Kirk assassination is a national tragedy in a polarized America

The killing of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy for all Americans, even those who disdained the charismatic clarion of young MAGA conservatives.

That’s because the single bullet that assassinated the 31-year-old father of two at a Utah college campus Wednesday was also a chilling assault on free speech and democracy — the only bulwarks against a quickening descent into self-perpetuating political violence.

And the risk is that America’s latest murder of a political figure will unleash unknown consequences in a nation that is angry and already confronting a fractured political era.

Kirk’s final act was a public meeting like many he’d held at colleges nationwide, inspiring young conservatives who sometimes felt marginalized on often-liberal campuses and debating young progressives who showed u