GREAT MOMENTS IN COGNITIVE DISSONANCE: Roger Kimball: Why the Left Wants the Right to ‘Lower the Temperature.’
In the aftermath of the brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk last week, does the Right need to “lower the temperature” of its rhetoric? That’s what the usual suspects on the Left are saying.
As it happens, “lowering the temperature” while simultaneously raising the intelligence of discussion was one of Charlie Kirk’s specialties. A theme of his campus “American Comeback” tour (which his widow Erika plans to continue) was dignified debate. “Prove Me Wrong” was Charlie’s mantra. He eagerly engaged with college students who disagreed—or, sometimes, merely thought they disagreed—with him about a wide range of political, social, moral, and religious issues.
If you have never seen him debate, I recommend you consult Mr. Google or one of his professional counterparts and watch Charlie in action. He was robust but also unfailingly kind, patient, and attentive to his interlocutors. The reason? He wished to persuade his audience about the rightness of his point of view, about the virtues of America, the wisdom of Christianity, and the leadership of Donald Trump. Charlie was fundamentally a teacher.
How about his opponents? The internet is full of revelatory compilations of left-wingers denouncing their opponents as “fascists,” “Nazis,” and so on.
One series (and here is another) includes CNN’s Anderson Cooper asking Kamala Harris whether she thinks Donald Trump is “a fascist.” “Yes, I do” was her answer.
If we as a nation need to “lower the temperature,” then the left should be thrilled that conservatives are pointing out those went on a virtual wilding spree immediately after Kirk was murdered, but curiously, they’re having the exact opposite response:
Related: A leftist angered to the point of vandalism over the text on a sign.
He RIPPED the sign off my table just after saying that I am “destructive” to society and that someone must stop me.
What did the sign say?
“People shouldn’t be killed over opinions – R.I.P. Charlie” pic.twitter.com/E7hwra0Gjf
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) September 13, 2025