The arguments that Ralph Northam, Governor of Virginia, should resign have a lot of layers, space for counter-arguments, but it's hard to see how he can hold on with any effectiveness, even if one thinks he should.[1]
But significant irk I have about this particular scandal is the conflation of "Northam should go" and "Boy, that Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax is a really keen person we'd love to see as governor."
Yes, despite the highly dubious sexual assault allegations that have conveniently cropped up, Fairfax seems like he would be a good governor, and certainly it would be an additional milestone in the history of Virginia having an African-American in that post.
But that should have — does have — nothing to do with whether Northam should resign, whether the loathsome things he apparently did as a med school student in 1984 should disqualify him from political office in 2018, whether his contemporary actions belie the accusations made about his character, whether he's mishandled the whole contretemps, whether this is now "bigger than Ralph Northam," whether the scandal is such that he can't possibly govern … it is (or should be) solely all about Northam, and the judgment about what he did and his fitness to be governor. Who is standing in the wings? That's a matter of political calculus, not moral calculus.
If what Northam did was awful enough to be dogged into retirement even if his successor was a staunch Republican, then it's the right thing to do. Being a bit too openly eager to reach that conclusion with an attractive "rising star" as Lt. Governor weakens the moral judgment people seem to be driving toward.
——
[1] For the record, while I tend toward the proposal that "People in college, even grad school, do blitheringly stupid things, that should be weighed against their more recent actions to make a judgment about what kind of person they presently are," I also realize that I'm not of the groups that might be understandably most offended by this, nor am I a resident of Virginia. And certainly Northam's handling of the matter has been a spiral of personal discredit.
Ralph Northam’s yearbook page: Virginia governor faces pressure to resign over racist yearbook photo – CBS News
Northam said Friday night he is “deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo”
Nice
All in all, I think that Kavanaugh's and Norham's difficulties are an object lesson in how schools screw up students. In both cases, the school should have shut down the highjinx, and edited the yearbooks, but they failed to do so. And where were the parents, grand parents, auts and their ncles whes yearbooks went home????
If this were an undergraduate yearbook, sure. But these folks were in med school and not exactly children.
I watched "Meet The Press" waste an entire episode on this issue. What kind of runaway conceit compels the Dems and the press to grab the wheel from VA voters?
+Roberto Bayardo That makes it less dismissable, true. But, again, what behavior have we seen from him over the past decades as a professional adult? Does that have any meaning in judging him or his past idiocies and/or racism?
+decay21450 If the people of VA voted for someone with terrible secrets they were unaware of at the time, then it's perfectly legit to suggest that person resign. Ultimately such calls should be heeded most if they comes from VA itself, but observations from outside the state aren't out of bounds.
I would likely be willing to overlook this indiscretion had it not been for his ham handed handling of the situation. At this point I don't see how he can continue to effectively lead given the shit storm now swirling.
what a minute! Why does what someone did in high school, aka. Kavanaugh, but not for a Governor? You were set to persecute him based off of unfounded and unverifiable statements made by DiFi and the other Dems with pitch forks.
This picture has been out for over a year to the media outlets. Fox News had it and didn’t run with it in October. Only now that he wants to enact third term abortions and actually kill a baby if it survives. That’s what this is about, changing the subject.
Isn’t it odd that the ones that were up in arms about children being separated from the parents at the border are as quite as a mouse at Sunday Mass. I find it odd that people care more about whales, dogs, (pick your favorite animal), etc…than a human life.