Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom have both been called the public face of hypocrisy. The hypocrisy rap obscures the real problem.
Hypocrisy is a misdemeanor. We all do hypocritical things. After all, hypocrisy has been called the tribute vice pays to virtue. But we do not all have the opportunity to impose burdensome rules upon our fellow human beings.
Authority must be used judiciously and in accord with the law.
The brazenness with which officials violate the rules they would impose on all of us indicates that something stronger than hypocrisy is at work.
How about governing by arbitrary, capricious government that in many cases are ruinous for working Americans? That, not hypocrisy, is what should concern us.
John Daniel Davidson of The Federalist uses the term hypocrite, which I think is too good for these folks, but he certainly doesn’t miss the implications of their behavior.
I urge you to read his piece.
He chronicles the elite’s activities deftly (it is a fun piece), but his conclusion is devastating:
One thing should be abundantly clear by now, after ten months of this pandemic: our political leaders hate us and they think we’re stupid. Nothing else can explain the blatant hypocrisy we’ve seen, mostly from Democrat governors and mayors who are eager to impose harsh lockdowns and strict rules for the public at large but then turn around and do whatever they please with their own families, friends, and cronies.
. . .
Again, there is only one possible conclusion you can reach, based on months and months of appalling hypocrisy from the media and our ruling elite: they think lockdowns are for you, not them. They think pandemic rules are for you, not them. They think suffering hardships and doing as you’re told are for you, not them. Why? Because they hate you and think you’re stupid.
I am not saying run maskless into the streets or anything remotely like that. We all want to observe sensible rules that officials put forward that are in harmony with our liberties.
But we should be worried by capricious officials who do not seem overly scrupulous about our constitutional rights.