Today the House of Representatives passed a resolution that honored Charlie Kirk and condemned his assassination. The text of the resolution is here. Its “Whereas” clauses praise Kirk, while the resolution itself mostly condemns the assassination and political violence in general, but also “honors the life, leadership, and legacy of Charlie Kirk, whose steadfast dedication to the Constitution, civil discourse, and Biblical truth inspired a generation to cherish and defend the blessings of liberty.”
The news arising from the resolution is that a lot of Democrats wouldn’t vote for it. Fifty-eight Democrats voted against the resolution, and another 38 voted “present.” Presumably the Democrats who opposed the resolution didn’t intend to signal their approval of political murder, although the way things are going in that party, one can’t be too sure.
One can contrast what happened when the Democrats offered a similar resolution following the murder of Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman.
Back in June, the House unanimously passed a resolution without a single objection honoring Minnesota House Democrat Leader Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark after they were tragically killed, while also condemning political violence. Every Republican joined in. Not one raised a protest, not one quibbled over wording. But when the shoe was on the other foot, when it came time to honor Charlie Kirk and condemn political violence, 96 Democrats couldn’t bring themselves to return the same measure of respect.
Of course, Charlie Kirk was much better-known than Melissa Hortman. But the asymmetry exists: Republicans are against political assassination, period. Democrats have questions.
Before the vote, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rose to denounce Kirk in the most strident terms possible.
“The majority proceeded with a resolution that brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow and the legacy of bigotry,” she said.
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“We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was,” AOC said, claiming his “rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans.”
This is idiotic, of course, but like many Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez made no effort to read anything Charlie Kirk wrote, or watch the many videos in which he explicated his ideas. She simply regurgitated smears that have been uttered by others.
I think that unbalanced, left-leaning people who listen to leaders like Ocasio-Cortez and weigh whether they should try to kill a conservative may hear her over-the-top lies and conclude that assassination is a reasonable idea. Don’t be surprised if we see more such attempts.
