MEMPHIS, Tenn —
It’s no surprise that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee routinely does all he can to fit in with the Donald Trump way of governing and providing leadership.
In the midst of a deadly global pandemic that has taken more than 210 thousand American lives, Lee is still hit and miss when it comes to wearing a mask. When he is around like-minded conservative Republicans, it’s later for the masks. Even when he faced a gaggle of reporters yesterday, Lee again was mask-less.
But it’s not only about what the Governor does, it’s also what he says. And yesterday, he was careful not to take issue with President Trump’s latest words about the coronavirus. Lee said he agrees with Trump that we should not fear COVID-19 and that we should not allow it to dominate our lives.
I’m sorry, governor but it’s too late for that. The virus has already dominated our lives. We work differently, attend school differently, shop differently, worship differently and socialize differently and this is all because of the dominant presence of COVID-19.
I believe we absolutely should fear this virus, but it’s not paralyzing fear. It’s fear that recognizes a clear and present danger and we must do everything we can to keep ourselves and others safe.
I truly wish we had decisive, independent leadership in Tennessee, but we don’t. We have Bill Lee who is perfectly content to govern the Trump way.
And that’s my point of view. I’m Otis Sanford, for Local 24 News.