Conservative pundit Dave Rubin has had enough of California politics.
The host of BlazeTV’s Rubin Report and self-described classical liberal commentator said the state’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is prompting him to consider relocating to a state with different leadership. Speaking to the Washington Examiner on Monday, Rubin said he doesn’t want to leave Los Angeles but has been discouraged by the operations of government in the strongly Democratic state.
“I don’t feel they’re informing us in how they’re making decisions. And that is much more scary,” he said. “They seem to expect that we should just accept that because they said it. Now, I’m not saying we should all open up tomorrow. But I think what you’re seeing in Texas and Florida is that they’re trying to fiddle around to make something work.”
Rubin said he did not vote for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and added that its possible public opinion could shift in favor of politicians who want to help residents return to their jobs.
“Progressives don’t really believe that work is something valuable. They don’t believe that work helps provide you with purpose. They sort of believe it’s something negative, so why can’t the government keep people at home all the time, and then maybe give them money or other resources? But that’s not a way to live. It’s actually a very anti-American way to live,” he said.
During an appearance on Fox News’s The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino earlier in the day, Rubin also said he didn’t want to leave his state, but, at some point, the “rubber meets the road for all of us.”
“If I live in a place that is so out of whack with the things that I talk about, it starts not feeling right, so I’m considering all sorts of things, and it’s unfortunate,” he said.
California has been home to several hotbeds of the virus, starting with the San Francisco Bay Area and into Los Angeles County. State and local officials have sparred on a timeline of when the state should reopen in an effort to prevent spikes in cases if done too early. California has seen nearly 79,000 coronavirus cases and over 3,200 deaths.
The state has slowly started easing restrictions, letting retailers open for curbside pickup with a maximum of 10 employees allowed on site. Manufacturers and warehouses may have no more than 50 workers on-site, and small stores can have no more than five employees on site, according to the Los Angeles Times.
One issue in particular that struck a nerve with Rubin was Los Angeles County public health officials warning against drive-in graduation celebrations planned for this month as many seniors move on from their high school and college careers.
“Maybe it is not the ideal situation that they are in a car next to you, but that is a little bit more human than just a zillion people on a Zoom screen,” Rubin said.
Los Angeles County is currently set to keep its stay-at-home order in place until Aug. 1. Rubin discredited the state’s leadership on the pandemic while expressing support for other states opening quicker such as Florida and Texas.
“When they say Aug. 1, it’s like, well, I have a pretty good feeling that on July 28 that Gavin Newsom or Eric Garcetti or one of the guys here in California is gonna suddenly say ‘hey, you know what guys, it didn’t flatten even more, so now we’re doing this through the election,'” Rubin said. “I mean, that’s really the problem. We don’t have adults in the room who are honestly explaining things to us.”
Rubin also said there’s a misconception by media reports on how other states are reopening. Texas and Florida, which have reopened with social distancing measures in place, have been mischaracterized, he said.
“They’re not just saying ‘hey, open up, everyone run around and nobody put masks on,'” Rubin said. “They are saying we are trying to figure out a way to move forward, and that’s the thing. If you listen to much of the media, they make it sound like, oh, they’re opening up, and everyone can do whatever they want. It’s going to be spikes in two weeks. No, they’re trying to let us be free.”
