Sen. John Fetterman called on fellow Democrats to stop comparing their political opponents to Hitler in the wake of Charlie Kirk's brutal assassination, Breitbart reported. The Pennsylvania Democrat said that this is a "dangerous time right now" after the Turning Point USA founder was shot in the neck last week.
Fetterman was speaking to host Bret Baier on Fox News's Special Reports on Tuesday, along with his Republican counterpart, Sen. Dave McCormick, when he called out the left for its Hitler comparisons. Both lawmakers expressed grief over Kirk's death and the impact it will have on his family.
Breaking with others in his party, Fetterman warned about continuing the damaging insults Democrats have trotted out against their political opponents. He believes it could "incite somebody to say, 'well, now I feel like I have to stop, to stop that and take them out,'" Fetterman warned.
Baier said he brought the pair of Pennsylvania senators on the air to facilitate a discussion between opposing political parties in the wake of the tragedy. Fetterman agreed that it was a necessary move. "Well, I mean, we thought it was just a great idea. I think it's an important idea right now," Fetterman said.
"I mean, the trauma after the Charlie Kirk assassination, and now, as things continue now, it's like, I feel like it's important that people can witness, you know, a Democrat and a Republican having a conversation after this. It's absolutely horrific, and it's entirely necessary to allow people to grieve for that. I mean, everyone's seen the video," Fetterman said, referring to the horrifically graphic video of Kirk's assassination.
McCormick noted that the incident on Sept. 10 came after "dangerous rhetoric, like fascist and Nazism and authoritarianism, and the end of democracy" that the left has been warning about became of means of granting "permission" for such a heinous act. "That takes us down a path where the inevitable next step is violence, and that's what we see," McCormick said. Fetterman agreed.
"Exactly, this idea, it's like, do not ever, ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler. If not, go online and you can read up on exactly what he's responsible for, 75 to 80 million lives lost in World War II, and you don't compare him to anyone. And if you do, then you will incite somebody to say, well, now I feel like I have to stop, to stop that and take them out," Fetterman warned.
The hoodie-bedecked lawmaker said that the public has "forgotten that the President took a shot to the head" and wondered how much worse it would have been if President Donald Trump had met the same bloody fate as Kirk with the nation watching. "This is such a dangerous time right now..." Fetterman said. "You don't need this opportunity to share your opinions on it. Just, again, it's appalling and allow folks enough space to grieve," he added.
Fetterman was adamant that "we have to just absolutely turn the heat down" on divisive political language. "The man hasn't even been buried yet. And it's like, that's why we wanted to have a conversation that we have to find a way to work together," Fetterman said. While he is correct, others in his party have taken it further to blame Kirk's opinions for his death, implying in many ways that he had it coming.
It's not just the politicians who would benefit from the political capital of such views, but rather everyday people who have taken to the internet to cheer for the death of a young husband and father of two. Many are losing their jobs over these hideous remarks, which now have the establishment media decrying "cancel culture" instead of examining their own part in creating this problem, Fox News reported.
One of those pundits was CNN's Brian Stelter, who claimed there was a "coordinated conservative campaign to try to get people fired" as a "new form of cancel culture." Stelter warned that these supposedly "politically motivated firings" will create a "tense" climate, though he wouldn't blame the people making the horrible remarks.
"There are hundreds of examples of people being fired from their jobs. Most of the people were not public figures; they were anonymous until a few days ago when this conservative campaign organized online, targeting people that it says are attacking Kirk, bashing Kirk, blaming Kirk for his own death." Notably, Stelter conceded that he finds some of their remarks "personally grotesque" and condemned the worst of them.
Kirk's death has been a wake-up call about the state of political discourse in America, especially what's coming from those on the left. It's time to bring down the temperature, but anyone playing the "both sides" argument is letting the left off the hook for their abhorrent behavior.
