Virginia governor Northam (D) is toast

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ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,733
18,003
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real smart of the republicans to find these year books. No way will it backfire on them when people start looking up republicans... oh wait..

5c5c6bce42592.image.jpg


https://pilotonline.com/news/govern...-ace9-ff7814740140.html?__vfz=medium=sharebar

They're not Dems, case closed.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,402
8,038
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OK, please explain to me. I've seen myriad scandals involving politicians, people who are prominent in public life, particularly recently, I'm thinking. Where I live and where I grew up (N. CA, and S. CA respectively), I've never heard of anyone wearing black face. I've never lived in "the South." VA, I suppose, would be considered The South, maybe not the deep South, dunno.

What does it signify that this guy when going to med school was involved in some prankish behavior and he wore black face when partying and had a picture of this published in the year book? Strikes me that Kavanaugh raping that girl was many times worse. I don't get why this guy has to immediately resign. I'm not saying he shouldn't! I'm just saying I don't comprehend the outrage, the cultural context of this bruhaha. Does this guy having engaged in this behavior stamp him as racist? Is he necessarily biased with regard to black Americans by virtue of this? Is he denigrating blacks? Is he disparaging them? Is he "making fun of them?" Arguably he's imitating them. Maybe even saying he'd like to be black or at least enjoy being black temporarily. Is that disparagement?

There was a famous book written, "Black Like Me." It was written by IIRC a white reporter/journalist/writer who underwent treatments that made him appear to be African American. He then lived a kind of underground life, experienced life as an African American for quite a while and then wrote his book, explained the incites he had about what it meant to be black in America.

Is what the governor of VA did so much different? Yeah, it's different. But people used to do that a lot and get paid to do it in public in the minstrel shows.

Look... People cross dress. People get sex change operations. People want to inhabit other people's identities as a way of seeing beyond themselves. Why are people so offended by this instance of that kind of activity?
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
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Seems to me an FBI investigation with everyone involved taking polygraphs would settle this. Do that ensures both claims can be taken seriously. ...
LOL! No. We discussed this in the Kavanaugh thread. Polygraphs (so-called "lie detector") tests are 100% bullshit. They have ALWAYS been 100% bullshit. It should be an embarrassment to believe in them, suggest one, administer one, or participate in one. Society needs to mock this the same way we do flat-earthers or anti-vaxxers. Judges need to scoff and start reprimanding people for bringing them up as any kind of "evidence."
 
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Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
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Polygraphs are inaccurate, they can be beaten. If they were demonstrably foolproof they would be used in every court across the nation.
I wouldn't even put it that way. They're not just inaccurate or defeatable, they simply have no legitimacy or bearing whatsoever. They are based on literally no scientific evidence or theory. They have always been absolute bullshit.
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,234
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They're not Dems, case closed.
The guy who "edited" that yearbook is the politician in trouble. Not the people in the pictures. Even in the link you quoted, the guy says his role was really just to make sure the photographs and writings were complete on schedule, saying he didn't really look over or approve the content. Not sure if I believe his excuse, but pretending those pictures are republican politicians is misleading and disingenuous.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,402
8,038
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The 80s, a time when it was ok to laugh and be offensive. We live in a boring world of sanitary Halloween and such now
I don't know about where you live but Halloween around here these days is 1000 times as bizarre as what it was when I grew up. It seems that a high percentage of the people around here almost live for it.
 
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Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
8,100
2,154
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Northam should sit tight. He's starting to look like the cleanest politician in VA with just 35 year old blackface jokes.



Herring probably needs to sit tight also. Some of the MSM are going back and talking to classmates for him and Northam to find out if they were racist or this was a one time racist thing.

What is it about white college guys in Virginia in the 80s wanting to dress up as black performers? Did they do it just to use a blackface, you know, being racist without looking like they were being racists?

Dems need to do a thorough investigation on Fairfax over the allegations before they force him out. If two have come forward I wonder if we will see more come out.
 
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Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
20,281
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Due process does not apply to politics. If he is charged criminally or sued civilly by those accusing him then and only then does the right to due process apply. Until either of things occur we are only discussing a political matter.
Fair enough. So the assumption of guilt doesn't bother you?
It bothers me that every single politician can be brought down by an accusation. Or a 35 year old picture of him doing something stupid.
 

Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
8,100
2,154
136
I'm confused, is Northam's current position neither the Klansman or the blackface guy are him??



Yes. I read where he has hired facial recognition experts to analyze the pics to confirm neither is him.
 

HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
35,959
27,639
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LOL! No. We discussed this in the Kavanaugh thread. Polygraphs (so-called "lie detector") tests are 100% bullshit. They have ALWAYS been 100% bullshit. It should be an embarrassment to believe in them, suggest one, administer one, or participate in one. Society needs to mock this the same way we do flat-earth era or anti-vaxxers. Judges need to scoff and start reprimanding people for bringing them up as any kind of "evidence."
Sure they are bullshit. That's why all government intel agencies require taking one before being hired.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,733
18,003
146
The guy who "edited" that yearbook is the politician in trouble. Not the people in the pictures. Even in the link you quoted, the guy says his role was really just to make sure the photographs and writings were complete on schedule, saying he didn't really look over or approve the content. Not sure if I believe his excuse, but pretending those pictures are republican politicians is misleading and disingenuous.

Lol, something conservatives obviously care about.
 

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
11,493
3,159
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Yes. I read where he has hired facial recognition experts to analyze the pics to confirm neither is him.

At this point, WHO CARES?
I mean, Donald Trump has set a new standard for this stuff i.e. accountability.
Hell no, Northam does not need to resign.
Real Time with Bill Mahar had a good segment on this. Bill pointed out all the good Northam has done while governor.
And he's done a lot for the people of Virginia, number one expanding Medicare in the state.
Something republican governors have been refusing to do.
If Northam resigned and Fairfax then resigned, Virginia would have a republican governor.
How long would it take that republican governor to reverse everything Northam has done?
Not long.
And speaking of Donald Trump, Trump has allegations against him from some 26 women.
If anyone wants to investigate something, investigate THAT.

No, Northam doesn't need to resign. Actions say more than a photo.
Even if Northam has had a shady past, he has made up for that and then some.
Northam has done more for the middle class Virginian than anyone else. Certainly any republican governor would have.
Just ride it out, as if Northam were Donald Trump.
 
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K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
45,892
32,680
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Fair enough. So the assumption of guilt doesn't bother you?
It bothers me that every single politician can be brought down by an accusation. Or a 35 year old picture of him doing something stupid.

Welcome to politics since we crawled out of caves.

Northam's situation was/is survivable but made FAR more difficult by how he's handled things. The AG seems to have done a much better job on that front. Fairfax looks like toast because the party/electorate is going to be unwilling to overlook multiple (at least two) incidents with women that have contemporary corroboration.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
12,972
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I was in jr high, doubt I had much of an opinion on it to be honest

Pah, I had opinions on Presidents and Prime Ministers at that age. Not the most well-informed opinions, I grant you, but opinions nevertheless. I wasn't a policy wonk, more a big-picture kind of kid.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
33,381
7,444
136
Strikes me that Kavanaugh raping that girl was many times worse.

At best you could call it attempted rape. Difference being it was not done. And the intention of drunken frat boys, while easy to assume, are difficult to ascertain as they were more interested in wrestling / fighting with each other in a drunken stupor than actually forcing her clothes off or keeping her detained. Fact is they let her go, maybe because they realized she was not willing.

TL;DR, not raped.
Where did you get that misinformation?
Or do you not care to distinguish between, lets say... threats to murder VS actual murder?
 

brycejones

Lifer
Oct 18, 2005
25,990
23,788
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Fair enough. So the assumption of guilt doesn't bother you?
It bothers me that every single politician can be brought down by an accusation. Or a 35 year old picture of him doing something stupid.

Like anything else you have to weigh the available evidence and draw your own conclusions. But here for me the standard would be more likely than not instead of beyond all reasonable doubt.
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,234
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Sure they are bullshit. That's why all government intel agencies require taking one before being hired.
Yes. Because those embarrassing policies have been in place for way too long and it's still there due to beaureucracy. It is 100% bullshit. It has always been 100% bullshit.
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,234
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Wouldn't that suggest anyone not hired by the FBI or CIA based on failing a polygraph would have basis for a lawsuit.

....
Probably, yeah. They probably administer the "test" due to policy, but they shouldn't even bother to look at it because it's meaningless. They know this. They probably do ignore the output and not even look at it. It would be nice if some CIA type HR person could confirm. It still serves one purpose: As a deterrent which only works because the public is so overwhelmingly ignorant about polygraphs.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,733
18,003
146
You like believing bullshit?

Haha, I was raised conservative by religious nutters. My feels are paramount, it's in their code. It's good to see that you're not denying conservatives faux concern over misrepresentation and insincerity.
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,234
136
Haha, I was raised conservative by religious nutters. My feels are paramount, it's in their code. It's good to see that you're not denying conservatives faux concern over misrepresentation and insincerity.
Sure. Denouncing a pervasive bullshit belief has so many other implications, Mr. Partisan.