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POLITICAL COMMENTARY

When Democrats Act Like COVID Is A Crisis, I’ll Believe It’s A Crisis

Commentary By Brian C. Joondeph

Watch what people do, not what they say. Politicians who say one thing and do another are called hypocrites, but perhaps they have inside knowledge that the average person does not possess.

When it comes to COVID-19, several prominent officials say one thing and do another. The laws, regulations and admonitions applied to you and me do not apply to them. Is it because they cannot be bothered? Or is because they know the rules are largely nonsensical and are mandated not for public health reasons but for power and control?

Since mid-March we have endured a daily barrage of fear porn from the media. Inaccurate or inflated death counts and positive tests were used to justify shutting down the economy, closing businesses, restaurants, hair salons, churches and schools. Mask use became mandatory and those defying any of these orders were called murderers.

Democrats, particularly those in blue states, whether at the local, state or federal level have been particularly vocal about coronavirus mandates. But how do they live up to their own rules?

In June, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has been particularly draconian in her coronavirus restrictions, marched in a George Floyd demonstration in complete violation of her own social distancing mandate. Many in her state – but not her and her fellow marchers - have been ticketed for just such a violation with fines up to $1,000.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, leading the charge to shut down the country and keep it closed until everyone can be vaccinated, told America to wear masks and social distance. Yet at a baseball game in July, he was photographed in the bleachers, yucking it up in close proximity to two friends, mask under his chin.

This week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a closed hair salon in San Francisco for a “blow-out,” videoed not wearing a mask. Yet hair salons are considered non-essential businesses in California, and by government orders are closed. Blow driers are dangerous in COVID days, potentially spreading respiratory droplets around the room from someone who is sick.

Did Pelosi know for sure her hair stylist or anyone else in the room was not sick or contagious? She is 80 years old, and Fauci is 79. According to the Centers for Disease Control, someone their age has an eight times higher rate of hospitalization and a 220 times higher death rate compared to an 18-29 year old.

Might she, Whitmer and Fauci be taking prophylactic hydroxychloroquine as President Trump did in May? The same drug Democrats and the media claim will kill anyone who dares take it?

Moving east, Philadelphia Jim Kenney, another Democrat, dined indoors in Maryland, while restaurants in his city are only permitted to serve customers outside. It may have been permitted in Maryland, but what example is he setting for his constituents in the city he rules? How many restaurants in Philly will be closed for good by the time the good mayor deems it acceptable to eat indoors?

New York is a mask-wearing state, “A New York State mandate requires everyone to wear a face covering when outside their home if unable to maintain at least six feet of distance from others.” Guess who was photographed the other day walking his dog without a mask? Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo preaches, “Wearing a mask is about respect.” Yet here he is in Georgia in July, not wearing a mask and not social distancing. He also forgot what he told New Yorkers in April: “Cuomo says he is wearing a mask when he's walking his dog because he can't maintain social distancing.”

Attending church is verboten but that didn’t stop the numerous George Floyd protests. We cannot gather for church or a sporting event, but protests and rallies that are pro-Democrat are just fine, and encouraged.

But it is more than just hypocrisy. I suspect those making and breaking the rules know these rules are mostly for show, keeping the economy shut down and dispiriting working Americans ahead of the November presidential election in the hopes of defeating President Trump.

At one time such mandates made sense when flattening the curve kept hospitals from being overwhelmed. But COVID deaths and hospitalizations peaked in mid-April. It’s now September, almost five months post peak. Yet the mandates and restrictions remain in place, at least for the little people.

Why would Democrat politicians put themselves, their families and constituents in harm’s way by ignoring the safety rules? Unless it is more hype than harm, more about fear than fact.

Brian C. Joondeph, MD, is a Denver based physician and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in American Thinker, Daily Caller, Rasmussen Reports, and other publications. Follow him on Facebook,  LinkedIn, Twitter, Parler and QuodVerum.

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