As COVID-19 Hits Record Highs in the State and the Country, Virginia Republicans Like LG Candidate Tim Hugo and Former Gov. Bob McDonnell Are Like….Eh, F*** It!

For anyone who thought that only a few Virginia Republicans (e.g., Amanda Chase,  VA GOP Chair Rich Anderson, Nick Freitas, etc.) – and not most of them – had utter contempt for science and public health, see below for yet another example of a leading Virginia Republican “superspreading” across Virginia. That leading Republican would be former Del. Tim Hugo (R), now a candidate for Lt. Governor, in Virginia Beach earlier this week, sans masks or social distancing. Also note the photo of Hugo with former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who also clearly has contempt for science and public health.

What makes this irresponsible behavior particularly infuriating right now, of course, is that COVID-19 is spreading almost completely out of control, with an astonishing 3 *million* Americans who currently “have active coronavirus infections and are potentially contagious, according to a new estimate from infectious-disease experts tracking the pandemic.” And yet Republicans mostly don’t seem to care, or even go out of their way to show that they can superspread as much as they want, because…FREEDOM! LIBERTY! OR SOMETHING! So add that to the list, along with being anti-majoritarian and anti-democracy, for why the current iteration of the Republican Party needs to die.