Adam Kinzinger, along with Liz Cheney, were the only two Republicans willing to take a stand and sit on the January 6^th committee, knowing their days in Congress were numbered by doing so.  Standing for truth and justice is not a popular thing within the ranks of the Republican Party today.  Adam may no longer be in Congress, but he still has a voice, and he wrote a powerful OpEd on Substack a few days ago that I think needs to be shared.  I especially like his definition of strength.  Remember, this comes from a lifetime Republican!

The Perpetual Victimhood of MAGA is Weakness Defined

I’m over it, and so is the country

By Adam Kinzinger

16 December 2023

I’m over it. I’ve had enough, and it’s time to share.

This weekend while doing some light perusing of twitter, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I really, honestly, have never had an epiphany so sudden and profound that I have decided to write about it shortly after. But I did this time.

The whining, weak, brittle, fragile, delicate, feeble, puny, victim mentality of the MAGA movement is one of the most transparently sad, snowflakey, and pitiful movements really in American history. The incessant whining followed by the usual deflection of some harsh attack that reasonable adults would eschew has really reached a boiling point in my tolerance of typical and normal political dialogue.

I was attracted to the Republican party for many reasons, but chief among them was my belief that a man could set his own destiny, defend his own family, live his own life, and leave others alone to live theirs. I was always taught that bad circumstances happen, as does loss and failure, and those are parts of life we need to learn from and learn to manage. Sometimes you lose your whole corn crop, that’s life. Sometimes you lose elections, oh well. YOU, and you alone, are responsible for your mindset and path.

The MAGA movement has become an infectious disease of helplessness and victimhood unlike any I can remember. Donald Trump himself is a master victim, suing everyone, everything, yelling loudly about how he is a poor victim of the “deep state,” Rinos, DOJ, FBI, China, Germany, Mars, the sun, and any other possible force of nature. But his victim mentality has spread to the GOP at large, and it’s the most annoying and destructive force in the nation. Seriously. This infection has destroyed the GOP.

The victims are everywhere. They believe their man to be the strongest alive, who has the courage to push back against dark forces coming to destroy America. Nevermind that many evangelicals specifically have been preaching this message for decades, THIS TIME it’s real. Their heroes of the Bible are not the Apostles, or even Jesus himself. No they are old testament kings who in one case, slept with his neighbors wife and had her husband killed. King David is supposed to be a story of redemption, and instead he’s become a model citizen, PRIOR to his repentance, because after all, that is Trump.

The Jesus I follow, as a believer, teaches us to not put our faith in this world, to be citizens of heaven, kind and just, and to FEAR NOT. He is in control, and he’s got this. He hasn’t lost an ounce of calm because of tax rates, Disney, or wokeism.

MAGAs strong hero is only doing one of two things. If what he says is true, that he is the most investigated and attacked man in history, how in the world could he be strong at all, given that while he actually was the most powerful man in the world, he couldn’t stop these forces or do anything about them. I’d have to believe that given the levers of power and his amazing strength inherent to his DNA, he should have crushed the evil forces already.

Or maybe, he’s just a whining, weak, brittle crybaby who absolutely cannot operate without a group of people who likewise feel helpless, giving their power to him. This broken weak man, Donald Trump, leads an absolute movement of sheep who believe that in collectively complaining and belly-aching about everything out of their control, they somehow are strong. They are not.

Strength comes from a sense of self, purpose, and a love for justice. Not justice in the sense of the sword, but in the righteous use of the law and fairness to give everyone a chance. Strength comes from having the courage to stand for the weak and voiceless, loving even your enemy, and shedding tears at the plight of the homeless, or the poor migrant trying desperately to provide for his family. That is strength.

Strength doesn’t come from large rallies of people at the sunset of their life feeding on the drug of helplessness. Waving obnoxious signs or putting large Trump flags on their truck and driving around the neighborhood. Strength is not making expert memes and trolling people on the internet. Strong people don’t fear Disney or books. They don’t lose sleep over the outrage of the day, and they certainly don’t like Putin. Strong people defend those who need defended, like Ukraine.

Strong and healthy people don’t willfully ignore truth. Weak victims do, because accepting lies is required for belonging, and belonging makes you feel better and safer.

MAGA, is weakness.

The GOP has had control of the House, the courts, and at one point every legislative and executive component of government, but still, MAGA believes their are helpless victims that only survive with Trump. Well, either he is completely incompetent to still be on the receiving end of every injustice, or maybe, just maybe, he’s a fraud.

I’m going to recommit myself and my movement to reminding people that in this great country you can chart your own path and set your destiny. Strength is beautiful, and strength is kind, and loving, and charitable. Strength is the opposite of Donald and his victim parade.

I’m so over it. The weakness of MAGA is un-American. Perpetual victimhood is un-American, and my kid will be taught the opposite of everything they claim to believe, because he will be strong.

America will come through this time. We will come out so much stronger in fact, because I truly believe we will vomit out the putrid infection of weakness and cultism. Doing this will require a few things, but mostly, pointing out the victim mentality constantly and consistently. They will wither under the truth, and come back to an understanding that in this nation, they can be strong, and they don’t need an insecure narcissist to help.