Only Three WA Congressional Dems Vote "No" On Resolution Lionizing Charlie Kirk

Republicans introduced, and passed with bipartisan support, a ceremonial measure to honor the life of right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk who rose to fame by clip-farming 20 year-olds outside of their Gender Studies 101 lectures. To the horror of his simps online, who are bent on ruining the lives of anyone who breathes wrong in relation to Kirk, 58 Democrats voted against it, including Washington Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Emily Randall, and Marilyn Strickland. 

While the cancel-culture-crazed Kirk-ites paint these Democrats as apologists for the political violence, anyone who actually read the resolution can see that it was much less about condemning his killing (which virtually every elected official did within minutes) and more about making a God out of a man whowho spent his career dehumanzing others.

And really, the Democrats who accepted the propagandistic portrayal of Kirk in the resolution, including five from Washington state, deserve scrutiny, especially as their Washington colleagues introduce their own measure condemning political violence without pledging their undying love for a far-right influencer. 

Jayapal, Randall, and Strickland have all, in extremely clear and strong terms, condemned the killing of Kirk and political violence in general. That’s not their gripe with the resolution. 

“Unfortunately, this Republican resolution was designed as a political ‘gotcha’ — trying to force every member of Congress to lift up the views of Charlie Kirk rather than simply condemning his assassination. I cannot do that,” Jayapal wrote in a press release following the vote. “This resolution does nothing to send a unified message to the country, to prevent further violence, or to turn down the temperature.”

House Resolution 719 characterizes Kirk as “a devoted Christian, who boldly lived out his faith with conviction, courage, and compassion” and engaged “in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms, and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic”

The resolution spent 10 paragraphs praising Kirk as a person and political force, but only five that neutrally condemn political violence. 

If these congress members have spent enough time online to know the name “Charlie Kirk” then they almost certainly have seen one of the countless compilations of Kirk gleefully espousing his racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, and otherwise dehumanizing beliefs. Comments that should raise questions about his “compassion” and commitment to “elevate truth.”

From Washington State, Democrat Reps. Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Kim Schrier, and Adam Smith joined the state’s two Republican Reps. Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner in approving the resolution. 

Gluesenkamp Perez is among the least shocking Democrats in all of congress to side with MAGA. 

“Charlie Kirk was a human being,” Gluesenkamp Perez wrote in a press release.  “He was a human being with a family who loved him. We do not need to agree with the beliefs of everyone around us, but we do need to have the courage to see clearly how our hard heartedness, callousness, or indifference towards the humanity of others around us is tearing the country apart.”

It is true that Kirk was a human being and we certainly “do not need to agree with the beliefs of everyone around us,” but that’s a far cry from the idolizing tone of the resolution Gluesenkamp Perez approved.

But not every Washington Democrat ignored the flaws in the resolution they approved. 

In a press release, Smith wrote that he “fully” agrees with the “portions” of the resolution that condemn political violence. He continued, ““However, I strongly disagree with the way this resolution reads as an endorsement of Charlie Kirk’s worldview. We can condemn the violence committed against him while disagreeing with his positions and approach to political discourse.”

Smith said it would have been “far better” to pass a bipartisan resolution that “clearly and unequivocally condemns all political violence—whether from attacks on Speaker Pelosi, the attack on Minnesota House Speaker Hortman, or anywhere else—without turning it into a partisan effort.”

Lucky for Smith, such a resolution is coming! More than 100 Democrat representatives are co-sponsoring a resolution to condemn all political violence, including Kirk’s killing, the assasination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman earlier this year, the attempt on President Donald Trump’s life, the 2022 attack of the husband of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the January 6 riot, and more. Washington Reps. DelBene, Jayapal, Larsen, Randall, and Strickland have all officially signed on as co-sponsors.