Governor’s With Courage

Governor Newsom of California is in trouble. A recall campaign has begun. Reason? He has led the state’s fight against COVID-19 with energy, foresight, and courage. This means face mask rules were issued, public events were temporarily canceled, and some worksites and industries were pinched in the name of social distancing.

Governor Cuomo of New York has also been under attack for similar reasons. Currently, his largest challenge is the negative press over COVID deaths at assisted living homes. Seems the death counts early in the pandemic were undercounted. Later, all hell broke loose when the data was adjusted to include COVID ‘related’ deaths. Cuomo also took heat for shutting down schools, asking citizens to wear face masks, social distance and curtail activities outside their homes. A complaint of ‘freedom’ was heard loud and clear from those who thought the governor had gone too far. And coverup for misreporting elder care center deaths.

From my perspective, both governors are heroes. They stepped up to do their duty in the name of the public. They took the heat for decisions that would keep people safe and reduce the toll of the pandemic. Both states continue their journey to haven once the pandemic is over. That will happen eventually, but until then disciplined leadership is needed.

Especially leadership in face of unknowns - pandemic scale and scope, definitions of cause of death when underlying conditions are plentiful, diagnoses clouded by a misunderstood disease and its effects on underlying conditions. Did the patient die of obesity? Diabetes? Heart Failure? Lung disease? Pneumonia? Or was it 'just' COVID? No one knew then. We have adopted protocols now to give proper weight to the death counts from the pandemic. It took time and input from several professions.

Some people think a leader cannot ask others for personal sacrifice. Yet that is the nature of the job itself.

Leaders heed warnings of trouble. They study the problem for full definition, cause, effect, and possible solution. They make decisions based on the information they have accumulated knowing it is no complete. They do the best job with the tools at hand in the circumstances that are dealt them. They do not have the luxury of omniscient knowledge. They also continue to study the problems until it is tamed and their world is once again safe.

Critics of leaders never seem to think of themselves in similar situations. What would they do if called upon to take action on behalf of others? But these folk would rather tear down somebody rather than place themselves in the hot seat.

Most public issues are tough. An army of people are for one solution while another massive group is against that solution and favors yet another. There is no easy win in such cases. For anyone. We simply must accept matters as they are, do our best, and move forward.

Thanks to Newsome and Cuomo for their hard work and disciplined approach to leading their states. Thank God they are the worthy people in place where the most good can be accomplished. Both states are fortunate to have public servants of their caliber.

February 19, 2021