Like many in Virginia, the ongoing drama surrounding Ralph Northam has been on my mind throughout the day yesterday and today. I spent part of the day yesterday with a political insider who likewise supports Northam and are disgusted by the hypocrisy and rush to judgment on display. One point of interest seemingly missing among the LGBT community, is the fact that this controversy was ignited by far right anti-abortion extremists who somehow dug up the 1984 EVMS yearbook. These people are not only seeking to destroy Northam, are also the principal opponents of LGBT rights in Virginia and have made sure that the Republican controlled House of Delegates kills every pro-LGBT bill every year. Gays and supposed LGBT allies jumping on the anti-Northam bandwagon are unwittingly aiding their own enemies.
Like so many others, the husband and I watched Northam's press conference yesterday afternoon. Frankly, our hearts broke seeing Pam Northam, who we adore, looking so devastated. Through it all, my thoughts are that the uproar is not really about possible transgressions 35 years ago, but rather (i) political hypocrisy, (ii) a dangerous demand for lifelong ideological purity, and (ii) politcal backstabbing.
Ironically, Northam has been one of the strongest advocates pushing for the restoration of felons' voting rights which would disproportionately benefit black Virginians since years of Republican control of the General Assembly has seen blacks disproportionately prosecuted and convicted thanks to draconian laws. One reader summed the situation well: "Same people calling for his head are the people who believe in restoration of voting rights and second chances."
As for the new cult of life long ideological purity, another reading was on point and commented: "What the Democrat Party is now saying is that there is no room for those who have canged their views and norms of past times Once in black face always in black face . . . you are not welcome in our "big tent." Good luck winning elections with that." The writer is on point, in my view, and in their rush to judgment on Northam, Democrat elected officials may have just ensured that the Republicans will retain control of the House of Delegates after the November 2017 elections. Newport News Mayor McKinley Price has been one of the few with common sense:
“I think if people are true to what they will admit, everybody has had some bigotry or racism in their life,” Price said Friday. “I think this should be looked at as an opportunity for us to do what, quite frankly, we haven’t done, and that’s (having) an open and frank discussion about bigotry and its effects."
Surprisingly, Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax has not yet demanded Northam's resignation. Sadly, the black caucus in the Virginia General Assembly has shown no such moderation and seems most motivated to force Northam out of office so that they can have a black governor in the form of the Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax who has never held elected office until being sworn in in January 2018. This motivation also seemingly holds for at least one senior individual in the Virginia Democrat Party who is has demonstrated an active, anti-white racism (this will be the subject of a future blog post with documentation). I have two worries about Fairfax should Northam be forced to eventually resign: (1) his inexperience, and (ii) his failure to convince me that he is a real ally to LGBT Virginians. Should Northam resign, LGBT Virginians will lose the most powerful ally they have every had in Richmond and find themselves with a replacement who is an unknown quantity and perhaps more vulnerable to pressure from anti-gay black pastors who are regularly cynically manipulated by the anti-gay and white supremacist descended Family Foundation .
On the backstabbing from, many Virginia Democrats now rushing to denounce Northam and call for his resignation include a number of those elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 who owe their election to the efforts of Northam's ground game. Leading this list is Danica Roem who has lost all of my respect. Roem, however, is not alone. In his rush to call for Northam's resignation, Mark Herring has lost our respect and I have already withdrawn our previous promises of money and hosting a fundraiser in our home for his gubernatorial campaign. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have likewise lost my respect. What disturbs me most is the fact that the truth and what Northam has done over the last three decades doesn't matter to these politicians who are posturing, in my opinion, to (A) appease the black vote and (B) appease the strident ideology police of the Democrat left. What they are seemingly ignoring is that some of us want elected officials who are honest and stand by principle not political expediency. This year, Virginia Democrats seeking money from us will go away empty handed.
The winners in all of this? The anti-abortion extremists and Virginia Republicans who are likely salivating at the thought of the inexperienced Fairfax as governor and the reality that he would likely be unable to win re-election in 2021. Closer at hand, the Virginia Democrat Party is tearing itself apart and will now go into the 2017 elections deeply divided. While these Democrats may curry favor with the black voters, I suspect some white voters in the critical urban crescent of Virginia may sit out the election and guarantee 2 more years of Republican control in the legislature.
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