Harger: Trying to kill people you disagree with is wrong. It shouldn’t be hard to say that
Apr 27, 2026, 6:12 AM | Updated: 1:15 pm
Trying to kill people you disagree with is wrong. Celebrating when someone tries and fails is wrong. Posting about “almost getting free beer” when a gunman charges a room where the President of the United States is sitting down to dinner is wrong.
It shouldn’t be hard to say that. Period. Full stop. No “but.”
And yet.
Political violence has no party. The list is long
In 2011, Gabby Giffords, a Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, was shot in the head at a constituent event in a grocery store parking lot. Six people died around her, including a 9-year-old girl. Giffords survived with permanent brain damage. She was meeting voters. That was her crime.
In 2017, a gunman opened fire on Republican congressmen at a baseball practice in Virginia. Steve Scalise nearly bled out on that field.
In April 2025, someone set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro was inside with his family.
In June 2025, Melissa Hortman, the former Democratic leader of the Minnesota House, was murdered in her home along with her husband Mark.
In September 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University while speaking to students. A gunman on a rooftop fired a single bullet.
No “buts.” Not for any of them.
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‘I condemn this’ followed by ‘but’ means the condemnation isn’t the point
Our own former governor weighed in after Saturday night. Jay Inslee wrote that political violence against any political figure is unacceptable. The condemnation lasted half a sentence. The rest of the post was about Trump and Jan. 6.
When “I condemn this” is immediately followed by “but,” the condemnation isn’t the point. The “but” is the point.
There’s a Wisconsin brewery with a standing promotion: free beer the day Trump dies. Saturday night, they posted about almost getting their free beer day.
If a gunman had charged a room where Barack Obama was sitting, and a brewery somewhere had posted about almost getting its free beer day, there would be universal outrage.
How we got here: The words came first
Scroll through the comments on any political post. The right calls Democrats “demoncrats.” Not a typo. Demonic. The left calls the other side fascists, Nazis, and Hitler. The former governor of Illinois compared Trump to the Third Reich on the floor of the state legislature.
When you spend enough time convincing yourself the other side isn’t just wrong but evil, literally evil, the violence stops feeling like violence. It starts feeling like self-defense.
We built this. The words came first.
Steve Scalise and what this is supposed to look like
Steve Scalise was in that ballroom Saturday night. When he heard the gunfire, he grabbed Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz and pulled him to the floor. A man who nearly bled out on a baseball field because of this exact disease didn’t stop to check party registration.
That’s what this is supposed to look like.
Gabby Giffords didn’t have it coming. Melissa Hortman didn’t have it coming. Charlie Kirk didn’t have it coming. Trump hasn’t had it coming. Three times now.
Trying to kill people you disagree with is wrong. No ifs, ands, or buts. We cannot cheer on political violence.
It shouldn’t be hard to say.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
