In the midst of the pandemic I had a conversation with a friend who was upset that some people weren't social distancing or masking up in our little corner of the world. He couldn't figure out how people could be so inconsiderate and reckless.
I replied that I thought part of the reason was that so many of our elected leaders, especially Democrats who tended to be the most adamantine social distancers and mask mandaters, were themselves showing the public by their personal behavior that they didn't think these rules were all that important, at least not for them.
More than a few of them threw social distancing to the winds when the opportunity arose to march arm in arm with protestors during the summer of 2020, and even more of them were caught partying, maskless, while at the same time insisting that the common people had to forgo social gatherings and wear masks when around others.
The Washington Free Beacon has come up with ten examples of our political leaders flouting their own rules about social distancing and mask-wearing and the dumb reactions they gave for doing so.
I encourage you to go to the link where the Free Beacon posts photos of the offenders en flagrante. Here are the ten with a bit of context courtesy of the Free Beacon:
10. "I should have been more astute to the specifics of the regulations." Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose
Liccardo hosted a large Thanksgiving dinner party in violation of state health guidelines limiting the number of households at private gatherings. On the same day his violation was exposed, Liccardo posted a tweet urging constituents to "cancel the big gatherings this year and focus on keeping each other safe."
9. "I am human." Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D., Mich.)
The governor has repeatedly violated her own state-imposed mask guidelines in Michigan, and once flouted the Washington, D.C., mask mandate at a crowded bar near the White House. After being photographed in East Lansing at a large maskless gathering in violation of a Michigan Health Department order, Whitmer claimed to be "human," which is why she neglected to "stop and think about" the importance of rules.
8. "Don't be ridiculous." Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C.
Bowser accused "right-wing nuts" of "spreading disinformation" after she was photographed without a mask at a wedding reception just days after imposing an indoor mask mandate throughout the district. The mandate included an exemption for individuals who were "actively eating or drinking." Bowser was not, but implied that she was, and called her critics "ridiculous."
7. "Everyone feels traumatized." Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago
That's how Lightfoot, a frequent violator of state and local mask mandates, defended herself for shouting into a bullhorn amid a crowd celebrating Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. "There are times when we actually do need to have … relief and come together, and I felt like that was one of those times," she said. "This has been a super hard year on everyone. Everyone feels traumatized."
6. "I was feeling the spirit." London Breed, mayor of San Francisco
Despite issuing one of the strictest masks mandates in the state of California, the mayor was defiant after being photographed dancing at a jazz club without a mask. "I got up and started dancing because I was feeling the spirit and I wasn't thinking about a mask," Breed said. "I was thinking about having a good time."
5. "Homophobia." Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D., N.Y.)
Maloney's spokesman blamed "disappointing" "homophobia" after the Free Beacon reported that the congressman was cavorting around Europe with his husband (often without a mask) in defiance of U.S. State Department travel guidelines.
4. "It was a setup." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.)
Pelosi was photographed getting her hair done in San Francisco despite local and state health orders preventing hair salons from opening. She claimed to have been duped by the salon's nefarious owner. "It was a setup," said Pelosi. "I take responsibility for falling for a setup."
3. It's "shameful" to criticize me during Black History Month. Stacey Abrams, gubernatorial candidate.
Abrams, who continues to believe she "won" the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia, bared her face in front of a group of masked children last week during a visit to Glennwood Elementary School. She proceeded to denounce her "shameful" critics for launching a "false political attack" during Black History Month.
2. "I hold my breath" during photos. Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles
Garcetti was caught on camera mingling with maskless billionaires and celebrities during the NFC Championship game in Los Angeles. "There is a zero percent chance of infection from that," Garcetti insisted. Medical experts immediately debunked the scientific misinformation.
1. "Republicans are mad they can't date me." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D. NY)
The celebrity congresswoman lashed out at sexually frustrated Republicans for being "mad they can't date me" after she was spotted enjoying herself without a mask in Florida, where citizens are free to go maskless.
If you wonder why people are fed up with our political elites, why the Canadian truckers are protesting, why political science experts are expecting Democrats to get slaughtered in the November elections, and why President Biden's poll numbers continue to sink like a cannonball in water, the arrogance of those who think the rules don't apply to them might provide a clue.
