Oh, Jared: A Thoroughly Typical Modern Democrat

You say it’s urgent
So urgent, so oh oh urgent.

Jared Polis is only the third worst Jared in national politics these days; it’s hard to compete for the bottom in a field that includes Jared Kushner and Jared Golden.

But yeah: he’s still terrible.

Most recently, of course, is his commutation of the prison sentence for former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters for her actions in support of the attempted coup in 2020.

Her conviction was rock solid, as is her belief that she was in the right and her promise to coup again.

She was not what you’d call a prime candidate for executive clemency, which is ideally only doled out in cases of particularly suspect trials or exceptional efforts at restitution.

Tina Peters’ went out of her way to be not that.

But Polis commuted her sentence anyway.

Why, you may ask?

Sophistry about the judge’s commentary aside, because she was getting a re-sentencing on appeal over that foolishness anyway, Polis commuted her sentence for two reasons:

Trump, damn his name wanted him to and
he views her crimes as minor and not justifying the sentence.

And why, pray tell, does he view her crimes as minor?

Because he doesn’t think attempting to overthrow the elected government is a big deal.

Polis, and most prominent Democrats, are members of two classes they share with the coup’s backers:

politicians
the wealthy

Members of these two classes generally don’t feel threatened by anything that happens to the country or society at-large, since they’re generally very insulated from the affects of any changes.

He’s also extremely white and his ancestors moved here more than two generations ago, so he has that going for him too.

Of course, none of that will actually protect them from the coup as it consolidates itself into an effective dictatorship.

But wealth and power tend to dull the sense of danger.

Just like they dull the senses of ethics and morality.

And urgency.

So Polis, like most establishment Democrats, doesn’t actually see the coup as much a threat to himself or anyone or anything he personally cares about.

They don’t even see it as a coup.

Sure, they’ll talk about it being an existential threat in their fundraising text messages and emails, but that’s all just advertising. They know better than to actually believe any of what they send out to frighten the proles.

But none of that will protect them.

No matter how white, or rich, or politically-connected they may be.

Because dictatorships aren’t like the informal aristocracy that they’re used to living in; the only thing that matters to the coup is if they think you’re on their side.

If Trump, damn his name or his mob decide you’re not saying the “rah, rah” part loud enough, or that just maybe you don’t actually mean it, nothing will protect you.

And this is why so many rich colonials supported the Revolution.

They understood, as today’s Democrats do not, that in a personalist regime like a monarchy or a modern dictatorship the State exists only for the leader and no one is safe; only in a State of laws that protect everyone, is anyone protected.

Even an imperfect State of laws like the United States was.