• cabbage@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    40
    ·
    15 days ago

    If you’re not a coward, a fascist, or both, what the hell are you doing in the Republican party anyway?

    I mean, good on him for speaking out, but he needs to realize his party has died. Nobody still left in the GOP can claim higher ground.

    • SolidGrue@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      40
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      15 days ago

      People like Kinzinger provide an offramp for Republican voters who are waking up to the reality of the post-Trump GOP to vote their conscience. For better or for worse, we are mired in identity politics, which for many means being a Republican. Folks like Kinzinger are saying you can still identify that way if you want, but it doesn’t mean you have to vote for Trump-- you can put country over party and that’s okay.

      He’s doing the job of the Judas Goat which, frankly, we need him for.

      • elliot_crane@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        15 days ago

        Yep. He and I wouldn’t agree on much, if anything, but pragmatically speaking he’s currently serving a valuable purpose so we can let him cook.

    • TheHiddenCatboy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      15 days ago

      So…I’m going to try to give the GOP a bit of a benefit of the doubt here. There is a legitimate position in the GOP – the notion that government isn’t the solution for all our problems, and that the best spent dollar is the dollar spent willingly, by the citizen, on the things the citizen wants to spend it on. We shouldn’t dismiss their political position because it appeals to so many people, and we’re making them choose between fiscal ‘responsibility’ in their eyes and America’s standing on Democratic principles.

      We have to reach out to these voters and convince them to stay home, vote third party, or ‘join the dark side’ temporarily and give us their votes, and we’re certainly not going to do that by attacking their political position. I’d prefer “I get that you’d rather keep your tax dollars, and while I disagree with you on that, and you disagree that your tax dollars are your dues to society, right now we have bigger fish to fry, such as the autocratic takeover of your party by fringe elements. Can we work together today so you can have a party to go back to tomorrow?”

      Flies, honey, vinegar, all that.