview.
It’s all just talk.
Frank Stetson … You forgot that I do not hate anyone … not even you. Maybe you are confused with the Larry Horist of your imagination. And have put Trump in the rearview mirror in terms of a political force. But I still write about him — mostly unfavorably — because your Democrat buddies keep him at the top of the news. You just talking bullstuff again … as ususal.
Little Adam and Diva Liz won’t be missed. Both discarded their responsibility to honest government by sitting of a kangaroo court of Nancy Pelosi’s creation with no defense being allowed, no cross-examination, only a communist-type “hanging jury” of which Pelosi (who was immune from questioning during this abortion of justice) made them both “show ponies”. Let’s see if the dems actually want either one of them now.
I think you are lying to yourself. You want a compendium of hate speak you have launched on this site?
But I do understand your feelings of non-hate for folks talking “bullstuff.” You like the policies, right? So BULLSTUFF is OK as long as you get what you want.
The man is a lying whore, but he gave me a puppy so I don’t hate him.
Yeah, right.
OMG – sidebar —- JOE’s site is selling chicken thighs in a can.
I think I just puked on my keyboard……
sorry, it was CHEWY dragged in by my surfing and Joe allowing the data to be grabbed so he could target ads at me and make .00001 cents on every tag. shameful, time to dump the history…..