Throwing Derek Chauvin under the bus should have been a no-brainer for the “I’m not a racist” crowd. The pretense behind “blue lives matter” has been that it’s not that conservatives are racist but that Black Lives Matter goes “too far.” They argue that most police killings are unfortunate accidents to be tolerated in the name of greater social safety and that the “few bad apples” who do it on purpose can be held to account without widespread reform.

It was always nonsense, of course. But Chauvin’s conviction on three counts for murdering George Floyd provided conservatives a golden “hey, at least we’re not that guy” opportunity. The evidence against Chauvin was overwhelming. The video of the murder showed the world the nonchalant determination on Chauvin’s face as he snuffed out Floyd’s life. Police officials testified against Floyd. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher gave conservatives an out by saying, “This wasn’t policing, this was murder.” Conservatives could have easily clung to Chauvin’s conviction as an “exception that proves the rule” situation, insisting that […]