VA Governor Ralph Northam Got Some Explaining to Do

[Mr. Sinister]

43 minutes ago, tshile said:

 

I believe it's alien to pretty much everyone.

 

I made the decision not to post that over the weekend when I went through it because my thought was... my god they'll kill me on ES.

 

I saw that post and decided against my better judgement. Now here we are.

 

So a few quick things, as generally this is probably not interesting to anyone...

1) I don't 'get' movies, TV shows, and apparently commercials (The GoT dragon destroying the budlight people on the super bowl commercial as "them killing off the commericial series, as it needed to be" was completely lost on me until someone explained it to me at lunch yesterday...)  I'm usually the last one to figure out the plot line, when it was obvious to others throughout. I have trouble connecting who was in what movie playing what character, or keeping track of directors and their tendencies. I feel like everyone around me is good at this, but i'm not. I usually keep quiet when movies/TV shows come up in conversation.

 

2) I'm super awkward with the racism/sexism stuff. I guess I've just been lucky to live a life where I wasn't exposed to any of it. Or maybe I just didn't know I was exposed to it, I didn't 'get it', I didn't recognize it when it was happening around me. I'm super afraid to comment on things because it's led to me being called a racist, or supporting a racist. Where plenty of people here see racism/sexism, I see people over reacting. I've grown tired of defending myself and the comments that usually come, so just stay away from it. I've also grown tired of being wrong, which I've been shown a few times, so again... I just stay away from it.

 

So when a few years ago I found myself in a room full of white people telling me how awesome this movie is, and it opens up with a bunch of n-words being thrown around my gut reaction was "dear god get me out of here"

 

And until this past weekend, every time I heard some white person tell me how awesome blazing saddles is all I could think was "oh god, I didn't know he was like that..."

 

I am friends with and hang around some black people, and I've never heard any of them talk about blazing saddles. This weekend was the first time I heard a black person say the movie was awesome (and I was just reading comments/reviews online, from people claiming to be black, but it was enough to convince me of what the movie really was.)

 

So yeah, super super ignorant on that one. I realized it this weekend.

 

But prior to this weekend it was completely possible, and I even thought about (which is what led me to looking it up...), that I would post that movie in a thread like this and be like 'times were different'

 

And I would have gotten killed here for it. Rightfully so, as I now understand. So i'm glad I didn't.

 

On the other hand, not exactly glad I opened this whole conversation. Could be, probably should be, another item filed under 'Keep that one to yourself'

 

 

If you're wrong, you're wrong. Only thing that matters is how you present yourself afterwards, imo.

 

I was ignorant about many things too, until white flight happened here in SoMd in the late 90s- mid '00s, and the overwhelming majority  of my friends became black (and my brother married a black girl in '07, and I got to know her and her family, who had roots in Louisiana and NC). 

 

Completely changed a lot of stuff I swore I knew (which was a mistake on my part) and taught me to take a more careful, constructive approach to many issues, trying to put myself in other people's shoes for a second, taking a moment to imagine the world from their perspective, and listening (learning through trial and error) and ultimately growing as a result of it.

 

Whether you're right or wrong, you try. Try to understand, try to be better, etc. When you do that, you really start to realize how many people (of all races, genders, creeds/religions, etc) don't even bother.

 

Just thought I'd share that 👍

[Kilmer17]

Restating.  The Senate leader takes over the LT Gov seat until the Gov appoints a replacement.  But that replacement only lasts until the next election.  Which would be Nov 2019. 

 

So Fairfax could resign, Northam could appoint a replacement.  Then Northam resigns and the replacement becomes Gov

 

not sure how that would play at the ballot box in Nov though 

[The Evil Genius]

I'd be curious if that were to happen and a general election would occur, if the new elected Governor would be limited to a 2-3 yr term and barred from running in 2022. 

 

Also considering VA just saw Dems gain 15 (is that right???) seats there..it's hard to think the Trump albatross wouldn't continue to sink the party. Especially with NoVa becoming more powerful every election.

[nonniey]

8 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

Um. No.

 

https://ballotpedia.org/Lieutenant_Governor_of_Virginia

 

 

Thanks. That amendment does allow him too.  

[TradeTheBeal!]

The Onion is so good.

 

https://politics.theonion.com/ralph-northam-admits-he-once-engaged-in-pedophilia-as-p-1832405275

[tshile]

8 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

I'd be curious if that were to happen and a general election would occur, if the new elected Governor would be limited to a 2-3 yr term and barred from running in 2022. 

 

This was covered the other day on a podcast I listened to. 

 

In VA the language is one term elected to governor

 

if fairfax takes over (or whomever) he could run in 2020 because he hasn’t been previously elected to governor 

 

 

[Captain Wiggles]

Dammit Virginia was one of the 2 states I wasn't ashamed ta say I was from. AL, NC, GA, TENN, LA, now you to VA. 

 

Colorado you're my last and only hope. 

 

 

Im doomed. Where's that Canada thread?

 

 

[Llevron]

52 minutes ago, Hersh said:

This entire conversation has been great. It’s the kind of non-judgmental conversation that should take place on a topic like this to make people more aware without crucifying people for not being more aware. 

 

 

 

Think about how much we fight with each other to have this kind of familiarity, though. Its not always as easy as just doing it. Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs ( @twa ) to make an omelette. 

31 minutes ago, Kilmer17 said:

Restating.  The Senate leader takes over the LT Gov seat until the Gov appoints a replacement.  But that replacement only lasts until the next election.  Which would be Nov 2019. 

 

So Fairfax could resign, Northam could appoint a replacement.  Then Northam resigns and the replacement becomes Gov

 

not sure how that would play at the ballot box in Nov though 

 

Thats so messy. We need to be able to re-do elections in extreme cases like this. 

 

But thats a whooooooooole other thing there. 

[No Excuses]

2 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Heard about Justin Fairfax or about sexual harrasement in Virginia politics in general?  I'd say the situation needs people like you, I'd be sad to see you leave because none of these f***ers has resigned yet.  The purging of sexual harrasement and racism is going to take a while.

 

I work as a consultant to the federal government these days. Mostly defense science work. Great work but mostly surrounded by terrible people. 

[mcsluggo]

2 hours ago, No Excuses said:

 

On the other hand, voters will not be kind to Democrats if they let the three of them continue to be in power. I don’t think VA is as blue as we think it is despite recent elections. 

 

Virgina (statewide) has been blue because Republicans have chosen gawdawful pretend-VIrginia-is-Alabama candidates, while the Democrats have chosen moderate pragmatic candidates.     

[tshile]

6 minutes ago, mcsluggo said:

 

Virgina (statewide) has been blue because Republicans have chosen gawdawful pretend-VIrginia-is-Alabama candidates, while the Democrats have chosen moderate pragmatic candidates.     

 

Yup. A good gop candidate can absolutely win this state. 

 

A good gop vs a good dem would be interesting to watch. No matter which way it went I wouldn’t declare the state one way or the other, I’d bet a redo could easily produce different results. 

[Captain Wiggles]

Aside from seat vacancies what's needed for a special election in Va?

[Springfield]

I don’t think that Fairfax should resign and I’m not convinced that a sexual assault occurred.

[Bozo the kKklown]

 

 

This is America

[Jumbo]

I bet we find out at trial that Fairfax likes beer. And kissing.

[nonniey]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

I don’t think that Fairfax should resign and I’m not convinced that a sexual assault occurred.

I agree but did you hold the same attitude in October?

[CousinsCowgirl84]

breaking news: politicians are horrible people

[Springfield]

11 minutes ago, nonniey said:

I agree but did you hold the same attitude in October?

 

My opinion on that evolved over time, same as it may with this story.  I was more willing to give the benefit of the doubt early on with Kavanaugh.  As it dragged on and more came out, I became less trusting of his assertion.

 

With Fairfax, it seems like there were two willing parties at some point in the exchange.  Maybe it comes out that he’s in the wrong, who knows.

 

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

[TheGreatBuzz]

Did the AG have someone else bring out pictures or something or did he just admit it himself?

[DogofWar1]

Fairfax's biggest mistake was overplaying his hand and trying to make it sound like WaPo found him innocent.  They didn't go that far and it prompted WaPo to rubber-band back and run a big piece on it.  It's conceivable that if Fairfax had just said "I've never had anything other than consensual sex, will not go into details in the interest of the privacy of my partners, and welcome any investigation that anyone wishes to perform" and then just stood on that statement, that this might have blown over.

 

Maybe it still blows up, but we likely get where we are without the big WaPo piece, which would help a ton for him.

 

Now, who knows.  I think Herring has a better chance of surviving this than Northam, as he seems to understand PR slightly better.

[Going Commando]

I understand why Northam doesn't want to resign.  He doesn't want to considered a racist for the rest of his life and he thinks that he can redeem himself.

 

I don't know what the best course of action is.  Part of me feels like the VA Democratic Party is reeling right now and this administration should withdraw from the party and govern as independents.

 

Then another part of me thinks this blackface scandal is a purity test that is going to cause the self-inflicted destruction of the VA DP and put Republicans in office next election that will do infinitely more harm to black Democrats than going to a college party dressed in blackface in the 80's.

[Springfield]

He shouldn’t resign.  None of them should.  Do a bunch of outreach, propose legislation that benefits people of color.  Don’t be a doofus and actually enact the change that you claim you’ve made in yourself.

 

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

12 hours ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

breaking news: politicians are horrible people

 

Yeah, it doesn't matter what side of the aisle.  IMO, they all want to project that they're good, trustworthy people SO THEY CAN COUNT ON YOUR VOTE but they're really not.  Bunch of narcissistic sociopaths who lie for a living.  **** 'em all.

[TradeTheBeal!]

12 hours ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

breaking news: politicians are horrible people

 

A solid % of all people are horrible across all demographics...profession/gender/age/etc.  Politicians might have a slightly higher rate of horribleness due to the power dynamic.  But that’s a big “might”.