I have heard some compare the protests against the lock downs to the Tea Party movement in 2009 but in fact there is little comparison. The Tea Party movement was about a massive change in the direction of the U.S., bailouts, cratering economy, the election of a socialist president, while the protests over the lock downs seems to be more about missed nail appointments and going out to eat at restaurants.
There were a few nut cases that were attracted to the Tea Party, attention seekers mostly, a few deranged types but most of them had already been absorbed by the John Birch Society. Most Tea Party types tried to manage their public brand and moderated some of the weird ones out seeking attention to whatever whacko agenda they pushed.
Not so with the Branch Covidians. These folks are awash in mentally ill people, self promoters, anarchists, and people more concerned about their right to get their nails done than about the Constitution or responsibility. This video clip is of one of the many protests and pretty much shows the face of the Branch Covidians.
And the reality is that the public is still widely split on whether to open the state or keep things minimized. Our position is that six weeks is enough to get ahead of the virus and it is time to get back to work with safeguards. Some aren't making that much sense like the Home Depot I visited yesterday with a long line of closely packed people waiting to be let in side as another left the store. During the lock down there was none of this, yet people patiently stood in line waiting. Me, I turned around and left. Better to come back on a week day in my opinion.
But really the “lock down” in Oklahoma largely meant little other than missed nail and hair appointments or not eating in a restaurant. In six weeks I never found a store that I needed closed for personal or business reasons. Traffic was lighter, you wore a mask in Walmart, other than that, business as normal. Business wise things were booming after the first couple of weeks.
The protest movement never really got any traction despite the media coverage of the handful of events. I believe that people were turned off by the crazies involved and that most people supported some common sense restrictions for temporary health reasons. But by far the biggest reason was the desire not to be seen in company with the Branch Covidians.
