Channeling Trump

I can't help thinking that this is exactly how Trump would act.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/02/ralph-northam-yearbook-photo-racist-1144276

I'm not sure I follow you.

I'm a bit conflicted about the Northam issue. In the final analysis, I think he should resign, but it's a close call. His explanation seemed reasonable today, though I guess he could be lying about it.

In a case like this, I'm willing to forgive something stupid from decades ago, if the person's behavior since then has not shown him to be pursuing that same behavior. Plus he claims he had nothing to do with the yearbook photo, which is certainly possible.

It's like the Robert Byrd/KKK thing. Byrd's entire public life was the anti-thesis of KKK behavior, so his early transgression can be forgiven.

I don't know Northam well enough to make the same claim, but I haven't heard anything from the opposite side either.

drummerboy said:
I'm not sure I follow you.
I'm a bit conflicted about the Northam issue. In the final analysis, I think he should resign, but it's a close call. His explanation seemed reasonable today, though I guess he could be lying about it.
In a case like this, I'm willing to forgive something stupid from decades ago, if the person's behavior since then has not shown him to be pursuing that same behavior. Plus he claims he had nothing to do with the yearbook photo, which is certainly possible.

It's like the Robert Byrd/KKK thing. Byrd's entire public life was the anti-thesis of KKK behavior, so his early transgression can be forgiven.
I don't know Northam well enough to make the same claim, but I haven't heard anything from the opposite side either.

Abraham Lincoln was a racist.  LBJ used the N-word with abandon.  Senator Byrd and Hugo Black (see Brown v. BOE) started out as klansmen.  At what point to you look at a person's body of work in their life and move past racist or insensitive behavior in the past?

Channeling Trump -- His process of governing. (Not authored by me)

1. Take a dump on the rug.

2. Point out there's a turd on the rug.

3. Complain that whoever put it there, isn't cleaning it up.

4. Explain that he's the only one who's genius enough to know how to clean it.

5. Smear it around with his foot.

6. Announce that he cleaned it up and its the best cleaning up job of a turd that's ever been done.

drummerboy said:
I'm not sure I follow you.

 First he admitted it was his picture and apologized. Then he changed and denied it was his picture.

It's like Trump saying he would take full responsibility for the shutdown and then saying it was Pelosi and Schumer's fault.

Never take responsibility and deny, deny, deny. That's Trumpian.

tjohn said:

Abraham Lincoln was a racist.  LBJ used the N-word with abandon.  Senator Byrd and Hugo Black (see Brown v. BOE) started out as klansmen.  At what point to you look at a person's body of work in their life and move past racist or insensitive behavior in the past?

 It was 1984 not 1864 or 1924. I do not believe that Senators Byrd or Black ( Senator before he was appointed Justice) waited until they were caught to apologize and make amends.

If the Virginia Governor had admitted his mistake and apologized at the beginning of his political career it would have been different.

He has been caught and he is being evasive.

STANV said:

drummerboy said:
I'm not sure I follow you.

 First he admitted it was his picture and apologized. Then he changed and denied it was his picture.
It's like Trump saying he would take full responsibility for the shutdown and then saying it was Pelosi and Schumer's fault.
Never take responsibility and deny, deny, deny. That's Trumpian.

tjohn said:

Abraham Lincoln was a racist.  LBJ used the N-word with abandon.  Senator Byrd and Hugo Black (see Brown v. BOE) started out as klansmen.  At what point to you look at a person's body of work in their life and move past racist or insensitive behavior in the past?

 It was 1984 not 1864 or 1924. I do not believe that Senators Byrd or Black ( Senator before he was appointed Justice) waited until they were caught to apologize and make amends.
If the Virginia Governor had admitted his mistake and apologized at the beginning of his political career it would have been different.
He has been caught and he is being evasive.

At the end of the day, this is a political question. I believe the rules have changed and Northam should resign. 

tjohn said:

drummerboy said:
I'm not sure I follow you.
I'm a bit conflicted about the Northam issue. In the final analysis, I think he should resign, but it's a close call. His explanation seemed reasonable today, though I guess he could be lying about it.
In a case like this, I'm willing to forgive something stupid from decades ago, if the person's behavior since then has not shown him to be pursuing that same behavior. Plus he claims he had nothing to do with the yearbook photo, which is certainly possible.

It's like the Robert Byrd/KKK thing. Byrd's entire public life was the anti-thesis of KKK behavior, so his early transgression can be forgiven.
I don't know Northam well enough to make the same claim, but I haven't heard anything from the opposite side either.

Abraham Lincoln was a racist.  LBJ used the N-word with abandon.  Senator Byrd and Hugo Black (see Brown v. BOE) started out as klansmen.  At what point to you look at a person's body of work in their life and move past racist or insensitive behavior in the past?

 There are many answers to this question; I propose April 4, 1968 as the cutoff date. 

I think I'd have more sympathy if the yearbook was 1964 rather than 1984, when Jesse Jackson was running for president and VA had its first Af Am governor.

And, as so many have said, what TF kind of med school has such a yearbook entry? Wonder what the rest of the fun-loving students were putting on their pages.