I have young children, so 11:35 p.m. is often halfway through the night for me. But last night was a special kind of night. Jimmy Kimmel, defenestrated by ABC over remarks he made after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, was reinstated, and he had things to say.
As Priya Parker and I watched from bed, we noted a feeling that should be common but has been all too rare lately: the sense of someone — anyone! — fighting back.
As I listened to Kimmel’s monologue, it also struck me that it was working on various levels of political communication that professional politicians could learn from. Here was someone showing a way of sticking it to fascists that didn’t pull punches, but did pull people in. Too often, pro-democracy leaders do pull punches and pull no one in.
I’m a words guy, so I thought I’d do a close read for those of you who might also be words people. This may not be for everyone, but if it’s for you, let’s dive in.
I’m not alone
This post was originally published on The.Ink.