Let There be Peace on Earth and let it Begin with Me
By Greg Ganske
September 17th , 2025
The political assassination of conservative activist organizer Charlie Kirk is a blow to all of us regardless of party. It is an attack on free speech and is another example of the vicious polarization of today’s politics. I have to believe that the lack of civility in political discourse by the politically active on social and 24/7 news media, from both ends of the spectrum, contributes to violence. It is only right that MSNBC fired its consultant Matthew Dowd after he implied that Kirk had it coming.
Not too long ago Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hartman and her husband Mark were shot and killed and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded in targeted shootings in Minneapolis. Then came the horrific school shooting at Annunciation School in Minneapolis which may or may not have been politically motivated.
Violence in states like Utah and Minnesota that pride themselves on being “righteous” and “Minnesota nice” is shocking but it is only the latest in our country’s political assassinations. Those of us of a certain age experienced the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK. More recently we’ve seen on TV nearly fatal shootings of President Ronald Reagan, the GOP Congressional baseball team, and Donald Trump. It is a testament to our belief that this type of behavior is unAmerican that we are still shocked as we are again by Charlie Kirk’s murder.
Violence in American politics goes back to the Boston Massacre and our American Revolution. Lincoln’s assassination had profound effects on Reconstruction and the subsequent violence of the KKK. McKinley was assassinated by a Polish anarchist.
After my first election to Congress, my family and I toured the U. S. Capitol. My 7-year-old son was mesmerized by the blood stained marble stairs where a Congressman had been shot and killed. This was the result of a personal peccadillo, but the Old Senate chamber was the site of the near fatal caning of abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner by a white supremacist representative from South Carolina.
Still, it seems political violence is growing in the U.S. Some 17 people died in incidents related to the riots that occurred nationwide after the George Floyd death. On Jan 6 a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, and a demonstrator was shot and killed.
Recently a man broke into the governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania and set it on fire. Musk’s Tesla properties were set ablaze, The New Mexico Republican Party Headquarters were fire damaged, and spray painted “Ice=KKK”. Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked, the current Louisville mayor was the target of the shooting, there was a plot to kidnap the Michigan governor. In April, part of the Pennsylvania Governor’s residence was set on fire in an alleged political assassination while the Governor and his family slept inside.
Still, we are shocked at how the violence has now migrated to the state as well as the national level. The Minnesota perpetrator had a list of some twenty other state office holders he wanted to kill. We will learn more of the Kirk assassin’s motivations, but they surely were politically influenced by Kirk’s style and political positions.
Is there more violence in politics today than in the past? Politics around the Civil War were violent but politics is more divisive today than it was twenty years ago when I served in Congress. That is not to say there weren’t strong emotions and strong language when we tackled reforming welfare, balancing the budget and doing EPA reform. However, there was more civility. If we disagreed, we didn’t call each other racists or fascists or use vulgar language. At least not as much! American society in general has become more rude and crude and politics has followed. Politics is much coarser on both sides of the aisle and both sides will accuse the other of causing this.
When serving in Congress, I would occasionally sit on the other side of the aisle and talk to Democrat friends. I will never see that happen on C-Span anymore. There were more centrists of each party in Congress then and this bipartisan group could help prevent gridlock. There were twice as many swing districts then as there is now. Today, members of Congress are more afraid of a primary than the general election and there are strict litmus tests that members dare not challenge. These tests are now set by the most radical members of each party. The other side isn’t just wrong, but evil.
To decrease this violence we must reduce polarization in politics. Some voters are so polarized that they even excuse violence perpetrated by their party’s supporters. Political leaders worsen this by exploiting polarization to build voter loyalty and an us-versus-them sentiment to energize the “base.” Another result of polarization is the intense disillusionment of some citizens with the political system. This leads some to resort to violence in an attempt to bring about something, anything, different.
The advent of influencers on the internet saying the most outrageous things to gain followers, the ubiquity of 24/7 partisan news, and political districts that are so gerrymandered that there are very few districts in the country where a moderate Republican or Democrat can win are areas that should be addressed to decrease polarization. Political leaders must walk the walk when they call for less partisanship and more civility.
Language does make a difference. Once people start accusing the other side of being evil then they can justify breaking norms. If your opponent is an “existential threat to democracy” then violence is justified. If your opponent is as bad as Hitler then he can be assassinated.
Polite language serves a purpose to cool heated debate and actions. It may sound stilted to refer to your adversary on the floor of Congress as “the gentleman from…” or “would the gentlewoman yield for a question…” but it sure beats calling them names. I am appalled by the vulgar language our politicians are using in public. It sets an example for the public. If politicians are calling each other “assholes” it is easier for the average citizen to do the same.
Gil Gutknecht, my former Congressional colleague from Minnesota, recounts how Henry Hyde a distinguished Congressman from Illinois once told him on the floor of Congress after a venomous speech by a member, “It is the great politician who can criticize his opponent without being duplicitous.”
Once politicians of the other party are viewed as bad people it is easier to forget they are people with spouses, children and friends. It is easy to forget they are neighbors. The more violence there is against politicians the less likely it is for good people to run for office.
If we want better government it starts with our own return to better civility, manners, and the Golden Rule. We need to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. The politicians all say how terrible shootings like those in Utah and Minnesota are. Then the next day it is the same old, same old. To paraphrase the song, “If we want peace in politics, let it begin with us.”
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Greg Ganske, MD, Member of Congress (ret), is a retired plastic surgeon who cared for breast cancer patients, children with birth defects, farmers with hand injuries, and burn patients. He served Iowa in Congress from 1995-2003.
Comments 27
Dr. Ganske, Thank you for this column, which sensibly calls for an end to harmful, discourteous, even vulgar political discourse. It’s refreshing to call out members of both parties. You’re correct that we need both parties to move to the center and you stated it well without rancor; much appreciated.
Great column Dr. Ganske.
And great cap by the way.
Thank you
John Kass
Excellent column, great job as usual, and so very true. Wake up America, wake up World. We need respect and civility in our lives and in the World. Love one another and be respectful to all.
This is an excellent column full of wisdom reinforced with experience; however, I fear and expect that too few that matter would take it to heart. Over 35 years as a teacher I’ve long understood the value of calm, correct speech and humor in diffusing volatile situations. Indeed, I’ve stopped more fights and those more quickly by simply asking students not to hug and kiss in public than by shouting or physically restraining them. Unfortunately, the 1100 elected seats lost under the Obama administration and Nancy Pelosi [and her leadership team] hanging around for 8 years out of power left the Dems with a gerontocracy leading teenyboppers. The rising movers and shakers of the progressive left lack the maturity, patience, and self awareness for real policy – forget bipartisanship – and their increasing frustration as they fail will likely lead to more violence. History never really repeats itself but often it rhymes. I’m close to your age and I hear the late 60s/early 70s rhyming again. I can only see more riots, assassinations, and bombings [to come] until the next census leads to a real shift to the Red States. The 2030s will, I expect, bring some calming.
Idealistically, you are correct. I agree wholeheartedly and wish it could be this way.
In practice, it’s not going to happen. Demonization of the other side brings “clicks”. Social media robots controlled by our enemies add fuel to the fire.
Then, there is history. People who want power or believe in centrally planned economies need anarchy to bring their version of order. People become desperate, and will do anything to make the disorder stop-and latch on to the centrally planned ideas because they can be implemented quickly with good initial results.
Capitalistic free market systems do not bring order quickly. They are messy. People aren’t patient.
Not being tolerant of transgender stuff and the transgender transition drugs that look like they make people crazy is a good idea. Standing up for the nuclear family is a good idea. Standing up for bedrock Constitutional principles and making the left adhere to them is a good idea. Why are we supposed to be tolerant when they are not? Censuring Ilhan Omar is merely a start. Swalwell had an affair with a Chinese spy-why does he have a platform at all? Adam Schiff? There is a lot of housecleaning and clearcutting to do before we can have a “gentleman’s debate”.
You cannot reason with a Marxist. The current mayoral elections in Seattle and NYC are going to elect Marxists. Chicago has a Marxist mayor and so does LA.
Combine all that, and it’s impossible to put the genie back in the bottle. For one, I like the fact that the Right is not lying down and taking it. We are fighting back with candlelight vigils right now, but we have to fight back with policy. We have to fight back at LOCAL council meetings, local school board meetings. This fight is LOCAL, not national. Winning a city council race and having at least one voice disrupting the march toward total reliance on government to solve problems, along with the power bases that come with it, is the way.
They murdered a pundit, not a politician. They murdered someone who wanted to and engaged in the “conversation”.
Jeffery Spot on. Immediately after Mr. Kirk’s Assassination, Someone very wisely stated” We need to take our revenge at the Ballot box” It very much needs to be our Rallying cry.
Great article Mr. Ganske. All true, fair, and well balanced. We need more of your type of wisdom- in our media, in our communities, and in our government. Thank you.
Excellent summary of events leading to the current political dialogue, if any. Gone are the days of Paul Simon and Chuck Percy in Illinois. The Dems have no respect for the office of the President at all. Even the junior Illinois congressman like Raja Krishnamoorthy throws his Trump Card around in his senate election bid. These fellows that I will call hooligans don’t even say President Trump any more. I guess they all take their clue from the Bad Old Biden who, even after out of office and though himself being the head of the crime family, calls President Trump a convicted felon!
Yes, I agree with the commentor above that the rest of this decade will be very stormy until all the dust settles in.
Thank you Congressman Ganske. I recall performing “Let There be Peace on Earth” at guitar mass, St Mark’s church Wheaton
Very good points made, which unfortunately won’t resonate with the Lunatic Fringe Democrats. That political party is flailing like a rabid, dying animal right now. Democrats encouraged its Brownshirt Antifa to burn cities during the St. Floyd riots to terrorize conservative voters into being afraid to leave their homes come election time. Message sent. Message received. The threat of
possible violence at polling places was amplified by national media as a deliberate act of voter suppression, encouraged by the left. Thanks to Democrats catering to sponsorship from public sector
unions most of the cities in Red States are now run by Marxists, an idealogy not known for advancing
political agenda peacefully. We are
now seeing this philosophy enabled and in action. We’ re going to watch this ramp up now as the midterms approach. Street slang used to refer to lunatic shootings as “Going
Postal”. Maybe it should be called
“Going Demo”.
“Going Demo” That’s fantastic. I’ll have to use that from now on.
Thank You for this thoughtful piece. While you made many good points, I find the gerrymandering argument really interesting in promoting polarizing candidates as opposed to moderates. There is an easy solution to gerrymandering. Develop software that takes the number of allocated congressional districts and all of the state’s census tracts, and in minutes the software could generate perfectly geocentric districts in each state. Probably wishful thinking, but all it would take is grassroots political will to make it happen.
Tom, I agree gerrymandering is contributing to the polarization in politics. I believe a simple change across many of the states to fix this issue would be to limit the drawing of congressional boundaries to county (or parish in Louisiana) boundaries. Districts must be totally within or complete combinations of counties. No more carving counties up into tiny pieces! That can help bring more moderation via less gerrymandering!
It’s amazing the amount of crime we tolerate as a society in the name of freedom, and yes, political agendas as Mr. Kass has described so thoroughly over the years.
As for Congress, and politics in general, don’t you think the vast sums of money influenced this division, fuel it, and maintain it? Our government is bought and paid for, not just the Biden crime family.
You can buy the policy you want if you’ve got enough cash to spread around.
We have to do something about the money, the influence peddling, and the pay to play legalized bribery that’s regularly goes on
Thank you for the thoughtful comments on my article. There is a new political term you should be aware of:
Stochastic Terrorism
Stochastic terrorism is the public demonization of a person or group through mass media, social media, or other forms of propaganda. This hostile rhetoric makes random acts of violence against the targeted individuals or groups statistically probable, though the specifics of any single attack cannot be predicted.
Core components
Key aspects of stochastic terrorism include:
Demonizing rhetoric: A powerful or influential figure or organization uses inflammatory and hateful language against a particular group of people. This rhetoric often frames the target group as an existential threat or an enemy.
Plausible deniability: The rhetoric is indirect and ambiguous enough that it stops short of an explicit call for violence, which allows the instigator to deny responsibility for any resulting attacks.
Motivated “lone wolves”: The propaganda inspires individuals to act on their own. The actions of these perpetrators, who are often portrayed as “lone wolves,” are difficult to trace back directly to the original incitement.
Statistically predictable violence: While the timing, location, and specific perpetrators of an attack cannot be known in advance, the continuous public vilification of a group makes it statistically probable that some individuals will be motivated to commit violence.
So what are the implications Greg? A Stochastic exception to the First amendment? A “Minority Report” approach regarding criminal prosecution?
Thankyou Dr. Greg and Yianni for this illuminating essay. But I go back to my earliest teachings in Greek School religion studies – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” If only these words could spread throughout the land, but too many are only paying attention to their phone apps and “influencers” who are actually the ones stirring the pot….
I agree hateful rhetoric helps fuel violence, and all manner of just plain cruelty and meanness. It’s the money. “Influencer’s” will say whatever you want if you give them enough money. Secretary of State Powell disgraced himself by stating that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. You spread enough cash around and you can divide people. That’s essentially what Soros has done. We have scores of young people who are adrift, that is not solely the fault of “the left”. We need to look in the mirror and toss the money changers out of the temple as Jesus did. We need to look out for each other better.
Yes Mr. Manta.
It’s so simple it’s actually stupid: it begins with the “Golden Rule”, that is if still it’s being taught and reinforced.
Political strategists have long known voters will be herded predictably in response to fear-mongering, more so than to their own campaign promises. Thus the glut of negative campaigns, in which cynical politicians have metastasized into hate-mongering as the stakes for power became all that matters to the execrable permanent elected class.
Against that backdrop, seething, mentally disturbed budding assassins are incubating with the narcissism growth hormone that is social media.
Agree! Spot on Mr. Peterson.
Thank you for this article and for pointing out that the violence and divisive rhetoric exist on both sides of the spectrum. The assassination of any political leader should give us pause and reason to tone down the hate speech but just look at the “news” from last night as Kash Patel was grilled by Senator Cory Booker, and you have an example of two highly educated men who could have handled themselves more civilly but did not. A poor example on both sides for the audiance.
It is no wonder to me why people don’t show up at the polls. There is no leadership or civil discourse, so it is easy to tune it out. I think that is exactly what the extreme left, and right are hoping for.
Thank you for this article and for pointing out that the violence and divisive rhetoric exist on both sides of the spectrum. The assassination of any political leader should give us pause and reason to tone down the hate speech but just look at the “news” from last night as Kash Patel was grilled by Senator Cory Booker, and you have an example of two highly educated men who could have handled themselves more civilly but did not. A poor example on both sides for the audience.
It is no wonder to me why people don’t show up at the polls. There is no leadership or civil discourse, so it is easy to tune it out. I think that is exactly what the extreme left, and right are hoping for.
Very well said! All we need now are true political *leaders* to reemerge rather than the political opportunists from both sides of the aisle that are, unfortunately, overly abundant these days.
Thank you Dr. Ganske,
You are right there are no more Hydes or Tip O’Neil’ s
to bring civility to the halls of Democratic or Republican policy issues.
President Regan seemed to be able to sit down with Tip O’Neil and come to a compromised solution that reflected betterment for all the people regardless of party affiliation.
Great column Greg. Especially considering you’ve been there and done that.
Regarding what is going on now, being UnAmerican. I recall a quote from the sixties that implies otherwise: “Violence is as American as Cherry Pie.”
I’m just wondering, regarding civility in political discourse. Wasn’t it none other than Donald Trump who changed the game by introducing Saul Alinksy’s key insight into mainstream politcs: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” Love him or hate him, I think it is undeniable that Mr. Trump almost single handedly changed the rules of the game.
Just a reminder that the Jan. 6 protester (USAF veteran Ashli Babitt) was “shot and killed” by Capitol Police Lt. (later Capt.) Michael Byrd. Babbitt was unarmed and did not pose an immediate threat, and in my opinion Byrd’s use of deadly force violated Department policy. The result? House Democrats pressured the Capitol Police to promote Byrd and advocated that he receive special financial assistance. Capitol Police set up a GoFundMe for Byrd which earned him $160,000. Rep. Eric Swalwell (remember his “friend” Fang Fang?) promoted the fundraiser and also made a donation.
Realistically, the violent actions of others are not always dependent on our behavior. Iryna Zarutska simply boarded a train in order to get to her destination, was minding her own business and did not even speak to anyone prior to being violently murdered. It is worth mentioning that passengers sitting near her did not make any attempt to help her in any way.