As Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia dealt with the traffic jam of the century, which left some drivers stuck on the road for over a day because of heavy snow, liberals on Twitter decided to blame Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin as opposed to the person who is really in charge– Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.
“Does Virginia’s new Governor Youngkin know people have been stranded on I-95 for 15 hours? With no help in sight?” one user, who later deleted her tweet, asked.
Youngkin is going to be sworn in next Saturday, so this has nothing to do with him. But the tweets somehow go downhill from here.
Sun-Sentinel columnist Fred Grimm was not afraid to mince words in the comments section of investigative journalist Jim DeFede’s tweet about the situation on Tuesday morning.
“Collateral damage between Glenn Youngkin and the wrath of God,” he brutally (and incorrectly) tweeted.
Collateral damage between Glenn Youngkin and the wrath of God.
— Fred Grimm (@grimm_fred) January 4, 2022
Others also prematurely chimed in about their future governor.
@GlennYoungkin Virginia governor are you safe and warm?
I95 has been a parking lot since 3 yesterday afternoon
This is a glimpse of the Governor Virginia elected
UNACCEPTABLE— Lisa (@rexrode1967) January 4, 2022
So, where’s Republican Gov Youngkin in this I-95 mega-disaster???? 48 mile shutdown for hours & hours in VA & he’s nowhere to be found. This never happened under Dem Gov Northam—or any other Gov for that matter!!!!! Shame!
— Scott D. Rhodes (@ScottdrhodesD) January 4, 2022
Finally, The Hill columnist Joe Concha reminded people of who would actually be able to give an order to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“In a related story, Ralph Northam (D) is still Governor of Virginia.”
In a related story, Ralph Northam (D) is still Governor of Virginia. https://t.co/ZtC4vDjLuH
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) January 4, 2022
As of Tuesday night, no one remains stranded on the highway that leads into Washington, D.C., according to the VDOT.
UPDATE: There are no people stranded still on I-95. Less than 20 vehicles left to be removed from the interstate before plow trains will come through to remove snow and ice from the travel lanes.
— VDOT Fredericksburg (@VaDOTFRED) January 4, 2022
The actual governor did end up speaking about the incident in the morning, which probably left at least some Democrats confused when they turned on their televisions.
“Obviously, VDOT folks have been working through the night,” he said at a news conference, WTOP-FM reported.
“And with the sun up now, that will certainly help us, but we need to get people off the road. We have food, warming shelters in place, and we’re getting to these individuals as fast as we can.”
Related: Hawaii Has Blizzard Warnings While the Continental U.S. Has None
Meanwhile, neither President Joe Biden nor Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has commented on the issue, even though it would likely be a good opportunity for them to inappropriately tout their $1.2 billion infrastructure package that was signed into law in November.
The logic behind blaming Youngkin is pure politics, but it serves as a damning sign that hyper-partisans generally have a casual relationship with facts.
They would blame a Republican without hesitation for the inconvenience, despite the fact that Northam has been in office since 2018.
Still, Youngkin should be breathing a sigh of relief that this crisis was not on his hands, as it will undoubtedly leave a stain on Northam’s already tarnished legacy. Nobody was injured by the traffic jam itself, WRC-TV reported, although it’s already being considered a miniature humanitarian crisis with serious concerns about food and heat access.
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