The ideological divide within the Colorado Democratic Party once more burst into the open on Wednesday when Gov. Jared Polis responded to a legislator’s criticism by referencing Zimbabwe’s socialist experiment.
“Thanks to socialism, the average Zimbabwean became a trillionaire,” the governor posted on X, using his personal account, referring to the oft-repeated sarcastic jab at the African nation, which experienced one of the worst inflationary arcs in history under Robert Mugabe.
Polis was responding to Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, who said the governor is scared of socialists because of his wealth.
“Jared Polis is one of the wealthiest individuals in Colorado, so it’s no surprise that he is scared of Democratic socialists who want to make him pay his fair share,” Zokaie said.
The Democrat was reacting to another post from the governor, who described socialism as “dangerous.” Polis said the government should serve as an independent check on the private sector — but “not the owner of it and not controlled by it.”
In response to Zokaie’s video post, Polis said he is “not scared of anyone.”
“I just care deeply about our state and don’t want the socialists to destroy it. In a Colorado for all we don’t think less of anyone because of their net worth. Whether you have no money or are a millionaire, we love you in Colorado and want you to thrive,” according to his X post.
