Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R–Ill) is one of just a few Republicans — along with Liz Cheney (R–WY) — who is fighting a losing battle against the Big Lie, Donald Trump, and the party's aggressive move toward authoritarianism. But still he tries. And his latest move is a doozy. He's pushing for an "uneasy alliance," aka "party raiding," with Democrats and independents to vote for anti-Trump Republicans in the primaries.
From ABC:
Experts suggest the practice, sometimes known as "party raiding," will be hard to execute on a broad scale, but Kinzinger warned that failure to shift the GOP's embrace of Trump could undermine democracy or even a lead to "failed state."
"People need to wake up to that real possibility," Kinzinger, who is not seeking reelection this fall, told The Associated Press. "We have to be able to have uneasy alliances, as uneasy as they may be in this moment.
Kinzinger's plan underscores the extraordinary challenges Trump antagonists face as they fight to purge Trumpism from the GOP using the existing political system, which offers party leaders little control if voters line up behind extremists. At the same time, Trump allies control the Republican Party infrastructure at the state and national levels — in addition to fundraising.
Kinzinger's new campaign is designed to attack the root of Trumpism where it's spreading with little resistance: in the Republican nomination process. Because the vast majority of Republican-held congressional seats are not competitive due to gerrymandering and cultural trends, the congressman argues that Trump-backed "extremists" can only be stopped in the Republican primaries that decide which candidate appear on the general election ballot.
His group this week posted detailed instructions on its website [Country First] instructing Democrats and unaffiliated voters about how to participate in upcoming Republican primary elections.
Calling his scheme an "uneasy" alliance is an understatement. It's outrageous, but highlights just how desperate the times really are.
