It seems to me that we can demand Northam resign if and only if

[CaliforniaPeggy]

the Republicans start insisting that their hypocrite members do the same.

That would be fair.

It's also impossible.

We've got to stop eating our own. PERIOD.

OK, flame away.

[manor321]

1. That's absurd. We're better than them.

Or perhaps Nader is right and both parties are the same?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I agree: we are better than them. The parties are far from being the same.

I just don't think it's reasonable for us to eat our own when they do not.

[Kurt V.]

76. bc they are a party completely out of ideas.

[Bettie]

4. How does this benefit us?

It gives them the absolute knowledge that we will ALWAYS get rid of anyone they want us to. All they need is something from the past or an anonymous accusation and our guy (guy here is meant in a non-gender specific sense) is done. Every. Single. Time.

[uponit7771]

10. BULL FUCKIN SHIT !!! Republicans support a racist bastard RIGHT NOW false equivalence

[Roy Rolling]

45. Do No Harm

Certainly this is something that needs addressing. To address it recklessly the way Al Franken was run out of office is a lesson on how not to do it.

Slow down, gather the facts, make a decision appropriate for all affected and concerned. Rushing to judgement is the only thing that shouldn't be done.

Don't wait forever, and the days you can count on one hand should be an absolute limit. Monday is day 4.

[delisen]

2. You are right.

[Retrograde]

5. If Kavanaugh can be confirmed, Northam can stay in his position

What's sauce for the Republican is sauce for the Democrat

[Volaris]

18. I agree. This needs to be up to the people who would, or would NOT, reelect him.

Which isn't most of us. It's how the GOP would handle this.

[radical noodle]

37. I don't think he's eligible for reelection

The governor cannot serve two consecutive terms.

[Volaris]

70. I meant more generally, but thank you for the details...I did not know that.

[EffieBlack]

31. Yes. Black people should just continue to have a governor who either appeared in blackface or

dressed in Klan regalia and never admitted it, owned up to it or apologized for it until he was outed - all because Trump is president and Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court.

I have a feeling the black folks in Virginia appreciate your viewpoint on this, but will likely come to a different conclusion as they look at the photo of their governor turning an existential terrorist threat into a big joke at their expense.

[Mister Ed]

63. And their conclusion is the one that matters to me.

The general, consensus conclusion of black folks in Virginia. That's the conclusion I want to hear, and the conclusion I'll voice my support for.

[ibegurpard]

74. I guess you need to poll them?

Seriously is that what we're coming to? you need the permission of African-American people to be outraged that someone who ran for the highest position of elected office in the state of Virginia without disclosing this only now chose to address it after it being brought to light? And who, after apologizing for it yesterday, now says he doesn't think it was him in the picture? how many pictures are there? are you one of the those people who claim 1984 was a different time for 25 year old men? I was in high school at that time and I knew that image was wrong at the time.

[Mister Ed]

82. ???

All I'm saying is that I will look to African-Americans on a matter like this. Their thoughts and feelings and wishes will instruct me. Their thoughts and feelings and wishes are what matter to me. No one else's.

And you can be awfully god damned sure that I will not be heard trying to tell them what they ought to think of it, or what they ought to do about it.

[hughee99]

84. Exactly right. It says that we oppose racism but only when it does not

Cost us anything. While we can’t do anything about the way people in the party may feel, that position shouldn’t be acceptable for the party itself or it’s leaders.

[Spider Jerusalem]

33. Misogynist assholes vote Republican already, they're not alienating their base

Democrats can't win elections in Virginia or nationally without African-American turnout, though. I am not sure why so many people seem to think this is an inconvenient fact that can just be ignored as irrelevant.

[Codeine]

39. Fuck that.

One gains nothing by lowering oneself to the level of those whose ethics and morals represent everything we struggle against.

[treestar]

57. Kavanaugh offended the liberals

whereas Northam offended the liberals.

IOW it violates our values and the Republicans were fine with Kavanaugh because he violates the other side's values.

[TeamPooka]

6. And we will only stop murdering people when murderer stop killing

[Squinch]

75. This is a great reply. Makes it crystal clear. May I steal this?

Because you know this is not the last time we are going to have to deal with this crap.

[torius]

7. Sessions praised the Klan.

To Republicans that’s a positive. “Fine people on both sides” didn’t bring down Trump.
We are better than that.

[babylonsister]

8. It's not eating our own if he fucked up.

Sounds terrible to me.

Edit to add: I just heard his apology; shades of Byrd to me, and I loved him.

[TDale313]

9. He had the nickname Coonman listed in his yearbook.

Seriously, this the hill ya wanna die on? This is not behavior that should be defended. Sorry, not ok with racism or sexism because they’re our bigots,

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. +1

[uponit7771]

13. damn, yeah ... dude should've came out with this the second he won this election and let come what

... may instead of being outed like this.

Not a smart move

[Volaris]

21. I'm not gonna defend it. I'm also not gonna put an arrow in him for the sake of being better than th

Let his electorate decide his fate after this, moving forward.
I'm not one of them.

[rampartc]

30. do you think he chose his own nickname?

"your delta tau name is pinto"
"why?"
"why not?"

[treestar]

58. From now on for every candidate

they yearbook should be vetted. After Kavanaugh's and Northam's.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Yeah, I'm really not interested in meeting the bar Republicans set. Christ.

[Iggo]

14. I'm not demanding anything. I expect he'll do the right thing.

If he wants me to believe he's a good person, he'll show me that he's a good person by doing the right thing.

[irisblue]

15. The Rep AG of Fla was forced out last week over a blackface Katrina crap photo

Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) Tweeted:
This was last week https://t.co/rJubgOAZ5C

Link to tweet

[hay rick]

44. It's not really the same, but I expect the same outcome.

Ertel not only went blackface, he was mocking Katrina victims. It appears both men were drinking beer...

[irisblue]

46. We're aware enough to understand the difference. RW sources won't see that.

[spicysista]

16. I'm not going to flame you. I would like to spar for a bit...

We are better than them. Period.

This draws particularly visceral response for a huge chunk of the most active part of our party. My mom never opens her college yearbook form Southeastern University (Hammond, LA) because of the profound number of folks that felt blackface was funny. There's a beautiful picture of her executing a perfect grande jete on stage... right across from a student performing in blackface. I never saw it until I was helping my grandmother clean out her shed as a teen.

I get your point. Why do WE (democrats) always have to hold ourselves to a higher standard? Why must we always seek to atone for our mistakes while others do not? Why must we (Women) always comport ourselves with grace and dignity while others are free to emote in the most bombastic ways? Why do we (black people) have to always remember our training while others (police) do not. Why must we (insert any racial minority) keep our hand gestures and jovial excited speech in check to insure the comfort level of others? Why?

We are better than the republiCONS. We must be.

[Dem2theMax]

32. +1

[Jarqui]

17. We only need one yardstick - not two.

What the GOP do about other racist stuff is immaterial.

What happened with Al Franken is a different matter.

This is about what we stand for. Plain and simple.

We cannot tolerate this kind of racism in our leadership. There is too much at stake.

"Coonman" needs to resign immediately.

[Basement Beat]

19. It's easy to say those things...

when you aren't being systematically attacked by all sides. I have no desire to "support" someone who felt it was "fun" to dress up and support something that causes constant murder of people who look like me as a grown ass adult to this day.

[lilactime]

20. As a VA resident who voted for Northam, I do not want ANYONE as governor who

did what he did. It makes me sick to even look at him now.

[Volaris]

22. THIS is the opinion I want to hear,

Because you're his constitutient.

[HipChick]

24. Agree..Don't want him representing me

[defacto7]

23. It's an ancient strategy, divide and conquer.

[fountainofyouth]

25. This has NOTHING to do with Republicans

Ralph Northam did this to himself. And believe it or not, white Democrats outside of Virginia like most people on DU are not the victims here.

[defacto7]

68. You can yell all you want but no matter what the outcome,

no matter who's resposible, forgiven or unforgiven, no matter where the state lines are drawn, what race, color or creed, or what social media you're yelling on, americans are the victims of this type of ploy that's been used for thousands of years. He may be guilty as hell but he was used to divide us and the enemy won this battle. And they will win more as they sift through the archives to take advantage of our principles and exonerate their own guilty thieves and racists. I think you are wrong on so many levels.

[Susan Calvin]

26. Um.

Objecting to objectionable things is not "eating our own."

[aeromanKC]

27. Cyndi Hyde Smith just got elected to the Senate

I call for her resignation!!

[world wide wally]

28. Are we better off without Al Franken in the Senate?

Asking for a friend.

[Susan Calvin]

67. The two cases are not equivalent. nt

[First Speaker]

29. He must have known this would come out someday...

...if he didn't, he's an idiot...and he does not strike me as being an idiot. Given this, he should have come clean about it long ago, said he acted like an asshole in school, apologized, and threw himself on the mercy of the public. I do not comprehend why he just waited for it to bite him in the ass. (And, also, I wonder what the problem was with the GOP and their opposition research. Why didn't they expose him last fall?)

[DoctorJoJo]

34. You Are SO Right! Our Purists Want the Perfect to Be the Enemy of the Good, and

that is why we have Trump!! I'm also not taking any advice from people who say "Better than them," instead of "Better than they (are)." Our eating of our young is the perfect analogy for why the Repukes EVER win elections! We have EVERYTHING going for us except for our purists constantly dragging us down!

[Codeine]

40. Asking for an elected official who doesn't think

a picture of a guy in blackface next to a guy in a Klan outfit is the very height of humor ISN’T BEING A PURIST! It’s being a decent goddamned human being who demonstrates respect for those we supposedly embrace.

[Chemisse]

35. I'd like to hear an explanation from the governor before saying he should resign.

I think a lot of knees are jerking this evening.

I doubt there is any way to defend this picture, given that he was into his 20s when it was taken, and must have approved of it for it to be on his yearbook page.

I'd like to hear the context for his racist behavior and how he has led his life in the decades since then. Was he raised in a racist environment and he spent a number of years shedding it like the links of chains? Does his record show that he is no longer the kind of person who would don a KKK outfit or put on blackface and think that's okay?

I don't know how many people rise above a racist past but it seems like it must be doable, particularly if they stop keeping company with other racists, if they see the value in treating all people with respect and strive to live up to it.

I would say the same for a Republican, except they generally do not strive to rise above any of their moral shortcomings; they just indulge in secret.

[guillaumeb]

36. I disagree.

The GOP proudly accepts racists into their small, nearly all white tent.

[radical noodle]

38. This is not in question or something the Republicans made up

He admitted it's him and it's his medical school yearbook, not freaking high school. It was in the 1980s and there's absolutely no excuse for it. I might agree that he should stick it out if some crazy right winger would take his place, but they have a terrific Democratic Lt. Gov. that can take Northam's place.

I managed to live 70 years now without ever having dressed in blackface or in KKK robes for a costume party. It never entered my head to do so. Why can't we expect our Democratic politicians to be able to say the same? I have a problem with anyone who would do that.

[Tarc]

41. Holding racists accountable for their actions isn't a game

They're all scumbags, from Northram in blackface to McConnell posing in front of a Confederate flag as wide-smiled as can be.

But doing the right thing isn't a conditional act; you just do it.

[yourmovemonkey]

42. I took the day off work,

and stood in the cold, miserable rain of West Capital Park to watch the inauguration of Eliot Spitzer. I only lived 3 blocks away, and I was so excited after the dismal Pataki years. It was ugly weather, but every face in that crowd was smiling and filled with hope. I never forgave him for something that it felt like he had done to ME and all of those people who stood in the dreary rain that day.

Paterson ended up being an "OK" governor. I actually had a good friend who was one of the attorneys for his office, and that gave me a lot of comfort because I knew my friend wouldn't work for one of the screw-jobs that clog Albany. And now we have Cuomo, who I consider rather weak tea. I had the honor of meeting his father a couple times. Mario would take strolls around the neighborhoods around the Capitol, and anyone could talk to him. He was a good man.

But I still feel cheated when I think about it. We were gonna stick it to the organized crime ring that called themselves banks, and it just fizzled and never materialized.

Sometimes the reward for doing the right thing is just a softer kick in the crotch. You take it, roll on the ground for a little while, dust yourself off and just move on.

[pnwmom]

43. How will it ever get better if we're always reducing ourselves to the lowest common denominator? n/t

[912gdm]

47. Steve King still has a seat

[ibegurpard]

72. Because Republicans are garbage human beings

[workinclasszero]

48. So until the damn GOP decides to drop racism, misogyny, treason, war on women, war on the poor..etc

Any democrat will get a pass on the same?

Really?

Really really really??

[ibegurpard]

73. yup

not going to happen. that's a feature and not a bug for them.

[workinclasszero]

85. Right

We need to be better than the damned republican party, not the same.

That's for sure!

[McCamy Taylor]

49. Terrible people who should be dug up and nailed to crosses...

[McCamy Taylor]

50. More people to nail to crosses

[Hekate]

51. Peggy, m'dear, watching the nooz tonight I saw the source was some RW outfit, & I thought...

... Aw, isn't it grand that once again some shit-stirrer gets us Democrats to eat our own so they can sit on the sidelines and enjoy the fun?

And a few days ago I read on DU that the probable source for the info leading to Al Franken's downfall was Roger Stone.

And Elizabeth Warren apologizes (again) to the Cherokee Nation that she repeated a family legend (one that millions of us share, by the way) that she heard as a child, and today I hear the Orange Monster's own voice boasting that HE "caught Elizabeth Warren in a Pocahantas trap."

How did we get so fucking stupid? HOW DID WE GET SO FUCKING STUPID?

[roamer65]

79. ..

[Hekate]

80. It was the pattern that sent me over the edge. Northam's behavior was disgusting, but Dems...

...don't even wait for all the information to come out before preparing to tar and feather fellow Democrats. To investigate the source of the accusations, for instance. Three in one week turned out to have a RW source, and frankly I lost my sh*t there.

[roamer65]

83. I hear ya, Hekate...I hear ya.

...and I agree with you.

[Raine]

52. No we need to set a good example

and show them we won't tolerate that from anyone ... even our own.

[Honeycombe8]

53. This should be up to Virginians. It's not up to outsiders to oust a Governor in another state.

Even if they're in the same party.

If the pedophile Toad Moore had been elected Governor of Alabama, would it have been proper of Paul Ryan, McConnell, or other Republicans in other states to pressure him to resign? I don't know. It's a fine line. I don't think so, as outrageous as Moore's behavior was.

[rufus dog]

54. Don't agree with you on this one Peggy

Franken was different, a comedian trying to be funny, the damn lady was in a flak jacket for gods sake.

In this case an educated, mid twenties man made a horrible decision. I was in college at the same time. Reagan times, assholes came out of the woodwork. Want to be a part of the in crowd, show your creds and be an asshole. Since I was the same age, and had to make the same decisions, there is no way I am giving this asshole a pass. He had a choice as a young adult and he not only decided to take the picture, he made a decision to use it as his yearbook page.

Being an asshole trying to be a part of the in crowd, maybe he gets a pass. Being an asshole and then using photos to memorialize his actions, that show a lack of character.

[kelly1mm]

55. He should be kept comfortable till a decision is made. LOL nt

[treestar]

56. We ought to consider what he would do in the future

Is he still a racist? If he has reformed, it is not a good thing to discount that. How did he handle Charlottesville?

People who changed their minds on gay marriage were given the chance to plow ahead with the more enlightened view.

If we never forgive then there is no point in changing.

[djg21]

59. The flipside.

Dems cannot continue to castigate Republicans for their racist views and actions unless Northam is held to the same standard and forced out. This was precisely the reason why Franken had to go and Gillibrand was correct. Northam’s conduct, like Franken’s, was unfortunate, and perhaps even an aberration. But it creates political exposure for all Democrats and to do nothing about it would be completely hypocritical.

[durablend]

60. Agree

Those that are forgiving this as "silly misgivings from 30 years ago" then have NO excuse to bitch about someone like Kavanaugh. May not be the exact same thing but the "well maybe he's changed" argument falls flat on its face if we excuse it.

[VOX]

64. Perfect example of the Paradox of Tolerance.

And I agree, as disagreeable as such a concession might feel. No one wants to be intolerant, but some lines must to be drawn—I.e., intolerance of intolerance— or chaos would ensue.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance
Philosopher Karl Popper defined the paradox in 1945 in The Open Society and Its Enemies Vol. 1 (in note 4 to Chapter 7).

Less well known is the paradox of tolerance: Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. — In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be unwise. But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.

[Sunsky]

61. No human can withstand this purity test

Democrats are boxing themselves out of reality and politics with these high standards that they're setting (only for Democrats).
I wouldn't want my party to become like the Republican party, but come on now, someone should resign over a 30+ year picture and not a pattern of racism? I have yet to see any proof that this man who campaigned on removal of racist symbols, still harbors racist thoughts. Then, I would be calling for him to resign.

[EffieBlack]

65. Expecting our fellow Democrats not to have paraded around in blackface and KKK regalia

as grown-assed men and, if they did, to own up to it and apologize for it without waiting to be blindsided by it is NOT a purity test.

And until yesterday, you hadn't seen any proof that he paraded around in blackface and/or KKK regalia as an adult, but now you've seen it yet you STILL expect him to be given the benefit of the doubt.

[Sunsky]

66. That was 35 years ago

If a man has done wrong in the past and is embarrassed by it, apologized for it and proven himself to be a different person today. I will forgive him because I am not pure (Full stop). To call for a man to resign over one 30+ year picture which no other indiscretions noted is ridiculous. That is a high bar that nobody can overcome. I love Kamala and I have read things about her past that I have issues with but I have to weigh those against her current actions.

However, I have read a post on DU about Northam, which states that he omitted the black lieutenant governor from a circular to appease a certain union. Then his people stated that it was a "mistake". That I take issue with.

[Tom Rinaldo]

62. On this, with all respect, count me among the flamers n/t

[MineralMan]

69. Actually, we need to do better than the Republicans.

Much better. It's our responsibility to behave as responsible adults who hold those who call themselves Democrats to a high standard.

We shouldn't behave like Republicans. We should set a higher standard for ourselves.

Otherwise, we're just like the little boy telling his mother, "But Johnny did it, so why can't I?" Every mother knows how to answer that question.

[ibegurpard]

71. Well that's not going to happen

Because Republicans are garbage human beings who actually SUPPORT people who do things like this. I'm not interested in being a garbage human being.

[roamer65]

77. I really would like to know the origination point of this scandal.

I’m not excusing Northam’s past behavior, but I really do smell some GOP ratfuckery in this scandal.

[Vogon_Glory]

78. Let's wait for Iowa's Steve King to resign first! n/t

[Bettie]

86. That will never happen.

Seriously, he'll be in office until he dies. For whatever reason, people in that end of Iowa seem to be much more Nebraska than Iowa.

[musicblind]

81. That's not how being right works.

You either do the right thing or you don't.

[Cerulean Southpaw]

87. It seems to me that

if we want to call racists "our own" there's a bigger problem