Former GOP Rep. and current CNN political analyst Adam Kinzinger continued to prove that his turn against the GOP isn’t just related to the aftermath of the 2020 election and January 6 when he traveled to HBO and Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday to once again compare Speaker Mike Johnson to the Taliban.
The liberal atheist Maher had some crazy analogies of his own, “So, here's something really scary, Mike Johnson, he’s the Republican Party new head chief over there in the House. This came out, he was talking to a prayer group. He said ‘depraved America deserves God's wrath’ -- came out there, exactly sounds like Bin Laden. Now, the Republican guy sounds like bin Laden and Trump sounds like Hitler, and the kids sound like—”
It should be noted that “’Depraved’ America deserves God’s wrath” is a Rolling Stone headline summation of what Johnson said, but “deserves God’s wrath” is not in quotes. What Rolling Stone actually quotes Johnson as saying is, “The only question is: Is God going to allow our nation to enter a time of judgment for our collective sins? … Or is he going to give us one more chance to restore the foundations and return to Him?... We have to ask ourselves: How long can His mercy and His grace be held back?”
It’s honestly a question every country should ask itself because sin has consequences, but by reaching for the bin Laden card, Maher seemed to suggest that Johnson would justify terrorism or acts of war against America which is not at all what he was saying.
ABC contributor and former Democratic strategist Donna Brazil urged people to take the seriously and not let his soft-spoken tone fool you, “I know people from North Louisiana differ from people from South Louisiana, like I tell you, we like our rice dirty, they look everything up there clean because they're so close to Texas, but Mike Johnson, Speaker Mike Johnson and, you know, I'll let the congressman speak to his friend. He may be quiet but let me tell you what Trump called him: MAGA Mike, he's MAGA Mike.”
Kinzinger took the invitation to offer his thoughts, but not before making clear that “he’s not my friend.”
Earlier, Kinzinger told another late night comedy host, Stephen Colbert, that Johnson was no better than the Taliban and he would do so again, “Honestly, Bill, when you look at who the Taliban is and the Taliban is all about “hey, we want to take Sharia law, this thing we believe in and we want to religiously implement this into our government,” there is no difference between Christian nationalism which is what he's representing than the Taliban.”
Deep down even Kinzinger probably knows just how absurd that is because he would immediately proceed to tie himself into a pretzel, “Now, maybe the end is different maybe the means are different but there's no difference in saying this is a government run on religion.”
So, Kinzinger logic says that things are the same except for all the ways that they are different. This is the man the media demands Republicans listen to and take seriously.
Here is a transcript for the November 17 show:
HBO Real Time with Bill Maher
11/17/2023
10:43 PM ET
BILL MAHER: So, here's something really scary, Mike Johnson, he’s the Republican Party new head chief over there in the House. This came out, he was talking to a prayer group. He said “depraved America deserves God's wrath” -- came out there, exactly sounds like Bin Laden. Now, the Republican guy sounds like bin Laden and Trump sounds like Hitler and the kids sound like—
DONNA BRAZILE: I'm very upset --
MAHER: About what.
BRAZILE: -- I've been reading a lot, I mean, I know people from North Louisiana differ from people from South Louisiana, like I tell you, we like our rice dirty, they look everything up there clean because they're so close to Texas, but Mike Johnson, Speaker Mike Johnson and, you know, I'll let the congressman speak to his friend. He may be quiet but let me tell you what Trump called him: MAGA Mike, he's MAGA Mike.
MAHER: MAGA, yes, right.
ADAM KINZINGER: He's not my friend, by the way—
BRAZILE: Okay, well--
KINZINGER: -- let's be clear, now. The only interaction I ever had with him—the only interaction-- he was trying to get me to sign on to this Texas lawsuit and I’m like “Dude, you obviously don't know me because I'm actually the one that’s saying that your lawsuit’s insane here.”
But, the diff—Honestly, Bill, when you look at who the Taliban is and the Taliban is all about “hey, we want to take Sharia law, this thing we believe in and we want to religiously implement this into our government,” there is no difference between Christian nationalism which is what he's representing—
MAHER: Right.
KINZINGER: -- than the Taliban. Now, maybe the end is different—
MAHER: Yes.
KINZINGER: --maybe the means are different but there's no difference in saying this is a government run on religion.
