Assassination and the Watershed Radicalization of the American Right – PJ Media– pjmedia.com If you’re looking for something poignant, I’m not your guy right now. My colleagues have done remarkable work eulogizing and paying tribute to Charlie Kirk; there is absolutely nothing that I can add to their heartfelt words. Words that I know weren’t easy to write. In what is a huge departure for me, I had already mapped out what I was going to write here at the top of Thursday’s Briefing before noon my time on Wednesday. It was about 9/11, although probably not what you might expect. That will be turned into a column that I’ll publish later today. As soon as the news that Charlie Kirk had been shot hit, the day immediately became a surreal blur of fast-moving information that felt like it was happening in a slow-motion nightmare. I didn’t know Charlie — he came to prominence just as my many years of activism were winding down. I have been aware for a long time of the great work that Turning Point USA does, however. I know a lot of younger people who have been politically energized by TPUSA and who had a lot of respect and affection for Kirk. People I know who don’t pay a lot of attention to politics were devastated and glued to the news. My private messages, texts, and phone calls featured a lot of monosyllabic expletive-laden expressions of shock and outrage. Two friends offered variations on “this feels different.” That was echoed in other conversations. My good friend Kira Davis posted this on X: If you ask me a year from now when I got radicalized – it’s today. — Kira (@RealKiraDavis) September 10, 2025
