We’re 12 days into the grim aftermath that inevitably follows the loss of someone we care about. Just a few days ago, I was expecting to report that Charlie Kirk’s shocking assassination has prompted a distinctly positive trend in American political discourse — hopefully a sea change, but in any case a silver lining on the dark, dark cloud of his death.
Now I’m not so sure. The brief flicker of heartfelt but vague promises to “lower the temperature” has largely evaporated, replaced by hardened political battle lines and renewed — and perhaps even escalating — partisanship.
First, some depressing indicators:
1.) Any thought that inflammatory political rhetoric might be toned down is suddenly out the window.
Many believe with good cause that the relentless Democrat insistence that Donald Trump is another Adolf Hitler and that he and his supporters are fascists — a long-standing element of their political playbook — is inherently dangerous. Now there is hard evidence (engravings on bullet casings) that such twisted thinking had found a home in the mind of Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
Fascism is a label attached permanently to the Nazi monsters who rounded up and murdered six million Jews and ignited a world war that took more than 75 million lives. Today, the word fascist is shorthand for pure evil, on a scale never seen in this country.
It’s no surprise that pinning that label on the president and his supporters is an open invitation to political violence. Three days ago, PA Senator John Fetterman, alone among Democrats, expressed full agreement on that point.
But it is now apparent that many on the political left have concocted a very different position. In effect, their new stance is this: No, that wasn’t political rhetoric, it’s true! We really meant it! Trump and his ilk are, in fact, fascists, and it’s our duty to make sure the public knows it. American democracy is in danger!
The troops got the new policy right away. Last week, two congressional representatives explicitly announced that their political opponents are fascists (“squad” member Rashida Tlaib actually shouted it). The same day, Minnesota Governor and former VP candidate Tim Walz lectured us about the Nazi-like atrocities that are “happening now, right here.”
And oh, by the way, too bad about that unfortunate Charlie Kirk incident…
2.) Senseless partisanship is back in force (and probably never left).
After the horror we witnessed last week and the extraordinary outpouring of public mourning and reflection, it is hard to fathom why any elected public figure, regardless of party affiliation, would refuse to support a resolution honoring a man who was cut down by an assassin’s bullet while engaging in open political discourse.
But a majority of the House Democrat caucus did exactly that this past Friday; 58 voted NO on the resolution honoring Charlie Kirk, and others either voted “present” or ducked out of the chamber to avoid voting at all. Profiles in courage?
That same day, one of those NO voters, New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), took the opportunity to trash Kirk’s memory. Reading a prepared speech, she said, “Let’s be clear about who Charlie Kirk was. He was uneducated, ignorant…” Yup, that’s AOC, former Bronx bartender and now a prominent member of Congress, accusing Charlie Kirk of ignorance! How ironic.
3.) Freedom of speech turns into a late-night TV show fodder.
Last Tuesday, late-night TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel, one of the Trump administration’s most vocal critics, posited the loony notion on air that the Kirk assassin was “one of their own — pure MAGA.” Kimmel’s comments went viral, and many in the public reacted angrily; within 24 hours, ABC axed his nightly TV show.
Media deftly shifted public attention from anguish about Charlie Kirk’s loss of life to Jimmy Kimmel’s loss of a fat paycheck. Raucous protests (in stark contrast with the Kirk prayer vigils) erupted right on cue. The Left’s narrative then morphed into sober warnings of the imminent death of our First Amendment, with the collapse of democracy sure to follow.
The Jimmy Kimmel flap was nothing more than a convenient diversion. For now, all we really need to know is:
- There’s no First Amendment issue here. Kimmel has a constitutional right to say whatever he wants — but there’s no guarantee of a platform on which to say it. Kimmel wasn’t fired by the government; he was fired by ABC.
- FCC licensing policy had nothing to do with it — that’s another issue for another time.
- Based on the cacophony of information, misinformation, rumors, and general blather that bombards us 24/7 from all sides, I think we can be confident that free speech in America is alive and well.
But cutting through the post-assassination political turmoil, there are encouraging signs as well.
Most importantly, it is impossible to overestimate the power of the movement Charlie Kirk and his Turning Point USA set in motion. The public reaction to Charlie’s death has been nothing short of astonishing. Somber prayer vigils continue even now, all across the USA and in cities around the world.
This past Sunday, Turning Point hosted a truly unforgettable memorial service in Charlie’s honor at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Spanning over five hours, the event featured music, a video tribute, and personal tributes from Charlie Kirk’s friends, colleagues, and prominent political figures — including VP JD Vance and President Donald Trump. The service was viewed by 100,000 in the packed stadium and nearby arena and by tens of millions on broadcast and streaming TV.
At Sunday’s memorial, Erika Kirk, Charlie’s grieving young widow and mother of their two children, shared her own deeply personal memories of Charlie, the love of her life. Hearing her touching remarks and watching her struggle to keep her composure on that podium, I could not spot a dry eye in the stadium (can’t be sure — my own vision was a bit blurry).
This past week, Mrs. Kirk was named CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization Charlie founded 13 years ago. She is an accomplished executive in her own right, is clearly passionate about Turning Point’s mission, and promises to continue its mission unabated. Given the enormous outpouring of support in the days since Charlie’s death, it’s reasonable to expect that Turning Point USA will receive plenty of help.
Sunday’s memorial was both somber and exuberant, with heavy emphasis throughout on Charlie Kirk’s Christian faith — unusual for a secular public event (but surely appropriate for the America founded as one nation, under God).
Coincidentally, over the 12 days of mourning Charlie Kirk’s death, we are hearing reports that people far and wide are going back to church — in droves — reversing a decades-long decline. Maybe that’s the sea change we needed.
Without question, Charlie Kirk’s murder has galvanized public support for the free and civil political discord he advocated and disgust for the political violence that ensued. But it remains to be seen whether the American public’s rejection of political violence will change the tone of political behavior — or if our politicians’ obsession with waging and winning political wars will allow that violence to fester and grow.
We’re at that crossroads right now.
