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VA Gov. Ralph Northam Yearbook Photo - LG and AG Scandals Too (1 Viewer)

Well, see... we wore hoods a lot.  So maybe it's me, but could be that this is one of the other kids I hung with and it's not me.  Who can say?

 
How did this guy make it this far in his career without this being known?  

Is every classmate that received that yearbook a racist too?  

If this stuff in 1984 wasn't all that different than 2019, who in the hell agreed to allow that photo into the yearbook?

 
Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC just said that whether Northam was "Sambo" or the guy dressed as the Klansman doesn't matter because the photo is on his yearbook page and that he has to own it and must resign.

 
I see the Rs here are more upset about the "hypocrisy" than the actual racism. They are probably giddy about that.

 
SaintsInDome2006 said:
Disclosure is important. Candidates need to be honest with their campaign team, their party that supports them, with the fundraisers and contributors, and the voters. Put it out there and let them decide. But concealing the information is not ok. At a minimum it creates a window for extortion, at a maximum it's a mass fraud on the electorate. Let the people make up their mind but don't go around hiding it, or just don't run.
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Do we know he concealed the information?  

 
https://twitter.com/amjoyshow/status/1091732414735499265

.@K_JeanPierre: You can't explain this away. It is a racist photo regardless of whether he is in it or not... We can't have this at all from a Democratic governor. How are we going to be able to continue to call out Republicans or #DonaldTrump if this is going on? #AMJoy

Indeed that would be Democratic hypocrisy.

 
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I don't know if it's him or not and quite honestly I don't care.  What I have really noticed with this incident is how differently the "sides" treat this sort of thing.  Look at how King was handled by the GOP and their supporters and look at how Northam is being handled by the Dems and their supporters.  It's quite a difference IMO.  One that everyone should be paying close attention to.

 
adonis said:
I wish we could apply these standards a little more uniformly if we're going to do them at all.
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Uniform application is good. 

Are you saying people think it's ok for one governor to be in the yearbook with KKK and Blackface costume but it's not ok for another governor to do the same?

 
The Commish said:
I don't know if it's him or not and quite honestly I don't care.  What I have really noticed with this incident is how differently the "sides" treat this sort of thing.  Look at how King was handled by the GOP and their supporters and look at how Northam is being handled by the Dems and their supporters.  It's quite a difference IMO.  One that everyone should be paying close attention to.
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Although the left has a blind spot for holding certain people to account.  Louis Farrakhan for example, seems to still be relevant somehow.

 
Pretty good summary of where we are thus far.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/democrats-blackface-or-white-hooded-virginia-gov-ralph-northam-needs-to-go?via=newsletter&source=Weekend

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam lost the support of fellow Democrats in the state and across the country who called on him to resign after it was revealed he posed in a racist photo three decades ago.

Northam admitted Friday he was in a 1984 medical school yearbook picture showing two individuals in blackface and a Ku Klux Klan uniform (he did not say which one he was). Northam, 59, said he was “deeply sorry” for the “racist and offensive” photo, but said he intended to serve out the remaining three years of his term.

On Saturday, the governor reportedly told Democrats he now doubts he was in the photo and does not plan to resign.

But his party wants him gone, now.

Democratic bodies in the legislature called for him to resign, as well as Northam’s former boss, ex-Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

“We regret to say that we are no longer confident in the Governor’s representation of Virginians,” the Democratic House caucus said. “Though it brings us no joy to do so, we must call for Governor Northam’s resignation.”

“The racism engendered by these images was real then and resurrected by these images today,” the Senate caucus said. “We are beyond disappointed. The Ralph Northam we know is a pediatric neurologist, a dedicated public servant, and a committed husband and father. Nevertheless, it is with heavy hearts that we have respectfully asked him to step down.”

McAullife, under whom Northam served as lieutenant governor, said his successor put the state in an “untenable position” and must quit.

Democratic presidential hopefuls were among the first on Friday night to call for Northam to quit.

Sen. Kamala Harris called for Northam to step aside so the public could “heal and move forward” from the “stain of racism.” Sen. Cory Booker said the images “arouse centuries of anger, anguish, and racist violence and they’ve eroded all confidence in Gov. Northam’s ability to lead.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said “hatred and discrimination have no place in our country and must not be tolerated, especially from our leaders – Republican or Democrat.” Sen. Kristen Gillibrand said “right is right and wrong is wrong.” Julián Castro, a former Obama cabinent secretary, tweeted: “It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat. This behavior was racist and unconscionable. Governor Northam should resign.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said “no matter the party affiliation, we can not stand for such behavior” and demanded Northam leave office.

Liberal groups added to the chorus and were unsparing in their reaction to the racist photo: The head of Priorities USA, the largest Democratic super PAC, tweeted it was “highly disturbing” and MoveOn called it simply “horrific.”

Publisher of liberal blog the Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas, said Northam’s racist “med school antics” had “no place anywhere in America.”

Virginia’s congressional delegation is not unanimous, so far, in calling for Northam’s ouster. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner condemned the photo, but stopped short of calling for Northam to resign, as did several representatives. Rep. Elaine Luria did though, saying “this isn’t about politics, this is about what is right and wrong.”




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adonis said:
Although the left has a blind spot for holding certain people to account.  Louis Farrakhan for example, seems to still be relevant somehow.
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Louis Farrakhan isn't an elected official....what am I missing?  Are the Dems perfect?  Hell no...not even close.  Can we easily see a difference in the two "sides" approaches to these things, absolutely.  I continue to be disgusted by the party that abandon me.  

 
Joe Bryant said:
Uniform application is good. 

Are you saying people think it's ok for one governor to be in the yearbook with KKK and Blackface costume but it's not ok for another governor to do the same?
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I think if you had two people (one from each side of the isle) do the exact same thing under the exact same circumstances, it would be hard to justify one over the other.  Though I do think a minority of people would try depending on which side they were on.  Raise it up even just 20 feet and compare the way the Dems are reacting to this guy over a racist picture from when he was a kid vs the way the GOP treated King over his current day racist comments.  If we're being intellectually honest and consistent their treatments should be pretty similar, but they couldn't be much more opposite.

 
Joe Bryant said:
Uniform application is good. 

Are you saying people think it's ok for one governor to be in the yearbook with KKK and Blackface costume but it's not ok for another governor to do the same?
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What I'm lamenting is the seemingly arbitrary way we decide who is suitable for public office.

The guy is no more or less suitable for office in the literal sense than he was a few days ago before this picture was public.  Had he not made the idiotic choice to put this in his yearbook, odds are he'd be fine right now.

So do we care, as a society, more about there being a picture of this event than the fact that he went to the event or acted as he did?  I think so.  We punish folks for actions they took decades ago ONLY if there is photographic evidence.

Assume for a moment there was no picture, but a few witnesses came forward and made news backing each other up saying Northam was at this party, and dressed as a KKK member.  How much outrage would that stoke, with Northam saying he did it and regrets it and apologizes, vs a picture and the same outcome?

To me, the moral character of the person serving in office now is what we should be focused on.  The recent actions, the recent comments, the recent lifestyle...what good is the person doing for society now?  Have they learned from mistakes?  Are they leading a good life?  Are they repentant of mistakes in the past?

We're all too willing to throw people out, tar and feather them, based almost exclusively on the quality of the evidence of wrongdoing from the past.

Look at the NFL folks recently.  Allegations of beating spouses, or girlfriends have abounded for years, but the only time action occurs is when there's video evidence.  We're a soundbyte society that gobbles up images and videos, and instantly reacts to them, often times with anger and outrage.  It's how we're primed to behave these days.

So don't get me wrong saying these football players, or politicians, are always innocent.  But at some level I feel like we're focused on the wrong things.  Did the abuse occur?  Is there reasonable proof to show it did?  What's the quality of the person doing good work today?  Rather than allowing ourselves to be reaction machines based on whether photographic evidence occurs from bad acts decades ago.

And if that's the society we're going to live in, one in which we basically have a zero tolerance level NOT for bad actions, but simply for bad actions where there's incontrovertible proof in a photographic manner, what kind of society, politicians, and values does that leave us with? 

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Well, see... we wore hoods a lot.  So maybe it's me, but could be that this is one of the other kids I hung with and it's not me.  Who can say?
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If somebody found a photo in my college yearbook that showed somebody in blackface and somebody else in a KKK outfit, and they said that one of them was me, I would feel completely comfortable making a categorical denial.  Because I don't wear blackface or Klan outfits.  I wouldn't have to wrack my memory over that one.

 
The Commish said:
I don't know if it's him or not and quite honestly I don't care.  What I have really noticed with this incident is how differently the "sides" treat this sort of thing.  Look at how King was handled by the GOP and their supporters and look at how Northam is being handled by the Dems and their supporters.  It's quite a difference IMO.  One that everyone should be paying close attention to.
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Also, Al Franken vs. Brett Kavanaugh.

 
adonis said:
What I'm lamenting is the seemingly arbitrary way we decide who is suitable for public office.

The guy is no more or less suitable for office in the literal sense than he was a few days ago before this picture was public.  Had he not made the idiotic choice to put this in his yearbook, odds are he'd be fine right now.

So do we care, as a society, more about there being a picture of this event than the fact that he went to the event or acted as he did?  I think so.  We punish folks for actions they took decades ago ONLY if there is photographic evidence.

Assume for a moment there was no picture, but a few witnesses came forward and made news backing each other up saying Northam was at this party, and dressed as a KKK member.  How much outrage would that stoke, with Northam saying he did it and regrets it and apologizes, vs a picture and the same outcome?

To me, the moral character of the person serving in office now is what we should be focused on.  The recent actions, the recent comments, the recent lifestyle...what good is the person doing for society now?  Have they learned from mistakes?  Are they leading a good life?  Are they repentant of mistakes in the past?

We're all too willing to throw people out, tar and feather them, based almost exclusively on the quality of the evidence of wrongdoing from the past.

Look at the NFL folks recently.  Allegations of beating spouses, or girlfriends have abounded for years, but the only time action occurs is when there's video evidence.  We're a soundbyte society that gobbles up images and videos, and instantly reacts to them, often times with anger and outrage.  It's how we're primed to behave these days.

So don't get me wrong saying these football players, or politicians, are always innocent.  But at some level I feel like we're focused on the wrong things.  Did the abuse occur?  Is there reasonable proof to show it did?  What's the quality of the person doing good work today?  Rather than allowing ourselves to be reaction machines based on whether photographic evidence occurs from bad acts decades ago.

And if that's the society we're going to live in, one in which we basically have a zero tolerance level NOT for bad actions, but simply for bad actions where there's incontrovertible proof in a photographic manner, what kind of society, politicians, and values does that leave us with? 
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I hear you. I do agree it sometimes feels like a superficial navigation of an obstacle course where successfully getting through the course may or may not mean they're "fit". 

I get it. Just not sure it'll ever change for how we "evaluate" and choose politicians. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
I hear you. I do agree it sometimes feels like a superficial navigation of an obstacle course where successfully getting through the course may or may not mean they're "fit". 

I get it. Just not sure it'll ever change for how we "evaluate" and choose politicians. 
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We're a society of armchair reaction factories, who gobble up photographic and video evidence and are quick to dole out perceived justice.

I couldn't have told you Northam's name a day ago, and today I don't care much more.  But I do worry that the kind of societal reactions we're encouraging aren't those that contribute to a thriving and healthy democracy, where we're being led by the best folks.

 
squistion said:
Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC just said that whether Northam was "Sambo" or the guy dressed as the Klansman doesn't matter because the photo is on his yearbook page and that he has to own it and must resign.
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If it is true that Northam is not actually one of the individuals in the photo, how is what Capehart said in any way fair to Northam?

 
adonis said:
We're a society of armchair reaction factories, who gobble up photographic and video evidence and are quick to dole out perceived justice.

I couldn't have told you Northam's name a day ago, and today I don't care much more.  But I do worry that the kind of societal reactions we're encouraging aren't those that contribute to a thriving and healthy democracy, where we're being led by the best folks.
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The abortion quotes from him a few days ago too add to this mix. 

One of my closest friends is a kind thoughtful smart attorney. He's also very conservative and very much pro-life. He genuinely was heartbroken Friday morning asking me how many people did I think felt like Northram and supported full on infanticide. Right or wrong, that's how he saw Northram's comments earlier this week. I'm not sure how this all factors in but that's at least in the equation for the reaction here I think.  

 
I don't know how VA stuff works. If Northram resigns, the Lt. Governor becomes governor? What's he like? In other words, for Democrats, if they lose Northram are they still in a good position for power? 

 
dickey moe said:
If it is true that Northam is not actually one of the individuals in the photo, how is what Capehart said in any way fair to Northam?
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As Capehart said, it was on his yearbook page. One assumes that he selected the photo, but if not, there are no accounts of him complaining about it at the time, which would mean he tacitly approved of it.

To make matters worse, he knew it was out there for anyone to find and he could have raised this issue about his past when he ran for governor, giving a mea culpa and saying that he has changed from the person that he was and has used this as a learning experience, etc.

 
Joe Bryant said:
The abortion quotes from him a few days ago too add to this mix. 

One of my closest friends is a kind thoughtful smart attorney. He's also very conservative and very much pro-life. He genuinely was heartbroken Friday morning asking me how many people did I think felt like Northram and supported full on infanticide. Right or wrong, that's how he saw Northram's comments earlier this week. I'm not sure how this all factors in but that's at least in the equation for the reaction here I think.  
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I think it has an effect on both sides of that issue. On the pro-life side, they already disliked him intensely. On the pro-choice side, they feel betrayed and angry. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
I don't know how VA stuff works. If Northram resigns, the Lt. Governor becomes governor? What's he like? In other words, for Democrats, if they lose Northram are they still in a good position for power? 
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For one thing he’s black. Which would make him only the 2nd black governor in Virginia history I think (after Wilder?) 

 
So he apologizes for the photo, and now he claims it’s not him? 

Lol I objected to bringing up Trump in this thread but damn this does sound like Trump. Didn’t Trump apologize for the Access Hollywood video and then later on tell friends it wasn’t him? 

 
Joe Bryant said:
I don't know how VA stuff works. If Northram resigns, the Lt. Governor becomes governor? What's he like? In other words, for Democrats, if they lose Northram are they still in a good position for power? 
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39 year old African American.  Up until about a month before the election his license plate was apparently “Stunna”.  Thinking he’ll be eaten alive.

 
GoBirds said:
Can someone confirm that CNN showed Northam as a Republican? That’s so left I love it. 

Nevermind found it. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/politics/cnn-chyron-falsely-identified-ralph-northam-as-republican-during-segment-on-blackface-kkk-yearbook-controversy.amp
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Meh, those type of mistakes have happened numerous times over the years, particularly on Fox where they would (probably) unintentionally list a Republican with a (D) when there was some unfavorable news about that person. I doubt this type of thing is done deliberately on either side.

 
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Joe Bryant said:
The abortion quotes from him a few days ago too add to this mix. 

One of my closest friends is a kind thoughtful smart attorney. He's also very conservative and very much pro-life. He genuinely was heartbroken Friday morning asking me how many people did I think felt like Northram and supported full on infanticide. Right or wrong, that's how he saw Northram's comments earlier this week. I'm not sure how this all factors in but that's at least in the equation for the reaction here I think.  
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I had to read about what was said, as I only heard about this in soundbytes of folks outrage.

I have a feeling a longer discussion with Northram on this topic would ease some of your friends concerns about where Northram stands.

Also, is there much doubt as to why this picture surfaced now?  Is it in response to the abortion debate?

 
squistion said:
Meh, those type of mistakes have happened numerous times over the years, particularly on Fox where they would (probably) unintentionally listed a Republican with a (D) when there was some unfavorable news about that person. I doubt this type of thing is done deliberately on either side.
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Wouldn’t expect anything different from you, defending fake news. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
I don't know how VA stuff works. If Northram resigns, the Lt. Governor becomes governor? What's he like? In other words, for Democrats, if they lose Northram are they still in a good position for power? 
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Fairfax is highly respected among Democrats in Virginia, and sat out a Robert E. Lee tribute by the state on MLK day last week that he was supposed to preside over in the state legislature. So they will be a great position IMO.

 
squistion said:
Meh, those type of mistakes have happened numerous times over the years, particularly on Fox where they would (probably) unintentionally listed a Republican with a (D) when there was some unfavorable news about that person. I doubt this type of thing is done deliberately on either side.
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If you're going to make this kind of claim, the least you can do is provide a link to support it.

 
GoBirds said:
Wouldn’t expect anything different from you, defending fake news. 
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I am saying that this type of mistake is common on both sides and there are numerous examples over the last decade if one wants to look it up. I seriously doubt that it was intentional on the part of CNN to label him as a Republican.

 
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squistion said:
 I doubt this type of thing is done deliberately on either side.
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I have said this for years. But the problem with your claim is that most liberals haven’t. The truth is that every time Fox has made a mistake of this nature liberals have jumped on it and called it deliberate. Every time. So who can blame conservatives for doing the same thing this time around? Perhaps if some of you guys had joined me back then in assuming mistakes rather than than always accusing them it would be different this time. But you reap what you sew. 

 
adonis said:
I had to read about what was said, as I only heard about this in soundbytes of folks outrage.

I have a feeling a longer discussion with Northram on this topic would ease some of your friends concerns about where Northram stands.

Also, is there much doubt as to why this picture surfaced now?  Is it in response to the abortion debate?




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Thanks. I'd love to have some links or your thoughts on Northram's words. And more generally, how widespread you feel late term abortion is supported by most and the slippery slope of how the "line" can move. You can send me a PM or start a new thread if that's easier.

For the timing of the picture release, I know some people who think most news breaks are "messages" and retaliation. "You do this and we'll release 'the picture' ". I'd always thought that was mostly conspiracy stuff but I can easily see how it could happen. Especially in cases like this. 

It's another example I think of how I think the masses sometimes underestimate support for things.

I know the common thing is to think "Every Trump Supporter = mouth breathing goon with a confederate flag burning a cross". The reality is I know a lot of completely non crazy regular people who voted Trump. Same with Pro Life. Everyone wants to think they all are a fringe bunch of lunatics. The reality is a know a lot of people like my friend who took Northram's words as deeply offensive, even borderline evil. 

It's easy to brush off people that don't believe what we do as lunatics or crazies. But I think that's a mistake to underestimate the sentiment. 

 
[scooter] said:
If you're going to make this kind of claim, the least you can do is provide a link to support it.
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:sigh:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/fox-news-identifies-sanfo_n_220377.html

Fox News Identifies Mark Sanford As A Democrat

https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2006/10/13/in-recent-weeks-media-outlets-have-misidentifie/136941

In recent weeks, media outlets have misidentified as Democrats several Republicans facing scandal, poor poll numbers

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2009/6/24/746456/-

Fox has mislabeled Republican scandals before, more picts

 
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