The Powers That Be: Daily The Two Tragedies of Charlie Kirk
22 snips
Sep 16, 2025 
John Heilemann, a veteran political journalist and host of Impolitik, joins to dissect the chaotic aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination. They delve into the political battlefield, where a divisive president heralds Kirk as a martyr, while the White House retaliates against the left. The conversation navigates the surge in political violence and the troubling normalization of division. Reflecting on Kirk's polarizing cultural impact, they question the changing landscape of political discourse from meaningful debate to viral provocations, emphasizing the challenges young voters face in this fractured environment.
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New Danger: A Divider In The White House
- Political violence in the U.S. has ebbed and flowed historically, so this moment is not wholly unprecedented.
- What is new is a president who openly profits from and embraces division rather than seeking unity.
Rhetoric Of State Retribution
- Stephen Miller and others are proposing using state power to target political opponents beyond ordinary law enforcement norms.
- That rhetoric raises unique constitutional and extra-constitutional red flags according to John Heilemann.
Epistemic Closure Feeds Extremes
- Media bubbles on both sides hide evidence of violence by the other side, deepening epistemic closure.
- That mutual ignorance fuels pessimism about near-term improvement in political civility.
