THE VIEW FROM THE CAPITAL: Republican Youngkin Keeps Handing Democrats Gifts
Governor's unforced errors could give Democrats a roadmap to fight back
Who knew that the wheels would be coming off this clown car known as the Youngkin administration this soon in Virginia?
Well, a whole lot of Democrats in the Old Dominion — and across the Potomac in Washington DC — but at this date, who's counting?
But reality can't be ignored — nor can repeated drop-ins by the scowling visage of Republican Lt Gov Winsome Sears on Fox News solve this.
The Youngkin administration is approaching political free-fall.
After promising Virginians that he was not just Donald Trump in a red vest, vowing to give parents a greater say in the schools, Virginia’s first Republican governor in a decade has been having an awfully strange way of showing either one.
From the first day in office, Youngkin has been ideologically doctrinaire about trying to do away with mask mandates in schools — and having that blow up in his face.
A judge has granted seven Virginia school districts a restraining order against Youngkin’s ban on mask mandates.
And Youngkin also just made headlines for a camera-ready gaffe in heavily Democratic Northern Virginia when he turned up at a busy supermarket maskless.
Ostensibly at the market to highlight an initiative to eliminate Virginia's grocery tax, instead shoppers hammered Youngkin for coming to the store without a mask.
“Governor, where is your mask?” one shopper asked.
“We're all making choices today,” Youngkin replied.
“Yeah, look around you governor, you're in Alexandria. Read the room buddy!” came the retort.
The entire debacle was caught by TV cameras, including those of WUSA-TV Channel 9 in Washington DC.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Youngkin had to apologize after mistaking one Black legislator for another in a text message.
Youngkin issued the apology after Louise Lucas, a state senator, called attention to the mistake on Twitter. She noted that she received a text message from Youngkin congratulating her for a floor speech connected to Black History Month.
But it was another African American woman, Mamie Locke, who gave the speech, not Lucas.
The mix-up only served to remind Virginians that Youngkin claimed victory after running a campaign widely seen as racist for running against the teaching of critical race theory in Virginia — despite the fact that it has never been taught in the Old Dominion's public schools in the first place.
What do all these unforced errors mean?
Well, for Youngkin — who is very much a political neophyte — it imperils initiatives and prerogatives in a Virginia legislature which is extremely narrowly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
According to the Virginia constitution, governors are prevented from running for a consecutive second term, so whatever time gets chewed up by scandal now is time Youngkin loses forever.
And, of course, more broadly, this political morass offers Democrats something of a laboratory to see how they can potentially fight back effectively against successful Republicans.
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