General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHere we FUCKING go again. "Pussy Grabber" and Kavanaugh in ultimate power, and we hang our guy who
wore a stupid costume 35 years ago. So fucking typical. What a travesty! Yes, it was a very DUMB and WRONG thing to do. But it was 35 frigging years ago.
Northam has apologized. Northam is a good man, a good doctor, a good veteran, and NOT a racist. And ENOUGH of these rushes to make him resign for something SO long ago. This one dumb thing 35 LONG years ago does not define the man today nor his entire life.
Tell me who hasn't said or done something dumb in their past. Who?????
TexasBushwhacker
(20,044 posts)I mean, it was offensive 35 years ago too.
LBM20
(1,580 posts)different times considering the context.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)LBM20
(1,580 posts)is NOT a racist and this dumb foolishness from 35 years ago should not define him now nor his whole life. That is CRAZY to do to someone. My god. Who is perfect? Who hasn't made a dumb mistake? How about you?
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)And no, I never wore a Klansman's outfit.
Response to LBM20 (Reply #13)
ananda This message was self-deleted by its author.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)rzemanfl
(29,540 posts)ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)And America feels like room 101.
rzemanfl
(29,540 posts)ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)Oops
rzemanfl
(29,540 posts)we can't travel in time, we'd be terribly confused.
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)Well, forward anyway.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)uponit7771
(90,225 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Men beat their SOs and nothing was done to them, it was virtually impossible for a woman to get a restraining order.
Men standing in a group could openly and loudly use the B world to describe ANY woman.
Men could get away with "accidentally" touching a female coworker. I knew some that had lovers on the company payroll and even supervised them.
Times change. None of the stuff that I write about above would be tolerated today. It was certainly wrong even in 1984, but it was done. I was never a sexist, I always judged women on what they accomplished and was ok with female bosses, but my views on females and how I interact with them have certainly changed since 1984. I am more interested in what Northam did during his long time in politics. Heis not the same as Kavanaugh, those men have it changed at all.
DesertRat
(27,995 posts)And it was considered racist back then too.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)Last edited Sat Feb 2, 2019, 12:00 AM - Edit history (1)
I grew up in exurban Florida where the suburbs touch the rural areas and it wasn't acceptable when I was a kid in the seventies.
The Wielding Truth
(11,411 posts)FM123
(10,050 posts)Clash City Rocker
(3,379 posts)They just didnt feel safe talking about how it made them feel, because it would be turned against them.
Dont excuse racism with it was a different time nonsense. It was racist and insensitive to black people, then and now. I was in college then, and if I knew someone who pulled that crap, I would never have spoken to him again.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)Caliman73
(11,694 posts)It is true. There are all manner of "silly and goofy" over the top things you can dress as, a Klansman, a Nazi soldier, or Blackface are not "silly" at all. They are meant to send a message to minorities.
I am not saying that Northam is an active racist and I am not saying he should resign. I actually think that it is up to the Black constituents in his state to decide what is appropriate. If they can move past it then let it go, if they think that his really really stupid choice (even 30 whatever years ago) makes it impossible for them to feel represented by him now, then he should step aside.
KKK robes and blackface were racist in 1984. A person intelligent enough to be in med school knew that.
Why the school and yearbook editors thought including that photo was OK should be another discussion, but
Northam was a grown man who wore that costume. He doesn't get a pass just because the racist Republican party gives their people a pass for their past behavior.
Squinch
(50,774 posts)Show me lots of anti-discrimination work he has done in the intervening years, and I might rethink wanting him gone. But for God's sake DON'T try to tell me this was ok because it was 1984.
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)AdamGG
(1,276 posts)I guess the south took longer to come around - they still had confederate state flags & statues.
Also, it's kind of weird that none of Northam's political opponents discovered this until now.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Im the very definition of Generic Caucasian Man, and even I cannot FATHOM describing dressing as a Klansman or in blackface as over the top goofiness.
Bettie
(15,998 posts)get rid of anyone.
They found a formula that works, because Democrats will always eat their own.
Apparently, I'm one of only a few around here who wasn't born perfect.
Response to Bettie (Reply #3)
Post removed
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)Am I at the right site?
LBM20
(1,580 posts)frigging years ago is the political correctness on steroids. And it IS. Northam is not a racist, this was LONG ago, and to condemn someone for something like this from SO damn long ago is WRONG. Just plain wrong.
EVERYONE has made a dumb mistake. He was MUCH younger, it was a costume, it was VERY DUMB and WRONG, it was LONG ago, and it should not define his whole life. My goodness!
Black children are treated as thugs and murdered for next to nothing but 24 YO white men get a pass because of youthful exuberance? Come on, LBM20, we are better than this.
SCantiGOP
(13,856 posts)You are right. It was racist and he may need to step aside; that will be his decision.
We need to remember what makes our party different from their party, because that difference is why we are (currently) winning the battle for the soul of America.
Tipperary
(6,930 posts)Come on.
LBM20
(1,580 posts)mistake? Should it define your entire life? Get real.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)LBM20
(1,580 posts)Desert grandma
(802 posts)Sheesh! When will we learn not to devour our own over stupid, dumb mistakes in the past that no not define the actions of the present??
happybird
(4,516 posts)I found his apology to be heartfelt and sincere. People can and do change. His disgust after Charlottesville was palpable. And, I trust President Obama's judgement. Northam was one of the few people he came out and campaigned for, and I very highly doubt Obama would do that for a racist douchebag.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)I've said this before, wait till people are rung for office in 2030ish. THOSE people will be people who's entire LIVES have been on social media. EVERY "crazy" picture from every party at every age will be "findable". Anti will get more crazy than it is now.
And I'm not sure the best person for ANY job is the person who starts cultivating a "perfect" presence from age 10. Thats just creepy.
KayF
(1,345 posts)not an issue at all but it made me think about Kavanaugh.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,111 posts)It was monumentally stupid but I'd look more at recent history of the guy.
Trump brags about grabbing women by the pussy and the GOP considers him a good Xtian.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)LBM20
(1,580 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)Good guys had no problem condemning Brett Kavanaugh and Roy Moore for things they did "35 VERY LONG years ago."
LisaL
(44,962 posts)No?
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)I don't look to Republicans for moral instruction because they don't have any.
yuiyoshida
(41,764 posts)LBM20
(1,580 posts)There were direct victims of crimes. Very different situations.
JI7
(89,182 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)I am not going to defend blackface and donning Klansman outfits out of some misguided sense of tribal loyalty. As a Jewish person if Northam dressed like a guard at Auschwitz and his pal dressed as a concentration camp prisoner I would be apoplectic. The Klan was created to terrorize the freedman . I suspect African American feel about the Klan how Jews feel about the NAZIS. He was 25 years old, not a kid.
JI7
(89,182 posts)uponit7771
(90,225 posts)... turned their hearts around against that type of crap.
Maybe the VA gov should've came out with this long ago and publicly apologized vs someone else outting him
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)Instead, in a state where racial issues still cause significant tension, he has lost his moral standing.
mcar
(42,210 posts)but somehow we're expected to say Democrats get a pass? Hard no.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)Is it not?
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)The Klan was created to terrorize the freedman and woman and prevent him and her from exercising their franchise, up to castration and lynching for trying.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)Is different from dressing up as a participant at a party. Both are offensive or worse, but one is a crime.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)... when I was young and stupid I was young and stupid then there wouldn't have been ...AS.. big of a backlash imho
MarcA
(2,195 posts)Thekaspervote
(32,606 posts)fountainofyouth
(409 posts)Northam did it to himself. Blame him and him alone.
manor321
(3,344 posts)Doodley
(8,976 posts)from america, to separate children from parents, remove dreamers, ban all Muslims from entering this country, and brand Mexicans as murderers and rapists. This is how we lose elections. This is how we let the real bigots win elections. For God"s sake, it is time we spent as much effort on fighting against the biggest threat we face, six more years of this fucking nightmare.
Renew Deal
(81,802 posts)I think the jury is still out on the pussy grabber and Kavanaugh. Theyll get theirs.
OliverQ
(3,363 posts)He will never face consequences. He's on the Court for life and he's not getting removed.
OliverQ
(3,363 posts)Sometimes trying to be too pure just backfires. You can take the moral high road without burning everyone at the stake.
Pachamama
(16,875 posts)....And who happens to also be an African American?
OliverQ
(3,363 posts)purity tests. White House, Supreme Court, Senate.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)That should be the test: Should this be considered so impermissibly racist that the person who did it should resign irrespective of their party? If you don't think he should resign, would you think the same thing if he were a GOPer?
JI7
(89,182 posts)paleotn
(17,781 posts)Doodley
(8,976 posts)Let"s have a level playing field and apply equal standards.
NutmegYankee
(16,178 posts)I don't make the same automatic assumption with a Democrat. I grew up in the Southeast and still shake my heads at the stuff I saw and heard as a child.
nini
(16,670 posts)Even if it does suck when they're one of ours.
debsy
(527 posts)I went in thinking exactly the same thing you stated but, after listening to the panel, came around to the other side and agree that it is totally disqualifying. The KKK is a terrorist organization and black face is so offensive on so many levels. Anyone who wants to server the public needs to meet a higher standard. Since the Republicans are showing how we should not behave, we need to show how we should behave. Thirty-two years ago in 1984, I would have been disgusted and appalled by the kind of behavior displayed by Ralph Northam back then. I am still disgusted by it. He should resign and let Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax take over. If we can't hold any of the Republicans to the higher standards we expect, we should at least hold those in our party responsible for actions such as this that are disqualifying.
inwiththenew
(972 posts)Next thing you tell me is that you don't have an Nazi SS officer uniform that you wear around as a goof.
Basement Beat
(659 posts)shadowmayor
(1,325 posts)Never forget that Northam was truly hoping that this would go unnoticed. Had he any real integrity, he would have brought it up during his campaign, apologized, and used it as an example of growing older with some grace. But, he chose not to. Too many of these people cry sorry and mea culpa only after they get caught. If you've got skeletons in your closet, best bring them out and dance with them in front of the world. And yes folks, that crap was totally racist in the 1980's with many blessings from the Reaganites and the media.
Duppers
(28,094 posts)And I supported Doc Northam.
TDale313
(7,820 posts)This isnt harmless if tasteless fun. This is racist af and was at the time. Also, if steps down, we still end up with a Dem Gov there- an African American one at that. We should not accept this in our leaders.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)relevant, I think you also have to consider relevant the fact that the Republican legislature would select his replacement. Then, if something were to happen to Fairfax, VA would have a Republican governor again.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)that would require his replacementby whoever is appointed by the legislature, is tiny.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)Turning rocks over looking for dirt on Fairfax.
The point is that some people may feel this is strictly a matter of principle and that Northam should step down regardless of the power it may give to Republicans and regardless of all of the good work he has done in 35 years (eg expanding Medicaid). I get that. But if others would feel differently if a Republican were in line for the governorship, they should also be worried about how easily Republicans could move Fairfax out of the way too. They may be thinking that Fairfax would appoint the lieutenant governor or that there would be a special election. Thats not how it works in VA.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)for federal security clearances. They can flip over all the rocks they want. The worst they'll find is he was a defense lawyer for somebody who turned out to be guilty.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)In which surprises have been found.
I guess we will see what happens.
Chickensoup
(650 posts)35 years ago. I do not like many
Things I did back into my life as well.
So he apologized and we should judge him
on what he will do now and in the future .
However what really kills me is that
what Trump is doing every day is
crossing every limit, total insanity.
One has to be equally brainless to think
he is doing a reasonable job.
He is a racist disgusting liar and a con man
Without any guiding principles
We should all be screaming with one voice
Impeach the MF.
raging moderate
(4,281 posts)I remember there was a movie (some time in the seventies, I think) about a town in the Old West where a heroic Black man dressed up in a Ku Klux Klan outfit to infiltrate a Ku Klux Klan rally. Did the 24 year old Northam perhaps just think he was heaping scorn on the KKK by dressing as this character, or as another character, in that movie? I don't think it was funny, and I would never have done it. I grew up as one of a minority of non-Jews in a mostly Jewish neighborhood where some of our Jewish friends had lost relatives in those death camps, and the similarity between the KKK and Nazis was very real to most of us. Besides, my mother had a book that detailed how American KKK and Nazis had helped to finance the rise to power of the German Nazis. I am remembering that Prince Harry of England went to a costume ball dressed as a Nazi, when he was very young. And he said he had meant to make fun of the Nazis, and that he hated Nazis, and he just hadn't realized how it would feel to people who had been victimized by them. And he does seem to have been telling the truth, based on both prior and subsequent behavior. So my question would be, what was Northam doing and saying otherwise at that time? And what has he done and said since then? But yes, Northam really should have brought this to light, much sooner, with apologies and works of penitence.
greatbaldeagle
(157 posts)You can spray all the perfume you want on a turd but it's still a turd. It was racist BS and there are no excuses or explanations that can dismiss it. I wonder how many of his black patients suffered as a result of neglect in the months and years after that photo was taken. And to think, he became a PEDIATRICIAN! Lord help us.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)ME
! Well except for late November last year, then Dec 22, then again Jan 12 and finally Jan 26.
It has cost me BIG TIME !!!
djacq
(1,633 posts)As an African American and a Virginia Resident, I and my family "was" proud voters for Northam. The African American vote, especially with black women, brought Northam that win.
Doesn't matter if it was 35 years ago. Doesn't matter if he is of good character now. He's a good governor and I'm quite sure Northam is a good man, a good doctor, a good veteran, and NOT a racist.
But that image is there and we all see it. But you also can't dismiss the images of African Americans during Slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. Watch the 60 Minutes segment on Lynching and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Look at the images of unarmed young men being killed.
Should I tell my two adult black children to dismiss the images of their heritage? So, why should I or any DU member here should easily dismiss images of Northam in either of the two individuals.
I can't take back my vote but Northam can do the right thing and resign.
backabby-blue
(144 posts)So no matter what god awful things they do it does not mean we give ourselves a pass. It may have happened 35 years ago but if he does not resign and democrats do not force him out... It sends a dark message to African American folks in our nation.
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)fountainofyouth
(409 posts)You have zero standards for your elected officials, as long as there's a (D)?
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)advocates is now gone, forced out by Dems. There is no excuse for Va. Governors past actions, but he has taken responsibility and apologized. So by these 2 standards he should not be forced to resign. There is no perfect candidate, we are all imperfect, there should forgiveness to those who recognize and admit their faults. Not in all cases but in this case we should stand beside him.
magicarpet
(13,941 posts)... the hope is we learn from our mistakes not habitually perpetrate them.
In that same regard,.. the bluest of blue bloods fucks up too,...
(Begin snip)
Prince Harry has come a long way since his bad boy days to emerge as arguably Britains most loved royal.
By Jim Mitchell
28 AUG 2017 - 2:32 PM UPDATED 28 AUG 2017 - 2:42 PM
It wasnt that long ago that Prince Harry (aka His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales) was deemed a write-off. After losing his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, at just 12 years old in 1997, a cheeky, relatively buoyant childhood in the public eye became laden with burden. At 17, Harrys party boy ways became evident, the beginning of a decade or so of scandalous behaviour that would bring the monarchy into disrepute.
But much has changed since then. Harry, at 32, along with big brother Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, has become an unlikely saviour of the royal family, following in the footsteps of his ancestors (see SBS documentary The Royals Who Rescued the Monarchy) and dedicating his life to social activism just like his mother. Hes arguably now the most approachable royal since Diana.
Here we chart how he went from disgraced party prince to beloved, upstanding royal.
(End snip)
Much more detail at link,..
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/node/10197
Funtatlaguy
(10,856 posts)fountainofyouth
(409 posts)YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Democracy or as a country if we can't forgive our past mistakes. Robert Byrd comes to mind. He turned out to be quite a leader in the Democratic Party, but once a member of the KKK. Allowing people to atone is a more civil thing to do then to completely pull the rug out from under them. We learn best when we make mistakes.
UTUSN
(70,497 posts)bdamomma
(63,658 posts)gets on the Supreme court, and this Governor Northam has to resign?? Also was this a set up?
underpants
(182,281 posts)It just shows you that any little thing will come back to bite you. But Repigs just claw. fight and deny.
underpants
(182,281 posts)but ...whew. That was too much.
MadDAsHell
(2,067 posts)We need more people spending 24/7 sifting through old tweets and yearbooks.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)The GOP stands behind Nazi's and the left cannot forgive a sin from two generations back from a person who is
now on the good side.
zaj
(3,433 posts)He can call a press conference and talk honestly and vulnerably. Lead by example. Speak about his shame. How long ago it was that he learned about how insane that behavior was. How it's understandable that people of all types need to disassociate from acts like that. How he's one of them, but cant ever undo that moment. And how he is a better man because he learned years ago how his upbringing was failure. And how he is happy to be the poster child of what never to let happen again.
Worst case scenario is you say all of those things while the world watches, and you still resign, but you leave a lasting legacy about how to handle these moments with honor and sincerity.
aeromanKC
(3,307 posts)But according to trump they were married so it was OK. He has never apologized for that or his sex assaulting grabbing comments.
Neither has Kavanaugh apologized for assaulting and training those girls back in the 80's either. I don't see the GOP calling for them to resign.
wiggs
(7,788 posts)the remainder of the term in shame and impotence. Too polarized...again.
Assuming this is the only example of poor, racially charged decisions in his past I wonder if the moment is best owned by him and then he somehow can serve as an example of a changed mind, an enlightened belief, a constructive model. Start a public discourse that allows him to make amends and make a difference. If he resigns, quickly, he's a forgotten public figure. If he is able to stay and make an enormous and transparent effort to do the right thing...then isn't that better?
Now, Northam's lieutenant gov sounds great, if he should ascend to the governorship. Maybe it'll be better in the end. But that's not the point. I'd like to see someone in Northam's position consider ways he can REALLY make a difference on this topic. He has the power of the governor's office...he can lobby for legislation, staff committees, call for research...become an advocate against racism. He has a duty to offset the damage he's done, then and now, and perhaps he should be given the chance to do that?
I'm not saying just forget it and I'm not saying to cut him slack without him FIRST convincing us that he can do something special. But if he's really not the person in the photo anymore, I'm open to hearing how he intends to prove it. Maybe his first and best idea is to let his next in line, who is black, take over. Fine. or maybe he has other ideas how he, as a white guy, can serve. Let's hear it.
BamaRefugee
(3,476 posts)Basement Beat
(659 posts)It's hard for me to have very much compassion for a person who finds enjoyment in mocking the systematic destruction of people who looks like me. People of color have RARELY been given the benefit of doubt, no matter how innocent and old something was.
This just gets a big ol' welp from me.
FuzzyRabbit
(1,958 posts)Sure, Northam did something foolish, and even mean, 35 years ago when he was young. Do you really believe he has not grown and matured?
We set a bad precedent when we let the Republican operatives trick us into forcing Al Franken to resign over a silly show business joke from many years ago.
And we are falling for this again. How many more times are Democrats going to let Republican agents choose which Democrats are allowed to serve in office?
Already Elizabeth Warren has been weakened to the point where she has lost much of her Democratic support. Now the Republicans are going full bore against Kamala Harris.
Notice they choose Democrats who are very effective and popular. Who will be next?
TeamPooka
(24,156 posts)It is times like these that tell us who we are.
I would find this unacceptable in any Republican candidate or officeholder.
That means I have to find this unacceptable for a Democratic office holder also.
Otherwise I would be a hypocrite.
I believe Northam must resign.
Justin Fairfax will make a great governor of Virginia
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)... that is a good comparison seeing at least democratic party tries to give a damn.
TeamPooka
(24,156 posts)uponit7771
(90,225 posts)... hearts.
TeamPooka
(24,156 posts)If he had really matured....
He wouldve addressed this years ago.
He wouldve talked about this photograph, how he was raised, and what he learned when he became an adult (because clearly he didnt seem to be an adult here at 25 in the photo) and how hes become a better person Who wants to fix some of the social inequalities, and work to eliminate the prejudices that exist our nation.
He wouldve addressed the terror the KKK brought the families across the south and the rest of this nation for that matter.
He wouldve addressed the symbolism of the old confederacy represented in blackface and how it is a legacy not to be cherished and idolized, but to be scored, spurned, and denigrated.
He had 34 years to get out in front of this picture, but he did not.
people
(612 posts)I grew up in Illinois in the 1950's and 60's. Never ever would it have occurred to me to dress up like someone who in fact murdered and terrorized black people. This yearbook page was his chosen way to present himself in 1984 in his medical school yearbook - this was about 20 years after the full fledged launching of the civil rights movement. Yes, everyone has things they regret from their youth but dressing up in this particular hateful racist regalia is not something that can be just poo-pooed. Yes he probably is no longer that stupid totally white supremacist person, but even so this symbol of hatred and terror is too much for a current governor. I do not want Trump bringing up this guy's yearbook photo to excuse for all of the racists in his party.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)Beartracks
(12,761 posts)pnwmom
(108,925 posts)than to publish that thing. I lived in Virginia several years before then and this kind of humor was UNACCEPTABLE.
And knowing that yearbook photo was out there -- and I refuse to believe he didn't -- he should have made this public and apologized BEFORE he ran for public office.
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)We HAND THEM the gun to use against us.
Expect similar tactics against every 2020 contender. And expect 4 more years of Trump and McConnell.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)We'll have a good Democratic governor without a (no longer hidden) racist past.
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)But we're setting the precedent that Repug operatives can destroy any of our elected officials whenever they please.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)photo out there before running for public office, and offered an explanation about his change of heart and his sorrow, I think he'd still have a political career. His big mistake was trying to hide this.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)he have hidden it? Its just now that Republicans found it and made hay.
None of this excuses his dressing up in one of those costumes.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)how to handle it. This is SOP. Instead, he blindsided them.
spooky3
(34,303 posts)The Republicans found it, from the reporting.
angrychair
(8,594 posts)It was a mistake he has made every day since he decided to be a leader and did not choose to address something he knew was in his college yearbook.
I was in high school in the 80s and Ive seen a lot of yearbooks and Ive never seen ANYTHING like that.
He should resign.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)few people can even remember them now. Laura Bush did something terrible as a young woman and how many people remember? If she had run for office that wouldn't have been what held her back.
Americans tend to be forgiving, when people are honest and ask for forgiveness.
onetexan
(12,994 posts)We seem to be much harsher on our own. Look what happened to Al Franken
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)this occurs in a far, far larger context than whether a VA governor would get to finish out the his single term. Our entire nation is in an existential battle for our future. Will we continue as a representative democracy where voters choose our governors? Or will they be chosen by an uberwealthy ruling class? Will we always be chatting on line like this, or will we nervously remember and regret what we once wrote?
The culture wars and current surge of demands for women's and minority rights and equality are a big part of this. On right and left, they are supplying much of the voter fuel that wannabe kleptocrats are using to take power AND much of the voter fuel Democrats are using to fight to save our democracy. Some naturally assume what's happening here is all about one man and racism, but it's not. But for sure what's happening is especially huge for POC. We all have a tremendous amount at stake, but how much worse would their lives be if we all lost the power of the vote? In a world where whole towns and counties can now be quickly brought to their knees, scrabbling for survival, just by turning off the electricity and water?
In any case, that's what I believe is happening. When the right manages to weaponize one of our politicians against us in this giant battle, his or her colleagues move to eliminate their new weapon, not leave it in place to batter us right up through November 2, 2020.
BeyondGeography
(39,284 posts)We find ourselves in this situation more than Republicans because we have higher standards (the belief that government can improve society, eg) and a much more diverse group of voters (a government of all the people). Republicans can get away with abusing this or that segment because they cater to a much more narrow constituency. Their voters also tend to have a more jaundiced view of human nature and lower expectations of what government can and should do.
Try to think of the equivalent situation for a Republican Northam. What would it be? Posing with the Bible with its pages torn out and being used for toilet paper? Yeah, I guess that would sink him. But its a party that is obviously comfortable with sexism and racism and were not. It comes down to voters. Northam received strong support from blacks, why should they have to endure this from him, and how can he proceed with full credibility as their Governor? These are basic questions that Republicans rarely confront.
Sunsky
(1,737 posts)I've read the back and forth and paid attention to both sides of the argument. I have yet to see anyone who thinks that he should resign, give another instance of this man being racist. I've yet to see anyone point to a pattern of racism. I truly wish he had come clean during his campaign and used it as a teachable moment. However, he fought against racist symbols during his campaign.
I believe he was misguided in his younger days, but I haven't heard of anything in present time to make me believe he's a racist now. Donald Trump has been and still is a proven racist. Mitch McConnell is a racist etc. The zero tolerance policy in politics does not seem to extend to the Republicans. All these Democratic presidential contenders need to be careful of the precedents that they set. What will they do when the "zero tolerance" standard they set comes knocking at their door? And it will. Who will be left standing?
We all have a past, and sometimes some of us do things that we are so ashamed of, we wish we could just bury. If we all should focus solely on our negative past experiences to lead us to elevation and promotion in life, most of us would go nowhere. Learning from the negative aspects of our past and rising above them is called growth. This is where the focus should be. That growth was evident in his fight to remove confederate monuments.
I'm watching to see how he handles this revelation. He should to use this moment to educate others and take us through his growth process (how he moved from the kkk hood and blackface yearbook to fighting against symbols of racism). An apology, then move on is not enough imo.
mn9driver
(4,412 posts)Early in his life, before his senate career, he belonged to the KKK. He was a changed man as a senator and served the people as well or better than almost any senator ever has.
In our current cannibal environment he would have been hounded by his fellow Democrats for something from his distant past and eventually resigned. What is going on right now in the Democratic Party is a guaranteed way to lose.
Racism doesn't have an expiry date. These images have not been accepteable in the past, in the present nor will it be acceptable in the future. Northam MUST understand that this is bigger than him and he will have to pay the ultimate price by resigning.