Adam Kinzinger > Quotes

“I know that morality and ideals can feel like weak tools against men who drive around in big pickup trucks decorated with pictures of assault rifles and the words “Come and take it.” The answer to this isn’t more anger, but an upwelling of goodness. We must form small groups that affiliate with other small groups until they become part of a national movement that will not be ignored.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Together Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush increased it from $75 billion to $300 billion. Under Clinton it fell to zero. The second President Bush pushed it to $1.2 trillion.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“The malignancy of President Donald “Only I Can Fix It” Trump’s ego was revealed at almost every appearance, from his inaugural, where he spoke of “American carnage,” to his petulant last day in office, when he departed without acknowledging his successor.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Primed to believe, filled with patriotic fantasies,”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“and perpetually enraged about the government, his most extreme followers felt the moment to act had come. But like Fundamentalists who rally behind a preacher reading Scripture they don’t understand, Trump’s marauders were ignorant of current events, American history, and the Constitution, yet full of false righteousness. They put on their costumes—combat gear, Revolutionary War getups, Trump regalia, and even costumes modeled after cartoon characters—and became a snarling, violent mob.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“began presenting evidence, I said, “I remember making a commitment, out loud a few times and in my heart repeatedly even to today, that if we are going to ask Americans to be willing to die in service to our country, we as leaders must at least be willing to sacrifice our political careers when integrity and our oath requires it. After all, losing a job is nothing compared to losing your life.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Although dozens defied subpoenas and refused to show up, the witnesses who did appear before the committee could be divided into three groups. The first, most of whom refused to answer questions, citing their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, were those I would describe as Trump-infected zombies. The man’s words had taken over their brains, like parasitic worms, rendering them pathologically loyal and incapable of independent thought.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Buchanan was widely criticized as being too extreme, but on the fringes lurked a more radical element of this entwined religious and political movement: the conspiracy believers. These were the forerunners of what would become the QAnon movement.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“With the old-school GOP aligning itself with the movement Robertson began, Republican rhetoric became toxic. Extremist characters became leaders of the alliance of the faithful and the political. And their tactics overwhelmed policy considerations outside of their culture war. This occurred in a way that was so gradual that hardly anyone, including me, truly appreciated what was happening. Instead, we played along where we could, ignored the rest, and failed to appreciate how our values were being replaced.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“The Occupy and Bernie people also failed to incite the level of energizing outrage provoked by the Tea Party/Trump people because in general their activism left out a key incendiary component: race.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Whatever your politics, whatever you think about the outcome of the election, we as Americans must all agree on this. Donald Trump’s conduct on January sixth was a supreme violation of his oath of office and a complete dereliction of his duty to our nation. It is a stain on our history. It is a dishonor to all those who have sacrificed and died in service of our democracy. When we present our full findings, we will recommend changes to laws and policies to guard against another January sixth. The reason that’s imperative is that the forces Donald Trump ignited that day have not gone away. The militant, intolerant ideologies, the militias, the alienation and the disaffection, the weird fantasies and disinformation, they’re all still out there ready to go. That’s the elephant in the room. But if January sixth has reminded us of anything, I pray it reminded us of this: laws are just words on paper. They mean nothing without public servants dedicated to the rule of law and who are held accountable by a public that believes oaths matter—oaths matter more than party tribalism or the cheap thrill of scoring political points. We the people must demand more of our politicians and ourselves. Oaths matter.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“In that way Trumpists were similar to Islamic fundamentalists, who wage battle to create Islamic states where government operates on the basis of strict religious dogma. In this scheme, McCarthy and others could be considered mullahs who would handle day-to-day affairs and discipline those who committed relatively minor transgressions against the state and Islamic orthodoxy. Trump could be considered the equivalent of the chief ayatollah or supreme leader, who would inspire and rule on the biggest issues.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“No one tells you that a campaign based on sowing fears and treating opponents as enemies, not as rivals, eventually infects even your side. Both major parties do this, but I’d have to say we in the GOP have been more aggressive and effective attack dogs.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Trump, who couldn’t be nice even when handed a baby, dealt only in mockery, derision, and menace. This maniacal style, which had not been seen before in modern American politics, threatened to turn every crowd into a mob.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Compared with today’s archconservatives, I have always been more open to the idea that some people get a raw deal and deserve some assistance.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“seeks to undermine our elections, place controls on the press, sharply restrict immigration, politicize the judiciary, and polarize the people.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“However, there is such a thing as unconscious bias. Everyone has it, to one degree or another, and given the ancient instincts toward tribal safety it’s all but impossible to eradicate.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“would say that overall, Christianity has been harmed by Trump. During his presidency, the moderate and liberal Christians accelerated their move away from the church, and the image of Christianity has suffered.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Any talk of Trump’s deficiencies—the man was truly unfit for his office—occurred in private between those who had made certain they shared the same perspective.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“No one knew exactly how many civilians worked for the Department of Defense, nor could anyone provide an accurate sense of all the weapons systems being upgraded or developed from scratch.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Back then—and occasionally ever since—I was affected by the same self-doubts that affect everyone who isn’t a narcissist.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“In one experiment after another, people have been shown to be very good at looking at candidates’ faces and determining whether they are Democrats or Republicans. People say Democrats are warm, likable, and trustworthy, while Republicans are powerful, dominant, and mature. People separate the two groups accurately and this makes you think they determine their votes on what they read in a person’s face.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“Although the Democrats’ sins were real, to my distress they were not as numerous and outlandish as the ones coming from my side, and I sometimes felt like I was working with people who, in a phrase often attributed to Mark Twain, “refused to let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country

“As I listened I thought to myself, “Is this really our president?” I knew we had elected some bad ones, but this guy was worse than Franklin Pierce. Trump’s main strength lay in acting like some sort of demonic cheerleader, rallying people to his side.”
― Adam Kinzinger, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country