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Public reactions to the murder of political activist Charlie Kirk came quickly. Before the identity of the person who allegedly shot and killed Kirk was even known, a right-wing journalist named Matt Forney proposed "a complete crackdown on the left. Every Democratic politician must be arrested and the party banned."
In the same New York Times article just quoted, which was published on Friday, September 12th, Alex Jones, whom Wikipedia identifies as "an American far-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist," made this comment: "Make no mistake - we are at war." Calls for "Civil War" were an immediate response to Kirk's murder. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, for instance, said that "the Left is the party of murder" and added, "if they won't leave us in peace, then our choice is fight or die."
The Saturday, September 13, 2025, edition of The New York Times brought us comments from the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, who is pictured above. The Wall Street Journal also covered Cox's comments, and let me quote the story providing the Governor's reaction, as reported by The Journal (emphasis added):
A 22-year-old man is now in custody in Utah, as the country weathers the aftershocks of the public murder of Charlie Kirk, the young political leader and father. A solace is that the justice system is moving swiftly, and at least some politicians in America have decided to meet the raw moment with wise counsel. Utah GOP Gov. Spencer Cox said in a press conference Friday announcing the arrest of suspect Tyler Robinson that a casing found by law enforcement was engraved with the phrase: “Hey fascist! Catch!” ...
Yet perhaps the most important part of the press conference was Mr. Cox’s reflection on the country’s condition after “an attack on the American experiment.” To “my young friends out there, you are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage,” he said. “It feels like rage is the only option.” But “your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different from what we are suffering through right now, not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.”
Then: “I think we need more moral clarity right now. I hear all the time that words are violence. Words are not violence. Violence is violence. And there is one person responsible for what happened here. And that person is now in custody and will be charged soon, and will be held accountable.”
This is important wisdom for young Americans whose political formation will now include this assassination, and Mr. Cox performed far better than most of his colleagues in positions of political leadership. “These people are full of s—” is the level of statesmanship America now expects from Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, but the failures are bipartisan. “Democrats owned what happened today,” said South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace.
The left hasn’t reckoned with what it unleashed when it declared that words are equivalent to violence, which some unstable people hear as an open call to return fire. Yet what the country needs at this moment is leaders who understand that they represent everyone once they are elected, not merely a political faction. This is what the country could also use from President Trump, rather than vows to punish his opponents.
Mr. Cox told Americans to “log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community,” while calling social media “a cancer.” Don’t underestimate the political salience of this message to voters who all know someone whose mental stability has deteriorated after hours spent marinating in online rage.
“History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country,” Mr. Cox said, “but every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us.” It has been a bleak week for the greatest free society in history. But Mr. Cox is right to tell Americans that their personal conduct can be a starting point toward something different (emphasis added).
Let me associate myself with the advice and counsel presented to the nation by Governor Cox.
Thank you, Governor, for a statement that calls us all to respond to the outrage and tragedy of the murder of Charlie Kirk by becoming our best selves, and that urges us not to perpetuate the mistaken idea that politics requires, demands, or is defined by "rage."
True politics is exactly the opposite!
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