If Northam is a racist, he's a strange one indeed

[Yosemito]

I don't know if Ralph Northam is a racist, but if he is, he's a weird one.
Imagine if all "racists" worked to expand Medicaid, the health program that serves the poor, and he helped to restore voting rights for felons, both policies that benefit many African Americans.
Then there's the majority of African Americans who want the racist to stay in power even after these scandals.

[ananda]

1. Actions speak louder than words.

His mouth is fucked up, but his actions are good.

Imagine what a Reep replacement would do. It hardly
bears thinking about.

[guillaumeb]

3. Exactly. eom

[dalton99a]

2. I've seen nothing racist about the guy as a doctor or elected official

What he did in med school was clearly racist, of course

[wasupaloopa]

4. I know this is not a popular idea here what he did

was not based on a racist motivation.

[redstateblues]

5. He did something stupid in the 80s. I know some racists-hes no racist

[Initech]

6. Honestly I think we're learning more about Virginia than we are about Gov. Northam.

If the second *AND* third in succession are both accused of racism, does that mean that the whole state had past racist tendencies or am I reading too much into this?

[DonCoquixote]

7. weird one

Or someone who realizes that African American voters put hm in office, and who tried to hie his actions because many of those voters would nto have given him time, money, or other support if they knew what he was hiding.

The Brutal fact is, democrats in this country d NOT get elected without the help of African Americans, so the idea that a Democrats would deceive in order to gte getting those votes is not that odd.

[Laffy Kat]

8. He's a racist like my father was a racist.

I grew up in Memphis and was in junior high during the "bussing" integration. Both my parents supported bussing and stood up for it, but then put me in a private school once the integration started. There was a lot of trouble at the school I went to, bomb threats almost daily and fights, one stabbing. My parent's excuse was that I wasn't learning anything, but I'm sure there was more to it than that. They just talked the talk.

[radius777]

9. Agree, he made a mistake and

overall has lived a pro civil rights life, and supports such policies.

Most of us have said or done racist/sexist/homophobic things in the past, whether we realize it or not.

The measure of people should be the totality of their lives and their current outlook, as people change, and we have to allow for redemption.

His press conference was weird though, he is not the best politician.

VA is a swing state with 2020 implications. Perhaps the best thing would be for Lt Gov Fairfax to resign (should more evidence against him emerge) and for Northam to appoint someone new as Lt Gov. Then for Northam (as well as AG Herring) to resign, and for the new Lt Gov to then become the Gov. This would allow Dems to hold the Governship while getting rid of this whole mess, so it doesn't have any potential to impact the 2020 presidential race.