Some major corporations with Texas headquarters, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, are pressing ahead with their mandate plans, putting themselves on collision course with the governor.

But the bigger point is Abbott’s break with the traditional conservative belief that government should have a very limited role in regulating business.

Some corporations want a mandate; he is using the power of government to tell them they can’t have one…

Conservatives in the recent past generally supported devolving as much power as possible to local school boards, which they saw as a counterweight to the heavy hand of centralized government.

But as some school boards have moved to impose mask and vaccine requirements in response to the pandemic, they have found themselves in the crosshairs of the right. Most notably, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been engaged in a protracted battle to stop schools in his state from imposing mandates.