Public officials have fanned the flames of cynicism with inconsistent and hypocritical personal behaviors.
Amid a surge of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and new government-ordered restrictions, tensions and anxieties are understandably high. Not only are lives at risk from COVID-19, but livelihoods too are under growing strain. Which makes it all the more regrettable that a number of public officials have fanned the flames of cynicism with inconsistent and even hypocritical personal behaviors. Gov. Gavin Newsom violated his own public messaging and state guidelines to attend a birthday dinner for a lobbyist at The French Laundry. Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, just after voting to ban outdoor dining in the county, dined at a local restaurant outdoors. In a vacuum, Newsom and Kuehl didn’t do anything horrendous. They did what most normal people would like to be able to do. And in Kuehl’s case, she stayed within the official rules since the outdoor dining ban she supported wasn’t in effect yet. But the mismatch between their words and mandates versus their behavior understandably contributes to public cynicism. If Newsom and Kuehl are willing to destroy businesses, jobs, fortunes, investments and opportunities because of a threat so dangerous they needed to make such calls, they at the very least need to act accordingly.
