No, the headline for this week’s column is not a mistake. I am writing in defense of Governor Tate Reeves and his decision to partially reopen our state’s economy. I’m on day eight of a 14-day quarantine due to coronavirus, so it is safe to say my mental faculties have been compromised; however, I am writing something positive about our governor.
On Friday, Gov. Reeves announced a partial reopening of our state’s economy with his “Safer at Home” executive order. Under the order, retail businesses are allowed to operate with no more than 50 percent of their stores’ capacity at one time and while following all social distancing guidelines. Elective procedures, such as dentist visits, eye appointments and non-emergency surgeries are allowed to resume at providers’ discretion.
With the new order, some might be tempted to believe the coronavirus is dying out, but the data doesn’t seem to reflect that. In fact, the data shows cases are trending steadily upward. Reeves knows this. He knows we aren’t in the clear. Yet, he reopened anyway because he had no other choice.
Recalling my public school civics classes, I remember being taught the people elect politicians to represent them. Those politicians work for the people, fighting for the best interest of the voters in their district, state, city, region, etc. The public school version paints an idealistic, yet naïve version of our republic.
Reeves is a politician, and I will begrudgingly admit he’s pretty good at it. As such, he is beholden to the things all politicians are beholden to – his party and his reelection.
Think back to last year when Mississippi saw an embattled Republican primary. Bill Waller Jr. looked to be giving Reeves a run for his money. That was until President Trump arrived to save the day. As does Trump, so does Mississippi, and when POTUS backed Reeves, the election was all but decided.
Now the coronavirus has shuttered schools, closed businesses and ground the global economy to a halt. It’s bad enough the Republican-held Senate voted in support of a more than $2 trillion socialist handout.
Trump needs the economy open, and in Mississippi he had Tate Reeves, a newly elected governor who gained office by piggy backing on the Trump vote. At the same time, Trump is wildly popular in our state, and the threat of being named in one of the president’s semi-literate Twitter rants is chilling to even the most fortified Republican politicians.
Reeves had to open Mississippi, not because it was safe to do so, but because his party and his reelection demanded it. Watching his daily updates, the President’s press briefings and seeing the nutjobs marching around demanding the opportunity to sacrifice grandma for a haircut, I can’t help feeling a twinge of pity our fledgling governor and a miniscule amount of respect that he at least kept some businesses closed.
Thomas Howard is the managing editor of The Newton County Appeal. He can be reached at thoward@newtoncountyappeal.com
