Do you think Northam should resign for the good of the party and because it's the right thing to do?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

https://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/virginia/article_67fdd682-2662-11e9-a7d1-c7ed70e09b50.html

41 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	25 (61%)
	No
	16 (39%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Lunabell]

1. Not enough information yet.

What did he know and when did he know it?

Ok, he's done. Stick a fork in him.

[Hortensis]

32. This is it. We NEED to know more as human beings

regardless of how this ends as a political event. We have a duty to ourselves and our society to be responsible, honorable people, and that requires knowledge and understanding.

It may be frivolous curiosity at this point, but I know I'd really like to know what the nickname "Coonman" means. I never knew a "Coonman." Does this suggest a reputation for having the "best" mean black jokes or for having black friends?

[RandySF]

2. While the VA GOP came just short of calling Kathy Tran a ***k?

[greyl]

3. Looking forward to Governor Justin Fairfax! nt

[Rainbow Droid]

4. No until it fits a pattern of behavior. Mistakes are human, but he's got 35 years since

to reveal who he is. I'm sure his family, friends, and co-workers know exactly who he is, and now it is their turn to speak.

[uponit7771]

6. Right, I don't give Republicans the benefit of the doubt because they support racist people

[OnDoutside]

5. I voted No, but I expect if he doesn't get early support from African American groups in Virginia,

then he will be forced out. Justin Fairfax's response will tell a lot.

[brooklynite]

30. African American Legislative Caucus has called on him to step down...

So has the NAACP.

[OnDoutside]

31. And followed up by Warren etc, so that's probably it so.

[JI7]

7. his overall record should be looked at

[RandySF]

8. Only after Virginia Republican Chair Resigns

Link to tweet

?s=21

[Agschmid]

9. He confirmed it's him, IMO he should resign.

He should have never run, the ego of some of these people blows my mind.

[SaschaHM]

10. Does him staying in office hurt us in 2020/2021 in VA?

Only question that matters to me. His political career was pretty dead in the water prior to this photo just because of limits on when he could run/senate incumbents staying in office/the changing nature of the Democratic party. With Fairfax in the wings, him speeding up the retirement that he was going to be dealt in 2 years anyway isn't as consequential.

[4139]

29. It will hurt in 2019 (legislative elections), 2020 and 2021 elections....

We lose the high ground, we lose the ability to critisize bigoted and racist republicans and their policies.


He has no political future now.
His staying hurt us, his leaving helps us.

He is not a racist now, he made a mistake years ago, it was his decision.
His decision years ago should not hurt other people today, and not in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 elections.

[angrychair]

11. It's hard

1984 was just a handful of years from the time of eugenics and forced sterilization. The president at the time would openly demonize people of color getting welfare. PoC were going to jail for crack and white people were getting parole for cocaine. At the end of the day, nothing makes it right or excusable.

I think it damages the mantle of leadership that he needs to be an effective leader and he should bow out and concede that role to Lt Governor Fairfax, sooner rather than later.

[bearsfootball516]

12. I don't want him to, but it could potentially really damage him if he runs for re-election.

[SaschaHM]

13. He can't run 2021. His next chance for "re-election" would be 2025.

[NutmegYankee]

15. One term only governors in Virginia.

[roamer65]

16. Yup. Justin Fairfax will make a great candidate in 2021.

[rogue emissary]

17. Thanks for this poll.

Good reminder not every liberal or DU'er supports African Americans.

So how the hell did he forget this was out there????

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. This

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211759690#post3

[rogue emissary]

20. Wtf

[SaschaHM]

19. DU went to bat for Bill Maher when he said House N-word.

That's really all that needs to be said about AA support when a fave has to face accountability.

[rogue emissary]

21. I remember and they continue to support his islamophobia.

[Hortensis]

33. No, "DU" did not. There are more socially conservative

leaners here than will ever admit it. Some see themselves as left progressive because a desire for social programs for themselves dominates their political thinking, but that signature hostility to "others" finds excuses to seep out. Have you noticed by chance that that hostility is frequently aimed at Democrats regardless of color?

But they're a minority here, noisy as they may be, and even more so in the party at large. Only 12% of Sanders voters voted Trump in the 2016 GE and another similar percentage expressed rejection by voting for third-party candidates, while almost all HRC voters voted as a very diverse but strongly unified bloc, so -- minority. They aren't DU.

[NutmegYankee]

23. Most liberals believes that people can change

In fact, if we don't want to believe that, we might as well give up any effort to persuade anyone and just pick up weapons instead for a purge. What's the point of persuading people if they cannot be forgiven for past stupidity?

[Hortensis]

34. Yes. Sounds like the environment there was not exactly

what we would want it to have been, frankly typical of strongly male dominated institutions no matter the skin color of those males. Plus, at 25 kids are finally but still outgrowing adolescence and achieving adult brain development; being called doctor in med school doesn't make them adults.

In these angry and dangerous political times, few seem to care if Northam needs to change, much less if he could, though I wonder what the millions who voted for him are thinking. Whatever. What they would want is probably completely lost in this national storm. I'm glad for his and their sake that governors only serve for a short time anyway.

I'm afraid I'm already heading for the appreciation stage for what he did do for us. Remember how thrilled and heartened we were when VA rejected Republicans in favor of Democrats? A hugely important signal for voters elsewhere. And now his significantly more liberal (!) running mate, Justin Fairfax, is likely to become VA's second black governor. So VA will move on, and so will the storm.

[workinclasszero]

22. If he doesn't Fox noise/hate radio will have a field day

Bothsidesism will be triumphant!

[Blue_Tires]

24. I hate to say it

I'm black and I worked my ass off on his campaign, but his position is untenable and although I had a wait-a-minute-let's-discuss-this attitude over the EVMS thing, now the VMI thing has come out and god knows what else will be dug up before Monday...

Even national Dems are calling for him to step down now... I thought nothing was so bad that it couldn't wait another two years since he can't run for reelection, but I don't know if he survives until Monday, much less two years.

And as an aside, I fucking want a retroactive resignation from George Allen... NOW

[ecstatic]

25. Literally just learning about this, and yes, the pics are disturbing & disappointing.

If he's changed and his policies and platform are combating institutional racism, then I accept his apology and would prefer to move on. My number one concern is getting trump and the gop out. PERIOD!

We now have 2 excellent black candidates who I'd like to see run on the same ticket, and there's no way that will happen if we allow the GOP to divide us and control our controversies. And before someone mentions a double standard--yes, if he were in the GOP, I'd be demanding his resignation. But he's not. So, it's time to close ranks like the GOP has consistently done over the past 3 years and move on.

[mr_lebowski]

26. I'd like to hear a bit more detail about what was going on at the time

1) Did he CHOOSE this to be in the yearbook?
2) Does he have some semblance of a reasonable excuse such as 'my GF and I were invited to a costume party earlier in the day, and being poor graduate students, had to just look around for what we had available that was free. We had shoe polish and sheets, and thought it would be funny to go as Black Person and KKK member as a couple. Obviously this was a terrible idea, etc, etc.

And then I'd also like to hear what his record has been like on Black issues.

1984 Virginia is WORLDS AWAY from 2019.

I remember Gene Wilder in blackface in a major movie called Silver Streak not THAT long before 1984. Does everyone look back and think Wilder was racist? People simply didn't have the same sensibility about blackface in 1984. It wasn't 'automatically racist' like it is now. I'm not saying that Blacks may not have been offended by it for the last 100 years ... for all I know they were ... but 'everyone didn't know that' ... at the time.

Also ... did Roy Moore ... bow out?

Did Gym Jeffries or whatever his name is ... bow out?

Those were CRIMES, and Republicans circled the wagons and didn't crucify their own.

The sting of Franken bowing out so easily on such flimsy shit still stings for me.

If there's more proof he's racist, then YES, he needs to step down. I'm not making that call ... OVER THIS.

In fact, as it stands at this moment, I'm still at hell no. Go ahead and say I don't 'support AA' or whatever. If this made fun of asians, or gays, or women, or whatever, it would be the same answer from me. It was 1984 in Virginia. 25 years old. He's now 60. Been in politics a WHILE. What's his record?

[still_one]

27. I think it is up to the populous of Virgina, and I have no doubt he will hear from them in no

uncertain terms

[Blaukraut]

28. This! VA elected him and it's up to them to choose the path forward n/t

[PuraVidaDreamin]

35. Nature Vs Nurture

As a kid it I was raised by a family with beliefs that I hung on to until I experienced more of the world. Once I became truly aware of diversity in my twenties did my views change. This is a great example of taking ownership of a stupid action and making amends for it. This is a demonstration of how positive change and ownership can benefit an entire state, and be a roll model for others.

[Midwestern Democrat]

36. I voted no. I don't believe in giving someone basically the professional "death penalty" over a

mistake from over three decades ago. I would neither fire nor refuse to hire a man over a situation like this - a stupid, offensive gag photo from 35 years ago that does not reflect who the man currently is. I would hope I would be shown mercy if I were in this situation - thus, I'll show mercy to another in this situation.