Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has long been one of the mainstream media’s favorite go-to Republicans – especially in the Trump era, and each time he makes a public appearance or gives an interview, it’s easy to understand exactly why.

For starters, Hogan has made it clear that he is not a fan of President Trump, so much so that he “voted” for the late former President Ronald Reagan in this year’s election in protest. “[I] thought it was important to just cast a vote that showed the kind of person I’d like to see in office,” Hogan told the Washington Post in October.

His frequent criticisms of Trump are often lauded by the press, hardcore Never Trumpers, and Democrats (but I repeat myself) even though Hogan’s been caught outright lying about Trump’s actions on more than one occasion. Then again, the various anti-Trump factions Hogan has aligned himself with over the years have never cared much for actual facts, so their support for him in spite of his falsehoods shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

Though Hogan occasionally throws conservative Republicans a bone, his “leadership” during the coronavirus pandemic should put to bed any notion that there is anything close to “moderate” about this man’s approach to responsible, liberty-based governance – especially in times of crisis, which brings us to the other reason why he is so beloved by elitist reporters in and around the Beltway.

Hogan held a COVID presser earlier today, where he announced new measures in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday that are so draconian that even New York Emperor Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) will be envious that he didn’t think of them first:

The governor announced new statewide enforcement efforts that, in addition to traditional efforts ramping up drunken driving patrols ahead of Thanksgiving, the state is launching an all-hands-on-deck compliance, education and enforcement operation to involve the Maryland State Police.

“It is a very serious problem, and we’re going to keep messaging everybody to take it seriously. The more seriously we take it, the faster we’re going to be able to get it under control,” Hogan said during a news conference Monday afternoon.

[…]

The MDSP is expanding its COVID-19 Compliance and Coordination Center and deploying “High Visibility Compliance Units” across the state, Hogan said. Additional troopers will be assigned in every county to work in partnership with locals to investigate any reports of violations of state law.

Beginning Wednesday, state troopers will support local authorities with compliance checks, with a focus on educating the public about existing orders and protocols, preventing super-spreading events, and assisting in enforcement actions when necessary.

#Now @GovLarryHogan announces that the @MDSP will be conducting high visibility COVID compliance patrols heading into the Holiday especially on Thanksgiving Eve. There is a new hotline 833-979-2266 to report violations

— Brad Bell (@ABC7Brad) November 23, 2020

During the press briefing, Hogan even bizarrely compared people who were opposed to mask mandates to people who drive drunk or refuse to wear a seatbelt:

“It’s sort of like saying I have a constitutional right to drive drunk. I have a constitutional right to not wear a seat belt, or to yell fire in a crowded movie theater, or to not follow the speed limit,” Gov. Hogan said.

He asked what part did people not understand, citing the large quantities of people who have already died from the coronavirus.

“There’s no constitutional right to walk around without a mask,” Gov. Hogan said. “Wear the mask.”

Wowsers. And yet this guy calls Trump’s rheotric “dangerous”? Watch:

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on resistance to mask mandates:

“It’s sort of like saying ‘have a constitutional right to drive drunk’…. There is no constitutional right to walk around without a mask.”
pic.twitter.com/WtrnnowMAx

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 23, 2020

While Hogan is obviously a fan of forcing people to wear masks, he sure had no trouble ripping his media-given “moderate” one completely off today.

Look, I understand that the coronavirus is a dreadful disease. I had it back in August and so did my mom and dad, who are both in the high-risk category. We caught it in spite of the fact that we did everything we were supposed to do to stay safe. I also understand that hospitals and other healthcare facilities don’t need to be overwhelmed with patients because that could lead to a rationing of care, which should not ever happen in the United States. Not ever.

At the same time, I also recognize that the government’s “cure” for this disease should not have the utterly chilling effect of nullifying the very precious rights for which our ancestors fought and died, and which leaders in public office are sworn to protect and uphold.

It’s one thing to mandate mask requirements and gathering limits during a pandemic. It’s another thing altogether to put “hotlines” and “compliance units” in place where Citizen Karens will feel compelled to spy on their neighbors and report them to law enforcement for “failure to comply.” It’s doubly bad when you also consider that Democrats are consistently not held to their own standards when they’ve been caught not practicing what they preach.

As I wrote last week, a recent tweet from actor/comedian Rob Schneider summed up the situation our country finds itself in perfectly:

“If safety requires us to indefinitely forfeit the most valuable parts of our lives, what exactly are we trying to save?”
AJ Kay pic.twitter.com/tXz0Xfj1Ey

— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) November 17, 2020

It’s too bad that many of our intellectual betters in the MSM who have so loudly complained about alleged “government overreach” during the Trump administration have not seen fit to do any in-depth, critical analyses of the various mandates Democratic governors have put in place. Instead, media figures from the east coast to the west coast have been lining up to show fealty to shower praise on these dictatorial governors though they are wholly unworthy of the “pandemic leadership” accolades that have been bestowed upon them.

How any self-respecting Republican can continue to support Hogan is a mystery to me. But considering the fact that Maryland is a blue state, I guess this is the only type of “Republican” who can win a statewide race. Sad, really.

Related –>> Andrew Cuomo Tries Some Pre-Thanksgiving COVID Shaming, and Janice Dean Just Levels Him in Response