Reaction To Kirk Assassination – A Time For Accountability

That millions of people in this country are either indifferent to, or actively celebrating, the recent assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk says a lot about where we stand as a nation. However, this type of reaction is nothing new.

One aspect of the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 and their immediate aftermath that’s been overlooked or whitewashed over the years is that significant numbers of Americans were dancing and partying afterward, believing that we as a nation had this coming. Then-Illinois Senator Obama’s religious mentor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, made his feelings about it clear (quote from 2003): “It’s not God Bless America, but God d**n America!” And: “America’s chickens…have come home to roost.” When you juxtapose that reaction with the heroes of 9/11, it’s remarkable the difference between people who love this country and those who despise it. In remembering the anniversary of 9/11 last week, a posting about the heroic actions of Todd Beamer and others on the ill-fated Flight 93 captured the gut-wrenching details of their last minutes. Todd’s actions in organizing the counterattack on the terrorists and then leading the charge with, “Let’s roll…,” prevented Flight 93 from being the instrument of destruction the terrorists had planned. Of course, there were many other heroes that day – the police, firefighters, and medical personnel who risked life and limb to rescue others from the collapsed towers of the World Trade Center, for starters.

Is Kirk’s assassination one of those watershed moments in the nation’s history? Perhaps. I have little doubt that Kirk’s followers, and they are legion, are now galvanized to take the baton he’s left and run with it. What this will look like in the immediate future is anyone’s guess, but one welcome cultural shift may result – the return of accountability, for politicians and government officials in particular. For far too long, politicians on both sides of the aisle have made apocalyptic remarks about the opposition. We can argue all day long about which party is worse, but the objective evidence indicates that the Democrat side is more guilty, Trump’s often outrageous tweets and remarks notwithstanding. 

Since the Dems blamed Sarah Palin and her “bullseye” ad for the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, they should take accountability for Kirk’s death, since they have spent years painting him in a most unflattering light (racist, hateful, transphobic, fascist, etc.). However, the aftermath is telling a different story. Either the Democrats blame Kirk for bringing it on himself, or they downplay the role their rhetoric had in getting him killed. For those who say, “It’s time to turn the temperature down,” don’t hold your breath waiting for the Democrats to do that. They will never stop hurling insults and rage at Trump and, by extension, anyone who dares to support him. In a post-Kirk world, they need to be held accountable for their anti-Trump, anti-conservative hysteria again and again, every time it pops up. The recent firings of a few media and academic figures who celebrated Kirk’s death or made offensive remarks about him are a starting point. But such actions need to continue until they become a part of our daily landscape, as long as they are necessary.

Some pundits are predicting that Kirk’s assassination has kicked off what promises to be a new civil war in our country; that, in effect, his killing is akin to the attack on Fort Sumter back in 1861. That may be too apocalyptic a vision. However, it’s hard to envision us continuing as the so-called “United States” as long as this ridiculous “red state, blue state” divide exists. With our “semiquincentennial” celebration upon us next year, it’s certainly timely to do some national soul-searching about where we are and where we’re going. In this regard, President Trump would be wise to prominently include Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox on his list of speech-givers next year. Cox’s eloquence in the aftermath of the Kirk shooting was a much-needed balm that we, as Americans shell-shocked by this horrific event, needed to hear. 

One thing I can confidently predict is: God will make something good come out of Charlie Kirk’s untimely death. What that is, and when it happens, I will leave with prognosticators who dare to predict such things. But one thing is certain in the aftermath: we desperately need political leaders like Spencer Cox in our future, just as we need youthful, charismatic leaders to carry on the important work of Turning Point USA that Charlie Kirk so brilliantly led.