California Gov. Gavin Newsom is traveling across the South, criticizing Southerners' choice of leaders. While in Florida last week, he pointedly attacked the man he has decided will be his arch-rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis. In this tweet, as in many of his speeches, he is specifically referencing DeSantis's attempt to rescue Florida's New College from the ultra-woke brain sickness:

That is all good and well, even if Southern Democrats are not so comfortable with Newsom's tour . But imagine going to your arch-rival's state to denounce him as a tyrant, only to have a court decision like this one handed down:

Given that the science has discounted whatever benefits people once believed came from mask-wearing, it seems especially petty and stupid for local California governments to pursue violators in this manner. But that's what happens when your weak and ineffectual governor lets municipal, and county governments run wild with stupid and unscientific rules that take away ordinary people's rights to gather, worship, and enjoy community.

It took quite a bit of courage for DeSantis to block Florida's local governments from imposing draconian restrictions. He was savaged by the media for keeping the beaches open and standing up for the rights of Florida's citizens. In contrast, it took no courage at all for Newsom to impose draconian COVID rules, defer to even dumber and more draconian local COVID rules, and then not even follow any of the rules himself .

Newsom is running around the country with his slicked-back hair, setting himself up to run for president just in case Joe Biden loses what remains of his mental faculties. He is claiming that California is the state where freedom reigns , in contrast to states like Florida and Texas, where petty tyrants rule.

And Newsom is being very clever about this, too. As much as it must pain him to praise Donald Trump like some soulless lackey, he is deliberately stroking Trump's ego every chance he gets in order to help the weaker Republican candidate get the nomination.

But there is one thing Newsom can never explain away. Namely, why is his state losing population — not just gaining it more slowly than other states, but actually losing residents? Do people hate freedom that much? Or is he just a really lousy leader in charge of a state where freedom goes to die ? Why isn't he back in Sacramento, thinking of ways to convince his tax base to stop leaving his failing state?

And why are people flocking in such large numbers to DeSantis's supposedly tyrannical and intolerant Florida, where life is so awful?

Newsom's real problem is that no one escapes eastward over the Berlin Wall.