VA Gov Ralph Northam Apologizes For KKK, Blackface Yearbook Photo - Refuses to Resign

[Nareen]

I don’t know what CNN initially reported but by the time I heard about this story later on Friday evening, Northam was being identified on CNN as a Democrat and the condemnation from Democrats seemed universal. Any initial kneejerk defense by Democrats was done.

This guy has to resign. This incident happened in the mid 1980’s, not the 1950’s. Northam was an adult in his mid-twenties, not a kid pretending to be a bad boy to impress other kids. He was in med school, so he is pretty bright and should have been smarter than that, except that he was apparently a racist. What Northam did may not be illegal but it’s in the court of public opinion that he will be tried.

Northam may have done good things since then but he also did this and who knows what else. He pretends he doesn’t remember if he was the guy in blackface or the KKK outfit. So was this just one of many episodes of this kind? Is one costume worse than the other?

I agree that Northam’s opponents were petty inept not to find this. There are likely a lot of other politicians, on both sides, shaking in their boots about past sexual misconduct and casual racism. A Republican in Florida had to resign just a week or two ago over a blackface photo.

CNN’s commentary is very biased against Trump but its reporting is usually accurate or mistakes are soon corrected, as far as I can tell by comparing it to other international news sources. A story unfavourable or unflattering to Trump is not automatically fake news.

On the subject of fake news, I laughed when Trump said that his intelligence chiefs had not contradicted him in their joint reports to Congress about international threats to the US, and stories that they had were fake news. But the chiefs had testified on camera and in writing, and lying to Congress is a criminal offence. I saw a bit of those proceedings on television myself. It doesn’t matter if you agree with what they said or not – they said it and Trump is either delusional or lying about it. Apparently he thinks he can say anything and his base will believe it.

[Anton69]

I don’t know what CNN initially reported but by the time I heard about this story later on Friday evening, Northam was being identified on CNN as a Democrat and the condemnation from Democrats seemed universal. Any initial kneejerk defense by Democrats was done.

This guy has to resign. This incident happened in the mid 1980’s, not the 1950’s. Northam was an adult in his mid-twenties, not a kid pretending to be a bad boy to impress other kids. He was in med school, so he is pretty bright and should have been smarter than that, except that he was apparently a racist. What Northam did may not be illegal but it’s in the court of public opinion that he will be tried.

Northam may have done good things since then but he also did this and who knows what else. He pretends he doesn’t remember if he was the guy in blackface or the KKK outfit. So was this just one of many episodes of this kind? Is one costume worse than the other?

I agree that Northam’s opponents were petty inept not to find this. There are likely a lot of other politicians, on both sides, shaking in their boots about past sexual misconduct and casual racism. A Republican in Florida had to resign just a week or two ago over a blackface photo.

CNN’s commentary is very biased against Trump but its reporting is usually accurate or mistakes are soon corrected, as far as I can tell by comparing it to other international news sources. A story unfavourable or unflattering to Trump is not automatically fake news.

On the subject of fake news, I laughed when Trump said that his intelligence chiefs had not contradicted him in their joint reports to Congress about international threats to the US, and stories that they had were fake news. But the chiefs had testified on camera and in writing, and lying to Congress is a criminal offence. I saw a bit of those proceedings on television myself. It doesn’t matter if you agree with what they said or not – they said it and Trump is either delusional or lying about it. Apparently he thinks he can say anything and his base will believe it.

Nice try but no matter how you spin it this has nothing to do with your orange boogeyman

[NotAScientist]

Nice try to give CNN a pass, @Nareen but as the news came out in the late afternoon and was on the 6pm news, CNN had plenty of time to have factual information by the time Anderson Cooper was on at 8pm. Also, as Northam has been a major story regarding infantacide over the last few days, CNN wasn't confused as to which party he is in.

[TAWX14]

Weird, I remember seeing universal support for Northam to resign on CNN last night. Maybe I was dreaming tho.

Typos happen.

Northam is refusing to resign this afternoon, now saying that wasn't a picture of him after confirming it was last night. VA Dems put out a statement saying they would not support him and he needs to step aside. His political career is over, not sure why he's still digging that hole.

[NotAScientist]

Lol. Convenient typo. I'll bet that didn't happen earlier in the week when the Dems had his back over abortion.. Yeah, everyone makes a typo once in a while but it's odd timing to say the least.

[Diseman81]

[TAWX14]

I searched up Anderson Cooper's show from last night. "Gov. Ralph Northam (R) Virginia" is literally on the screen for 10 seconds (0:39 seconds into the video) before it's taken down and corrected. The chyron for almost all of his show reads "Virginia GOP Calls on Democratic Governor to Resign over Black Face, KKK Robe Yearbook Photo"

Talk about fake outrage lol. This is worse than the people on my side who threw a fit when Fox accidentally aired a graphic indicating RBG's death last week.

[NotAScientist]

Is he really floating the idea to use facial recognition software or is that just rumor? Maybe the people who "hacked" Joy Reid's blog, were on the yearbook staff back in 1984.

[Anton69]

I searched up Anderson Cooper's show from last night. "Gov. Ralph Northam (R) Virginia" is literally on the screen for 10 seconds (0:39 seconds into the video) before it's taken down and corrected. The chyron for almost all of his show reads "Virginia GOP Calls on Democratic Governor to Resign over Black Face, KKK Robe Yearbook Photo"

Talk about fake outrage lol. This is worse than the people on my side who threw a fit when Fox accidentally aired a graphic indicating RBG's death last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGO6_mhdSng

Heres another one with the lets steer this into a trump thing oh I have a cute meme of putin , again stick to the fuckin topic at hand or start a upteenth one about the evil one. This ones about a fucking doctor a pedatric neurologist who at 25 didn't have the sense when picking out your yearbook photos (two of which he's drinking a bud by the way) to .....oh I don't know, keep the minstrel and klan one out. I lovvvvve hypocrisy and karma and this ones got it in spades. Are we still allowed to use that term? Christ now I can't run for governor

[Sassenach]