This is really an amazing story that doesn't have anything to do with President Trump, so predictably, the media arm of the DNC (most of the media) isn't giving the Virginia story as much (if any) attention as they would if this was a Republican problem.
Potential dirtbag #1 Ralph Northam
This all started because of his statement which suggested a new born baby could be killed after a discussion between mother and doctor (the word abortion would not apply here). He referred to the baby as an infant, not a clump of cells or a fetus... bad move. Without that statement, the next two dominoes would not be falling with him.
But of course, that was not the crime that Democrats are demanding he pay for, even though Dems know bringing humanity to the abortion debate is deadly to their cause of unrestricted abortion at any time for any reason. The crime to distract from the horrific statement is the crime of being a racist decades ago. I would say the picture tells the whole story and there is no doubt it was racist. But is he a racist today? Can people not change over time and become an advocate for the people they once mocked in a racist way? I think they can, but Northam used a disgusting and unsubstantiated tv ad to paint his Republican opponent as a racist. But whatever, Northam is toast and the man next in line was poised to take his place just happens to be a black man... perfect! Well, maybe not...
Potential dirtbag #2 Justin Fairfax
I'll just call this one "Kavanaugh Karma". This guy has a credible accusation of sexual dating back in 2004 (15 years ago, not 35), she gave the story to the Washington Post in 2017 but of course that left leaning paper was not willing to print the story without corroborating evidence (my, how standards have changed since the Kavanaugh hearing). Anyway, here we go again, but where are the collective cries for #believeallwomen ? Did that standard change or does it depend on who is being charged? Does race and political party make a difference? If you're honest, you know the answer.
Potential dirtbag #3 Mark Herring
AG Mark Herring is third in line if the first two dominoes fall. Mark came out immediately condemning Northam's racist picture but later had to admit the he too wore blackface as a costume. Does that make him a racist? Who among us know what is in his heart today? Lots of people do things that they regret decades later as times change. But if DEms are consistent in their condemnation with Northam, Herring must also go.
For the record, I think all three men should be given some sort of due process if they want to hang on to their jobs and not resign... this is still America. Robert "KKK" Byrd was in Congress for a very long time and he was loved by his fellow Democrats including the Clintons. Oh the irony.
I'm not posting long articles or links because you should all know this story and I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this fascinating story. Please feel free to correct me, agree, or add your own points which I may have missed. Hope you're all having a great day and staying warm!
Rick wrote: This is really an amazing story that doesn't have anything to do with President Trump, so predictably, the media arm of the DNC (most of the media) isn't giving the Virginia story as much (if any) attention as they would if this was a Republican problem...
This story was given time on NPR this morning. Unsurprising that you would begin with a falsehood.
My personal view.....abortion should NEVER be taken lightly and altho I have never been pregnant I have to believe it is gut wrenching to be placed in a position of knowing your baby is SUFFERING and your choices are limited. Delivering a non viable infant and allowing that infant a few moments or hours of loving touch and tenderness would be my choice. It occurs
more often than you are probably aware of and it is painful and unimaginable. It is a VERY
private and personal decision JMO
As to the other topic....having lived in the south for a few years(all the time I could stomach)
I saw and heard things that enlighten me to just how DEEP racism runs, it is just "on the down low"....meaning subtle and hidden. YES people can change ,but the heritage or
environment does not....and THAT always will rear it's ugly head. j mo
Northam did a sh**ty job of taking responsibility and apologizing, his press conference was abysmal. When this first started blowing up, I held off on forming an opinion on whether he should resign or not because I wanted to find out more. After his press conference, I wrote in a closed group of friends that I thought he should resign because he didn't just come clean and apologize (is he not remorseful or simply that bad at public relations?). Since then, we've now seen his Lt Governor get accused of sexual assault in a story that the Washington Post says boiled down to a he said/she said with no corroborating evidence (same as Kavanaugh, as I recall how outraged his supporters were, saying he was falsely accused and impugned) when they were first approached by the victim (and why didn't she take it to the police?), and the Attorney General proactively releasing a statement that he also dressed up in blackface.
It smells like a political hit.
Interesting how nothing came out about the 4th in line for succession - is he actually clean?
Why wasn't Northam's yearbook picture released anytime in the past 3 decades? Who leaked it and why? Was it in retaliation for his abortion comment
(which was taken completely out of context, same as the New York bill that was passed) or something else?
I don't think what he did warrants his resignation given that white supremacist Steve King is still in office and you never see Republicans calling for him to step his ass down. Or Cindy Hyde-Smith resigning after posing in a Confederate hat and joking about attending a lynching. If you think that Northam should resign, then so should Virginia State Senator Thomas Norment. Virginia Sen. Tommy Norment was an editor for VMI yearbook filled with racist photos and slurs
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Let’s be clear. The deafening chorus of Democrats and Republicans calling for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to step down over that blackface picture has little to do with African-Americans.
It’s about politics.
If there ever was a case that pointed out both parties’ shallow interest in pushing forward an agenda addressing racial equality, it is this made-up angst over a picture that appeared 35 years ago in a medical school yearbook in Virginia.
Northam says he didn’t realize the harm he’d done by dancing in blackface until he had a conversation about it later with a person of color.
“He let me know why this was offensive,” Northam said at a news conference Saturday. “I apologized to him, and I will never do it again.”
This is what a conversation on race looks like. Someone does something racially insensitive. He discusses it with someone he has hurt and he comes away understanding why this seemingly innocent act is so painful to others.
These are the kinds of interpersonal discussions that can move our nation forward, not the angry, hate-filled rhetoric Trump has encouraged Americans to spew onto each other.
On a related note, I appreciated this awesome Twitter thread by Rob George about an "1865 slave auction" fundraiser senior class students at his college tried to organize in 1985: THREAD.
After much fun at Northam's expense, a serious though: A few tweets have run along the lines of, "Even in the South, 35 years ago, everyone knew that wearing a Klan outfit or blackface was racist." Having been in college myself at that time, I started nodding. 1/x
But then I pause. EVERYONE knew that this type of behavior is racist? That means Northam must have been racist (he admits in his Friday statement that what he did was racist). It means his partner in crime was racist. But there was a compiler/editor of the yearbook, right? 2/x
That supposedly responsible person accepted Northam's photo. -- and let it go, right? Was there a faculty advisor? Did that person approve it too? My point here is that either everyone knew this was something REALLY ugly and racist OR they were doing something what they 3/
bizarrely thought was "funny" and no one stopped to think, "Oh, it's funny, but really ugly and maybe we shouldn't do it." IOW, the 20/20 hindsight we have now that EVERYONE knew this was something you didn't do might not have been as strong back then. 4/
If we're going to hold Northam to account for his actions 30 years ago of dressing in blackface, then we also need to acknowledge that racism is still alive and well in the United States and the NFL players kneeling have a damn good reason to do so. That calls to end Affirmative Action are premature, we have a disproportionate percentage of black people in poverty and in jails not because they are lazy or more likely to be criminals but because they are discriminated against for good job opportunities or promotions/raises and singled out for scrutiny and less able to defend themselves against spurious charges.
Or, we can start having uncomfortable conversations about who we really are, the assumptions we make about one another, how we can treat each other better, fix our institutions, and move forward in equality and fairness to heal together as a nation.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
But what about Fairfax? Should the woman who accused him be believed like Blasey Ford was supposed to be believed? I don't see the #metoo or #believeallwomen people screaming for his resignation. Would it be different if he was a white Republican? I think we know that answer if we're being honest.
The allegation against him should be fully investigated by law enforcement and charges be brought if warranted.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
But should she be believed? So many people in the Kavanaugh hearing and across social media was saying all women should be believed. Why no consistency?