Adam Kinzinger endorsed Biden for President with an excoriation of Trump as a danger to the country. From Associated Press: NEW YORK (AP) — Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorsed President Joe Biden on Wednesday, giving the Democrat a prominent new ally in his high-stakes campaign to win over moderate Republicans and independents this fall.
I watched his video on substack today. As I said in the comments there, he is a man of integrity and courage. Too bad there aren’t more coming forward. The clock is ticking.
Wonderful news. I love Adam K. for being straightforward about so much. I may not agree with him on everything, but I admire him for his honesty and courage.
Good to see that are some Republicans that aren’t batshit crazy and on the trump train, but too many reasonable GOP members are afraid of being primaried out of Congress by the looney tunes MAGAts in their party. Kinzinger has nothing to lose as he’s bowed out of Congress. Now to see if anyone else like him has the cajones to defy the Tangerine Twittler and call him out as the menace he is to the Nation…and are willing to become pariahs in the GOP.
My delusional fantasy? In the week before the election: A slate of prominent Republicans announce their personal endorsements of Mr Biden in a last stand plea for unifying our country with the candidate with whom they can work toward common goals. All doing so without any longer fear of reprisal and voting from their conscience. Starters? Lisa Makowski, Mitt Romney, Chris Christy ....
That anyone, especially a vet, has to be concerned about safety because of a moderate political stand is absolute proof that Trump and his mobilized armed magas are a danger to the country. Even during the dark days of McCarthy his targets may have feared for their livelihoods, but not for their very lives.
Umm, actually, that's not true. I had a good friend "back in the day" whose parents had been low-level members of the Hollywood CP, and he remembered nights when strangers showed up, stayed overnight, and left the next day (headed out of the country) and how his father stayed up all night with a shotgun in case the visitors had been followed. When my father had to leave Houston and take his wife and me back to Denver, he later told me toward the end of his life that with the attacks on him by the Republican candidate for congress who exposed what he'd done to support the Spanish Republicans in the civil war, that he received what he took as serious death threats (of which the police would do nothing). Funny story: my friend in Hollywood found out he and his family were in trouble when he couldn't be one of the kids on Howdy Doody.
No doubt about it. Adam has brains and uses them. His book was excellent—he described what it was like to live in an ultra religious community. Eye opening!
Personally, my thought of Adam Kinzinger having a place on Pres Biden’s cabinet or advisory position during next administration? I’m down with it. The start of a new and improved strong faction of the Republican Party. Sweep out the debris.
Posted this earlier today elsewhere after seeing Kinzinger's original video...
It's a good thing that Kinzinger is actually endorsing Biden instead of simply saying he won't vote for Trump and letting it go at that. But he couldn't just say that he's endorsing him and give the reason for his decision without the whole "I certainly don't agree with President Biden on everything" qualification. I suppose this is a tactic to create "permission" for other "conservatives" - a word he used several times - to follow suit. (I noticed the complete lack of the word "Republican" other than in the banner denoting him as a former Republican congressman). And if that's so, so be it. But maybe it's also creating permission in his own mind? Or maybe the partisanship just can't help oozing its way out into the open, no matter what.
I don't belong to a political party and am pretty nonideological, and while I voted for him in 2020 and will do so again in November, I certainly don't agree with President Biden on everything either. But who, other than perhaps a devoted cult member (and God knows we have plenty of those) would agree with absolutely *everything* a leader of anything does, much less of a thing as large and as complicated as America?
Thanks for your efforts both past and present at protecting and maintaining our democracy, Adam. You certainly have my respect for that. And by all means, trash Donald Trump 'till the cows come home. But you'd have even more of my respect if you'd said I'm voting for Joe Biden because he's head and shoulders above Donald Trump in every way as to his qualifications as the best choice for president of our country and found a way to create whatever permission you want to for others without any qualifications at all.
He did say that. "As a conservative I don't agree with Biden on policies, but on preserving our democracy and way of life, I'm voting for him." (approximate quote)
And yes, the Biden campaign wanted him to say it like this, because they want people who have never in their lives thought of voting for a Democrat to feel this time is an exception and give them permission to do so.
I hugely admire Adam Kinzinger, though I disagree with him on many, possibly most, political issues -- and IMO stating that disagreement is important for me. I admire President Biden, but I expect to be spending a lot of time between now and November explaining to friends and colleagues why they should vote Biden-Harris even though they, like me, are appalled by the administration's in/actions so far on Israel-Palestine. Issues matter. Acting as if they don't, as if it's all about personality (about which we know very little that isn't mediated by the media and PR), is pretty much what MAGA is about.
My basic argument is that single-issue voting is generally a bad idea at all but the most local levels, and that by sitting out the election (none of these people would in a million years vote for Trump) they're ignoring many, many people who would be far more adversely affected than they by a Trump/GOP victory. I am, in short, not above guilt-tripping when the occasion seems to warrant it. <g>
I watched his video on substack today. As I said in the comments there, he is a man of integrity and courage. Too bad there aren’t more coming forward. The clock is ticking.
Wonderful news. I love Adam K. for being straightforward about so much. I may not agree with him on everything, but I admire him for his honesty and courage.
He understands the Eagle can't fly with just one wing.
Good to see that are some Republicans that aren’t batshit crazy and on the trump train, but too many reasonable GOP members are afraid of being primaried out of Congress by the looney tunes MAGAts in their party. Kinzinger has nothing to lose as he’s bowed out of Congress. Now to see if anyone else like him has the cajones to defy the Tangerine Twittler and call him out as the menace he is to the Nation…and are willing to become pariahs in the GOP.
My delusional fantasy? In the week before the election: A slate of prominent Republicans announce their personal endorsements of Mr Biden in a last stand plea for unifying our country with the candidate with whom they can work toward common goals. All doing so without any longer fear of reprisal and voting from their conscience. Starters? Lisa Makowski, Mitt Romney, Chris Christy ....
All we need to do now is stay the course.
I hope that he and his remain safe. Such bravery deserves to go unpunished.
It’s a dangerous thing he did. I hope he stays safe
That anyone, especially a vet, has to be concerned about safety because of a moderate political stand is absolute proof that Trump and his mobilized armed magas are a danger to the country. Even during the dark days of McCarthy his targets may have feared for their livelihoods, but not for their very lives.
Umm, actually, that's not true. I had a good friend "back in the day" whose parents had been low-level members of the Hollywood CP, and he remembered nights when strangers showed up, stayed overnight, and left the next day (headed out of the country) and how his father stayed up all night with a shotgun in case the visitors had been followed. When my father had to leave Houston and take his wife and me back to Denver, he later told me toward the end of his life that with the attacks on him by the Republican candidate for congress who exposed what he'd done to support the Spanish Republicans in the civil war, that he received what he took as serious death threats (of which the police would do nothing). Funny story: my friend in Hollywood found out he and his family were in trouble when he couldn't be one of the kids on Howdy Doody.
Looks like that very fact would disqualify any Repub. They are not subtle in their threats
Amen and hallelujah 💙
I love the last line. I loved it when you first wrote the blog and it is so good to hear it again tonight. Thank you.
No doubt about it. Adam has brains and uses them. His book was excellent—he described what it was like to live in an ultra religious community. Eye opening!
Personally, my thought of Adam Kinzinger having a place on Pres Biden’s cabinet or advisory position during next administration? I’m down with it. The start of a new and improved strong faction of the Republican Party. Sweep out the debris.
Salud!
🗽
Woot woot!
Yes, TC. Ship Democracy….sails opening and moving with the non partisan winds of freedom. Trump’s ship? Listing. Dead in the murky, infested waters.
Salud!
🗽💜
Maybe the dam will spring a leak and wash the cult away. Take a few self-righteous billionaires with you.
"...the wind has changed, the sails are filling, and the ship is moving out of The Doldrums, slowly but with increasing speed."
It does seem so — may it be!
Posted this earlier today elsewhere after seeing Kinzinger's original video...
It's a good thing that Kinzinger is actually endorsing Biden instead of simply saying he won't vote for Trump and letting it go at that. But he couldn't just say that he's endorsing him and give the reason for his decision without the whole "I certainly don't agree with President Biden on everything" qualification. I suppose this is a tactic to create "permission" for other "conservatives" - a word he used several times - to follow suit. (I noticed the complete lack of the word "Republican" other than in the banner denoting him as a former Republican congressman). And if that's so, so be it. But maybe it's also creating permission in his own mind? Or maybe the partisanship just can't help oozing its way out into the open, no matter what.
I don't belong to a political party and am pretty nonideological, and while I voted for him in 2020 and will do so again in November, I certainly don't agree with President Biden on everything either. But who, other than perhaps a devoted cult member (and God knows we have plenty of those) would agree with absolutely *everything* a leader of anything does, much less of a thing as large and as complicated as America?
Thanks for your efforts both past and present at protecting and maintaining our democracy, Adam. You certainly have my respect for that. And by all means, trash Donald Trump 'till the cows come home. But you'd have even more of my respect if you'd said I'm voting for Joe Biden because he's head and shoulders above Donald Trump in every way as to his qualifications as the best choice for president of our country and found a way to create whatever permission you want to for others without any qualifications at all.
He did say that. "As a conservative I don't agree with Biden on policies, but on preserving our democracy and way of life, I'm voting for him." (approximate quote)
And yes, the Biden campaign wanted him to say it like this, because they want people who have never in their lives thought of voting for a Democrat to feel this time is an exception and give them permission to do so.
I hugely admire Adam Kinzinger, though I disagree with him on many, possibly most, political issues -- and IMO stating that disagreement is important for me. I admire President Biden, but I expect to be spending a lot of time between now and November explaining to friends and colleagues why they should vote Biden-Harris even though they, like me, are appalled by the administration's in/actions so far on Israel-Palestine. Issues matter. Acting as if they don't, as if it's all about personality (about which we know very little that isn't mediated by the media and PR), is pretty much what MAGA is about.
My basic argument is that single-issue voting is generally a bad idea at all but the most local levels, and that by sitting out the election (none of these people would in a million years vote for Trump) they're ignoring many, many people who would be far more adversely affected than they by a Trump/GOP victory. I am, in short, not above guilt-tripping when the occasion seems to warrant it. <g>
Mr. K is going to make his grandchildren proud to carry his name.
Bravo Kinzinger!