NR PLUS Politics & Policy

It’s Not Confusing, It’s Newsom

By
Governor Gavin Newsom watches as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif., December 14, 2020. (Jae C. Hong/Reuters Pool)
California’s governor has broken his promise for transparent, data-driven governance during coronavirus. He may soon pay the price.

NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE G overnor Gavin Newsom has tried to distinguish himself during the pandemic. He’s not going to run California like one of those bad states, no. Newsom promised an approach to COVID-19 lockdowns and reopenings that was “driven by data,” and that there would be data transparency with the public.

The promise was that Newsom would be such a good technocratic liberal that in California he wouldn’t even be governing at all; the best science would be governing you. As hospitalizations increased, opportunities for socializing would decrease across a regionalized California. The state would run like an algorithm: perfectly, flawlessly, and ultimately, beautifully. …

Recommended

The Latest