BROADCASTS.com

What\u2019s our wildly divisive political climate doing to today\u2019s 20-year-olds, who will be our political leaders of the future?

That\u2019s what Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) asks co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Jesse Cannon on the latest episode of The New Abnormal.

In the past, Kinzinger says, Americans could look to Ronald Reagan and Democratic leader Tip O\u2019Neill having a beer together, despite their differences. Today, Kinzinger says, we\u2019re not seeing similar examples: \u201cAll we do is go on Twitter and TV and call the other side douchebags.\u201d It doesn\u2019t bode well for us getting back to normal politics, he warns.

Still, says Kinzinger\u2014the first sitting GOP congressman to accept an invitation to come on The New Abnormal\u2014former President Donald Trump\u2019s influence on the Republican Party does seem to be waning.

Twitter\u2019s decision to ban Trump, which Kinzinger fully supports, is a big part of that, he says. \u201cHe can put out crazy press releases calling Rove a RINO like he\u2019s doing, but\u2026 it\u2019s taken a lot of his influence away.\u201d

\u201cI think we\u2019re going to survive this,\u201d the Illinois lawmaker says of the future of the party. \u201cBut it\u2019s certainly going to be an epic battle. It\u2019s probably gonna be an epic battle that needs to happen.\u201d 

Kinzinger also explains why he thinks the Democrats\u2019 For the People Act is a bad bill, why Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene needs to be called out for dehumanizing transgender people, and why he thinks Trump is the real RINO.

Also on the show, MSNBC host Ali Velshi talks to Molly and Jesse about criss-crossing the country this year and somehow managing not to get COVID, and whether the media can get back to normal now that Trump is out of office and not sucking up all the oxygen.

Finally, author and editor Ronald Brownstein talks about his new book, Rock Me on the Water, and what the cultural and political atmosphere of the early 1970s have in common with the present moment.

If you haven't heard, every single week The New Abnormal does a special bonus episode for Beast Inside, the Daily Beast\u2019s membership program. where Sometimes we interview Senators like Cory Booker or the folks who explain our world in media like Jim Acosta or Soledad O\u2019Brien. Sometimes we just have fun and talk to our favorite comedians and actors like Busy Phillips or Billy Eichner and sometimes its just Rick & Molly discussing the fuckery. You can get all of our episodes in your favorite podcast app of choice by becoming a Beast Inside member where you\u2019ll support The Beast\u2019s fearless journalism. Plus! You\u2019ll also get full access to podcasts and articles. To become a member head to newabnormal.thedailybeast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.