Virginia megathread

[henster]

Hope Northam sues for libel.

[henster]

So EVMS which is based in a predominately black city of Norfolk just casually has one of their students have a photo of a guy dressed in KKK and blackface in their yearbooks. And someone no one has found this in the ten years Northam has been a public figure.

[henster]

Pretty scary how blatant conservatives are about sharing and making fake news, they have no shame.

[henster]

https://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/virginia/article_67fdd682-2662-11e9-a7d1-c7ed70e09b50.html

[henster]

If it wasn't an election year then it'd be fine he should apologize and move on 'I made a mistake 20 years bla bla blah' but he needs to go because he will drag Dems down this year. We are one election cycle from controlling everything in VA and Northam can't be allowed to stop us.

[henster]

Sad end to his political career, Northam was one of my favorite pols. He's an all around great guy Army doc, pediatrician, public servant who fought for Medicaid expansion. There are plenty of pols who have done far worse and haven't been run out of office but it is what it is.

[henster]

Regardless of what he did 35 years ago let us not forget he fought for and got healthcare for 400K Virginians in expanding Medicaid.

[henster]

Regardless of what he did 35 years ago let us not forget he fought for and got healthcare for 400K Virginians in expanding Medicaid.

Fairfax would have too.

doubtful.

Let's not forget Northam was successful partially because he had such a good relationship in the leg and a newbie like Fairfax may have had a harder time. Fairfax still has to negotiate a budget this session among other things but he'll have an easier time next year when Dems likely take control.

[henster]

The burning question for me is how could he have not known this was out there and not be prepared for it? Do people really forget something like this, don't we all go through old photos at some point in life? And what about his classmates who said nothing all these years what were they thinking?

[henster]

Guy's I think he's lost it as sad as it is.

[henster]

Northam could've went away from all of this with his reputation intact maybe along the likes of Spitzer/McGreevey disgraced but eventually redeemed in some circles after an apology tour. But he's probably going to lose everything now that he's dragged it out and forced into social isolation for the rest of his life.

[henster]

https://twitter.com/gdebenedetti/status/1091845402037551104

Hurrah, I finally called something right!
Now all ambiguity is gone, Northam’s on his own.
He can jump, or be pushed.

If he doesn't resign after this, I could see a stern call from Barack, Bill, Michelle, and/or Hillary as a final resort.

That's assuming he's even thinking rationally at this point. What sane person wouldn't have resigned by now? Real possibly he's had a mental breakdown who no longer listens to reason.

[henster]

https://twitter.com/gdebenedetti/status/1091845402037551104

Hurrah, I finally called something right!
Now all ambiguity is gone, Northam’s on his own.
He can jump, or be pushed.

If he doesn't resign after this, I could see a stern call from Barack, Bill, Michelle, and/or Hillary as a final resort.

That's assuming he's even thinking rationally at this point. What sane person wouldn't have resigned by now? Real possibly he's had a mental breakdown who no longer listens to reason.

- Yeah, if he’s still got perspective , Obama threatening a public rebuke could be the last straw.
- If he does end up acting irrationally, I worry we might end up with another Eric Greitens/Roland Burris/Rod Blagovich situation. The whole ‘Screw public opinion and precedent, I want to do this for me’ attitude.

I'm thinking this will be another Greitens.  He'll have to be dragged kicking and screaming like a first grader to resign.  I envision a joint rebuke from Barack and Michelle by sometime next week.

I think his entire cabinet resigning en masse could be another straw. Ultimately the person everyone should be talking to is his wife, probably the only one who could sway him at this point.

[henster]

Think Northam sleeps on it and ends up resigning tomorrow he's in the denial/bargaining stage of grief right now but he'll get to acceptance.

[henster]

https://twitter.com/NBCpolitics/status/1091713905540456448

Honestly Dems should just declare Fairfax the interim Governor ala Venezuela.

[henster]

No way Fairfax resigns, if you think Franken going caused a firestorm imagine Fairfax  going over a clear RW smear. At some point Dems have to draw a line.

[henster]

Grain Mountain of salt, but it appears that Fairfax has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman during the 2004 DNC

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/stanford-fellow-hints-at-possible-justin-fairfax-sex-assault/

Sounds like a hit piece to me.

Apparently this woman went to the Washington Post a year ago and they didnt find her story credible enough to publish. Make of that what you will.

Already seeing Dems on twitter ready and willing to throw Fairfax under the bus and content with him resigning. The party is absolutely pathetic at this point enough of this crap people need to grow a spine and stand up to these smears.

[henster]

https://twitter.com/13JaclynLee/status/1092309947575123968

[henster]

https://twitter.com/13JaclynLee/status/1092309947575123968

Thanks for posting. I'm strongly convinced all victims or those who claim to be should be listened and supported if the accusations are credible. Making false claims - I don't say this person does, but it is not unlikely - is unacceptable. It hurts the reputation of respected people and discredits the actual victims.

I just wonder, if this is true, why she didn't report to lawenforcement at the time? He wasn't a very powerful dude and 2004 is not a time such claims were automatically ridiculed.

The fact that it made its way to a RW blog conveniently the same one that leaked the yearbook photo it reeks of BS.

[henster]

No way, a Repub would surely roll back Medicaid expansion, go after voting rights, immigrants and have a destructive environmental policy. Their policies would be far more harmful than any action Northam took 35 years ago, it would be an easy call for Dems to make.

[henster]

Very similar to the Keith Ellison accusation, it was passed around the media and they couldn't verify it.

[henster]

Hard to see this as nothing but a coordinated hit job by the right, already taking out a duly elected Governor and now his successor. I don't think the base will tolerate Fairfax being thrown UTB a line is gonna have to be drawn here.

[henster]

The woman accusing him is a liberal professor at Stanford. She went to 2004 dnc

How is it a hitjob? It is not a credible claim since zero corroboration, but it is hardly a hitjob


You people are acting like complete hypocrites considering your behavior during the Kavanaugh inquisition

The timing alone implies it along with the fact it was leaked to the same outlet that took out Northam. If she was so concerned about this she should've went public after WaPo declined to post but instead waiting another year until this moment?

[henster]

This is an all out coup.

[henster]

I've gotten the impression lately that Northam is nothing more than a bumbling buffoon of a politician not some master tactician who can cunningly undermine his rivals. And I've never got that vibe from him, I've always saw him as the congenial country doctor.