My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was tragically killed at yesterday’s Trump rally in Pennsylvania. This morning, his daughter Allyson shared a deeply moving tribute to her father on Facebook, describing how he died shielding Allyson and her mother from the bullets that came at them.
“We lost a selfless, loving, husband, father, brother, uncle, son, and friend…the best dad a girl could ever ask for,” she wrote. “He died a real-life superhero.”The impact of the rampant vitriol and divisiveness in today’s political and media landscape – and, increasingly, political violence – isn’t isolated to presidential candidates or political parties. As this tragedy shows, it also takes an unimaginable toll on our country’s citizens: American families with hearts and hopes, like the Comperatore family.
America has fallen off the precipice, but we can still climb back up. As a nation, we can overcome this. But we need to learn how to better understand and empathize with one another, converse with respectful dialogue, and regard differing viewpoints with dignity and respect.