If not for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all

OPINION:

“You’re hot, then you’re cold. You’re yes, then you’re no. You’re in, then you’re out. You’re up then, you’re down.”

It’s hard to imagine that I would ever have reason to quote Katy Perry’s 2008 hit “Hot N Cold,” but it seems to encapsulate the sense of liberals these days perfectly. 

San Francisco Mayor London Breed was caught on video at a nightclub last week dancing without a mask. She was not eating or holding a drink during the clip that was shared on social media. 

In August, the city implemented an indoor mask mandate for all residents — regardless of vaccination status — that says masks can be removed during some activities, including “while actively eating or drinking” (they must think that the Delta variant is very polite, so it doesn’t affect you until you’re done eating or drinking).

Mayor Breed’s lame defense came when talking to reporters last week where she claimed she was “feeling the spirit” while dancing and didn’t think about wearing a mask. “Don’t feel as though you have to be micromanaged about mask-wearing,” she said. “Like, we don’t need the fun police to come in and try and micromanage and tell us what we should or shouldn’t be doing. We know what we need to do to protect ourselves.”

Fun police? No. Hypocrisy police? We are. And she is guilty as charged. 

Mayor Breed is not alone. Some might suggest that the reason California Governor Gavin Newson even had a recall election in the first place was because of his own hypocrisy. Remember when he made national news last year for attending a birthday party for lobbyists at the elite Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry? He was in an enclosed room without masks while telling people in California that they had to stay at home and avoid gatherings outside of their homes to avoid the spread of COVID-19.  

Liberal hypocrisy isn’t limited to the West Coast. How about the Biden administration’s announcement this week? They said that all foreign nationals traveling to the United States would be required to be vaccinated. They extended the restrictions on nonessential travel at land borders between Canada and Mexico. 

At the same time, thousands and thousands of illegal aliens are invading the United States along our southern border. One headline said it all: “Covid on the Border: Migrants Aren’t Tested on Arrival in U.S.” The story went on to say, “The Border Patrol says it has insufficient time and space to conduct coronavirus testing at crowded processing stations. Officials in border cities fear further spread of the virus.” This coverage is from the liberal-leaning New York Times. 

Then there are the activists who defend abortion on demand up until birth. Some even support ending a baby’s life after birth, as Virginia Governor Ralph Northam horrifically described years ago. Their mantra is, “My body, my choice.” 

First, science clearly shows that an unborn baby is a human being - not a tissue or regular body part. That is why abortion stops a beating heart. It is the end of another life.  

Plus, so many people who defend abortion on demand as a personal choice demand that everyone gets the COVID-19 vaccine. Again, many of these same people proudly stated that getting the vaccine protects people from getting COVID-19. Yet, they now say that everyone must be mandated to get the vaccine, or they will not feel safe. 

In New York City, vaccines are mandatory or proof of a negative test. Yet, so many of these same folks aggressively protest the idea that showing a simple government-issued identification card is an undue burden to ensure the integrity of each vote. 

So we are clear: I got vaccinated earlier this year, as did my wife, adult children, mother, and others in my family. I encouraged others to do the same and even did an ad to promote the idea. Having said that, I believe that mandating vaccinations is wrong. 

Liberals all over the country denounce people they disagree with as racists. Yet, they promote a curriculum that tells students there is something wrong with them based on their race. Many are even segregating people based on the color of their skin. In the past, that was called racism. Today, it has fancy names like “Critical Race Theory.”  

Many in the sports and entertainment industry encouraged boycotts of South Africa years ago because of Apartheid. Today, many in these same industries excuse the actions of the Chinese Communist Party that imprison and abuse religious and ethnic minorities. 

All of this goes back to the simple statement that if not for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all. Just like Katy Perry’s song says, they’re hot–then they’re old. They’re yes–then they’re no.

Since the media does not call out their hypocrisy, liberals are whatever they need to be at that time to preserve power. It is time for that to end. 

• Scott Walker is the president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.