1/x Rep. Shawn Dooley's juvenile piece against the governor represents something more fundamental I've been thinking about for months: how the virus will affect conservatism as a governing force, even here in #mapoli, where it appears to have been intubated.

2/x There are different elements to conservatism (prudence, culture, and religion) but in it's current mass-movement form, it is against government more than anything else. The virus shows many are willing to die from the virus because of their views.

3/x But the emergency powers are a truly extraordinary powerful use of government. Even people on the right who see the need to fight the virus have been upset and have been looking for the exit every week for months. Any missed opportunity to reduce this power is awful.

4/x Worse - the lockdowns themselves trigger other, massive government interventions in our lives - such as preventing evictions (which hurts property owners) and bailing out businesses. And a hundred other things. Huge government power enabling more and more.

5/x Conservatives are screaming in their hearts about this. (And in lots of other places.) So one of the things Shawn accused Baker of was being a King. (In a nasty, childish way). Is he like a king? Yep. The 1950 emergency act would shock the founders of this commonwealth.

6/x Now he hasn't used all those powers, and the legislature clearly supports what he is doing (and that is huge) but the idea that our governor, for months, and with no end in sight, can confiscate property, shut businesses, and override laws is one hell of a thing, isn't it?

7/x But since Baker is trying not to make this worse than it is, because he works closely with the legislature and city leaders, because he's so popular and respectful, it's easier to accept this. However, conservatives just get more and more angry.

8/x (Yes, this is partially because their media diet is lying to them about how dangerous the disease is and what it will take to beat it.) But they see nothing but big government ahead. This vision is why I am doing this thread.

9/x This is a time of many things, but damn, this is a time of government. For most people, government is saving their lives in the largest collaborative effort the world has ever seen. The government is also going to spend years fixing the damage. It's an ad for good government.