THE REAL DEAL — The Weekly Opine

If you do not know of this man, you should. (Photo credit Defense News)

A Republican who ‘gets it’

Looking around these days it is not easy to find Republicans with whom to unify. One of the notable exceptions is Sen. Mitt Romney who, during the past several years, has spoken out freely and truthfully. He has been granted elder statesman status by former Republicans, Democrats, and the media. Romney has become a reliable voice of reason, surrounded mostly by immoral, unethical crackpots. He is the conscience of what remains of a near-fatally wounded Republican Party.

Over in the House of Representatives sits another Republican worth unifying with. His name is Rep. Adam Kinzinger, from Illinois.

Back in the day (pre-Trump) Republicans used to quickly hoist up and celebrate veterans like Adam Kinzinger. There was a time when conservatives pointed to guys like Kinzinger as shining examples of the prototypical All-American. And with good reason. Kinzinger hails from the Midwest. He is a war veteran, a pilot with the Air National Guard who bravely flew combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kinzinger recently explained to the Washington Post that, to fly his missions unafraid and with a clear head, he had to accept the fact “that you’re already dead.”

After an up-and-down adolescence, Kinzinger pulled himself out of a sometimes wayward existence as a teenager (he was kicked out of college) and made something of himself. His stellar accomplishments prove it. My impression of Kinzinger is he works hard, does not feel entitled, and plays fair.

GOP to GOOP

As a friend said to me the other day, the Grand Old Party (GOP) has morphed into the GOOP (Grand Old Obnoxious Party), with a full embrace of wackos like Trump, Sen. Josh Hawley, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene. Formerly semi-coherent Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Kevin McCarthy have succumbed to the pervasive insanity of MAGAs, QAnon, and white supremacists.

At this moment, the Republican Party is virtually gone, replaced by thugs and hoodlums who know nothing about real patriotism and heroism. It is laughable – and scary – that they now cause trouble for an honorable veteran like Kinzinger.

News that some of the terrorist insurrectionists, who stormed the Capitol Building last month, did not bother to vote in the election they sought to overturn makes them all dummkopfs (figured I’d use a German word since so many of them admire fascism). The insurrectionists, and those who aided in planning the attack, along with those who encouraged the attack, are not worthy to take up space in the same room as Adam Kinzinger, let alone set foot in the building where he works.

Air National Guard combat veteran Adam Kinzinger (L) knows patriotism. The insurrectionist (R) knows nothing about patriotism. (Photo credit Air Force / Wall Street Journal)

There’s not enough soap

On Tuesday, CNN ran a chyron – accompanied by a video clip – of a desperate Ted Cruz trying to walk back and clean up the mess he’s created for himself. Cruz seems to realize his presidential aspirations have been damaged by taking the side of terrorists who, somehow, believe Trump won the election in a landslide.

Another problem for Cruz is Americans prefer decisive, stand up leaders. You’ll recall that Cruz famously stood down when Trump trashed Cruz’s wife. He stood down when Trump fomented the lie that Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy. He was feeble when Trump called him Lyin’ Ted (which turns out to be true).

Cruz is a charlatan. A humbug. A weak, unethical man. Even the iconic Mr. Clean cannot wipe away the stains that will forever soil Cruz. As the saying goes, he is damaged goods. Republicans attempting to resurrect the party know Ted Cruz is as useless to their future success as is ice melt on a 90-degree afternoon.

Thinking, speaking for himself

Adam Kinzinger has a powerful trait that escapes many Republican politicians and, frankly, Americans of all stripes. Kinzinger is capable of processing information, filter out the nonsense, and then make decisions based on truth and facts. He thinks for himself. And unlike too many others, Kinzinger is not afraid to speak the truth. Out loud. It does none of us any good when public figures know the truth but remain silent or, even worse, repeat the lie.

Only one Republican voted for the resolution asking ex-Vice President (and failed coronavirus task force head) Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from the presidency. Yep, Adam Kinzinger.

Some Republicans now know what many of us knew all along. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine / CNN screenshot)

Kinzinger, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee, was one of just 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for a second time, after seditionist Trump lit the fuse that caused a riot and five deaths at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Unlike most Republicans, Kinzinger seeks bipartisanship. He understands the way out of a deeply polarized America is not further retrenching behind untenable positions but finding common ground. And there is common ground, but it will take Main Street Americans to start thinking for themselves.

For example, if you are poor you have common ground with other poor people regardless of their political party, race, gender, or geographic location. Maybe stop hating the other person and instead work together to bring about changes to improve your chances of achieving a better life.

Family matters

Adam Kinzinger rejects lunatic musings by the far right. He created a video on Facebook to renounce QAnon’s deviant pathology. Surprisingly, Kinzinger did vote for Trump in 2020. Not surprisingly, Kinzinger – thinking for himself – wholeheartedly rejects Trump’s fantasies about regaining the presidency.

Kinzinger has been downright outspoken in his desire to return the Republican Party to normalcy. He recently launched a political action committee, Country First, with the goal of bringing a semblance of level-headedness that has been absent since the Tea Party arrived on the scene during the Obama administration.

For his ‘trouble,’ Kinzinger is catching hell from loonies on the far right, including his own family. Expectedly, he is subjected to threats from the chickens who hide behind aliases on social media. In addition, Kinzinger told CNN that some of his cousins say he’s in “the devils army.” He has already been challenged for his congressional seat, with the challenger’s campaign titled, “Impeach Adam Kinzinger 2022.”

Not straying from his own beliefs, Kinzinger says “more people need to stand up with openness, honesty, and optimism.”

Conservatives want more positive stories about the right? Stop the lies and conspiracy rubbish. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Not left, not right, just real

In the three-plus years The Weekly Opine has been publishing, I have been gently, and at times not-so-gently, chided for leaning to the left. Admittedly, my posts skew left. But, if you conduct an honest appraisal of what has transpired during the Trump-era, the right has given me myriad opportunities to take aim at the absurdity that defines the GOOP.

Or, to paraphrase Angus King, the independent senator from Maine, when he responds to Republican complaints that King always votes with Democrats, give me something positive to write about, conservatives, and I will display independence.

Let me close saying I am a fan of Adam Kinzinger. If he ever runs for governor or senator, he will be among my front-runners. From what I can tell, Kinzinger has all the right stuff.

You can envision Kinzinger working with Democrats like Rep. Katie Porter, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Stacey Abrams to forge a better America.