Lockdown Hypocrites
/Governors and mayors are imposing more lockdowns on their constituents as the holiday approaches, but many of them have not lived up to their own standards. Here are some of the greatest examples of their hypocrisy.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan’s governor imposed some of the most strict and inconsistent lockdown measures in the country. Out of work Michiganders had trouble getting unemployment, business owners were slowly going under, but they took restrictions well until her executive orders became more puzzling. She also began making decisions without the legislature (the Michigan Supreme Court ruled her actions unconstitutional). Items deemed “non-essential” weren’t allowed to be sold in stores. If you wanted to pick up seeds for your garden while grocery shopping at a big box store, it was forbidden. If you wanted to go boating, you couldn’t go if it had a motor. And how she deemed which services and products were essential began to enrage Michiganders.
When they reached their final straw, Operation Gridlock and other protests began across the state. Whitmer and her supporters heavily rebuked them. But when protests sparked after George Floyd’s death, Whitmer hit the streets without social distancing.
Whitmer lifted boating restrictions in time for Memorial Day Weekend, and her husband caused controversy when he asked a Northern Michigan dock company if he could use his special privilege as the governor’s husband to be placed ahead of the line. Whitmer did damage control, claiming her husband was only joking (in poor taste). But when Republican Senator Tom Barrett shared the story on Facebook, the governor’s office asked him to remove it, implying the story was false.
Governor Gavin Newsom
California also had notoriously strict lockdown policies, closing down restaurants, salons, and even churches. While telling Californians they must wear face coverings and limit their guests for Thanksgiving, Newsom was busted dining in one of California’s most extravagant restaurants in wine country. He attended a birthday party of a lobbyist friend, Jason Kinney, at the French Laundry. A photo emerged of the governor, not social distancing and unmasked.
Newsom apologized for attending the event, acknowledging he should have left once he saw guidelines were not being met. “We’re all human. We all fall short sometimes.”
It’s simply another fine example of “rules for thee, but not for me.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Mayor Lightfoot has broken the rules and done so most unashamed. At a time when the people of Chicago could not get a haircut, she went ahead and got her own. When she was confronted about her hypocrisy, Lightfoot’s excuse was that she’s in the public eye and needed it done. It was quite the elitist response and resulted in some pushback.
Lightfoot was confronted again for being at a celebration for Joe Biden after a majority of mainstream media sources called the presidential race for him. Lightfoot remarked that the celebration would have gone on whether she was there or not. While that may be true, she could have been home congratulating Biden and encouraging others to do so digitally. Perhaps she couldn’t have stopped the celebrations but demonstrating a consistent position would make Mayor Lightfoot come off as sincere. When elected officials and media pundits pick and choose when we need to social distance, they lose credibility.
Mayor Muriel Bowser
Delaware was on the list of “high risk” states to visit for the residents of DC, but that didn’t stop Mayor Bowser from traveling to celebrate with Joe Biden after the electoral college swayed his way. When the press confronted Mayor Bowser, she proudly proclaimed that her travels were essential. "I do a lot of things to advance the interests of the District of Columbia. And some of them are formal, and some of them are informal, but all of them are necessary."
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Oh, Nancy. She didn’t handle the pandemic in the most responsible manner. While the president was beginning to shut down travel, she went to China Town and encouraged Americans to go out. While Americans were struggling to survive a sudden halt to their income, she showed off her collection of expensive ice cream to late-night hosts.
Pelosi caused a controversy when she was caught getting her hair done inside a salon, during a time when it was not allowed. Video also showed her without a mask.
Pelosi’s apology was also mixed since she immediately shifted blame to the salon owner herself. "I take responsibility for falling for a setup."
New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio
As the quarantine began, DeBlasio was blasted by New Yorkers for non-essentially traveling to Brooklyn for a walk. And on March 16, he decided to go to the gym the same day Governor Cuomo announced that gyms would be closed down. A spokesperson for the mayor said the YMCA was an important part of DeBlasio’s life and he wanted to visit It one last time. It’s a totally human response, but not a good way to start off a pandemic for an elected official.
These elected officials know what most Americans know: we have the right to make risk assessments. Pelosi, Newsom, DeBlasio, Whitmer, and other elected officials who impose lockdowns are still human, at the end of the day, but they should also set good examples. The government in America only works as long as it has the consent of the governed. Hypocrisy erodes trust.
