Seeing a preference cascade in action can be a surreal thing that makes you question the nature of reality. What we’re really seeing is a lot of repressed responses and people losing faith in the system.

Now the lockdown lobby is rushing to get out ahead of the curve. But it’s mostly too late for that.

California has recently joined the sudden rush of lockdown governors who have pivoted to jettisoning mask mandates. But much of it is for show. The lifting of mask mandates varies. In California, for example, it won’t apply to the unvaccinated, who are presumed not to be Governor Newsom’s base, only to the ‘vaxxed and relaxed’ crowd who are fed up with the orders and regulations.

And statewide lifts will allow school districts and local municipalities to continue imposing emergency orders if they choose to. Unlike DeSantis and Youngkin, Newsom and Murphy aren’t about to intervene. (Not that they had any problem intervening in support of forcing lockdowns and masks, but they won’t intervene to stop them.)

So it’s political theater that lacks any real substance.

The Newsom base won’t seem much in the way of changes where they are. The main beneficiaries will be people living in more conservative parts of the state. What the order really does is give Newsom’s base places to go and get away from the mandates and regulations.

Call it the Floridaization of California.