The first duty of any state governor is to protect the health and safety of the citizenry. In that sense, the incredibly cynical and dangerous performative politics against pandemic safety being undertaken by some (though not all) Republican governors around America is nothing less than the abdication of their duty.

This list includes Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, whose uneven messaging on masking and whose abetting of anti-vaccine paranoia (he falsely accused President Joe Biden of seeking to “compel” vaccinations) have helped give his state among the worst coronavirus resurgences in America.