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Rebel Republican Adam Kinzinger gets real about Trump's threats – CBC’s The House (Feb 14; 9 mins)

www.cbc.ca /listen/live-radio/1-64-the-house/clip/16128457-rebel-republican-adam-kinzinger-gets-real-trumps-threats

Interviewed before he went on stage at UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs for his talk called American Identity and the Republican Party.

I found it interesting to listen to someone who self-identifies as one of the good ones and thought some here might be interested as well.

8:15ish to hear his advice to Canadians about the whole “annex your country jk but not really” thing. [spoiler alert!] It's #notallamericans with a supersize dose of paternalistic condescension about how Canadians need to grow some patriotism and push back. But just on tariffs, mind you, and not too hard because we’re still friends and Canada would suffer.

“You don’t need to be afraid of him.”
“Find a reason to continue to be proud of your country.”
Golly, thanks mister!

...

His overall take is bog standard - no surprises - hanging all the evil happening in the USA right now around DJT’s neck and mostly blaming it on Democrats not doing enough to stop him. Also used some gross new talking point repetition about the USA “flirting” (with authoritarianism, anger, division). Or it was new to me, at least.

Other than that, he speaks a bit about Ukraine fighting for sovereignty, the postWW2 order, and real elections; DJT as the Leader Of The Free World negotiating Ukraine’s future without Zelensky in the room. He hopes Europe and Canada “and others of our friends will take up the mantle if we’re gonna walk away."

1 comments
  • Q. What would Trump have to do. Like, what line would he have to cross to get more Republicans to oppose him? [my note: K already spoke about how DJT is the Democratic party’s failure and said he believes the only effective opposition to Trump so far has been "those disaffected Republicans like myself"]

    Kinzinger: Y’know I wish I could answer that because uh in all honesty, I would’ve told you that he’s crossed about a dozen lines already that I thought would have launched opposition to him. What I worry about is that there is no more line. Because. Y’know, he’s been in our lives unfortunately for about 10 years, uh, the people that were willing to stand against him have either changed that willingness and and just completely gone along with him. Or they been kicked out of the party or not elected or whatever. Um. I, I, I, I would’ve thought that y’know uh, Health and Human Services Secretary who denies vaccines, or y’know, uhuhuhuh, a lady that’s shown some proclivity to Russia and and y’know and Bashar al-Assad is head of intelligence? I would’ve thought THOSE woulda been red lines but unfortunately they aren’t, so I’m not sure if that exists anymore? It’s gonna be up to ah just raw political power from the Democrats and the sane right and the centre to push back against this.