Denver Mayor Michael Hancock tweeted this morning that residents should avoid Thanksgiving travel – and then 30 minutes later got on a plane.
Pass the potatoes, not COVID.
🏘️Stay home as much as you can, especially if you're sick.
💻Host virtual gatherings instead of in-person dinners.
❌Avoid travel, if you can.
🍲Order your holiday meal from a local eatery.
🎁Shop online with a small business for #BlackFriday. pic.twitter.com/acQpWs2Ism— Michael B. Hancock 😷 (@MayorHancock) November 25, 2020
Mayor Hancock had urged Denver city staff “to refrain from travel this Thanksgiving holiday” as well, offering his own sacrifice that his family would be “cancelling our traditional gathering of our extended family.” He didn’t tell them that he was still going to fly to Houston and on to Mississippi to be with family.
A spokesperson argued he’s not being hypocritical at all, that he normally has a large family dinner for Thanksgiving and this time he’s just going to fly to his daughter’s home – and that if he didn’t do that, she’d have to fly to see him. He’s actually a Covid hero because he’s spending time with fewer people than normal, and some travel was inevitable whether he or his daughter did it.
As he has shared, the Mayor is not hosting his traditional large family dinner this year, but instead traveling alone to join his wife and daughter where the three of them will celebrate Thanksgiving at her residence instead of having them travel back to Denver,” a statement from the mayor’s spokesperson reads. “Upon return, he will follow all necessary health and safety guidance and quarantine.
Lest anyone think this is a partisan issue, he’s been criticized by a fellow Colorado Democrat.
Let’s be clear. As elected officials we are leaders in our community. People look to us for guidance. Perfection is impossible, but as leaders we should always be striving to lead by example. @MayorHancock decision impacts all of us trying to do the right thing.#copolitics #coleg
— Rep. Kyle Mullica (@Kyle_Mullica) November 25, 2020
Finally he was forced to offer a ‘politician’s apology’, not saying what he did was wrong but apologizing to those who feel that he did.
I made my decision as a husband and father, and for those who are angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are borne of my heart and not my head. (5/5)
— Michael B. Hancock 😷 (@MayorHancock) November 25, 2020
The Mayor’s trip is being compared to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s French Laundry dinner, which was against the guidance Newsom had been giving residents of his state. And when called on it, the Governor claimed the meal was safe because it was held outdoors. Except that it wasn’t.
EXCLUSIVE: We've obtained photos of Governor Gavin Newsom at the Napa dinner party he's in hot water over. The photos call into question just how outdoors the dinner was. A witness who took photos tells us his group was so loud, the sliding doors had to be closed. 10pm on @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/gtOVEwa864
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 18, 2020
From the Surgeon General and Dr. Anthony Fauci telling Americans not to wear masks at the start of the pandemic, even though they knew masks were valuable (but didn’t want people competing with governments to buy them) to the CDC and FDA blocked testing so we didn’t know the extent of the virus spread in March it’s little wonder that Americans don’t trust authorities during the pandemic.
Very similar to flight attendants that threaten paying customers on flights to wear masks and their’s come off 15 minutes into flight.
Democrats- Do as I say, NOT as I do.
@ BlackHill — Trump does nothing but lie. ie, lie, lie. He is a fraud. Wake up and see it, or send him some more money so he can go play golf on your dime. The Denver mayor should resign.
Another low IQ dem talking out of both sides of it’s mouth.
What these incidents really show is that the blanket restrictions politicians impose are unreasonable so they are widely ignored. The restrictions would have us all living like hermits, which may be effective and ok in the minds of lawmakers but is not acceptable either to much of the population or to their elected representatives. All that these cases demonstrate is that the representatives are too cowardly to admit it and too ineffective to come up with something which will work.
@Gene, Your logic that If I don’t like democrats, I should be a Trump fan is pathetic at best. Grow up and learn there are people with different views. Any official be it from any party who suggest, people not to do certain things but go on to do it should be removed ASAP. Be it California Gov or NJ Governor or MI Governor. So many politicians and governors acting like Hilter and shreading our US consitution but hey your hatred for a person is more important so all their immoral and unethical acts don’t matter right?
@NB Well said.
People are getting tired of these Liberal Hypocrites.
People are really tired of posts like Blackhill’s that politicize everything and say nothing. It’s like the Gong Show, and these clowns keep swinging away.
Meanwhile, we all laugh at the triggered like @Sam, keep barking little doggy.
DeezNutz. A screen name says so much.
I love my Governor. Glad he was shamed into staying put.
Disclosure – I live in NY.
@Gene, a hypocrite is a hypocrite and calling out hypocrisy is not a reflection on one political views. Take Illinois’s governor, multi-billionaire JB Pritzker, he spends weeks telling Illinoisans not to travel, to turn in our neighbors is we suspect they have more than 10 people in the private home. Meanwhile behind the scenes he was flying this family and closes friends down to his mansion in Florida for Thanksgiving. Pritzker himself was suppose to leave Illinois earlier this week but someone in his administration leaked his secret plans to the press. Needless to say that was a really interesting press conference, where Pritzker was more upset that his travel plans were leaked to the press saying he has never in 25 years spent Thanksgiving away from his wife. To which a reporter followed up by asking; Why then did you send your wife, children, and many of your closed friends to Florida in the first place when you are telling everyone else in Illinois not to travel at all or have more than 10 people in their house?
I stated this before while commenting on a different article I am an independent, and Coronavirus has really opened my eyes to shear level of hypocrisy on the democratic side. The national Media want people to believe that democrats are taking COVID seriously while Republicans are not. What I love about local media or media unaffiliated to a national brand is they don’t have an agenda they put it all out there and there have been more democrats caught here in Illinois breaking COVID rules that they themselves are responsible for putting in place than republicans. Stop using this pandemic as a means to try and control peoples daily lives.
Making this a partisan issue, as the commenters above me have done, is odd.
This is an issue of IQ which is simply low among the general American population regardless of political party.
By the way it’s far better for governers to give a public health order and violate it themselves, than for governers to not give an order at all. Most rules are about compliance in general terms not absolute terms. Penis
Rules for thee, not for me.
It doesn’t matter who you voted for, the virus will infect you no matter if you voted Green, Republican or Democrat. Being hypocritical is bad for ANYONE, and we WILL see increased numbers in 3 weeks or so…due to PEOPLE (regardless of political party) not being able to give up 1 holiday to stay healthy. This will be my first Thanksgiving with less than 5 people…because I want to keep my family healthy.
@Sam, Thanks for your comments. Calling wrong as wrong is not politicizing.In case you did not read my previous comments. Here you go, Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It is wrong to issue unconsitutional orders. Like what most democrat governors have been doing throughout the pandemic. Pandemic did not cancel our Constitution. I do not see any republican governors issuing such unconstitional orders. Feel free to correct me.
Second, if there is any rule for a citizen, it applies to politicians as well, especially those who put that very rule in the 1st place. There are certain rules in my house for the kids, but my spouse and myself keep those rules foremost so the kids can take us as an example to follow. How good are the rules when even those created such rules don’t follow them?
Blackhill-
You just proved my prior point. All politics, saying nothing.
I think a reasonable person who has been following pols of both parties would recognize that hypocrisy is not confined to any party, but, rather, is all too often the default position of politicians.
You didn’t mention the regional carriers and problems with shortage of employees. Much if the general public don’t realize they are flying in a plane with “Delta” on the side owned and operated by a wholly separate company. Many of those airlines have shutdown or do not have the manpower to cover scheduled flights.
Typical Democrat. Do as I say not as I do. Sick of these leftist hypocrites!!