Greg Abbott's war on mask mandates has 'backfired' — and he's eyeing an exit strategy: reporter

On Friday, in a lengthy thread on Twitter, retired Austin American-Statesman editor John Bridges walked through the political calculus of Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who has drawn backlash statewide and around the country for his efforts to prohibit local governments and even businesses from enforcing mask guidelines and other COVID-19 safety measures.

The key takeaway, argued Bridges, is that Abbott knows that his strategy is blowing up in his face — and that while he can't publicly disavow his policies for fear of angering the Republican base, his best option may simply be to sit by and let courts dismantle his anti-mask orders without a fight.

The key shift that made Abbott realize he was going in the wrong direction, argued Bridges, is that rural, Republican-friendly areas are now starting to rebel against him and require masks in schools — not just large, liberal cities like Austin or Dallas.