No one else was going to throw Adam Kinzinger a going-away party, so he threw one for himself Thursday in his final speech on the House floor. Conveniently forgetting that his looming unemployment is due to the fact that Illinois Democrats gerrymandered him out of a job (thanks, Dems!), Kinzinger drew a hilariously wrongheaded conclusion about his time in Congress, whining:
Had I known that standing up for truth would cost me my job, friendships, and even my personal security, I would, without hesitation, do it all over again.
There was no one in the chamber actually listening to his speech. so there were, sadly, no laughs and guffaws at this nonsense. Kinzinger was fiddling nonstop with his wedding ring while making his remarks, which makes you wonder if he was dealing with a case of the sads over his departure — he’s been known to shed a crocodile tear before — or if he was actually uncomfortable with spewing lies. You be the judge.
WATCH:
Kinzinger could have taken the opportunity to be humble, reflect on the honor of serving in Congress, and thank his constituents for allowing him to be their representative. But, no, the venomous Kinzinger doesn’t know the meaning of grace and instead ratcheted up the hyperbole, spewing:
I have sworn an oath in uniform and this office to protect this nation and its Constitution. While overseas, I witnessed the danger of radicalization of beliefs can have on people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, since coming to Congress, I have watched how Republicans and Democrats have weaponized fear in much the same way.
Got that? If you dare to believe something that Adam Kinzinger doesn’t, you are just like a terrorist. This from the guy who has happily betrayed any conservative values he once held and aligned himself with the likes of Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff. And let’s not forget that time he publicly smeared a private citizen for daring to disagree with him. Heckuva guy, that Adam Kinzinger. Sure gonna miss him.
But, wait, there’s more. After praising his own courage and calling everyone else a terrorist, Kinzinger went on to liken himself to Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan:
The great party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan have turned its backs on the ideals of liberty and self-governance. Instead, it has embraced lies and deceit. The Republican Party used to believe in a big tent, which welcomed the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Now, we shelter the ignorant, the racist, who only stoke anger and hatred to those who are different than us.
The last bit actually does sound a lot like Kinzinger himself: divisive, crude, self-important and ignorant to the fact that he is all these things. He is much like the character Nick Bottom in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” — a man whose head has been transformed into that of a jackass and he’s the only one who can’t see it.
Kinzinger instead sees himself as the conquering hero who, like Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan, were praised for being steadfast in their beliefs and fearless in pursuit of their ideals. Adam Kinzinger is neither of those things. He is noteworthy only in his hatred of Donald Trump. He has diminished himself to the point that he’ll only be remembered as being part of the tiresome anti-Trump mind virus.
What’s next for Adam Kinzinger? With a resume like that, he’s surely destined for the only place that will have him: MSNBC.
Fare thee well, Adam Kinzinger
— Blair (@skifflegirl) December 16, 2022
‘Everybody Hurts’
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