The documentary titled “The Last Republican”, chronicles Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s last months in office and he served in two districts over a time span of twelve years in Illinois. He was counted as one of the few Republican representatives who opposed Donald Trump and went as far as to not vote for him in the elections of 2016, and following after the events that ensued on January 6th, 2021 when Trump lost the election, attempted to cause a coup by rallying people to invade the Capitol which resulted in many deaths, Congressman Kinzinger directly condemned him. Kinzinger, unlike other politicians such as Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, attempted to moderate his standing about trump and attempted to strategize for Trump’s re election, positioning him within the power circles of the party, however, Kinzinger fully opposed Trump and made it core of his identity.
Country first Conversations was the name of the podcast that he launched alongside his fundraising campaign that targeted Anti Trumpist candidates. Some time after, he endorse Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the elections alongside attending the Democratic National convention. Kinzinger, after opposing Trump’s first impeachment, flip flopped and supported the second one and claimed he wished he had taken part in the first.
He was also one of the thirty-five republicans that voted in favor of creating an internal committee to investigate the capitol attacks and became part of that committee as well. Highlights of that event, included Beck’s portion that was portraying Kinzinger in a negative light as he had supported Pelosi’s decisions to include Kinziger in the January 6th Committee, alongside Liz Cheney, a former supporter of trump helping McCarthy mask the set up once the committee was formed. After Kinzinger’s former aide Harriet Hageman jiggered Trump to get to co-op of a TV show, the former criticized them for over teeming their rational senses. Now he works at CNN.
In this context, the title highlights the perspective of the film’s director Steve Pink ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’. Steve Pink happens to be a liberal, who does not think highly of most things that Kinzinger stands for in politics (the movie begins with the Congressman provoking Pink by calling him a ‘communist’). Steve Pink portrays Kinzinger as one of the real Republicans, because he was one of the few who would stand up for the law regarding Trump, saying that he “Put the country ahead of the party”.
This, however, is a dubious framing too, good for trading and setting off the arguments of the day on the respective podcasts, but that is about it. Over the last fifty years, there have been any number of instances of Republicans putting themselves above the law and Democrats have not exactly covered themselves with glory in that Respect either. In every era of American history, the “true” Republicans are the ones who for that moment are the ones who control the definition of the party and at this point, they are not Kinzinger.
“The Last Republican” mostly excuses Kinzinger’s positions on a number of questions, perhaps in order to place him here as more of a Capra-esque hero whose only cast of features consists of fighting against corruption, and an opposing politician whom the filmmaker also does not support. (Kinzinger is far more progressive than most Republicans on anti-discrimination matters, but he was still 90% Trump oriented, held China responsible for COVID, and in 2017 voted for the repeal of some pieces of ACA).
However, it doesn’t necessarily suggest that Kinzinger’s opposition to Trump is without reasonable prejudice and the ability to surrender power for principles. This is clearly the case and it is reinforced by the scene when Kinzinger and his wife Sofia Boza-Holman are laying on a couch in their home holding their baby son while the House votes to censure them for their position on the Jan. 6 committee.
But the film had left out Kinzinger’s life experience which would have complemented the ancient proverb of ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’ and Peter Pink also had supported Kinzinger to some extent in the film. Further, I would admit that the ending of the film adds a light touch of humor by portraying Peter Pink and Kinzinger as odd bandmates in the movie.
Kinzinger is portrayed as someone who is doing his best to uphold American values in the changing situation alongside battling the defying notions of being an American. He informs Pink that “everyone is self absorbed which is the battle that I will face in my upcoming life. That’s where the fight lays, the fight against the citizens’ struggle.”
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