Polis has 99 Problems and All of them Involve MeatOut Day
This week, I visited with Colorado Livestock Association President Elect Kenny Rogers about CLA's response to Governor Polis' "MeatOut Day" declaration.
As many of you know, March 20 was declared “Meat Out” day in the great state of Colorado by Governor Jared Polis. From what I observed, Polis has a few problems on his hands, and I intend to outline them.
1. Polis is uninformed…
I’m not sure who told Governor Polis meat was “bad,” but wow they completely missed the mark. As I’ve stated many times before, eating meatless for dietary or ethical reasons is valid — these are personal preferences and frankly, there’s no way I or anyone else out there can argue these points if someone can’t stomach eating meat, literally or figuratively. However, cutting meat out of a diet because of environmental reasons is absolutely absurd.
I feel like I’m playing a broken record here, but the Environmental Protection Agency (you know, a government funded, unbiased organization) does not blame the livestock industry for major, negative environmental impacts. Other “sources” such as Veg News, Vox, PETA, Cowspiracy (movie), and Joaquin Phoenix use the “cows are destroying the Earth” argument until they’re blue in the face, but reliable sources do not, and I will die on that hill.
I’m not sure where or why Polis got his information, but it’s got no legs to stand on; no valid sources to back up these claims. To me, that’s a problem — and if I was a resident of Colorado, I would have lost a great deal of respect for my governor. If the man can’t see and believe the information from a renowned reliable source, I can’t trust him to be a reliable source.
2. This is a PR nightmare…
From a public relations standpoint, this whole MeatOut Day declaration is a spiraling, meaty mess.
Who in their right mind would advise or even give a green light to this public stance or campaign in a state where the livestock industry is very clearly thriving? Colorado is known far and wide for their impact on the beef industry, specifically. Livestock production is ideal for Colorado terrain; the National Western Stock Show calls Colorado home; the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is headquartered in Colorado — one could almost say cattle were made to live in Colorado.
One could also say the person on Polis’ staff who made the call for him to declare March 20 “MeatOut Day” should lose their job, but I digress.
MeatOut day was a colossal disaster from a public relations standpoint because of the vast support for MeatIN Day, which brings me to Polis’ third and final problem…
3. The success of MeatIN Day…
I want you to open up your laptop, tablet, phone, or really anything you can find that has a web browser on it. Type “meat out day Colorado” into the search bar and just ogle at the headlines you see. You’d think you’d see Governor Polis’ official proclamation, maybe a story or two from anti-meat blogs, or maybe even the official MeatOut Day website — but none of these links pop up. No, instead, we see headlines such as “MeatOut, Meat-In events held across Colorado;” “Gov. Polis proclaims Saturday as ‘Meat Out Day:’ spurs ‘Meat In Day’ from other side;” “Colorado agriculture industry rallies against state's MeatOut Day.”
Polis may have thought MeatOut Day would come with some backlash from some Coloradans, but I don’t think he anticipated the national support for MeatIN Day — I doubt he anticipated other Governors (Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts) to declare March 20 “Montana Meat Day” and “Meat on the Menu Day” and Governor Gianforte to post a video to social media CALLING OUT Polis by name while eating a steak.
I also doubt Polis knew the kind of national stir he created amongst meat eaters. Across my Facebook page, I saw people from all over the U.S. changing their profile pictures in support of meat. I scrolled past dozens upon dozens of posts being shared about beef sustainability. I witnessed countless social media “friends” — whom I didn’t even think would care about a proclamation in a state they don’t live in — rant about Polis’ declaration. MeatIN Day was a national success, and frankly, I hope it’s a yearly occurrence.
I could not be prouder of the livestock industry today. We rallied against something out to destroy us, and we came out on top. My only hope is that people continue to show support for the livestock producers, and people keep eating beef, pork, poultry, and any other meat out there. Because, when you think about it, we should thank an agriculturist everyday… after all, whether you’re eating a plant-based diet or a carnivorous diet, they’re the reason your belly is full.
