Should have seen this coming with Adam Kinzinger
Good versus evil. It’s one of the most historic themes around. One sees it in movies and reads about it in books. Of course, most everyone knows the story of David vs. Goliath. How great it made us feel when good triumphed under almost insurmountable odds.
And there is example after example of this theme. I personally feel a fondness for the children of Narnia and how they (with more than a bit of help from Aslan) saved a beautiful land, pulling it back from the brink.
And Good versus evil exists in politics as well. All too often, evil triumphs. But not always. It was vanquished in the 2020 Presidential election. We all pulled together, and we did it. And yet now there IS a battle of good versus evil going on. And it is Republican against Republican.
There are hardly any decent GOP members left. Most have fled or been silenced. Several have retired or decided to stay quiet about the evil they see being done right before their very eyes.
And now we have an announcement from Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger that he will not be running for reelection in 2022.
This is a significant loss for our side. Yes, Kinzinger is a conservative, and no, I do not agree with his policy positions. But he has shown himself to be brave. He has taken on the insurrection party, and he’s done a pretty damn good job so far.
Yet, this announcement is hardly surprising. Reportedly, Kinzinger’s wife is pregnant. He is also in a heavily gerrymandered district. And he has been the subject of threats and ridicule from his own party.
I’ve no idea what Kinzinger will do next. I can say this is a big loss. All over, the sane Republicans — and there are few of them — are retiring in massive numbers. It is disheartening.
Yet, Kinzinger has made clear this is not the end of his career in politics. What will he do next? I’ve no idea. Perhaps he will relocate to a more friendly district. Perhaps he will run for Governor. No matter what he does, we wish him well. I also wish he’d change his mind about not running again. The GOP needs sane fighters, and they are losing them in rapid numbers.
