Liberals slammed for blaming Virginia I-95 mess on Youngkin

[ad_1]

As hundreds of motorists were stranded for hours on Interstate 95 in Virginia this week, many social media outlets were quick to blame Republican Glenn Youngkin, who was elected the new Commonwealth Governor in November.

Only one problem though: Youngkin won’t be sworn in until Jan. 15, leaving the highway mess in the hands of lame Democrat Ralph Northam.

The accusations on Twitter flew as hundreds of travelers, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), found themselves stranded in their vehicles Monday night through Tuesday – some waiting more than 24 hours for help . A severe storm hit the area Monday with several inches of snow and ice, bringing traffic to a standstill on a 50-mile stretch of the main East Coast thoroughfare.

“Looks like Youngkin failed his first test in Virginia, with 10-12 hours of traffic down on 95 in Virginia. Fail for the government,” wrote one user, who described himself as a “liberal transplant in North Carolina”.

“So where is Republican Governor Youngkin in this I-95 mega-disaster???? Stopping 48 miles for hours and hours in Virginia and he’s nowhere to be found. This never happened under Dem Gov Northam – or any other government for that matter!!!!! Shame!” another tweeted.

A severe snowstorm hit the area on Monday, leaving an 80 mile stretch of I-95 at a standstill. Getty Images

“Collateral damage between Glenn Youngkin and the wrath of God,” said South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist Fred Grimm.

The errors were immediately noticed by other social media users, who were quick to point out that Northam was still in charge.

“Glenn Youngkin is inaugurated January 15th…” Fox News contributor Joe Concha responded to a tweet.

Some social media voice users were quick to blame Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin for the traffic jam.AP

“In a related story, Ralph Northam (D) is still Governor of Virginia,” he told another.

“To the idiots who ask Glenn Youngkin to call the National Guard: he is not governor yet. Find out. #morons,” conservative radio host Todd Starnes tweeted.

“Glenn Youngkin is not yet governor of Virginia. Ralph Northam is,” said Dan Eberhart, CEO of drilling services company Canary. “Liberals trying to be mad at Youngkin for the unacceptably slow response to people trapped on I-95 are actually mad at Northam, but they can’t admit it to themselves.”

A salt and snow plow truck is abandoned after driving off the road.Getty Images

Many have called on critics to delete their tweets and admit their mistakes – and some have obliged.

Curator Jonah Goldberg, the Dispatch’s editor, originally tweeted Tuesday morning, “If I was Glenn Youngkin, I’d flood the area to get this I-95 shit fixed.” DC’s suburbs are vengeful of this stuff.

While he followed up with a tweet admitting that Youngkin was indeed not yet governor, Goldberg eventually deleted his original post.

“I deleted the original tweet because even though I quickly admitted my mistake, I still get stupid replies from people who don’t know or don’t care,” he wrote with a screenshot of his error.

Youngkin supporters were quick to retaliate that Youngkin will not be inaugurated until January 15. Getty Images

At least one user who blamed the future governor tried to backtrack on his accusation without a trace.

Leftist reporter Eric Boehlert initially described the I-95 shutdown as the start of the “Youngkin era” in Virginia, before quickly and quietly deleting the post. However, critics still shared a screenshot of the post.

Northam tweeted Tuesday that Virginians should avoid I-95 and stay home “unless absolutely necessary.” In an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday evening, the governor said more people should have taken his advice.

“We have issued warnings, and people need to heed those warnings, and the fewer people on the highways when these storms hit, the better,” he said. “I feel for these people who are stuck but I just want to let them know that we are doing everything we can to reach them in a very difficult situation.”

[ad_2]