What a difference when on the one hand a woman cannot remember almost anything from alleged unsuccessful drunken attempt at a teens' party 35 years ago, and on the other hand two women describe in all detail how they were raped by the same man. The first is a world-shattering story, and the second "just went poof".
21
You call it 'pragmatism.' I call it cynical expediency.
I'm not conservative. I'm not Republican. And I wouldn't vote for Trump with a gun to my head. But you can't shriek and rend your garments over what Brett Kavanaugh might or might not have done in 1984 and whistle your way past what these people did much more recently.
It's like the Clinton sex scandals all over again, where advocates for women suddenly abandoned their principles because a guy on their side was committing the offenses. Hypocritical if you ask me.
20
Ralph Northam's sole political skill is not blinking and waiting it out. As he has done with his scandalous sell out of Union Hill and other rural communities of Virginia around the issues of the proposed Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley fracked gas pipelines. Governor Northam disrupted due process for the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board's consideration of the draft air permit for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline's compressor station cited in the very center of an historic African American freedmen community and that act of overt environmental racism is more recent and more real than what the fool did in school years ago. There is no poof here. We Virginians will remember. And all Americans best remember, as we will, to look closely at every Democratic candidate to see if he or she takes fossil fuel money and if she or he talks environment, but never walks it.
4
There is little doubt the top 3 officeholders here engaged in activities that cost the careers of others. Thoughout all media of news it went poof. Perhaps there was no time for it as investigating/bashing Republicans in minutiae is prioritized.
14
One hopes the law firm hired to white wash the black face also explains how the nickname “Coonman” appeared below his name in the yearbook.
12
I graduated high school in 1973. I knew what equal rights were, what segregation was, and what was supposed to be America’s future. I’m sorry, but a governor from Virginia older than me should have known the same. There is no excuse of being in college in the ‘80’s that passes as acceptable. Equal rights is not a millennial thing. Baby boomers and older have known what racism and bigotry was 50 years ago. The governor cannot use youth or a silly prank as an excuse. Racism is far more likely than ignorance of youth.
11
I don't think things 'just went poof' at all, but sadly, we are not getting the type of nuanced, contextual coverage that might show that this isn't a cut-and-dry matter, that there has been an unquestioning piling on of anyone who is accused (the lieutenant governor) or who has done perhaps one or two bonehead things (the governor) that a lifetime of honorable achievement surely (among some of us) would seem to override. What likely is happening here is that people are taking a step back from the Inquisition-like atmosphere -- an admirable quality among Virginians in these odd and polarizing times in which a president who is a serial assaulter, misogynist and racist who championed the cause of the white supremacists in Charlottesville somehow gets of scot-free again and again.
7
Why are only Democrats accountable for their behavior? Why do Republicans always get off the hook?
4
The news media’s incessant need for ever more sensational stories is what created this coverage.
The news media’s incessant need for ever more sensational stories is why this story no longer matters to anyone.
5
Oh come on. With Trump we have had and will have dozens of scandals to make us forget the ones in VA.
2
Could it be media misses the scandal more than the people of Virginia? With Mueller missing from the front page the talking heads are searching for something to put on the front page.
4
If they were Republicans, they would have been gone weeks ago.
17
I love this as a piece of journalism.
What’s news isn’t the latest scandal; it’s how the scandal plays out in the various media representing it.
It’s a strange distended morality we live in where there is no right and wrong, only the braying of the virtual crowd whose cruel attention, like a forest fire, destroys everything except the big old trees who look down at their charred knees and shrug.
4
Too bad Al Frankin didn't stick it out.
8
It's just as well. the fact that he didn't stick it out demonstrates a lack of brains/guts/political sense. Good riddance.
2
Washington-based talk-radio host, Larry O’Connor, may be on to something in his explanation as to why the three Virginia politicians are still in office.
Mr. O'Connor asked the following in my own words: (1) Where are the people at the homes of these men demanding they step down? (2) Where are the businesses threatening to pull out of Virginia, if the three politicians do not step down? (3) Where are the threats from Hollywood to stop filming movies in Virginia, if the three politicians do not step down?
These are tactics some on the left have used to force a desired outcome, when it is Republicans who misbehaved. And in this case, the offenses of the three politicians are ones the left has said it finds intolerable.
So why are the three politicians still in office? Because the three men are Democrats. And why are those on the right not employing tactics of the left to go after these men? Because people on the right prefer due process and deliberation rather than resorting to threats and rowdiness.
12
Pursuing the three separate issues would have been awkward to the "diversity" crowd, plus, the news industry apparently isn't as interested in Democratic escapades, republican dramas fit the storyline much better.
12
The Democrats are finally learning not of self-immolate. Republicans in similar situations would never resign.
9
Al Frankin for President.
Too many people are using the MeToo movement to destroy their political opponent.
6
It went poof because the offenders were Democrats.
13
I think we need to stop attempting to litigate stupid behavior or regrettable words from decades ago. As well as attempting to try decades old accusations in the court of media.
Though I'm glad these "scandals" have "went poof", I'm not naive enough to believe it wasn't because doing so was politically convenient to the democrats in VA.
6
If everyone was held accountable for 100% of their life’s mis-deeds … there would be no need for forgiving religions … hmm, might be a better world!
6
The bar is so low now with Trump as president what use to be scandal no longer is. The question that should be asked are we better now than we were before? The final arbiter of these changing times is the voter and not the 24-hour news cycle. Maybe we have been freed from the fake Puritan face we have put on our elected officials. People should be allowed to atone for prior bad behavior. The final juror is the voter.
7
If the same level of scrutiny applied to Kavanaugh's accomplices and accusers goes into this investigation, Northam's probably safe. However, that doesn't mean I believe him.
I did a tribute Hallowe'en costume to Tina Turner 35 years ago. I can still recall quite clearly that it did not involve any makeup of any color, just a highly teased hair-do and a fringed short sheath, like her trademark costumes. Another Hallowe'en, I was spray painted silver. (That stuff was hard to remove!) Neither costume won any awards, but I sure do remember them in detail. So, how come Northam can't remember whether he painted his face black and appeared in the yearbook? This degree of selective amnesia rather beggars belief.
And nobody else he went to school with remembers an outfit nor a photo like that? C'mon, folks, there is more to this story than meets the newsprint.
I don't think it's "poof" yet.
1
Wait a couple news cycles these days, it all goes away. In the Trump Era, nuthin’ sticks to nobody. Al Franken for president.
1
If only Al Franken had been advised to stick it out.
2
How about we just don’t want Kirk Cox as governor?
2
It's the politics of Destruction. All the "news" sources want is the SHOCK value and to be able to claim they "brought down the target". SO, big hoopla and big showmanship at first ... but if it doesn't bring down the Big Target, give it up and try to find a new "Most Shocking Thing Ever" to bring down some new target.
The news media, the politicians, the power brokers ... they don't really care about any of it. The news media doesn't actually care about racism or rape - they care about money and selling ads. The politicians don't care about any of it either - they just want to see the guy with more power than them brought down so they get more power and take his place.
The Dems with all the power don't actually care about any of this ..... they care about power and getting more of it (Dem VOTERS do really care ... just not Dem POLITICIANS). GOP cares about stopping the Dem Politicians from getting more power. (GOP VOTERS care about issues as well .... again it's the powerful politicians that are the problem)
2
It's not about 'political realities', it's not about any special rhetorical tricks. It's about actual reality and humanity.
The governor, as a very young man, did something stupid. Outside of that, he's been a good man in every way. Removing him means putting someone worse in the office, more likely to be racist, and not the person the voters chose. It'll make Republicans and Racists happy to see the governor removed, a victory for them. It'll also tell everyone that we have no actual belief in forgiveness, in mistakes, in redemption.
2
Virginia simply treated it as much about nothing. But, Fairfax political career is over. It is ironic that in this black face political scandal, it is Fairfax that got hit hard that ended his political career because of sex scandal.
1
Maybe if the women that were shrieking at Senator Flake last year while he hid in an elevator show up and shriek at Justin Fairfax, the press will pretend to care about women again.
10
We seem to have collectively forgiven Tulsi Gabbard, who promoted gay conversion therapy until she was 30 in 2012, and now is running for president. Why shouldn't we forgive Northam for the blackface in 1980s?
Or do we have different standards for racism and homophobia, where racism can never be forgiven, but homophobia can?
2
Al Franken must be kicking himself.
2
@mbrody
Given the pall it seems to have cast over her campaign, maybe Kirsten Gillibrand is kicking herself.
I hope so.
5
Maybe his record of public service spanning many years won out over one photo and a single press conference.
3
Al Franken received not even an investigation. I am tired of Dems unilaterally disarming / disappearing for any mis-step when Republicans continue to support Trump and don't demand his ouster when he brags about sexual assault - and countless other things. I am glad they are riding it out. We need to get a grip people. Are Children still in cages? Where are Trumps taxes? focus.
7
I recall that Nancy Pelosi, among others, called on him to resign, yesterday if not sooner. She's not the master politician that the heavily female, liberal readership here so wants to revere.
But hey! She blew Trump away in the budget negotiations, didn't she? Only to then watch him declare a national emergency, which she couldn't reverse over his veto, even in the House.
That old Line from House of Cards (and I don't think it was original there) applies to Donald:
When you don't like the way the table's been set, overturn the table!
1
The scandal didn't go "poof". It was just buried, but it is still simmering. And it will be back, with interest due, come next election.
4
@Raven Lorde
You don't seem to be a Virginia voter. And I doubt it will be back. Fairfax - there will or wont' be criminal charges, but for the governor, he has a great record and his actions in office will be what matter.
2
While the actions and pay deeds odd these people are all reprehensible it is a sad commentary that they are eclipsed by the daily behavior and actions of Trump and the gop. The mind has difficulty grasping the constant onslaught of bad behavior we are all subject to.
Nothing special over there. Just some women in great detail accuse a man of raping them. When did Democrats consider these things important and defended women?
8
This would have been an unjustified triple play political coup for and by the Virginia Republican political establishment.
3
@alank
Exactly. But what I still can't figure out is how the Republicans got (a) the Governor to appear in the KKK yearbook photo 30 years ago; (b) the Lt. Governor to sexually assault that woman; and (c) the AG to dress in blackface. These are some crafty Republicans!
12
@alank
The Republicans didn't have a dang thing to do with, other than stand on the sidelines and watch your party act foolishly. It *was* amusing.
9
@alank
Democrats were the ones demanding his resignation, in furtherance of the party's Higher Morality.
5
Strange? No. And it didn't go poof. Where is this kind of coverage for all of the GOP scandals, which are profoundly worse?
This article and its misleading headline are proof that NYT editors and journalists do not seem to understand false equivalence. One scandal is not the same as another. Otherwise, I agree with other comments that editors have been intentionally using false equivalence for the past few years to help conservatives and hurt progressives. Has something changed in journalism ethics, standards? There is very little good journalism in NYT these days. There is great sensationalism and influencer articles for the wealthy... just not great journalism.
6
@Misplaced Modifier
Profoundly worse than sexual assault (twice) and blackface and a KKK costume? If these were Republicans they would be long gone. The hypocrisy is just gross -just like listening to Democrats twist themselves into knots about why Joe Biden is such a great guy it doesn’t matter that he can’t keep his hands to himself.
6
Seriously,are there no honest republicans?Name some.
1
@susan mccall
Your definition of "honest" is the key. I think what you have in mind is a cross between Nelson Rockefeller and Margaret Chase Smith. Sorry, but no.
3
Dems didn't want to throw their own rascals out.
13
Mass hysteria. There's been a lot of that going on lately. Some day the New York Times will look inward and see some there as well.
5
Hate to say it, there's a "quid pro quo" opportunity for the Black Caucus in Virginia.
3
Since politics became a combination of Gotcha and Professional Wrestling, the fan-base craves new excitement to fill its short attention span. They've moved on. Today it's Biden.
Tomorrow? Well, tune in tomorrow.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
9
What happened? Everyone his age and older went back to their yearbooks and saw the same ignorant racist photos. So they decided they would have to let it go or have a mass resignation of all political officials.
3
Under no circumstances should the Democratic Party surrender the State of Virginia to the Republicans. More is at stake for working class Virginians than looking deep into someone's past to see if they might have at one time been a racist. The reality is there are plenty of active present day racists in the GOP camp.
5
Because, when it comes down to it, our ethics depend on whether there will be consequences we don't like if we exercise them...
7
Why aren't Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Watson praised as heroes by #MeToo leaders? Their claims are very detailed and substantial, and it's not just sexual misbehavior, it's rape. Where's the outcry?
18
A strange thought, hard to believe but ... perhaps Virginians have different ideas from those of the New York Times about what constitutes a scandal and even have different priorities from the Times! Perhaps they care more whether the current administration is overall better for them than the previous one. People are so strange!
4
It went "poof" because it hurt Democrats. The vast majority of the media today are simply #DemocraticOperativesWithBylines. Once you understand that, you learn that modern journalism is all about deciding which facts the public doesn't need to know because it might hurt Democrats.
27
What a disgraceful, awful double standard. If these were Republicans the news would be 24 hour a day until they all resigned or were impeached. But all Democrats? Meh, just some youthful shenanigans, nothing to see here, move along. A case study in America’s current moral failure. Go join the Biden campaign. Etc.
25
This is pretty typical. After all these are a Democrats. Nuff said.
22
It went "poof" because it reflected poorly on democrats. Had these three had an (R) behind their names they'd still be front page news
24
No one cares, or rather, not enough ppl seem to care. And neither to I, as a resident of northen Virgnia. It is comical to watch the race-conscious liberal media and national democrats trip all over themselves , when they all should have held their powder to see how the voters and citizens of Virginia felt about this, before everyone else started weighing in with their not-so-informed opinion, and that includes the Washington Post and the NYT reporters and opinion staffs.
The general public does not wish to end someone's adult career over stupid things they did back in their school daze. It is that simple.
On the other hand , young Mr. Fairfax so far has proven to be nothing but an Empty Suit and he will have to up his game if he expects to move on to higher office.
And if the democrats think they can win by pandering even more to their african american base, then they will lose for certain, the rest of the voters are not that stupid..
3
There's no mystery - the Dems don't want to pay a political price. The most egregious situation is Fairfax - credibly accused of rape/assault by 2 women. But it would be unseemly to impeach him and leave Northam and Herring - two white men in office. And if you remove all three, that leaves a Republican in charge. Getting rid of Franken was an easy call as he was immediately replaced by a Dem.
The shame is that it's two african american women - from the very group most loyal to the party, that will pay the price.
27
While there were initially many calls for Northam’s ouster the demand that he should step down yielded drastically after allegations of sexual assault against Fairfax and equally racist behavior by Herring. So in the purplish blue commonwealth Democratic ire had to cease. After all, it became quite evident that the Governor of Virginia would have an R next to his name and it was better that it should be for racist or rapist than Republican.
8
United they stand, divided they fall?
Fake scandals. Eventually the hysteria fades, as people find other things to get excited about.
1
Please! There is nothing fake about two detailed rape charges. Please don’t be so condescending to African American women.
7
Looks like ole Al Franken should have toughed it out. Too bad. I wish he had.
2
according to some folks in the comments, had northam and fairfax been republicans, they would have resigned, eh? and by analogy, had they been candidates they would have withdrawn? hmmm. let's see. steve king and kevin mccarthy have promoted the worst kind of racism. both still there. chris collins arrested for insider trading. still there. doug jones had to beat roy moore, who refused to withdraw after heinous accusations surfaced about him. and oh yeah, how about that "grabby" guy in the white house? stop trying to twist the narrative.
5
As in the public could care less.
Just imagine that the most of these so called reporters are Democrat operatives with by lines and it all become clear. Their job is basically to ignore any issue that may reflect badly on Democrats.
11
This was another case of mountains out of molehills . . . not unlike the "Covington Catholic" controversy a few months ago. If someone is duly elected then to get then out of office, (other than by voters voting them out), there needs to be serious misconduct.
Though there may be a spectrum of what serious misconduct is, wearing blackface does not qualify . . . really, does that cause true injury? And if it causes a slight injury, it is protected speech, not a hate crime. All the people in the era of outrage, including in the press, need to take a more sober and deliberative view.
@pjm
It's not the blackface of 30 years ago as much as the bold-faced lying about it of today that really offends me.
3
The President has set the precedent of immorality that will continue far beyond his whole life. Denial, denial, and more denial has become the constant brainwashing of America.
2
I'm sorry, but if Democrats can't see the double standard here, they must be blind! As long as you vote the right way (especially in a swing state), you will be forgiven.
18
Cascade of political scandals that happened 30 years ago and benefited no one. Strange headline.
It's funny that Republicans are whining about how Virginia Democrats aren't giving in to their dreaded bogeyman "identity pokitics.". I thought that's what they wanted? Instead they just want to use this chance to call "foul. "
1
Here is a simple thought exercise: imagine if the three in this scandal were Republicans. There would be sit-ins, nationwide protests, and calls from every single Democratic representative to resign. But, nope, its three Democrats -- this is what it means to devalue your ideals, sell out the soul of what you stand for, and as a result give ammunition to those who will accuse you of double standards and "playing the race card". The three will stay in office, maybe some political races will be won, but at what cost?
18
There is nothing "strange" about the aftermath -- it was totally predictable and shows the true hypocrisy of the Democrats. The Democrats liked to brag that they had true principles because they threw out guys like Al Franken when he was accused and Republicans wouldn't.
But the Democrats did that with Franklin, Conyers and others because in all those situations, they knew they would be replaced with another Democrat. But when in Virginia, they were suddenly stuck with a situation in which the top 3 Democrats were implicated and if they threw them out, a Republican would replace them. Then principle meant nothing and keeping power became all.
So don't believe the Democrats when they claim to have principle. They have none.
15
When I was a child, my piano teacher had me learn a composition by Claude Debussy called, "Mistrels."
That and a showing of the Al Jolson film, "The Jazz Singer," were my one exposure to what many liberals now consider a form of discrimination against Blacks.
Perhaps people who use blackface have different motivations. Sometimes their primary goal is not to hold black people up to ridicule. At least that's what practitioners of the arts sometimes believe.
If we hold up people who once used black face when at the university to public shaming, shouldn't we also ban the performance of Debussy? Shouldn't we ban politically incorrect films like "Gone with the Wind"? And if we do it, how are we better than the censors in Stalin's Russia?
Dimitri Shostakovich wrote a mea culpa in Pravda asking forgiveness for music that did not hoe the party line.
Politics in the US has become increasingly polarized. Instead of focusing on providing universal health care for the poor, or funding infrastructure projects that would provide jobs for construction workers, it focuses now on creating stories of discrimination where none was intended.
Must everything be political correctness on the hot button issues, racism and sexism.
Democrats seem to believe that all that counts in minority status. That all that matters is shaming those who did something wrong, even if that harm may have been unintended.
And this of course is one of the reasons that Trump was elected.
5
It's really pretty simple: Trump sank the bar so low that there is no bar any more.
2
The Dems learn from their bad past behaviors. I would rather they stay in office. The GOP don't learn look at their leader Trump and when they have the billionaires giving them all that money they are above the law.
1
For me, the Democrats have lost the moral high ground in terms of sexual assault on women by failing to act on Fairfax. As a female Democrat, I'm disgusted. And honestly, it'll affect the way I vote if/when I'm on the fence.
11
It's because they weren't "scandals" at all, but either stuff on no consequence that happened thirty years ago, or allegations that couldn't be substantiated with even one shred of physical evidence. People are sick of outrage, particularly that which is confected on trivial platforms like Twitter.
2
"Others point to polls that showed Virginia voters were considerably less hungry for resignations than their representatives were."
This is what it's about. The media, looking for scandal and more website clicks (i.e. ad revenue) and politicians who think they can use the opportunity to make a personal gain keep pushing this stuff, while the electorate what's to get on with what really matters, governing our country.
But, NYT, thanks for the reminder anyway. You got my click. Now maybe we can now get back to the work of governance again?
1
If you're going to "call for" someone to resign, you need to give some pretty good reasons for why you should be taken seriously.
These "calls" were nakedly political, applied an obvious double-standard to Democrats, and/or ignored the real life public policy consequences.
1
I find it hard to believe that no one has noticed that the modus operandi of the Perpetually Outraged is to beat their chest, wipe their reddened eyes, and pound the lectern at the terrible, wicked, outrageous, unbelievable actions of some particular person...but then, when the person abjectly apologizes, IT STILL ISN'T ENOUGH! No, as soon as they put the person through the ringer, they then try to kill them dead politically.
Trump has mastered one particular response to such things: Double down and hit back hard. The governor of Virginia has a more nuanced response: apologize, refuse to resign, and move on...because it will no longer be a "thing" in just a few days.
If there was true forgiveness from the outraged, it would be different. But they won't rest until they have destroyed a person for his utter foolishness from 40 years ago. We have ALL acted foolishly and, perhaps, some even in a racist manner, but we EVOLVE. We aren't that person back then, thankfully.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was a serial adulterer. Where it the outcry for what HE did so long ago? It is RIGHTFULLY set aside, since Dr. MLK, Jr., is not longer living...and because the GOOD he did outweighs the poor decisions he made.
Too bad we can't figure out that if we demand perfection in everyone, we wind up removing everyone from leadership. Instead, let's balance that against the bigger, broader picture. I don't want negative elements of my past to define me, nor should it.
5
Were they GOP, they would be mired in lawsuits and calls to resign.
But they are Democrats so it's ok.
11
After the so called Mueller report, it was confirmed that we are officially now a banana republic. Moral discretions and crimes are no longer a basis for any “ elected” official to step down.
Maybe Kristan Gillibrand should take notice, especially her rapid push to shove Al Franken out the door without an ethics hearing and for things done well before he took office . We all did dumb things years ago in the 60s,70s,80s and it was a different time, but the fight is still the same..scapegoating is rampant. We should be careful of the victims we make in our rush to judge and look at their careers and change since then. Gillibrand used to be a big NRA supporter, but it seems she's been forgiven for that support when thousands died from guns from her former support.
Unfortunately leading Democrats have not called for Trump to step down from office and resign as he continues his rampage of hate speech and spills his poisons daily, further taking our country down a dark road that we may never recover. Funny there is NO big protest call for him to resign from office for his present behaviors and conflicts of interest and lies, distortions and rampages. Why has that become acceptable and past histories aren't?
The accusations against the Lt Governor are extremely serious and failure to hold legislative hearings show that 'believe the woman' cries by leading democrats ring hollow when it comes to one of their rising stars. Anyone who wants to hear the other side of the story should watch one of Fairfax's alleged victims being interviewed yesterday by CBS This Morning co-anchor Gail King. Very disturbing account of who the real Justine Fairfax might be.
9
Hey, if the voters wanted them fired, it would be a different story.
But they don’t.
1
Tells you a lot about the nature of what some call scandals. Just putting something in bold face type across the top of the page doesn't mean it has any substance in the first place. It was probably fun for the typesetter to do but that's all. Just like every night on the news it's nothing but nonstop "bombshells". If Chicken Little could never catch on why should major networks and outlets. Just report the news instead of trying to create it.
The question seems to be whether everyone agrees that the way to end racial and sexist insensitively is to isolate the culprits and expel them from the body politic without exception. The no tolerance solution has the advantage of exerting retribution as well as deterring bad behavior. Good old passive aggressive behavior writ large. It’s also why it is socially corrosive.
1
The VA voters overwhelmingly wanted their Governor to stay on. Polls also showed the Virginia black vote behind Northam. This was their call — not the liberals in NY or California.
3
@KJ
Polls showed the small number of people polled, no one knows for sure if they were black or not, were behind Northam. It has yet to be shown that Virginia's black voters support Northam - and we will never know because he cannot run for reelection.
2
Northam is a good guy and he has a level head. As a doctor, maybe this isn't the first time he's seen people getting overly excited about something not essential to the mission?
2
"Many younger people in the party, in particular, are frustrated by what they see as the leadership’s hurry to move on from the scandals"
Maybe if younger voter showed up to vote at a voting booth, rather than whine on social media (and I am convinced that they think these two are equivalent), I would take them a lot more seriously. In the 2018 elections the turnout in this demographic, after endless bring out the vote campaigns, reached a record 30%.
3
I don't think its that hard to figure this out - most of the press/public (I don't claim to be an exception) pretend that we have high standards for behavior of public figures but the reality is that we only really take that position against members of other tribes (parties, interest groups, etc). We have short attention spans and only get fired up when someone from the opposition does something bad. Republicans have overlooked Trump's behavior just as Dems overlook those of Clinton, Northam, Fairfax, etc.
2
See, tempest in a teapot. I often wonder about social media storms and outrages. Can’t help but suspect fewer people are involved than it initially seems. Sort of like kids fighting - lots of noise and the appearance of activity, but after tears are dried, nothing.
1
I think it's pretty clear why the Democrats are now trying to put this behind them. The party's infatuation with identity politics and, more to the point, a culture in which victimization is prized, has reached its political limits, and now threatens to destroy the party from within. The phrase "circular firing squad" comes to mind.
One would have hoped the Democrats would have learned a lesson. But, judging by the party's response to Rep. Omar's observation that money matters in politics (which seems to be a statement of the obvious) or more currently to the treatment of Joe Biden, it is clear the Democrats still have a lot to learn.
This does not bode well for the Dem’s chances in 2020. As one who often votes conservative, I’m not as bothered by this as much as many readers of this paper likely are. But, I really would like to see a reasonable and electable alternative to President Trump on the ballot. I’m not holding my breath.
5
Once the mainstream media realized that the calls for resignations would result in the Republican Speaker becoming the Governor they moved on.
6
The last line of defense that we have in this country is due process of law. Our system of justice, for all its flaws and warts, is still the best in the world.
It's not difficult to understand why the story went away. The press largely identify as being liberal, and have no interest in policing their own. All the talk about holding powerful people to account is malarkey. When stories don't support their preferred narrative, they just disappear. Happens all the time, and no one outside of the coasts are surprised when it happens.
5
No-one who wasn't a public figure would have lost their jobs over these revelations/accusations at this point. Why should they?
These were more than "dumb things," but I think most people have looked at Northam's and Herring's careers and what they have done in office. Northam got the legislature to expand medicaid, insurance was gained by 400,000 people in VA. One notable decision by Attorney General Herring was to allow Dreamers to access in-state tuition at our fine state institutions of higher learning. I don't know Fairfax as well, but if all three go, the next in line is Republican Speaker of the House of Delegates who opposes everything I stand for - Medicaid for those in need, gun safety, protection of Dreamers, end of gerrymandering. I'll stick with Northam.
1
I find it strange Campbell Robertson makes no mention of the media's role in the scandal's ascendancy. He also does not mention the media's role in it's sudden disappearance.
There was more going on here than Virginia politics. Now the media is trying to act surprised when Virginians don't care much about their politicians' various agendas?
I find the reporting more than a little disingenuous.
2
It never ceases to amaze me how so many elected officials don’t realize that most voters are pretty forgiving. The vast majority of voters realize that we’ve all made bad decisions in our lives, including politicians. There is nothing in Northam’s yearbook photograph that can be defended. The allegations against the lieutenant governor are extremely serious. But where is the proof? As the fiasco during Kavanaugh’s confirmation showed, anybody can make an allegation. I think most voters see it that way. The reason so much pandemonium erupted was because the Democratic Party has become completely radicalized on the issues of race and sex.
3
As a person of color, I've always thought that this Democrat obsession that their office holders be more virtuous than Caesar's wife plays right into the hands of conservatives who are willing to support the most repulsive of presidential candidates as long as he promises to appoint the 'right' Supreme Court justices.
1
Three reasons:
Media dropped the coverage in less than a week - CNN and MSNBC
People are tired of the Democratic propaganda over Russia collusion - no appetite for more scandals
Last but not least - liberal privilege. Liberals and Democrats cannot be racist, and cannot be disqualified for sexual misconduct.
If these were Republicans, apply the above three. All of them would be Poof by now.
Now there is a media narrative for why the whole episode seems irrelevant. When will we have a story for why the Russia investigation happened in the first place? A true journalism would have stopped the special investigation in Trump or made it irrelevant.
6
"Life goes on in Virginia" more or less explains it.
These are not politicians who have political ambitions outside of their state. Within their state, a majority of African Americans do not want them to resign. Other numbers from within the state similarly do not reflect the national grandstanding.
@Anonymous
Stop reporting fake news. Fewer than 2,000 people in total were polled in Virginia, and it is not clear how many were black or how the poll taker determined through a telephone poll that the so-called black respondents were actually black. There are nearly 2 million black people in Virginia - those poll results support the Democratic narrative, they do not support the thinking of the black electorate. Contrary to popular belief, blacks are not fungible.
1
Maybe the so-called "scandal" went "poof" because Northam is actually doing a good job as governor?
Like pushing and "signing into law" a reform bill? (One was co-sponsored by a Republican and a Democrat, I believe).
Isn't that the sort of governing people want? Unlike too many other states (NJ and NY generally speaking, to name just two.)
And yet the Times makes no further mention of the reform bill, and one has to look at other news sites for details!
"Mr. Northam took out a pen at the event last week and signed bills to overhaul the state’s foster care system, the lawmakers of both parties stood behind him, grinning and clapping."
3
Maybe there’s a fourth consideration about why they’re still there: the public generally doesn’t want to end people’s careers over dumb things they may have done in high school or college.
361
@Mike Unless those people are Republicans. There was plenty of liberal outrage at the Covington kids, and they had video evidence on their side. People were happy to explore decades old allegations against Brett Kavanaugh even when there was no corroborating evidence to support the claim. But these are Democrats so of course the standards are different. Northam's yearbook is one thing, but to write off Fairfax's sexual assault as just a bunch of college hijinks is unhinged.
22
@Mike Cos - and maybe there’s a fifth consideration. The fact that a republican would have taken over as head of state government focused the party leaders and their recently energised morals about flogging ancient history (despicable though it was) went out the window.
15
@Mike Cos Unless they belong to an opposing political party, like Brett Kavanaugh.
13
It's called being Democrats.
If they were Republicans, the governor and Lt. governor would have resigned with their tails between their legs. And for some reason they didn't not resign, CNN would have "breaking news" on the story every other day.
32
Tell that to Al Franken.
@Erik We're about 22 credible accusations past the President resigning? Did Roy Moore resign? Did Kavanaugh? Steve King?
4
@Erik lol
It’s called “playing your Trump card”. It’s about time the Democrats started placing their bets and letting the cards fall where they may. Listen up, boys! Deny, deny deny! Ride out the News cycle. Brush yourself off and get right back in the game. It’s a Republican way of life and it goes so well with “family values”. . . .
17
@MM Q. C.
Considered objectively, President Trump isn't particularly good at playing the game. The true master of the game was Bill Clinton.
5
Utter hypocrisy.
The news media covered this for 2 or 3 days and it just disappeared. Why? Because the perps were Democrats. Think it would be the same for Republicans? Ha! It would fill the 24 hour news cycle endlessly until heads rolled.
And why did the Dem perps just move on generally unconcerned and unbothered? Because they knew they would not be held accountable. Just ignore and continue and the media would provide the cover.
34
@Rocky "Because they knew they would not be held accountable."
Gee, you mean exactly like the current Republican presidential administration?
1
@Rocky: Factually incorrect. It was a lot more than two or three days, in fact, here it still is. The news coverage was perfectly normal. It's true that the decisions not to resign were interesting. But trying to turn it into a Republican/Democrat thing is pointless.
2
@Rocky because trump has created new scandals every day -- including some with serious threat to national security!
The Dems have already been put on notice that Trump sees the state as easy pickings for 2020. Wake up!!
10
Politicians and the political press exist in an echo chamber. Voters could care less. I think Northam would have resigned if the other “scandals” had not surfaced. But because there was “scandal” after “scsmdal,” voters saw how ridiculous it all was. And don’t forget these “scandals” were surfaced by an ultra-right-wing outlet that was just trying to throw things at the wall to gin up clicks. The political press took the bait
4
Most comments say: he did a dumb thing many years ago. So forget about it. But he knowingly lied to voters (particularly voters of color) last year by failing to tell them about this before the election. If the people of Virginia don’t care about this, he should have let them decide for themselves then. Asking a black person to vote for you and then later admitting you partied in black face shows a total lack of respect. People have a right to know. To me, that’s the problem here. Black voters have been conned by white politicians for a long time. Extending that shameful history is a big deal. The democrats should want to put that part of their history to rest for ever. They are counting on strong black electoral support in 2020.
21
@Baldwin You say "he knowingly lied to voters . . . by failing to tell them . . . ." An omission of all conduct is not a knowing lie, it is an omission. I would be all politicians omit plenty when they are campaigning . . .
4
@Baldwin: In matters such as these one always needs to ask the question: what is the alternative? In this case, if the triad ambush/removal had worked the Virginia governorship would have automatically been assumed by a troglodyte Republican head of the state legislature, with his own questionable past. "Purple becoming blue" Virginia is moving past that race baiting/conservative past, as demonstrated in its most recent statewide elections.
5
@Baldwin
"They are counting on strong black electoral support in 2020."
I don't think the Democrats will get it. The Dems are aware that blacks are losing interest in the party and they are responding with indifference and insulting comments. Blacks vote at least 80% for Democrats regardless of the race of the candidate. No other group offers that level of support. Democrats want blacks to vote for them but offer nothing in return. Voting is a quid pro quo system for every other group - Jews, LBGT, immigrants, white women, etc. The worst has happened (Trump was elected) and the world has not ended for us. "Where else will they go" does not fly any more. It will be an interesting election
3
Well, every scandal that involves Trump just seems to go POOF...
No past presidential candiate, Democratic or Republican, would have survived the Access Hollywood tape....Not to mention the other 5,200 things Trump did during the 2015-16 campaign season...
Gary Hart was sunk by being on a boat with a woman who was not his wife....Michael Dukakis was destroyed because he wore a helmet and was riding around in a tank at a factory in Michigan....Howard Dean political career was over when he uttered a loud noise like an excited fan at a sporting event..
I guess we just have far more tolerance for our political figures these days compared to yesteryear...
16
Proper behavior and accountability have gone poof! in America. Our nation is now a tabloid version of its old self. We are sleazy and unapologetic, and have forsaken our old friends. All that matters is materiality and guiltless pleasure.
5
Just goes to show Democrats can talk the talk , but can't walk the walk when it comes to racism and sexual harassment. Justin Fairfax is now the standard by which creepy Joe Biden is being judged. If Fairfax can be Lt Governor, why can't Biden be President?
14
@TL
Well, by that logic, Trump has been accused of harassing 19 women and is President.
We should use creepy Trump as the standard.
Everyone gets a pass for everything now unless they subscribe to an opposing ideology (in which case their transgressions are undeniable proof of the corruption of our nation's founding principles).
I'm going to go stand outside of the ex-wife's house and start asking the general public to burn it down. If someone thereafter commits arson then any allegation that I was directly involved would be mere surmise.
7
@Albert Ross
To be clear, I won't actually be doing this.
I'll be asking foreign nationals to commit the arson, not the general public.
I won't be doing that either. I'll be out in the garden, pulling up weeds and questioning if the notion of personal integrity ever really counted for anything.
Gone poof? as well it should.
2
This isn't rocket science ( yes, I went there). It went "poof" because there was no real scandal, just another attempt be right-wing, and, unfortunately mainstream, media to create another false-equivalence on the left with the numerous real scandals of Republicans.
10
Power once again triumphs over principle.
7
Welcome to the United States of Amnesia. And even if everyone doesn't forget, all you need do is deny your misconduct, even if you already have admitted it and your supporters will proclaim your innocence. Just ask Mr. Smollett.
6
@James
What political office does Jussie Smollett hold?
Politicians behaving Badly ?
No, not just the Governor and Lt. Governor,
but the Legislators.
Once again the powerful agree to protect themselves
and their hold on State offices.
On the other hand perhaps the
"Moral Justice by Twitter" has reached its
High Point and our Internet form of McCarthyism
will begin to fade away.
2
It's Virginia. While we never forget and occasionally forgive, we can still work together when someone apologizes. His reversal of his original statement was what hurt most.
That said, we can endure any national scrutiny because Northam cannot run for a second consecutive term.
So Northam's done, just like George "macaca" Allen and Bob McDonnell. What happens to the Lieutenant Gov. and AG remain to be seen. Meanwhile, Northam is Governor, and we have to work with him to avoid the sort of gridlocked buffoonery just 100 miles up I-95 in DC.
As should the nation.
6
It's likely this was another attempt by the Republican Party to attempt to disgrace elected Democrats in the hope they would resign. A great way to get your party back in power. It didn't work thank goodness.
5
@SkyCoop
Yes - totally sure Vanessa Tyson was a GOP operative, right? Face it - the Democrats did this all on their own. All the Republicans had to do was sit back and watch the show.
2
Nothing changed in VA after the Civil War, either. It also was simply disguised as well.
Maybe, and I'm going out on a limb here, these scandals weren't all that big a deal. So the governor may have worn blackface in one photo, decades ago. He seems to know it was wrong, he never appears in blackface in public now, and what he did never directly hurt anyone, just offended people. It has absolutely no impact on climate change, or anything truly important. Offending people is not really important, since people will always be offended, and in the long run it makes no real difference.
As for the Lt. Gov., some opportunist popped up saying she'd gone back to his hotel room at some raucous convention and he'd gotten overly sexual when she hadn't wanted that. As is often the case, no witnesses, no evidence, and no mention of this for decades, just a sudden accusation when it would hurt his career most, as if paid to do so by the GOP.
Sorry but these sorts of accusations are having less impact. When a man sexually assaults a woman, that woman would be wise to speak up immediately, to preserve evidence, and not to wait a few decades until the man is a prominent politician. If this really happened, why didn't she at least bring it up when he was running for office?
Thus overall I just don't think these scandals are as big a deal as they were initially thought to be. Trump is set on destroying the environment as much as he can, and that's a bigger scandal than anything any current Democrat has done.
9
Maybe this "scandal" disappeared because there are much bigger problems than what halloween costume someone wore 30 years ago, if it was appropriate or not, and by whose standards.
Republicans still don't have a healthcare plan.
Half the White House failed their security clearances.
Trump has created a crisis at the Southern border.
I could go on and on...
11
Let’s not pull punches. Virginia’s Democrats will get away with what they can. The question of right or wrong is not their concern. They are opportunists who cling to power and dance around questions of their morality.
7
@michjas "...will get away with what they can. The question of right or wrong is not their concern. They are opportunists who cling to power and dance around questions of their morality."
But enough about today's Republican party...
So, the takeaway from everything in Virginia is that Donald Trump’s relentless efforts to tarnish journalism have made an unequivocal court decision the only way for a misbehaving politician in high office to receive any comeuppance?
Whatever the motivations of Virginia voters, blaming Trump is unpersuasive – even to those of us who cannot stand Trump and who believe he is doing lasting harm to the nation.
2
Those who think the Republicans were behind this originally are way off base. For the most part, we stood back, amused and dumbfounded, that putative adults would think Northam's offense required immediate resignation. We know full well that any defense of Northam would require the Democrats to pillory us as racists.
Now, it seems like you've solved this all on your own. No immediate resignations required, but due process is required. See how it works?
9
@Wine Country Dude: In this country's political system "due process" is the last thing either party cares about achieving. It is primarily about (1) power and (2) preserving one's longevity (or advancement) in his/her political position. The truth is that Virginia is "turning blue" and public opinion on these scandal issues reflect that. Resignation by the three Democrats would have resulted in promotion of a troglodyte Republican, with scandal in his own background, to the governorship. Better the devil you know, as reflected in polling showing the majority of Virginia's African Americans wanted Northam and the Attorney General to remain in office!
So the Virginia Democrats are giving the attempted GOP ouster a taste of their own medicine. The GOP ignores all accusations and plows ahead. The Dems should do just that. We need to fight to win.
As for the only serious allegations, those against Fairfax, let them go through the prosecutor's office now and see if charges can be brought. He should be answerable in a court of law. Then his political career can be decided by the voters.
The Democrats apologize and fold at 'Boo'. This has to stop. The GOP plays dirty and has no problem being totally hypocritical. Be in it to win it Democrats. Stop being scared of your own shadows.
4
The just shows the depths of the Dem's hypocrisy.
12
But for some reason, you don't think it's hypocritical to complain about this while ignoring all of Trump's sexual assaults, or that he bragged about sexually assaulting women, or that he is known to have cheated on all three wives?
1
@Amy "The just shows the depths of the Dem's hypocrisy."
Mote, eye, beam.
Or possibly just pot, kettle.
1
Bill Clinton and Gary Hart should have learned from Trump. Don't apologize and wait a week for the rabble to be distracted. Clinton could have just said, "We had a blast," and done himself less damage.
3
After Trump it would take a obvious case of murder to stop most politicians. We have lowered the bar for behavior so low that almost anything goes. Lying, cheating on taxes, refusing to pay bills, having sexual affairs , adultery, insulting anyone in public, promoting violence at rallies, making fun of the disabled, what else will we allow them to do?
4
Justin Fairfax is the one that astonishes me
Tens of politicians and high profile business people have been taken down for accusations that were far less substantial than what Fairfax was accused of: rape
10
Like a lot of charges made lately against democrats. Perhaps it's never been about the charges but always about politics?
6
"...but Mr. Northam’s public resurfacing was slow, beginning with an appearance in early March at the third annual Public Safety Unmanned Aircraft Systems Conference."
Makes sense. I'd heard he was interested in learning to fly under the radar.
6
Good. I'm glad that Northam and Herring stood their ground. (Fairfax is another story, since the allegations against him are far more serious.) All too often, democrats jump at the chance to step down.
Remember Al Franken? Yeah, me too...
I don't need my political leaders to pass some oversensitive purity test, especially if those political leaders are effective at enacting positive change for my state and its residents.
That's how you get stuck with Bob McDonnell...
P.S. All the democratic presidential candidates who jumped on the resignation bandwagon can go eat crow.
5
It's more sinister than you state. It's true that the Democrats don't want to give up power no matter what the moral cost. What you didn't review is how the biased media is compliant in that digusting quest. They completely backed off.
12
Northam photo wasn't a real scandal to begin with... hence it did't last. The Washington Post editorial page looked ridiculous calling for his resignation. Newspapers need to seriously evaluate such things, not become hysterical.
2
The reason why Virginia's scandalmania went "poof" is because there was no substance in it that would materially affect the state of the state. This is not to say that there won't be political repercussions if any of the principals decides to promote themselves up the political ladder, of course.
26
I am happy that the NYT has brought this up again. I do not know how anyone can trust all of the knee-jerk politicians who threw Governor Northam under the bus. They should be ashamed. Yes, he made a mistake in assuming that he was in the photo because it is on his yearbook page. This mistake came from his awareness of the hurt the photo would cause people of color. He apologized to make it better.
14
@Politic
I hope 15 people are recognizing this as sarcasm, not actually that gullible. But probably not. This gov. apparently walks on water in his spare time. But only in VA.
3
As appalling as all three of these allegations are, the way they were mined and presented to the press after the Democrats swept the leadership, was in my mind, the right's way to use the Democratic party's moral high ground against them. It happens time and time again.
The republicans are dirty fighters, and just as Kirsten Gillibrand's knee jerk reaction to Al Franken's supposed bad behavior, they hope to get that reaction in order to destroy any viable candidate the Democrats run or elect the same way.
It is a win win for them IF the Democrat's let it be.
The majority of people polled about Northam's black face in graduate school shrugged their shoulders and stated: "Yes, we are in the south. That happens all the time we are not shocked." The Democrat's job is to make that behavior history.
21
Are Democrats finally learning how the republicans get in power and stay there? I sure hope so. This ain't beanbag!
21
Unlike the perpetually outraged punditry and political opportunists out there (which is all of them I guess), most Virginians judged Governor Northam by his lifelong exemplary behavior and were not willing to throw him under the bus because of a single awful photograph from over thirty years ago. As the Good Book says - let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
80
@John J. Really? Do you also feel that way about Kavanaugh and the unproved allegations of Ms. Ford from when he was 17 years old?
This is why this country is on edge. There is the look the other way justice handed down to Democrats, and then there is the immediate declaration of guilt and then lynchings handed down to Republicans for nearly identical foopahs as the Dems.
9
Kavanaugh, as you know, was accused of attempted rape which is a serious sexual violent crime, not blackface which is obviously distasteful but is in no way a crime. There is no comparison.
1) You need an investigation to have something be ‘unproven’
2) Claiming false equivalency between something illegal and felonious with something that is neither diminishes you and your argument
Dems have learned to play the GOP game, too. Good for them!
14
@Momo You are projecting. If these two guys were Republicans they would be long gone.
8
The Northam and Herring allegations were never a big deal to begin with. Northam said it wasn't him in the original yearbook photograph. He admitted to donning blackface to imitate Michael Jackson in 1984 and Herring did the same to imitate Kurtis Blow in 1980. Both have apologized for those incidents, which occurred 35 or more years ago. I'm glad not to hear about them anymore and I hope that indicates that Virginians have indeed moved on. These "scandals" received much more attention than they deserved.
It was ludicrous to ever have become so hysterical about two men dressing in blackface to imitate specific black entertainers.
45
People do a lot of stupid stuff when their young.
You can't hold youthful indiscretions against anyone forever.
Hopefully, mature humans learn from mistakes, but first you must admit the error in judgement.
11
They are democrats, they get a pass.
What is to understand?
45
@JLS
They are democrats so the response is based on mature and rational perspectives. When they are republicans, the response is simply blind rage and specious charges.
6
Just like Trump who has been accused by dozens of women, and has been recorded bragging about, years of racism and sexual assault.
5
@JLS: Oh, please, let's talk about Donald Trump and his appalling behavior instead. When will he be held to account for his treatment of women and lying about paying off women he slept with?
4
There actions are the defensive playbook for 'gotcha' politics. It's the same with companies that scramble in reaction to Twitter mobs; just sit tight and wait for the storm to pass. Eventually the busybodies move on to some other fresh outrage.
I could not care less how a politician acted in his or her youth. No one can live up to the every changing standard of perfection demanded by the peanut gallery. And those that can are either sociopaths or wealthy enough to hide their failings.
18
How disturbing to all the political pundits who had already buried the trio. Does anyone listen to these people, or do they only talk to each other?
7
What happened with Northam and Fairfax are different: one, if true, is illegal. Period. The other, is poor judgement.
We have a president who exercises poor judgement nearly every hour of every day and, generally, wears it as a badge of honor. Trump supporters would compare poor judgement to bucking an ‘overly PC’ society.
Yes, we in Virginia are tired of hearing about poor judgement, and we’ve watched as Republicans have kept their heads down and moved on from scandal to stack the court.
So, yes—as was reported in NYT last week: Trump has his eye on our state as one he can flip by taking advantage of this chaos.
So, yes—we move on from scandal to keep our eye on the prize: solidifying Virginia as a blue state and putting a Democrat in the White House in 2020.
Maybe it takes us 100 years to learn, but better a slow learner than not ever course correcting.
40
."most say their constituents would rather hear about roadwork, school financing and health care." Exactly right. We Virginians want action.
54
@Suz And Northam delivered Medicaid expansion.
3
Stunning revelations? how exciting and over blown at least the Governor.
Sensationalism! I heard that the Governor was in a play and he was Michael Jackson or James Brown or.. Yes, it was/is insensitive and rude back in their college days but look at our beloved Supreme Court pick Brent K
Please tell me more about the policies of this Governor? I won't defend the sexual predator but look at the Supreme Court for guidance, what a joke.
13
Poof. And just as silly as the debate started it ended. And we are better for that. It was preposterous from the get go. Who cares about what a kid did 30 years ago? That’s just nitpicking. If we judge people on the past then we are living in the past. Get over it. I feel these groups that single out race are racist. Like the so called “ black caucus” if there was a white caucus the black peoples would be screaming! Drop the labels. Oh and the media also plays a big part in the whole mess. We no longer get the news, we get opinions. CNN is nothing more then a very boring Jerry Springer show. I’m glad they moved on with zero out come the whole thing was a circus.
22
I don't know why this seems strange to you. Virginia and its governor are handling this "scandal" in the appropriate way. It was a long ago, one time incident and the Governor's life since those days has been beyond reproach. In fact, instead of hiding away, he has moved ahead by acknowledging our Commonwealth's history and attempting to move us forward by example.
311
Virginia is a curiosity. Its residents like to present themselves as modern, tolerant and too intelligent to engage in racism or sexism. But the rally in Charlottesville showed that in private, white Virginians are not what they appear to be. Black Virginia voters have figured this out and don’t want Northam to resign, predicting that someone worse will probably succeed him. And then there’s the financial corruption. Tourism and Beltway bandits create a lot of revenue for the state and no one wants that to end. And it would end, if Virginia state government was thrown into a crisis and was not able to meet the demands of those industries. It’s no surprise that Amazon is getting the red carpet in Virginia, even though the traffic and public transportation is the worst in America. Grease the local and state politicians and you’re off to the races.
3
@SBC let me be very clear about this: most of those white nationalists in Charlottesville were not Virginians.
24
@August West Indeed, Virginians showed up in far greater numbers to counter-protest.
12
@August West
I’ve lived here for 25 years and people are racist but hide it very well. I don’t care where the protesters came from. I know what I’ve seen and heard.
2
No surprise here ..the media doesn't even attempt to hold Democrats accountable for their actions or hypocrisy. They drop coverage and ignore it until the issue is buried under attacks aimed at the other side.
25
@Maxwell This stayed above the fold nationwide for over a month, even DESPITE its absurd nature.
It is Republicans who are let off the hook for outrageous behavior, including racism and sexual misconduct. Look who they got nominated and elected president!
17
@Maxwell Yeah, like they did with Hilary Clinton during the election. Just dropped that whole email thing like a hot potato.
10
Sad to say, but with everything else going on, I had forgotten all about this. It seems that an investigation into either of these men is unlikely.
If Virginians do not want Mr. Northam and Mr. Fairfax to represent them, then someone needs to primary them. Vote them out and put someone else in. If they want to keep them, well... I guess it's their business.
4
@Patty O Mark Herring, the AG, can indeed run again, but Virginia governors are limited to a single term.
3
@Dr. Planarian Governors are limited to cannot serve consecutive terms. There is no limit on the number of non-consecutive terms that they can serve.
@Dr. Planarian That is not a good system. How does anything get done?
This is the world Post-Trump. You can't be shamed. Hunker down and wait. We are all the worse for a world without shame and decency. It's the beginning of the Kardashianization of our politics. That's Trump's real legacy.
8
@Andy
More like post-Clinton(s). It's always startling how democrats believe bad behavior started with Trump.
6
Some of the calls for Northam's resignation seem to me to be virtue signalling by politicians who don't want to be accused of tolerating racism. The reality is that if the Democratics resigned, the state would get an unelected Republican with a completely different agenda. And it's not unlikely that a GOP administration would be far more insensitive to racism than Northam's.
So, in the end, the real choice was between a governor who had proven to have done something racist in his youth, versus a governor who, by his very party identification, was probably racist today.
37
Young people are deciding if they want to be involved in politics. Will they vote? Will they join a party? Will they stay informed or will they give up on politicians and ignore it altogether.
Young people are not pragmatic, and they are not interested in sacrificing their values for a political party. They do not owe Democrats a vote and they do not owe Democrats party loyalty. Democrats have to earn their votes and their loyalty.
Republicans understand that attacking the values of their base as unrealistic and a political handicap would turn off future voters. They don't attack white nationalists, unless they include code that they don't really mean it. They never say the anti-abortion activists are too extreme or that owning an arsenal of assault rifles is anything but an absolute right. Republicans control 2/3 of states and control Congress a majority of the time, neither of which is influenced by the electoral college.
Democrats keep losing because they keep telling young people that their idealism is a misguided distraction from winning elections. They keep telling workers and their families that the things they need are pie in the sky and unicorn dust, because we don't dare tax corporations and billionaires. Well when you grow up without healthcare and have to go into tens of thousands of dollars of debt to get a mediocre job, these are bread and butter issues, not pie, and their demands for changing the system are not childish but needed.
Embrace idealism to win!
4
The Lt. Gov. should NOT have resigned. ACCUSATIONS do NOT a criminal make. They don't even confirm misconduct and if not proven, are nothing short of slander. I'm not on board with all these people who have completely abandoned the idea of "presumption of innocence" and not just in a court of law but in the way they view EVERYDAY interactions between people as well. In other words, I don't believe one person more than another simply because they're women, men, gay, straight or any other category. I believe FACTS or at least a preponderance of evidence, not unsubstantiated accusations.
Now as to the Governor standing in a picture where someone is wearing a KKK uniform.....
1
Will the Democratic Party ever be held accountable for its rampant hypocrisy? This is laughable.
32
@Thor
Ha, ha. Really? You're upset about the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party? Two dozen women accused Donald Trump of sexual assault. One more was a White House staffer just in February. There are literal republican congressmen who are white supremacists. And you're upset with the Democrats?
63
@Thor
Democrats are not dumb enough to allow their weaponized identity to be used against them, now are they?
3
I live in Va. half the year. It’s interesting to read the New York Times take on this whole political pr nightmare.
But trust me, this a classic example of Southern gentility at it’s best. Having moved here from New York, it still intrigues me.
Margaret Mitchell wasn’t far off and little has changed since “Gone With The Wind.” All of this is exactly as Melanie Wilkes would have behaved. One just keeps smiling and appearances are everything.
5
It would truly be wonderful if we had perfect people we could vote for, but we don't.
On the one side, we have a Democratic party that nominated a candidate for Governor who grew up in a mixed community, went to the public schools back when Virginia first desegregated and many white children switched to private/church schools, has no history of racially inflammatory acts or language, and held medical clinics in Richmond while he was lieutenant governor, providing free health care to minority Virginians. On the other side, we have a Republican party that nominated a white supremacist for Senate last year and has gerrymandered the state so successfully that a 55/45 vote for Democratic candidates for the House of Delegates still results in a Republican majority.
So if you want the people of the state to throw out a governor who won a fair election in this climate, please present more evidence than a single old photo that no one remembers seeing before.
122
"Don’t apologize, move on, and everybody will talk about something else next week.”
That is fine, let the voters decide when the parties come up for reelection. That is a better resolution then the press or other sitting politicians making hasty decisions. The voting public will decide soon enough. IMHO, hopefully they will be voted out of office--but that is their constituents choice. The public puts them in and decides if they remain there.
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“Don’t apologize, move on, and everybody will talk about something else next week,”
I get it but I don't get the "Don't apologize" bit. It only seems normal to apologize for something one has done wrong. I'd think showing contrition for a mistake would go a long way??
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If these were Republicans you can bet they would still be front and center in the media, except for Fox of course. The days of a balanced narrative are unfortunately long past.
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I pretty much figured that if Northam refused to resign, the news cycle would carry the calls to do so away with... well... the news cycle.
As Republicans say, "nothing-burger."
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There is still time for Governor Northam and Lieutenant Governor Fairfax to install Virginia’s first, woman of color Governor.
Part I: A Virginia 3-step.
Begin with Governor Northam’s resignation. Lt. Governor Fairfax ascends, appoints a woman of color as lieutenant governor, and then resigns. The new lieutenant governor becomes governor.
Part II: Ego
Northam pleads. Fairfax parries. Then silence. Their persistence leaves debris of cynicism, wariness, and mistrust. Only a tangible rebuttal and forceful catharsis will earn them dignified and respectful liberation and graceful redemption.
There's time to keep their promises for Virginia and themselves.
Part III: Renewal
Q. Why is it important to act now?
A. In order that:
political leaders are once more characterized and framed in terms of: hero, gentleman, noble, dauntless, unafraid, gutsy, valiant, audacious, resolute unflinching, undaunted, and at the same time devoted, attentive, sensitive and unselfish to the needs of the Commonwealth.
political parties again apply necessary treatment of the contagion of infected and diseased politics: healing, ablution, regeneration, prophylaxis, therapeutic, a prescription for restoring the body politic.
Can either really go forward without exoneration, emancipation, or absolution?
Trust the NY Times to call an offensive yearbook photo from 30+ years ago a "scandal" if a Democrat is involved.
A yearbook photo from 30+ years ago is not a "scandal" and that is why Northam has not resigned. Meeting with foreign representatives offering to illegally "help" your campaign and lying about it is a "scandal". So is firing an FBI Director because he won't listen to your "suggestions" on how to run investigations into that country's influence in that election.
Only one politician needs to resign.
The other "scandal" is the NY Times and its journalists and editors who do not understand how to report on the real "scandals" happening to this country because they are completely and utterly cowed by their need to prove to the ideologues at Fox News that this newspaper is "fair and balanced'. Newsflash to journalists who don't see what is right in front of them: Unless you become the propaganda organ of the right wing Republican party like Fox News is, they will call you "biased". So why not simply practice good journalism and stop bending over backward to pretend improper actions "could" be completely innocent if Republicans did them while all missteps by Dems are "scandals".
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@RJ Are you serious? Fairfax faces credible accusations of sexual assault. Compare that to the collective national convulsion on behalf of Christine Ford's crazy allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.
You do ask a good question. Why not practice good journalism?
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There’s a difference between the crimes,
Sexual assault is one thing. Stupidity is another.
The black face incidents happened a long time ago. People change. What are the Governor and the AG actions today. Are they racist?
What Trump and the Republicans do to continue to put people of color “in their place” are happening today, just like yesterday and yesteryear. The GOP hasn’t changed and neither have their voters.
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So you felt this way about justice Kavanaugh as well?
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@Thor No, he said "Sexual assault is one thing. Stupidity is another."
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@Abby Morton I think Kavanaugh may cover both bases.
But I think the blackface thing is more than stupidity--it's offensive and people are hurt by it. Having said that, it is in the past and Mr. Northam doesn't seem to be that kind of person now--if he ever was.
One lesson here is that, if you're thinking about dressing in blackface (or other racially offensive ways), don't.
Another lesson: those that learn to forgive will be happier.
But (Republicans), repentance must always precede forgiveness: don't tell us that white supremacists are 'good people' and expect us to believe that you're not racists.
I’m a Virginia resident who voted for Northam, Fairfax, and Herring. The only one of the three I’d like to resign is Fairfax because the accusations seem credible. But Northam and Herring did something stupid (and not illegal) thirty years ago. Both have apologized and, as far as we know, have lived exemplary lives since then. It’s not surprising that most people have let this scandal go.
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@Lex Glad you feel that way. We'll remember that when a POC is in office and some sideways stuff like a joke here or a comment there about white people from his/her past surfaces.
Right?
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@Cygnus
You can point to any POC who has gotten in the slightest breath of trouble for any comment about white people? Come on now.
The standard comments from the more extreme liberals about white fragility and being sick of white people and the insane standard where all whites are racists, and no amount of good acts prove otherwise, and such would never be tolerated if ANY other group was the target. That is a problem in general for the more extreme liberal wing (and I speak here as a liberal and Democrat), and I'd be rather shocked if many POC candidates and politicians didn't have some history of repeating the same rhetoric, and perhaps worse at times out of reasonable frustration with some moment of racism or other. And if and when it becomes considered as toxic as any other variety of racism, I would hope it's not considered career ending then either.
Action matters. A person who has been exemplary for decades should have that considered if some past comments or photos show up that don't involve physical assault,violence. etc.
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"It just went poof"...... the offenders are Democrats...the press chose to drop the stories...what a shocker! Had the offenders been Republican, front page news would have persisted until resignation was tendered.
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Bingo. The press would never let this go if it were three Republicans. There would also be countless demonstrations by social justice demonstrators loudly demanding resignations at every public event. However, with Democrats we suddenly get collective silence. Very interesting.
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@Ryan It is interesting. Almost as interesting as hundreds of thousands of folks coming together at dozens of rallies to venerate a man that has admitted with pride that he repeatedly has committed sexual assault, fraud, & treason, among other felonies, and he leads them in cheers of “Lock Her Up”. And an entire political party not only tolerates, not only condones, they celebrate the sexual assault, fraud, and treason as exemplary. By the way, how is the press “not covering” this story when you are reading about it on the front page of the NYT?
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@Pmac Uhm, the story is The New York Times, and we're commenting on it. So, how is this silence? Or, is it that, for some reason, Republicans can't stop whining? You hold the presidency, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the first propaganda channel in American History-- and yet, you are always the victims. Must feel strange to be so powerful and so weak at the same time.
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With two Democrats in possible scandal, and a Republican third line. These "incidents and/or scandals" were put to bed quickly.
" For about it", will always be the party line to both political parties today, if it means losing a seat in office.
I personally believe these incidents "are much ado about nothing" and occurred way to long ago.
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Once again the Dems and Republicans show that it’s all about power and winning. There are no morals in society anymore - that’s a concept that died long ago.
There was never any chance that the top 3 Dems in Govt would resign handing the Governorship to a Republican. Northam can carry a Confederate flag around with him and the Dems would all be quiet.
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@Chris
If the rest of us don't fight the constant corruption off power constantly things get worse.
It is a never ending battle and giving up gives the corrupt your power.
Northam (and Trump) was just following the old Joey Bishop sketch way when he was caught by his his wife in bed with another woman. Deny, Deny, Deny while the woman got dressed and left the room. I am just sorry the gay New Jersey governor and Al Franken and others didn’t follow that advise. It might have even have worked for Nixon. Don’t resign, make them throw you out.
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An old adage comes to mind - in light of what goes on daily in the Trump administration - “small potatoes and few in a hill”. We are so overwhelmed by daily scandals it’s hard to muster the energy to stay outraged.
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Could it be that the people of Virginia believe that digging up dirt from decades ago is not as important as addressing current day issues like education, transportation, healthcare, and criminal justice reform? As a resident of Virginia, I certainly hope so. In the case of Justin Fairfax, I would like to see the women who are charging him take a polygraph as he has done.
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@Curt Dierdorff Polygraphs are nonsense. https://www.apa.org/research/action/polygraph
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Honestly, glad Northam stayed. It is debatable that he offense was even seen as offensive at the time. Further he proved that the social media jury is fickle, offended today and on to another place to be offended tomorrow. Further the idea that DEMs hold themselves to a higher standard is hollow and one sided. It is time that we returned to our tested and true ways, the presumption of innocence and due process. And let the punishment fit the crime.
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@glp5 "Honestly, glad Northam stayed. It is debatable that he offense was even seen as offensive at the time."
Wrong. I am 60 years old, was raised in the south and can tell you that even when I was a small child in the 1960s, blackface was regarded as backward and embarrassing to decent people. It's even less excusable to be participating in it in the 1980s as Northam foolishly did. He knew better back then, and I promise you that while he laughed it up at a private party he was smart enough not to wear blackface on the street where some folks would have physically held him accountable for it.
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@mpoundI: I agree, I'm 68 and grew up in DC and Northern Virginia. Blackface was considered just as boorish then as it is now, maybe more so.
But northam didn't stop there. The virginia government still celebrates birthdays of confederate traitors, and more than one virginia politician has called the confederacy "an important part of our heritage". It's a deeply racist state.
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@glp5: Except that the "crime" of overt racism still continues under northam. It's just buried under a bunch of hypocritical excuses and red herrings (no pun intended).
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I just simply think the Democrat party once again has shown its hypocrisy. The top D leaders of VA are no better then Trump in their treatment of women and minorities, yet the party stands by them to hang on to power. Shame.
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@Yulia Berkovitz
What about due process? What about changing norms? Would you wish to be tried by the standards of 3 decades forward for your actions today? Think about it.
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@Yulia Berkovitz
To say that there is no difference between Trump and the Virginia politicians involved is like saying there is no difference between Trump and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, because they all did favors for Russia.
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I think it is much more hypocratic to expect Democrats to shun anyone accused of sexual harrassment while giving a pass to the grabby handed President.
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