Well, they’re at it again. They’re going after Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah Fair George, who will face a contested Democratic primary for the second straight campaign.

Or should I say, in the words of the Vermont Daily Chronicle, “controversial, George Soros-backed incumbent” Sarah Fair George? So Guy, can you cite any specific support from Soros, or could you simply not resist tootling one of your favorite dog whistles?

Sorry, digression is my jam. Last time around, in 2022, the “Get Sarah” forces did a faceplant, as George beat well-funded challenger ($62,000 for a county-level primary????) Ted Kenney by almost a two-to-one margin. This time, former Burlington city councilor Bram Kranichfeld is stepping into the hypothetical breach. He brings a softer edge to the tough-on-crime message that didn’t work for Kenney, but the fundamental thesis is the same: George’s progressive policies are to blame for the perception of rising lawlessness in the Queen City.

I fully expect Kranichfeld will receive generous support from the Barons of Burlington, and will benefit from every breathless bit of crime coverage between now and primary day. Will it make any difference? I expect not, to be honest.

That has less to do with George’s fitness (or otherwise) than with the voters’ complete lack of engagement with county primaries. This is, after all, the same allegedly civic-minded electorate that kept a father-and-son duo in the county sheriff’s office for an astonishing 68 years. (Father Earl 1955-1987, son Kevin 1987-2023.)

Not to mention that the Barons and the Democrats have been doing their level best to fearmonger every Progressive candidate since at least 2021 without much tangible effect. (To be clear, George is a Democrat, but she’s definiitely a small-p progressive on justice issues.) The Progs’ minority on Burlington City Council has stayed about the same, and oh yeah, they took back the mayor’s office last year.

Kranichfeld will have one advantage over Kenney: the endorsement of Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark. It’s very unusual for a Democratic officeholder to go against a fellow Democratic incumbent. Will it make much difference with the voters, such as they are? I doubt it. But it is interesting.

And it’s another indication that the least bit of progressive justice reform is met with immediate, sustained opposition — not only from conservative types, but also from mainstream Democrats. Clark’s endorsement is a telling marker in this column.

The endless drumbeat against progressive reform ignores just about every statistical measure of crime, incarceration, and public safety. The United States consistently has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, but we still have real issues with crime — which have much more to do with poverty, substance use, and the easy availability of guns than any alleged “revolving door” at the courthouses.

George’s opposition to cash bail seems to be a particular sticking point. I’m with her on this one; cash bail is a punishing burden on the poor. There are ways to deal with persistent offenders that don’t involve locking people up because they can’t afford bail.

So yeah, sorry, but I’m rooting for Sarah Fair George to stomp a mudhole in Kranichfeld just like she did to Ted Kenney. Nothing against Kranichfeld, but he’s letting himself be used a weapon in the war against criminal justice reform, and that I can’t support.