As Gov. Gavin Newsom was preparing a pre-Thanksiving COVID crackdown for three Western states, not just California, he attended the birthday party for a lobbyist at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world. People from 12 different families were on the guest list. Governor-Mask-Between-Bites had broken his own COVID rules.
I wonder if Gavin Newsom followed his own advice of keeping his mask on in between bites while eating out at French Laundry restaurant for a party pic.twitter.com/IbFZd7yX0f
— Mexican Rug Dealer (@DealinRugs) November 14, 2020
Days later he would announce travel “advisories” for California, in cahoots with Washington and Oregon, as part of the Western Governors Cartel’s attempt to scare people living on the West Coast out of traveling during the holidays. Then he cracked down further on businesses and individuals and introduced a new COVID color-coded system to show how horrible “cases” were getting. Siskiyou County, with a population of only 44,000 over 6,278.8 square miles, is a bounty of scenic wonders, such as Shasta Lake, and expanses of mountains, farms, and lava beds. It now has tougher COVID restrictions. There are no green lights on the map.
But apparently for Newsom and his lobbyist and “advisor” Jason Kinney, rules are just for the little people.
Newsom attended a large dinner party at The French Laundry with people from a dozen different families – exactly what he lectures and hectors Californians not to do.
Last week Governor Newsom broke his own rules by eating dinner with a large group of people at The French Laundry, one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. His excuse — it was the birthday party of a lobbyist. You really can’t make this sh*t up.
Last week Governor Newsom broke his own rules by eating dinner with a large group of people at The French Laundry, one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. His excuse — it was the birthday party of a lobbyist. You really can’t make this shit up. https://t.co/W7zaY508ip
— Daniel Kotzin (@danielkotzin) November 13, 2020
As “Flash Report” head Jon Fleischman sardonically noted, the French Laundry’s “magical” blue door “keeps out COVID” — and also leads to one of the finest and most expensive dining experiences in the world, with prices starting at a reported $350 per person. The tasting menu starts at $310.
This is the famous blue door at the entrance of the French Laundry. Apparently it keeps our plebeians who cannot afford a $400 dinner – and it keeps out COVID. A magical door, indeed! pic.twitter.com/2YPSS35H7H
— Jon Fleischman (@FlashReport) November 15, 2020
But the hypocrisy is actually worse than that. A San Francisco Chronicle reporter tweeted that Kinney went on Twitter the day of his party and dragged Kim Kardashian-West for renting a private island in a different country and privately flying in 30 friends to celebrate her 40th birthday. He self-righteously huffed:
B-day plan: I’ve decided NOT to “surprise my closest inner circle with a trip to private island [sic] where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time.” I’ll stay home & mainline media coverage of America finding its better angels. #ThisIs50 #KinneyNotKardashian
Maybe it was a surprise party. How else to explain Kinney’s self-righteousness in one little tweet? Maybe his words were on the menu at The French Laundry.
A reader has alerted me that this is what Jason Kinney, whose birthday Newsom was celebrating at the French Laundry, tweeted earlier that day: pic.twitter.com/05AYzQEQ9i
— Alexei Koseff (@akoseff) November 13, 2020
After the media got wind of the party-for-me-but-not-for-thee soiree, Newsom admitted that attending was a bad look for a guy telling the little people that they should not get in their own private cars and celebrate the togetherness, bounty, and freedom realized by the pilgrims on that first Thanksgiving.
On the other hand, he just might be clueless. As this woman on Twitter pointed out, Newsom’s winery business is still open while he ordered others’ closed; his children get to go to a (private) school meeting in person; he still gets to go out whenever he wants; and has plenty of room to roam the expansive grounds of his 12,000-square-foot home with a tennis court and pool he bought in Sacramento when he determined the governor’s mansion wasn’t “kid-friendly” enough.
He is just like Cuomo, He loves the power. His life is fine, his winery is open, he can afford French laundry and his kids go to private school. I hate hypocrites no matter whose party they are
— No Contact Tracing – No Answers (@DinnaShepard) November 14, 2020
After getting busted for his hypocrisy, things got even worse. Newsom drew the entirely wrong conclusion from his double-standard-dinner.
“While our family followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner.”
Wrong answer. He should have gone to that dinner and led the way for everyone else.
Some point out that he’s lost his moral authority to shut down people’s lives after this caper. There’s certainly truth to that. It’s part of the reason why he shouldn’t shut down people’s lives.
There’s satisfying irony in powerful people getting caught saying one thing and doing another. But freedom is too serious an issue to let the governor get a pass on a moment that will eventually pass down into the voters’ collective memory hole.
There’s an even more valuable lesson he can learn, however.
Newsom trusts himself to do the right thing by following “health protocols” and “safety precautions,” but obviously doesn’t trust the little people to do what’s in their best interest – like not getting sick and dying. He clearly doesn’t believe in his own rules, why should anyone else?
He needs to continue to educate people and businesses on best practices and then get out of the way.
I’ll wager that no one at that party gets sick with COVID. If Newsom doesn’t pick up that clue, that makes him not only clueless but a tyrant.
Victoria Taft is the host of “The Adult in the Room Podcast With Victoria Taft” where you can hear her series on “Antifa Versus Mike Strickland.” Find it at your favorite podcast outlets. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, MeWe, Minds @VictoriaTaft