It wasn’t so long ago that the current Democratic governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam was embroiled in a scandal so toxic it seemed that he was literally hours away from resigning in early 2019. Pictures surface of Northm’s old college yearbook with heinous racist imagery on his personal page in the book. In the picture, one person posed in blackface, the other in a Klan robe. The marine question was which one of the disgusting racist costumes was being depicted by Northam. It was hard to tell, being that one person was behind black makeup, and the other was literally behind a white robe.
All evidence pointed to Northam having submitted the image, as part of his joyous college tenure, that earned him the racist nickname “Coonman.” He even admitted as such, according to the Washington Post.
I can’t even show the picture, it’s just that horrible, but if you need a refresher, see this tweet.
At the time, in February of 2019, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe strongly condemned Northam’s racist yearbook page and called for his resignation:
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and other Democrats on Sunday pressed Gov. Ralph Northam to resign after a picture on his medical school yearbook page surfaced showing two men, one dressed as a Ku Klux Klansman and the other in blackface.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” McAuliffe implied resigning was “morally the only right thing to do” in light of the photo controversy, citing Virginia’s “sordid past” with race relations.
“It’s not about Ralph anymore,” McAuliffe added. “It’s about who we are as Virginians and how we move forward. So he’s going to do the right thing. I know in his heart he’s going to do the right thing.”
The Washington Post ran the headline shortly after the image emerged that Northam admitted it was him depicted in the racist photo:
“Gov. Ralph Northam admits he was in 1984 yearbook photo showing figures in blackface, KKK hood”
Northam was Terry McAuliffe’s Lieutenant Governor, so the two were well-acquainted which made McAuliffe’s call for Northam to resign all that more impactful. Despite Northam’s eventual claims that the picture on his yearbook page with his nickname “Coonman” under it did not depict him, McAuliffe said he should resign for the good of the state:
That was February of 2019, when it seemed like Ralph Northam’s fate was sealed. Everyone, from his former boss Terry McAuliffe to the head of the Democratic National Committee, was calling for him to resign in shame over his clearly racist yearbook page.
So, what happened? Northam, with help from places like the Washington Post, which originally called for his resignation, then changed its mind, was able to hold on and weather the storm as a battered and damaged governor. Virginia governors are term-limited to a single term, but can run again in another four years, just not consecutively.
Now, however, Terry McAuliffe has offered his highest level praise despite saying Northam should resign less than two years earlier, wishing him a heartfelt Happy Birthday back in September:
Happy birthday to my good friend and our great governor, @RalphNortham! ????? pic.twitter.com/1VYutkoGwD
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) September 13, 2021
In April of this year, Northam endorsed McAuliffe’s gubernatorial campaign, and the endorsement was heartily accepted with glowing words of appreciation:
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam endorsed former Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s gubernatorial bid on Thursday, backing the man he succeeded as governor to be the commonwealth’s next chief executive.
McAuliffe said in a statement that he was “honored” to have Northam’s backing.
“COVID-19 has brought unprecedented health and economic challenges to Virginia, but we have been incredibly fortunate to have Governor Northam — a doctor — leading our recovery and setting us on the path to a stronger future,” he added.
Strangely odd how Northam, once beleaguered to the point of resignation for his racist yearbook photo, is now being praised and accepted by McAuliffe as a great leader. Why did McAuliffe renege on his own demand that Northam resign? Maybe Virginians should take notice of how McAuliffe’s morals and standards are such that he can forgive even the most racist of imagery, so long as his party remains in power.
Someone needs to ask Terry McAuliffe why he thinks it was OK for Ralph Northam to stay in the governor’s mansion despite his clear and unquestionable racist background, depicted for the world to see on his college yearbook page.
