“There’s nothing wrong with capitalism. There’s nothing wrong with free enterprise.”
Here’s what I’ll be watching for in the Colorado governor’s race as progressive Democrat Phil Weiser coasts to an easy victory: Will he ever use the “c” word? And by that of course I mean “capitalism.” If so, what will he say about it?
If long-shot Republican and demon hunter Victor Marx were smart, he’d debate Weiser at every opportunity and relentlessly press him on the issue. “Do you defend capitalism, yes or no?” Marx should ask.
I’ll be watching to see if Weiser tries to dodge the question or nuance his way into a vaguely pro-capitalist position. Then we can argue whether “regulated capitalism with a robust safety net,” if that’s what Weiser ends up supporting, actually is capitalism, or to what degree it is. But whether he embraces the term or runs away from it will be telling.
With her astonishing Denver-area victory over the long-serving Diana DeGette, self-proclaimed democratic socialist Melat Kiros brought the socialist energy of Zohran Mamdani to Colorado. Kiros cruised to victory with over 53% of the primary vote, leaving DeGette gasping with less than 40%.
Meanwhile, on-again, off-again democratic socialist Julie Gonzales put up a surprisingly stiff challenge to John Hickenlooper in the U.S. Senate race, coming within six points of the long-established politician. 9News’s Kyle Clark conceded that he underreported the race given how close it ended up.
Polis decries socialism
“There’s nothing wrong with making some profit.”
We should not be too surprised that governor Jared Polis explicitly attacks socialism. As I wrote a few years ago, Polis worked to create a libertarian(ish) image. He has even called for the privatization of the Post Office and called Atlas Shrugged “a great book.”
On July 14, Polis posted to Facebook, “Socialism dangerously concentrates political and economic power together. Government should be an independent check on the private sector, not the owner of it and not controlled by it.”
Polis, of course, is completely right about this. Socialism basically means government control of the economy. Socialists can talk about “democratic” control all they like, but in the end they rely on government to force people to give them resources or behave how they want. Socialism means force, whatever softening qualifier you wish to attach to it.
Polis also reposted a June 13 X post by Eli David about hyperinflation, “Thanks to socialism, the average Zimbabwean became a trillionaire before Elon Musk.”
Polis doubled down during a July 17 interview with CNN. He said, “Socialism is a ticket to nowhere. Frankly, socialism is a lot of what President Trump has been doing. I mean, quite literally buying 15% of Intel [actually 10%], having the Department of Defense buy 10% of a company called MP Materials [actually 15%], government ownership of the economy.
“Here’s what’s wrong with that . . . . It sets the government up as a player and referee. How can the government regulate the private sector to ensure competition, to prevent monopolies, if they’re actually an owner of companies in the private sector and have a vested interest?” (We can discuss the problems of monopoly policy elsewhere.)
Polis also praised “the prosperity that a capitalism economy creates” and added, “no socialist country has ever had a successful economy.” He said, “That’s the model we need: capitalism and prosperity, not socialism and poverty.”
True, Polis also said he wants capitalism, in part, to fund “universal” (i.e., government-run) health care and “a strong social safety net,” so we can argue to what extent he’s actually a capitalist. Nevertheless he embraces the language of capitalism and denounces socialism.
Hickenlooper waffles
As Dan Caplis reminded me recently on the radio, in 2019 “Hickenlooper awkwardly dodges questions on capitalism,” as CNN summarized. Recall here that Hickenlooper cofounded Wynkoop Brewing Company, and his business credentials helped lead to his victories for Denver mayor, Colorado governor, and U.S. Senator.
When asked, “Would you consider yourself a proud capitalist?” Hickenlooper laughed and said, “Oh, I don’t know, you know, again, the labels, I’m not sure any of them fit.” Squirming, he did finally concede, “I’m a small business person, so that part of the system that you would call capitalist, I get it.”
However, that same year, he also said, “I’m happy to say I’m a capitalist, but I think at a certain point the labels do nothing but divide us.”
Thankfully, I checked the menu, and Wynkoop (which Hickenlooper no longer partly owns) does serve waffles, so Hickenlooper can get his fill.
Yara Zokaie piles on
“And now you tell me that we’ve got to get back to the struggling masses, whoever they are.”
Fort Collins-area state rep. Yara Zokaie, who features the endorsement of Democratic Socialists of America on her web site, couldn’t resist calling out Polis on social media.
On July 14, Zokaie posted to X, “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.”
But what does “fair share” mean here? Socialists, leaning on Karl Marx’s ridiculous economic theories, regard any ownership of productive property, any employment of others, and any earning of profits as inherently “exploitative” or at least morally suspect. So, in this view, the earning of more-than-average wealth inherently is unfair. So making wealthier people pay their “fair share,” for socialists, means progressively expropriating all their “excess” wealth. And never mind who then will risk their resources to build the productive businesses on which our lives and well-being depend.
And notice that, rather than argue with Polis based on the merits of his case, Zokaie, typical of socialists, resorts to ad hominem attacks, pretending that Polis only defends capitalism due to self-interest.
In the same post Zokaie posted a short video in which she says, “Can someone tell Jared Polis that you can’t have universal health care while protecting the profits of giant insurance companies? What we have here is one of the state’s richest men who has made his entire tenure as governor about padding the pockets of those as wealthy as him, trying to convince us that the real threat is socialism.”
Zokaie’s summary of Polis’s actions as governor as ridiculous and unjust. But, for socialists, “justice” is all about tearing down the wealthy and manipulating language toward that end.
Polis replied, “I’m 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 millionaire, we love you in Colorado and want you thrive.” Good for him!
Notice that some people on the left demonize Polis for his wealth at least as much as some conservatives demonize him for his sexual orientation.
Is government-controlled health care socialist?
As mentioned, Polis regards capitalism partly as a means toward social-welfare programs, including “universal health care.” In this view, capitalism is compatible with and necessary for such government programs. He said in his Facebook post, “Fascism and socialism aren’t the answer. Canada, Europe, Japan all have free universal healthcare and none of them are socialist or fascist. We can do it here, too.”
I agree that many economies with government-run health care still rightly are regarded overall as capitalist. But I also think it’s obvious that government-funded and government-controlled health care rightly is called socialist.
Polis and Zokaie are right to point to problems with American health care and health insurance. But the problem is that government already has substantially socialized health care and insurance, not that they aren’t socialist enough.
Through stupid tax policies federal government drove employer-offered health insurance, thereby often locking people into their jobs and disrupting long-term insurance agreements. Then government systematically turned health “insurance” into a combination of prepaid medical care and a disguised wealth redistribution scheme through mandates of every sort. And government already spends more on health care than does private insurance.
In his Facebook post, Polis describes ObamaCare as taking “baby-steps” toward “universal” health care, and he’s right. Critics of ObamaCare knew at the time that it would further disrupt insurance markets and set the stage for the further socialization of medicine in America.
But the only things “universal” about government-run health care are bureaucratic rationing and waiting lines.
If we actually get to “universal” healthcare, it will not be “universal” at all. Rather, it will result in a more-entrenched two-tier system of poor-to-mediocre government medicine for the relative poor and a high-end private system for those who can afford it. And, insofar as democratic socialists succeed in destroying private medicine too, wealthier and desperate Americans will travel abroad for it.
Language matters
By the way, I’ve been quoting from Oingo Boingo’s song “Capitalism,” which Danny Elfman has described as “serious satire.” Regardless of intent, much of the song rings true, such as its suggestion that socialism often draws support from wealthy elitists (such as Marx’s benefactor Friedrich Engels).
Still, even though I think Polis is more of a socialist than he cares to admit, it’s meaningful that he embraces the term capitalism and denounces socialism. At least that indicates a general orientation toward free enterprise and economic activity by voluntary consent.
Those who actively embrace socialism will do what they can to expand government controls of the economy in the name of “liberating” people. In the end, the only things socialists can “liberate” us from are our liberty, wealth, and standard of living.
So, which will it be, Weiser? Are you a socialist or a capitalist?
Ari Armstrong writes regularly for Complete Colorado and is the author of books about Ayn Rand, Harry Potter, and classical liberalism. He can be reached at ari at ariarmstrong dot com.
