Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) delivered a farewell address on Thursday that read like an obituary for his own political party.
Kinzinger, one of just ten House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in the wake of the deadly riots at the United States Capitol building, lashed out at Republicans for embracing fever-swamp conspiracy theorists and turning their backs on the principles the party once held.
Among other things, Kinzinger drew an unfavorable comparison between today’s Republican leaders and former President George H.W. Bush.
“In the wake of the tragic Oklahoma City bombing, former President George H.W. Bush publicly refuted those who used fear to gain support,” he said. “In stark contrast today, our leaders belittle, and in some cases justify, attacks on the U.S. Capitol as ‘legitimate political discourse.'”
Kinzinger said this was a symptom of a broader sickness within the GOP as a whole.
“The once-great party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan has turned its back on the ideals of liberty and self-governance,” he said. “Instead, it has embraced lies and deceit. The Republican party used to believe in a big tent… Now, we shelter the ignorant, the racist, who only stoke anger and hatred.”