1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

Your recent post claiming that “Democrat socialists” are responsible for higher costs for Colorado families is not just misleading — it’s part of a larger pattern of rhetoric designed to distract from the real threat facing this country. When you echo talking points that frame political opponents as dangerous ideologues, you are participating in the same fear‑based messaging that Speaker Mike Johnson used when he attacked Zohran Mamdani and other progressives. Let’s confront this directly: the biggest danger to Colorado families is not people advocating for healthcare access or campaign finance reform. The danger comes from the white Christian nationalist faction inside your own party that is actively working to undermine democratic norms, concentrate power, and impose a narrow ideological worldview on everyone else. That faction is not hypothetical. It is visible. It is loud. And Speaker Johnson is one of its leading voices. When Johnson talks about “Mini Mamdanis,” he is not talking about policy. He is talking about identity. He is using language meant to divide Americans, stigmatize communities, and paint entire groups as threats. That is bigotry. It is authoritarian in tone and intent. And when you repeat similar framing — portraying political opponents as extremists out to harm families — you are reinforcing the same narrative. Colorado families are struggling. But they are not struggling because of “Democrat socialists.” They are struggling because wages have stagnated, corporate consolidation has driven up prices, and political leaders have spent more time manufacturing cultural enemies than addressing the structural issues that actually affect cost of living. Blaming your opponents is easy. Confronting the extremism within your own party is hard — but it is necessary. I am calling on you to stop amplifying rhetoric that dehumanizes political opponents and misleads the public. If you believe in democratic principles, equal citizenship, and honest governance, then you have a responsibility to reject the authoritarian messaging coming from your party’s leadership. Silence is not neutrality. It is complicity. Colorado deserves representatives who confront extremism — not ones who repeat its talking points.