I Won’t Be Lectured About Political Violence by the Modern Republican Party

Not from the people who mocked Melissa Hortman’s murder, incited an insurrection, and turned tragedy into a weapon.

I’ve done my best this past week to contain the rage I’m feeling. I’m angry about Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the impact it’s having on our country. It was an attack on all Americans—whether you agreed with him or not.

But what’s made me even angrier is watching the MAGA machine hijack this tragedy.

I’m committed to keeping Endless Urgency free for everyone—but I rely on paid subscribers (starting at just $8/month) to keep it going. If you find value in the work, consider becoming a paid subscriber:

If Kirk’s mission was truly about free speech, what we’ve seen from the right since his death is the opposite. It’s become about doxxing, silencing, and vilifying anyone who dares to dissent—even people simply acknowledging that he was divisive. Let’s be real: Kirk himself would have admitted as much. Yet people claiming to champion free expression now declare any uncomfortable truth as “disrespectful” or “dangerous.”

That’s the biggest takeaway from the past week of MAGA behavior: they’re for free speech until it’s aimed at them. Then it’s “make this person famous,” post their workplace, swarm their mentions, send threats. This isn’t grieving. This isn’t honoring anyone. It’s weaponizing a murder to stir up more hate, fear, and violence.

Since Kirk’s assassination, historically Black colleges have faced bomb threats and lockdowns. The DNC in Washington received multiple threats. Democratic leaders have had to cancel events over credible threats. Celebrating someone’s murder is vile. Weaponizing it to incite more hate and violence is somehow worse.

And we’re ignoring the bigger issue: America is a powder keg. Disaffected young men are diving into internet rabbit holes, getting radicalized, and snapping. That’s the root of what happened here—not “the left,” not even MAGA alone, but a generation lost to rage, guns, and nihilism.

Whether the shooter leaned left or right doesn’t matter. The pipeline is the same: lonely men, radicalized online, armed to the teeth, aiming at soft targets. That’s the disease. And it could be treated—if we had a functioning political system.

I’m committed to keeping Endless Urgency free for everyone—but I rely on paid subscribers (starting at just $8/month) to keep it going. If you find value in the work, consider becoming a paid subscriber:

I went on NewsNation last night and a conservative pundit claimed the shooter shared the ideology of Democratic leaders. I called bullshit. If you’re resorting to murder to win a political argument you share zero ideology with me. None. And unlike the right, every Democratic leader and influencer has condemned this violence—unequivocally.

Meanwhile, Republicans are cherry-picking a handful of people cheering Kirk’s death online and pretending that represents the entire left. It doesn’t. Democrats are trying to keep the country from tearing itself apart. Republicans? Doing the exact opposite.

Yes, they’re hosting vigils for Kirk—which is good. But the rhetoric pouring out alongside them is toxic. Trump calling people like me “scum.” Nancy Mace and many others spread anti-trans rumors before police even identified the shooter. Laura Loomer sending threats to me and my son. Steve Bannon declaring war on Democrats. None of this is random—it’s the result of a Republican Party led by people who care more about rage-baiting Americans than solving problems.

What America needs now is unity. Trump could have used this moment to bring people together—to stand with victims of political violence across party lines, call a summit, calm the nation. Not only would it have been the right thing to do, it would have been good politics. But he won’t. He can’t. Division is the strategy.

Instead, the GOP is letting grifters like Laura Loomer and Nick Fuentes—both of whom were attacking Kirk and calling him a “fascist” before his murder—set the national tone. They can’t even acknowledge the pain this country is in, let alone offer hope. People are scared to go to school, to work, to live. And still, we do nothing.

And then Republicans want to lecture Democrats about rhetoric? No thanks. Not from the same crowd that laughed off the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, mocked Melissa Hortman’s murder, stood silent while Trump incited an insurrection and pardoned cop beaters, and shrugged when Governor Whitmer was almost kidnapped or when an arsonist nearly burned down Governor Shapiro’s home.

I believe all of us have a responsibility to do better, but I won’t be lectured by them—and neither should you.

Stand tall. Keep fighting.