The blatant hypocrisy of Gov. Gavin Newsom declaring that Californians must not have moderate-sized Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic while he attended a large, ritzy, exclusive, 400-dollar-per-plate meal at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant is obvious, maddening, and clearly a political embarrassment even in Democrat-dominated California.
But the larger issue here goes well beyond politicians decreeing limitations on their constituents' liberties while enjoying freedoms their lowly serfs can only dream of getting away with.
We must follow the logic of Newsom's egregious behavior wrapped in the sanctimonious proclamations of his self-described "science-based" policies.
In April, Newsom preached to his state that "science, not politics must be the guide" for his state's policies. The mainstream media lapped it up and broadcast it worldwide because it was seen as a not-so-subtle jab at President Trump, who was pushing for the country to begin re-opening with guidance, restrictions, and protocols that would mitigate the spread of the deadly virus.
Clearly, it's easy to hammer Newsom (and he should be hammered) for blatantly and hypocritically defying his own orders, but let's do what Newsom demands we do: Follow the science.
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Newsom attended a gathering, indoors, with twelve or more people, in close quarters, without masks, speaking in loud voices, eating and drinking. All of these are violations of the governor's directives because we are told that science tells us these behaviors will leave us vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus.
And yet, Newsom, the governor of California, didn't think twice about defying the science, thus exposing himself and his wife to Covid-19. Or so we are told.
You see, this is not like the governor getting caught exceeding a speed limit. Or not separating his trash for recycling, or jaywalking, or even sleeping in a tent on the sidewalk, as has become rather common in his state.
No, this is the governor putting himself and his wife in direct danger of exposing himself to a virus that has killed 250,000 Americans this year.
His executive orders, we are told, are a matter of life and death. So why was he so nonchalant while defying them?
Read his so-called apology on the matter:
‘I was asked to go to my friend’s 50th birthday…my wife and I…friends that I’ve known for almost 20 years, and the friend who invited…well, put a lot of time and energy into his 50th birthday that was in Napa, which was in the orange status, relatively loose compare to some other counties. It was at an outdoor restaurant… as soon as I sat down at the larger table, I realized it was a little larger group than I had anticipated, and I made a bad mistake. Instead of sitting down I should have stood up, and walked back, gone to my car, and drove back to my house. Instead I chose to sit there with my wife, and a number of other couples that were outside the household.’
Do you notice anything? Nowhere in his apology does he address the scientific and medical ramifications of his reckless behavior.
He addresses the FrenchLaundryGate scandal for the embarrassing, damaging political problem that it is, but he never explains his actions through the prism of how dangerous his behavior was for himself and his wife.
Where is his admission that he endangered himself and his wife? Where is his concern over how he was exposed to contracting the virus? Did he get tested to ensure he did not catch Covid-19? Has he quarantined himself for fourteen days to ensure he doesn't pass it on to anyone else he comes in contact with?
It's almost as though he and his wife and the lobbyists they dined with (including officials from the California Medical Association) tacitly acknowledged amongst themselves that their protocols and proclamations that have shut down his state's economy aren't really that scientifically sound.
It's almost as though the governor who tells us all his policies are guided by the science surrounding the coronavirus and that he's just trying to save the lives of his fellow Californians doesn't really believe they make much of a difference in the long run.
If he feared the virus and believed gatherings such as the FrenchLundryGate dinner party were as deadly as he tells us, he'd probably be treating this scandal as something more than the political embarrassment it is.
