Cult leader Gavin Newsom demands 100% total compliance
"Governor" Newsom uses the power of state government to punish his allies for not being as fanatical as he is.
By far, the worst thing about politics today is the "all or nothing" cult mentality that has infected our national discourse. The attitude of far too many is this: "If you are on my side, but are not willing to go as far as I want, then you are actually my enemy." This is poisonous to our political culture and it does not represent where the vast majority of Americans stand. But politicians are more interested in appeasing the most devoted activists than representing the interests of the vast majority of their constituents.
After the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, President Biden announced that the bureaucracy would be expanding access to chemical abortions. Walgreens announced it will join Biden's program to expand access to chemical abortion. Walgreens then faced potential legal consequences in Republican states that have passed restrictions and bans on abortion, so they announce they will expand access to abortion drugs everywhere they legally can.
A non-brainwashed person's reaction is that Walgreens is firmly on the side of expanding access to chemical abortion. But since Walgreens and its employees face potential legal consequences in some Republican-controlled states, they are not going as far as they originally planned. Gavin Newsom then punishes Walgreens, not for restricting access to abortion drugs, but for not going far enough in expanding access to chemical abortion.
This is what a cult looks like, folks. If you are on my side, and you do what I want but do not go far enough, you are the bad guy and I will punish you. Gavin Newsom is a cult leader, not a "governor." He is also a liar and a snake, pretending Walgreens is taking some sort of anti-abortion stance, when that is exactly the opposite of what they are doing.
It is one thing to use the power of government to punish your political enemies. That is indeed an abuse of power. It is another thing entirely to use the power of government to punish your allies for not going far enough in their support of your shared ideology - and then to pretend that they are actually working against you. As bad as it is to punish Walgreens for obeying the law and protecting their employees, openly lying about them makes it exponentially worse. Californians should reject the cult leader who runs their state, and elect a non-fanatic to replace him.