FOLLOW US

The Republican Party is at a crossroads after its defeat in both the 2020 presidential and Senate elections and there are two factions that have very divergent ideas of how to recover.

On one side you have the populist wing of the party, led by former President Donald Trump, that believes being brash and in attack mode did not injure the brand.

And on the other side you have the party of tradition that believes it should go back to the basics of small government, lower taxes and foreign policy. And Rep. Adam Kinzinger has stepped forward to lead that effort, Fox News reported.

“The Republican Party has lost its way. If we are to lead again, we need to muster the courage to remember who we are,” the 42-year-old former Air Force pilot said in a video to launch his Country 1st PAC.

“Republicans must say enough is enough. It's time to unplug the outrage machine, reject the politics of personality, and cast aside the conspiracy theories and the rage,” the Illinois representative said.

The decision to start this PAC to take the Republican Party back from former President Trump came as rumors began saying that some Bush era Republicans were planning a mass exodus from the party.

It also comes as more outlandish statements from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have been discovered.

“The biggest danger right now is that we've become a party that dabbles — not just dabbles — we traffic in conspiracies and we traffic in lies,' the GOP representative from Illinois said,” he said.

Kinzinger was a favorite of the Tea Party and was elected during that wave election in 2010. But he said in his video on Monday that the Republican Party no longer resembles the one he joined.

"The party that always spoke about a brighter tomorrow no longer does. It talks about a dark future instead. Hope has given way to fear. Outrage has replaced opportunity. And worst of all, our deep convictions are ignored. They've been replaced by poisonous conspiracies and lies. This is not the Republican road and now we know exactly where new and dangerous road leads. It leads to insurrection and an armed attack on the Capitol," he said.

Democrats have a divide of their own between the progressive and more conservative wings, but the divide is not close to the depth that the Republicans have.

There is a gulf between those who follow former President Trump and Rep. Greene and those who ascribe to the traditions of former President George W. Bush and the late Sen. John McCain.

And then there are those in the middle that like part of both sides of the party. And all this infighting could lead to more gains for Democrats.

"Republicans must say enough is enough. It's time to unplug the outrage machine, reject the politics of personality and cast aside the conspiracy theories and rage,” he said.