No sooner did I write a commentary about the dilemma facing Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger after his vote to impeach President Trump than the congressman, himself, revealed his future strategy.
Appearing on NBC News, the Illinois congressman announces the formation of his Country First Political Action Committee (PAC). The purpose of his political fundraiser is to ostensibly wrest control of the Republican Party away from what he sees as Trump domination.
His televised preamble was more informative of Kinzinger’s ego than the merits of his crusade. He explained:
“This is no time for silence. Not after the last month. Not after the past few years. Someone needs to tell the truth. Someone needs to say what history needs to hear. So here I am. The Republican Party has lost its way.”
As I heard these words, I could not help but recall the lyrics from the musical Camelot sung by a very egotistical king.
C’est moi! C’est moi, I blush to disclose, I’m far too noble to lie
That man in whom, these qualities bloom
C’est moi, c’est moi, ’tis I …
The initial funding for the Country First PAC will come from Kinzinger’s current Future First Leadership PAC. It has a whopping $39,000 – including $5000 from each Bill and Melinda Gates. I find it interesting that 25 percent of the money in Kinzinger’s old PAC came from liberal Democrats.
Adam Kinzinger defended the Gates’ contributions, saying that they are just people “interested in good government.”
Does that mean that Kinzinger thinks Gates-style left-wing policies represent “good government?”
The launching of this effort could be an indication that Adam Kinzinger realizes that he may not get re-elected.
He may be hoping to remain relevant as a source of old establishment GOP money. Thereby, he would find a future political platform. If that is his plan, Kinzinger is going to have to come up with a LOT more than $39,000.
Adam Kinzinger sees his PAC as much more than a money source for the less conservative wing of the Republican Party – a faction to which he himself has long belonged. To hype the significance of Kinzinger’s anti-Trump actions, the liberal media refers to him as a “conservative” – and even a “rock-solid conservative.” His 48 percent rating with the Heritage Foundation would suggest otherwise.
Kinzinger calls his renamed PAC a “movement.”
He hopes that “Country First” grows and that “leaders emerge through this process as we help to support them.”
However, he disavows the new “movement” as a vehicle of his own ambitions. “Country First is not about trying to build something for me. This is about trying to fight to defend this party because it’s become so unmoored.” Okay … I will buy that bit of political humility about the time Kim Jong-un is canonized as a saint.
Adam Kinzinger says his purpose is to rid the GOP of “fringe elements.”
But it comes down to what you consider “fringe.” I have long been a supporter of disavowing the David Duke, the neo-Nazis, skinheads and others who express racist views and resort to violence. They are not patriots. They are not Republicans or Democrats no matter in which Party they infect.
I feel the same about fringe on the left, but sadly, I do not see any Adam Kinzingers on the left wanting to exorcise those rioting against our constitutional government with flag-burning, statue-toppling destructive riots that have become iconic events in our major cities.
My problem with the Kinzinger approach is that he goes far beyond the fringe – cutting more deeply into the fabric of the conservative movement. He joins those who seek one-philosophy – and even one-party – permanent rule over America.
Kinzinger faces a possible sanction by the Illinois Republican Party – but he is not concerned. He should be.
The Illinois GOP is not part of some political fringe group. When Kinzinger takes them on, he is proving that the targets of his “movement” go far beyond the fringe. He is at war with the mainstay conservative faction of the GOP – the steadfast principled conservatives who have the best interests of America at heart.
Kinzinger admits that the bulk of his colleagues in the House will not greet his “movement” with enthusiasm. He refers to his meeting with his colleagues in the Republican conference as “the opening salvo in the fight for the party. Are we going to be a party of dark conspiracies, of lies or are we going to be a party of optimism and hope?”
The worst aspect of Kinzinger’s “movement” is that he joins with the radial left in demonizing Republicans with the broad-brush of political propaganda. It is not an attack on the fringe, as he describes it.
If Adam Kinzinger were truly the honest man – as he describes himself – he would abandon all pretense and switch over to the Democratic Party – especially since he may have already destroyed any future in the Republican Party. Given the composition of his congressional district, he might even get re-elected as a Democrat.
So, there ‘tis.