November 17, 2023 01:30 PM UTC

Performative Politics from Pro-Palestine Protesters

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Colorado legislature kicked off its special session this morning, with lawmakers working to craft a plan to deal with rising property taxes after voters rejected Proposition HH earlier this month.

As The Denver Post explains:

Colorado lawmakers are set to gavel in Friday morning for a pre-Thanksgiving feast of tax policy as they try to tamp down the worst of spiking property taxes.

Much more will be on the agenda during the special session, which begins at 9 a.m. and is expected to last at least three days. The Democratic-majority General Assembly has outlined proposals to reduce elements of the property tax formula to provide relief, to flatten tax refunds due under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights so that all taxpayers receive an equal amount, to increase tax credits for low-income households and to provide more money for the state’s emergency rental assistance program.

We’ll keep you updated on the progress in the legislature.

Meanwhile, protesters who are upset about the Israel-Hamas war — including DSA Denver — are stomping around outside the State Capitol chanting things like, “You can’t hide; we charge you with genocide.” None of the people inside the State Capitol, of course, have anything to do with the conflict in Gaza — on either side.

We’re not writing here to take a side in the Israel-Hamas war. Rather, our concern is about the pointless performative politics on display.

Attempting to disrupt important work at the State Capitol in order to demonstrate support for Palestinians is sort of like going to a Denver Broncos game to cheer on the Colorado Rockies; it’s a nice idea, but it’s not accomplishing much. We suppose it makes slightly more sense to march and chant outside of the State Capitol than it does to occupy the Colorado Convention Center, but it still feels a lot like protesting just for the sake of protesting. This isn’t that different than the kind of performative politics practiced by the likes of Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who never misses a chance to speak but hasn’t yet gotten around to actually doing something for her constituents in the third congressional district.

Colorado lawmakers are working this weekend on trying to reduce the negative impact of rising property taxes on homeowners and renters alike. Instead of organizing, say, a group of renters to advocate for policies that state lawmakers do in fact have the power to implement, today’s protesters would prefer to perform for a national audience about an issue that the state legislature can do nothing to change.

It’s great that people are able and willing to stand up for a cause that they believe in, but making noise and making sense aren’t always the same thing.