RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has withdrawn from plans to be a commencement speaker at his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, and won’t participate in any other graduation ceremonies amid the persisting scandal over a blackface photo.
News outlets report the Democrat is abstaining from graduations throughout Virginia this season. Northam’s spokeswoman Ofirah Yheskel said Monday that he deiced weeks ago to skip ceremonies over concern he would divert focus from graduates.
Northam has resisted calls to resign since February, when a racist photo surfaced from his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. He denies being in the photo but admits wearing blackface while portraying Michael Jackson at a dance party.
New campaign finance records show Northam’s fundraising efforts dried up. He also canceled his appearance at a Sunday fundraiser for a state senator.
Correction:
Good fix. “Haunted” makes it sound like he was the victim of something. This story is a great reminder that having a “D” stamped on your forehead isn’t worth much if you’re a racist.
Here is a prime example of Trump being able to manipulate overreaction by our side. Trump is such a racist that many who are not feel that they need to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against even the appearance of racism. Even when actions like Northam’s were 30 years old, and in the mainstream of popular culture at the time. And much less serious than true acts of racism.
Another example is Trump’s behavior towards women prompting a zero-tolerance attitude towards accusations of sexual harassment on our side. Such an attitude is wrong and can be exploited politically by Democrats fighting for political advantage and by Republicans seeking to sow discord in our ranks.
Yes, we certainly wouldn’t want a man who served honorably in the military, has been a progressive governor leading the charge for Medicaid expansion and voters rights, and beating back the extremist Republican agenda to stand up in front of a bunch of young people embarking on their own careers to tell them that dumb things they might do in their youth can come back to light. It’s not a message that the Instagram generation needs to hear. He certainly can’t be an inspiration to say that it’s possible to overcome a culture you were raised in to value other people.
Nope, can’t have that. Purity, you know.
This is such a dumb scandal.