Tale of Two Democratic Governors
While California Re-Imposes an Indoor Mask Mandate, Colorado Declares an End to Its COVID Health Emergency. On the Same Day. Both Governors are Liberal Democrats
Monday (Dec. 13) was a study in contrasts. California, to which I’m traveling for a family Christmas next week, reinstates a mask mandate effective Wednesday, December 15, even for people like me who are fully vaxxed (with a booster!). The announcement was made not by Gov. Newsom, but his hapless Secretary of Health and Human Service, Mark Ghaly. And if you’re traveling there, it’s “recommended” that you get a Covid test within three to five days. From the California Department of Public Health’s announcement:
Beginning December 15, CDPH will require masks to be worn in all indoor public settings irrespective of vaccine status through January 15, 2022, at which point California will make further recommendations as needed in response to the pandemic.
Additionally, CDPH updated requirements for attending mega events, like concerts and sporting events. Prior to attending an event, attendees will now require either proof of vaccination, a negative antigen COVID-19 test within one day of the event, or a negative PCR test within two days of the event.
CDPH also issued a new travel advisory effective immediately to recommend that all travelers arriving in California test for COVID-19 within three to five days after arrival, regardless of their vaccination status.
Sorry, Dr. Ghaly, hard pass on the COVID test.
Political observation - when a politician makes a politically popular announcement, he or she makes it personally. When it’s not so popular or a backlash is expected, delegate the “news.” We now know how this new mask mandate is going to play. Not well. I guess Kamala Harris wasn’t available.
Meanwhile, in Colorado yesterday, Gov. Jared Polis, a liberal Democrat and former Congressman from the leftist enclave of Boulder, enthusiastically and confidently ended the state’s health emergency.
While California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement was rather understated, Gov. Polis produced a video message.
It is weird, actually. Polis bragged about Colorado’s high vaccination rate, one of the nation’s highest. Newsom’s Health Secretary, on the other hand, suggests the vaccines aren’t working so well on the Left Coast.
I know that California uses different gasoline than the rest of the country (thus, their dramatically higher fuel prices), but vaccines?
And you’d damn well better comply with California’s new order, or else. From the San Jose Mercury News:
This shift in state policy reflects growing evidence that people with one or two shots of a vaccine, or a recent infection, are not protected from the new omicron variant. Early data shows that omicron can spread easily and quickly.
The mandate, which takes effect Wednesday and will be in place until at least Jan. 15, will not change practices in many Bay Area businesses, which already require masks. But it is likely to have a significant effect in more conservative parts of the state, where mask-wearing is less widespread. About half of Californians live in counties where indoor face coverings are not required, Ghaly said.
People who do not comply could face civil and criminal penalties. Local health departments are responsible for enforcement.
Wow, that contrasts with Polis and his new 12-page executive order that focuses primarily on promoting the distribution of vaccines and facilitating the state’s recovery while maintaining the ability to respond to future COVID-19 events.
California’s announcement starkly contrasts with coverage of Polis’ announcement, courtesy of Colorado Public Radio.
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday ended the remaining health emergency executive orders that have guided the state since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also rescinded all remaining executive orders related to COVID-19 and issued in the pandemic and signed a new “Recovery Executive Order” focused on returning the state to normal. That order repackages several elements from the emergency orders he began issuing in March of 2020, but his intent Thursday was clear: Even as he retains some authority through executive actions, he is ready to move on from COVID-19.
“We've experienced pain and loss but through it all, Coloradans did their part, made good choices by wearing masks, socially distancing, and sacrificing moments with loved ones, and we succeeded in having one of the lowest COVID fatality rates in the nation,” Polis said in a statement released by his office. “We have been supportive of empowering individuals to make the best decisions for themselves and their families and been guided by science every step of the way over this rocky ground.”
Colorado’s pandemic-long death rate of 121 per 100,000 residents is tied for 9th best in the nation, according to state and local health department data analyzed by the New York Times. It is a marked improvement from the early days of the pandemic when the state had one of the worst rates among states west of the Mississippi for a viral disease in which transmission is at least partly dependent upon population density.
Not that Colorado’s handling of the pandemic was flawless. Colorado Public Radio: “Colorado nursing homes reported 1,118 COVID-19 deaths between November and January to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Colorado had the worst rate of death per occupied nursing home bed in the U.S. It was twice the rate of death as the national average, according to federal data.”
That still pales in comparison to nursing home deaths in the states of Polis’ fellow Democratic governors in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and especially New York. All of which are larger states with a higher elderly demographic. Of course, all those states also implemented the same policy early in the pandemic, sending COVID-positive residents back into unprepared facilities. Fox News’ Janice Dean, whose parents both died in COVID-ravaged New York nursing homes, has been outspoken on the issue.
But I digress. Why, with the emergence of yet another new COVID variant, would we see two very different responses from two ideologically and politically similar governors? Seems to boil down to two very different gubernatorial operating styles and philosophies.
The demographics of the two states aren’t that much different, beyond population. Both are generally younger and healthier states, with among the lowest obesity rates in the nation (Colorado’s is the lowest). Both states feature great outdoor lifestyles. Their rates of urbanization are relatively similar. California has a slightly higher poverty rate and a much higher foreign-born population, but those don’t really seem to matter. And one can argue that both states managed their early COVID response plans similarly - lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine promotion.
Purple-state Polis chooses to free his state, while deep-blue, one-party state Newsom loves the power and mandates he imposes on his fearful populace despite stories of his encounters with bureaucrats during a brief prelude when he ran a successful business. Polis at least faces and accepts some accountability; Newsom, not so much.
Criticism of Donald Trump’s management early in the pandemic included his refusal to impose top-down, Fauci-led dictates of the Covid crisis, which was clearly beyond his authority. Every state is different, and the 9th and 10th amendments to the Constitution shouldn’t be ignored. New York is not South Dakota, and Nebraska is not Arizona. While the federal government clearly has a role, starting with protecting our borders, the states have responsibility for decisions within their own jurisdictions. We are now seeing the results of each state’s management.
Polis was obviously paying attention to the experiences of other states. A successful businessman before entering politics, Polis understands something Newsom doesn’t - cost versus benefits. Eventually, Polis chose the freedom route, not just because his constituents favored it, but it has clearly worked elsewhere, and the facts and science support it. And governors pay attention to what their colleagues are doing. Let’s consult Wallethub.com:
Colorado ranked 18th; California, 35th. Not a perfect gauge - Texas and Florida rated lower than both despite a robust economic recovery, high vaccination rates among the most vulnerable, and other favorable statistics, including very low COVID rates by October 2021 - but, still. Smaller states clearly have an advantage. South Dakota, in particular, had no mandates, but it is a rural state with one semi-large city (Sioux Falls) where being socially distant is no challenge.
These are mostly conservative states; only Maine has a Democratic governor. The rest are pretty solidly Republican. They kept the foot off the pedal of punitive government mandates, for the most part. And they’ve been rewarded for it with favorable recovery statistics. Gov. Polis appears to have taken a similar course.
Between Colorado and California, put me on Team Polis. Damn, why didn’t I pick Colorado instead of California to vacation for Christmas?