Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had an easy choice: He could save countless lives, or face a rebellion from his own party.
He chose the path of personal interest.
Despite mounting COVID cases, the governor passed on making masks mandatory throughout the state, even though they’ve proven to subdue the outbreak elsewhere in the world. He and fellow Republican leaders only have themselves to blame.
They’ve spent years convincing their followers that climate change is a hoax. That having better health care will turn you socialist. That legalizing gay marriage will make your husband flee to Cabo with a florist named Bernard. That Obama was coming to take your guns; he just kept forgetting to get around to it.
What they ended up building was a sub-species of the pliant and gullible, to whom no inanity couldn’t be sold, for whom no hill was too small on which to make a final stand. It worked wonders to convince them of death panels and the Deep State. But try telling them there’s a better way to stay alive, and they’ll think you’re coming to seize their Stephen Miller bobblehead collection.
DeWine need only to examine the comments on his Facebook page to see his party’s creation. It serves as a display case for why, in 2020, a governor can’t be seen trying to save his constituents’ lives. (Last names have been omitted to protect the ignorant):
“Starting to read that the DeWine family has ties to pedo Epstein and his island of kids. This explains why DeWine is trying to keep this virus in the forefront.” – William
“Its Bullshit its nothing more than a regular flu and this is a plandemic.” – Lea
“They can take you from your home strap you down and vaccinate you. Get educated.” – Shannon
“Look at how many nurses sent unused swabs and they came back positive! So either their reading machine is off or the swabs are tainted with covid to spread it!” – Hannah
“He is not a good governor! He has stock in pharmaceuticals!” – Mary Ann
“We don't live in communist China we live in the land of the Free and home of the brave.” – Jacob
“You watch and see after election this virus will disappear. I refer to it as the political virus.” – Renea
“You don't overreact to the traditional seasonal flu or cold viruses the way you have this virus. It bologna!” – Dawn
“That divide and conquer is really working for you, isn't it DeWine? I'm so sick of your crap.” –Shannun
“What didn’t change from 6 months ago was your moms Van Halen tshirt keeping you safe while wrapped around your face. This is America. We don’t mandate personal choices. As much as you hate that, there are still people willing to die for that.” – Jason
“How do you sleep at night or get out of bed in the morning knowing how many drivers have killed people with their cars. Which exceeds the Covid shamdemic.” – Robert
“We need to make sure government doesn’t take away our children’s freedom!” – Tami
“R u kidding me?? Provide me stats and numbers and scientific proof!!!! Not peoples words, I want NUMBERS!! You are false!!!! Masks are worn in an OR to protect the open body cavity from BACTERIA NOT virus'!! Keep smothering yourself!!!” – Gina
“[The label on masks] says ‘provides no protection’, not just no protection to the user, it just says no protection. Also, have you seen anyone sneeze while wearing a mask? It comes off before the sneeze. Who wants to wear a bunch of sneeze in their mask? – Jason
“I do not need my Conservative, highly Liberal Governor infringing on my State and Federal rights.” –Matt
“That's what we've been dealing with from the governor from the get go. Skewed numbers to induce panic.” – Jane
“Hopefully mike DEWINE gets the coronavirus.” – Thomas
“Sounds like you want to live in a socialist communist country. You'd love North Korea and China this time of year I heard its beautiful this time of year with their concentration camps and hard labor camps and you don't have to think for yourself they tell you how you feel.” – Kevin
“He has no idea what he’s doing or he’s enjoying his power trip or the scary part is he knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s has never been said that being a governor was an easy job, ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR MAKING BAD DECISIONS WHEN YOU FACTS/SCIENCE/DATA PUNCHING YOU IN THE FACE THAT SUGGEST A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION... Some of the worst decision making in the history of Ohio and the United Sates!!” – Daniel
“Tuff job my ass....you just say no to these medical frauds....make them prove their case with real science..they havent done this at all....they are a religion and not even close to science.” – Dave
“I pray to God he comes to his senses and stops acting like a Democrat.” – Susan
“Stop being a socialist and open the state completely stop being controlled by the deep state man up your numbers are BS and you know it.” – Shawn
“Go live in Venezuela if you want a tyrannical government and communism. I’ll wear my Trump 2020 mask everywhere and see how long it takes for them to say masks don't work.” – Kevin
“If you are sick stay home & lick your own door nobs. We just want to have a normal life!” –Beverly“They have inflated the numbers this whole time. TRAITORS!!” – Tom
“That's the biggest crock of horseshit I've ever heard. Listen to yourself. Someone who doesn't have ANY symptoms of the *deadly virus* can pass it on to everyone else. Even if that's true then you all need to suck it up and stay inside if you think your succeptable. Leave everyone else alone quit ruining the economy and everyone else's quality of life. The death rate is below 1% . How do you not see how stupid your reaction to this virus is?” – Dzenis
“They can spread it to everyone else at the testing site and give Dewine the bump up in cases he needs.” – Darren
“Its exactly what the government wants and all the sheeps are falling for it.” – Marie
“This what they call cooking books in accounting fraud.” – Douglas
“’Ignorance’ is allow the government to control people's lives. I am not Ignorant. I'm a Medical Technologist, I do the testing and I still don't believe the #'s.” – Kimberly
“All this [testing] does is make numbers go up so that Deweenine can shut things down again and control people.” – Johnda
“You won't see me in one of those lines. Healthy People praying for COVID. This is insane!” – Nora
“[The testing sites] look like a festival! Too bad they can’t sell elephant ears and vinegar fries, and have a band in the parking lot.” – Margaret
