Governor Northam needs to resign - I accept I could be wrong
Last edited Mon Feb 4, 2019, 05:15 PM - Edit history (1)
I have to admit that I wasn't there, I don't know what happened, I don't know the schools the governor went to or how he behaved 35 years ago. I don't know the kind of effort Russia (and, by extension, the GOP) is putting forth to have him removed and I see now someone is smearing Justin Fairfax as well. This could be yet another effort to bring someone down rapidly without proper investigations into what actually happened. I think jumping to conclusions is what whoever the trolls are want. Maybe I am playing right into their hands. I just don't know anymore.
My original post follows, unedited.
I've been internalizing conflicting arguments of why Governor Northam should stay in office versus why he should resign, including my own, for days. I have seen a fairly consistent theme in the arguments:
1) This happened 35 years ago. He has changed.
2) The Republicans are much worse
3) Let the African American community decide.
I'll break these down point-by-point.
1) This happened 35 years ago. He has changed.
While I understand that people are capable of change, invoking Senator Byrd as an example doesn't fly because when he was elected, most Southern Democrats held the same view as he did and I'm sure more than a few were members of the KKK. He was elected before "realignment", when many Southern Dems jumped ship and moved to the Republican Party (bringing their racism and KKK membership with them). Simply because something was acceptable 50 years ago doesn't mean we should accept the same standard today. We are supposed to be "progressive". Maintaining the status quo of 50 years ago is the definition of "conservative". Furthermore, we have to show progress from 50 years ago. ANYONE who has ever - in their life - endorsed such blatant, hateful outright evil as blackface and the KKK WITHOUT DISCLOSING THAT HISTORY BEFORE RUNNING FOR ELECTION (which would take courage) needs to be disqualified from Democratic leadership. Joking about blackface and the KKK (two portraits in hateful cowardice fueled by ignorance and loathing) then trying to suppress that information displays a lack of courage and fortitude that shows HE HAS NOT CHANGED. Instead, it leaves a stain on Northam that is unbleachable.
2) The Republicans are much worse
This one is easy: The fact that Republicans allow their membership to remain in office regardless of their criminal tendencies and/or lack of ethics should be something that sets Democrats apart from the GOP, not something we aspire to. The Democratic Party must set itself apart from the Republican Party.
3) Let the African American community decide.
Let us ALL decide! Regardless of our personal ethnicity and gender, the Democratic Party should UNITE in holding our elected officials to a higher standard. We are ALL human. We understand that people make mistakes. We also know that slavery was (and is) unconscionable and is representative of the most evil and reprehensible of human tendencies. WE ALL must reject hateful behavior that is designed to differentiate us from one another. Democratic leaders must represent the best of human tendencies. There are plenty of Democrats who have lived their entire life comitted to the current Democratic Party's core principals: Courage, inclusion, liberty, human rights, equal opportunity, and EQUAL justice for ALL. Our leaders must be the standard bearers of those values.
= new reply since forum marked as read
....and our democratic values and morals have no bearing on our calling for Northam's resignation.....
Either that or other long term DU members since over 15 years ago have been sleeper trolls for Russia, waiting for this moment to reveal ourselves....
Thank you, Pachamama and TrueBlue Texan for writing what I was thinking 
.
I'm not sure why a thoughtful expression after reflecting on all the input over the past few days calls me into question as a troll.