To hear his critics tell it, Jared Polis is running a “police state” like Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.
These attacks come not only from right-wing radio shows but also from Republican lawmakers.
House Minority Leader Patrick Neville invoked the Third Reich, accusing the Polis administration of promoting a “Gestapo-like mentality.” State Senator Jerry Sonnenberg suggested the governor’s stay-at-home order was worse than communism.
The GOP’s rhetoric is not just over the top. It’s dangerous—and familiar.
Donald Trump has spent years stoking the same kind of fear and resentment. In place of a dog whistle, he uses a bullhorn to embolden extremists and demonize his opponents.
That’s the last thing we need, especially during a pandemic.
At a press conference yesterday, Gov. Polis patiently explained the difference between the requirements of public health and the tactics of Nazi Germany. “We act to save lives,” the governor said, “the exact opposite of the slaughter of six million Jews, and many gypsies and Catholics, and gays and lesbians, and Russians, and so many others.”
It was a powerful moment, made even more poignant by our state’s first Jewish and first gay governor. But we all have a responsibility to make this point clear.
Demagoguery has no place in the White House—or in Colorado.
Andrew Romanoff
