The GOP Civil War Boils Over-- Kevin McCarthy's Worst Nightmare Becomes Reality

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I guess when Matt Gaetz took a trip to Wyoming to rally Republican voters against Liz Cheney, that was a pretty big deal-- as was Cheney exposing Gaetz as a closet case, not something many people knew. But now that Adam Kinzinger has announced he's not running for statewide office in 2022, but will instead focus his energies on de-Trumpification of the House Republican Conference... well, this is going to be a tough one to wiggle out of for McCarthy.

According to a report by Juliegrace Brufke for The Hill this afternoon, Kinzinger plans to target fringe kooks like Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-GA) and Gaetz (R-FL) through a PAC-- Country First-- he started which will primarily help finance anti-Trump Republicans. Brufke reported that "Kinzinger accused Gaetz and Greene-- two of Trump’s most ardent defenders in the lower chamber-- of prioritizing fame over legislating, alleging that they don’t believe in what they have voiced to voters. 'Oh, there's a huge list… I mean, look, all you have to do is see people like, of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene. You look at people like Matt Gaetz, who know better. I think neither of them believes the stuff they ascribe to, they just want fame,” he said during a Washington Post Live event on Wednesday. “And so then you have to look at all that stuff and say, OK, can they be defeated? Who are opponents that can actually run against them?"

Kinzinger, who announced the launch of the Country First PAC late last month, said he would like to help boost politicians beyond Congress, adding he doesn’t plan to have a litmus test on social issues for candidates he’ll support.

“I don't want to engage in races and lose, because it's a bad narrative, too. But I want to give support to people on local levels, even people running for mayor, state reps etc. and just simply say this: I don't care what you believe, as long as you believe it: you can be pro-life, pro-choice, pro-gun, anti-gun, right?” he continued.

“We've gotten into too many, you have to be this or this. I just want you to tell the American people the truth. And I want you to not peddle in conspiracies and use some optimism occasionally, that's a pretty low bar, but it's a low bar that eliminates a lot of people," he said.

While Kinzinger is aiming to help elevate Republicans looking to move away from Trump, Gaetz is making efforts to oust lawmakers he feels do not embrace Trump enough.

...“I think it's telling that the party is broken right now and in a bad place and that there's no time like now to fight for that soul of the party, because every day we get closer to the next election, and then the next presidential election, and there's always a reason to put off the inevitable fight that needs to happen, but it needs to happen now,” he said.

This flies right in the face of the 2022 narrative the NRCC went to great lengths to create this morning. Anyway... I hope Kinzinger decides to take on the whole Gang-Greene. I wonder if he's contemplated what to do about unrepentant Trumpists after they win their primaries. For example, would he consider helping a solid veteran like Moe Davis (D) against Mad Cawthorn, a Nazi (no neo) and dangerous North Carolina sociopath?

He told Rick Pearson at the Chicago Tribune that Republicans are "in this litmus test moment where, yeah, we’re going to win some Southern Illinois districts, but you’ll never win anywhere north of the area I represent unless we get back to the basics of what we believe, we welcome people with a different viewpoint, who don’t look like us, and quit trying to ascribe to conspiracy theories and division. As long as we’re peddling QAnon and white supremacy, that message is going to get lost, and quite honestly I don’t buy QAnon and white supremacy as a life choice. If we continue this purity for profit kind of thing that’s going on, we’ll be the minority party here forever."

Your mouth/God's ears.