Assassination Aftermath
Charlie Kirk and beyond
After the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, Matthew Dowd of MSNBC said the conservative activist might have been killed by gunfire from someone firing a shot in celebration. Dowd then branded Kirk “one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.” So by implication Kirk was responsible for his own death, which he deserved. Recall the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July of 2024.
FBI director Christopher Wray, with the best ballistics experts under his command, claimed Trump could have been hit by “shrapnel,” not one of the eight shots Thomas Matthew Crooks got off from an ideal rooftop position. If anybody thought the FBI was out to minimize an obvious assassination attempt it would be hard to blame them. It wasn’t the bureau’s first bizarre take on a politically motivated shooting.
Back in 2017, Bernie Sanders supporter James Hodgkinson unleashed fire on Republicans as they played baseball, nearly killing Steve Scalise. Hodgkinson was taken down by Capitol Police officers David Bailey and Crystal Griner, both wounded – not “injured” – in the gun battle with the assassin. The FBI said Hodgkinson was out to commit “suicide by cop,” an absurd claim repeated in 2021 by Jill Sanborn, assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division.
Matthew Dowd’s comments are in that league, including his call to “come together and condemn violence of any kind.” Like many on the left, Dowd is doubtless celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk. MSNBC has now fired Dowd, who can buy a can of spray paint and make his statements on a retaining wall. The pasty faced poltroon will have found his proper level.
Steve adds: I had the misfortune of meeting Matthew Dowd once, back in the aughts when he was riding high from being part of the inner circle of George W. Bush’s political team. We were paired together at an energy-related conference in San Antonio, and I instantly recognized that Dowd is a complete and total mediocrity and hopeless lightweight. But very impressed with himself, so there’s that. He was a natural fit for the “housebroken Republican” slot on MSNBC. When you prove yourself too stupid for MSNBC. . .
 | A guest post by
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Steve's got it right about Dowd the "housebroken Republican." MSNBC kept him there as useful cover for their fascist left commentary. That's also why they dumped him so fast; they can replace him easily with another fake "Republican" shill.
Matthew Dowd is the kind of fake Republican loved by the mainstream media. He attacks any real conservative position, but hides behind his fake Republican identity. At least he used to claim to be Republican. Maybe he has dropped that pretense by now, and gone the way of Bill Kristol.