9News reports that Colorado Democratic lawmakers are still showing up beside Gov. Jared Polis at bill signings after the Colorado Democratic Party censured him for granting clemency to Tina Peters. The censure keeps Polis from being honored at party-sponsored events, but it does not affect his job as governor, which is the kind of technicality politicians love because it lets them scold and smile in the same news cycle.
Democrats told 9News this is about policy, not politics. State Sen. Matt Ball said he can think Polis was wrong on Peters while still celebrating legislation. State Rep. Jamie Jackson said bill signings are about community wins, not the governor. Speaker Julie McCluskie called them “a celebration of policy.” Fine. Legislators should support bills they passed. But do not insult voters by pretending bill signings are not political events with pens.
This is the difference between real accountability and party theater. Colorado Democrats censured Polis, then showed up smiling when the cameras were on and the bills were theirs. They want the moral satisfaction of scolding him without the inconvenience of actually treating him like a problem.
The Bullet Point Brief
- The Colorado Democratic Party censured Polis over his clemency decision for Tina Peters, but the punishment mostly means he does not get party-event applause. Brutal. Somewhere, a folding chair at a county fundraiser is trembling.
- Democratic lawmakers have still appeared with Polis at bill signings because, according to them, that is policy, not politics. That line is adorable. Bill signings are politics with better lighting and commemorative pens.
- Several Democrats said they can separate their disagreement with Polis from the bills they worked on. That is reasonable. What is not reasonable is pretending the photo op suddenly became civic sacrament because it was convenient.
- State Rep. Meg Froelich admitted the censure has put Democrats in a difficult position and questioned whether standing next to Polis at a signing is the same as joining him on a statewide victory tour. Translation: everyone knows where the line is. They are just negotiating how close to stand to it.
- State Rep. Javier Mabrey said he would show up if Polis signed “truly transformational policy,” even though Polis just vetoed his unionization bill again. That is Colorado Democratic family therapy: organized labor throws furniture, Polis plays chess, and everybody checks where the cameras are.
My Bottom Line
These people are performative fools. Not because they attend bill signings. They should support legislation they passed. The foolish part is the costume drama where they pretend this is not politics. It is politics. Everyone in the room knows it. The only people pretending otherwise are the ones hoping the public is too busy paying property taxes to notice.
If Polis is so morally out of bounds that the party censured him, then act like it. If the censure is just a pressure-release valve for the progressive base, then say that too. But spare Colorado the sanctimony routine where a press release becomes courage and a photo op becomes statesmanship.
This is what one-party control looks like when the faction fights come indoors. Organized labor and the progressive wing want Polis punished for drifting off-script. Polis, being Polis, keeps playing his libertarian-ish Democrat chess game, signing what he likes, vetoing what he thinks overreaches, and letting the party base discover gravity one bill at a time.
And let’s enjoy the media translation service while we are here. When Republicans feud, it is chaos, dysfunction, and civil war. When Democrats feud, it becomes a nuanced policy disagreement with snacks. Colorado voters are not stupid. They can see the difference between accountability and theater. This was theater. The curtain was up, the cameras were rolling, and everybody remembered their mark.
Source: 9News
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