One should not be surprised that editorials in some of the larger newspapers in Texas would criticize Texas Governor Greg Abbott for getting infected with COVID.
The scope of the Houston Chronicle editorial takedown, however, Is shockingly direct and piercing. And it started with the title, “Editorial: How can Abbott protect Texas from COVID when he can’t protect himself?”
Greg Abbott, a failed governor
The article starts at the core of the excuse Abbot claims is his rationale for prohibiting mask mandates.
Personal responsibility, apparently, is for the little people. The powerful have Regeneron cocktails at the ready. The powerful have good health insurance and doctors who make house calls. The powerful can quarantine in the comforts of a taxpayer-funded mansion in downtown Austin.
That’s one takeaway from the announcement Tuesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has COVID-19 — the very day after he tweeted about his appearance at “another standing room only event in Collin County” attended by an estimated 600 people. The tweet included photos of the event in which the maskless governor waves from a stage, facing a tight crowd of applauding supporters — nary a mask in sight.
And then, the paper expresses why we cannot trust Governor Greg Abbott.
How can we trust the governor to protect Texas from this raging pandemic when he won’t even protect himself — or, for that matter, his supporters?
The article castigated the governor for “rubbing elbows without a mask in large indoor gatherings, at times in up-close-and-personal conversation, at times squeezing in for photos or sharing a laugh under a crowded tent.”
And the stupidity of his masking denial on a false “mastering of the safety protocol” in Texas.
If a man elected to lead nearly 30 million Texans can’t be trusted to act responsibly, how can he effectively persuade others? We’re not just talking about the upper-income folks who attend Republican gubernatorial fundraisers. We’re talking about the millions of children returning to school who can’t be vaccinated. We’re talking about the rural Texans who must travel an hour to a hospital, only to find there are no beds available. We’re talking about the multitudes of Texans who have no health insurance and no relationship with a trusted doctor who can inform them about vaccines.
Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them? Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence. An elected chief executive who is now contagious and home-bound because he refused to follow his own advice to the little people. A governor who not only refuses to lead an effective campaign urging Texans to protect themselves and their communities, but actively threatens to punish and sue local leaders who try to impose safety requirements such as mask-wearing.
The article continued as it knocked the Governor for getting special treatment as he disregards everyone else. Thank you, Houston Chronicle.