If there’s one thing we’ve been able to count on about Democrats over the last 18 months or so since the coronavirus outbreak started here in the U.S. it’s been their hypocrisy on mask-wearing, social distancing, staying home and staying safe, and vaccines.

California Democrats in particular have the unenviable distinction of being the primary purveyors of that hypocrisy over the longterm, from Los Angeles Board of Supervisors official Sheila Kuehl, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor London Breed to Governor Gavin Newsom among many others caught in embarrassing “rules for thee, but not for me” scenarios.

Though we’ve been informed by the media that Newsom has been a magnificent leader during the pandemic crisis, no convincing evidence has been presented by his defenders to make such a case. In fact, the exact opposite argument can and has been made by some of my colleagues here who live under his autocratic rule and have literally had to pay the price for it.

But one area in which I believe Newsom has utterly failed the citizens of his state is an area where the Biden administration has also failed, and that’s with inconsistent messaging.

For instance, here was Newsom Wednesday, praising a District court judge’s ruling that temporarily blocked enforcement of Texas’ fetal heartbeat law:

Tonight, we can take a small sigh of relief in the fight for reproductive freedom — but this fight is far from over.

We must continue until every woman is guaranteed her fundamental right to make her own healthcare decisions. https://t.co/aQPolWBwCW

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 7, 2021

Except a few months ago, Newsom wasn’t extolling the virtues of people being able to make their own healthcare decisions. In fact, he was touting being ahead of the Biden administration on taking such choices away:

This week, CA announced we would be requiring state employees to provide proof of vaccination or submit to regular testing.

Now, the federal government is following suit.

The right move. Thank you @POTUS. https://t.co/OrqSeRHHN7

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 29, 2021

It was the exact same double standard displayed by the Biden administration in September on the day President Biden announced his (unconstitutional) vaccine mandate for all private businesses that employ over 100 people.

The very same day he dictated to millions of Americans that the choice to get the coronavirus vaccine was no longer their choice to make (unless they wanted to lose their jobs), Vice President Kamala Harris was giving another speech at the White House that had the exact opposite message on the issue of the freedom to make your own healthcare decisions.

Her message, which was delivered during a “Reproductive Rights Roundtable,” was one we’d heard before: “When people are able to make choices without government interference for themselves — in terms of their wellbeing and the wellbeing of their family, in consultation with whomever they may choose — we are a stronger society.”

So which is it? “My body, my choice,” or “you better get the vaccine or else”? As hard as Newsom tries and as hard as Biden tries, they can’t have it both ways.

And yet they are, and on top of that, they expect people not to see right through it. But more and more people are waking up and deciding that the time to blindly follow government dictates about public health matters is over. After seeing the duplicitous ways Democrats have behaved in contrast to how they expect everyone else to since March 2020 on these issues, can anyone really blame them?

Flashback: When They Tell Us Who They Really Are, We Should Listen