September 30, 2025
Situational Outrage: How Democrats Normalize Political Violence
By Brian C. Joondeph
Two recent House votes reveal a troubling trend about the current stance of one of America’s major political parties.
In June, following the assassination of Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, the House acted swiftly and unanimously to condemn political violence. The vote was clear and bipartisan, with every member present indicating that killing a public official is beyond partisan bounds.
Weeks later, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a resolution to condemn his murder and reject political violence split the House.
Leadership urged support, but many Democrats voted no, abstained, or stayed away. Progressive leaders used the moment to disparage Kirk’s life and work. The split was so sharp that House conservatives carried the measure to the finish line.
That contrast is not a quirk. It is the essence of “situational outrage,” a moral double standard that condemns violence when it strikes their side but excuses, rationalizes, or even cheers violence when the victim is conservative. When condemnation depends on ideology, we stop being a society guided by principle and become a mob driven by narrative.
This episode underscored how much influence the far-left wing now wields over the Democrat party. Party leadership, including Hakeem Jeffries, initially supported the resolution condemning Kirk’s murder. Yet after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced it on the House floor, most Democrats followed her lead instead of Jeffries’s.
more
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/09/situational_outrage_how_democrats_normalize_political_violence.html
