Earlier, I wrote that there was no need for Northam to resign over an offensive photo in his yearbook. This afternoon, though, Northam changed his story and I've changed my mind. Yesterday, Northam had admitted to being in the photo of two people, one in blackface and one in KKK robes. He apologized and tried to move on. This afternoon, he denied being in the photo and said that he didn't recall ever seeing it previously. Think about that, it was his yearbook page. What person buys a yearbook but doesn't check out his or her own picture. And why would Northam first admit he was in the photo and then deny it? Seems backwards, very backwards.
But there's more today. Northam said that while he wasn't the person in blackface in the photo, he had won a costume contest that same year by dressing as Michael Jackson and appearing in blackface. So he wasn't in blackface in the yearbook but he was in blackface in a contest in the same year. Northam then said that blackface was pretty common in Virginia in 1984. He actually said that.
Look, he's not talking about 1944 or 1964. He's talking about 1984, a year when I think it's safe to say that there weren't many folks in VA who went around in blackface.
So what does all this mean? The simple answer is that Northam has been broken by the stress of the situation. Also, he seems at best delusional and at worst a total liar. He knows whether or not he was in the yearbook photo. How else did it get there? He knows that as an undergraduate his nickname was "coonman", which he proudly put in his undergraduate yearbook. He also knows that no one was trapsing around Virginia in the mid 80's in blackface. Northam is just flailing and showing that he is not fit to be the governor of VA.
But there's more today. Northam said that while he wasn't the person in blackface in the photo, he had won a costume contest that same year by dressing as Michael Jackson and appearing in blackface. So he wasn't in blackface in the yearbook but he was in blackface in a contest in the same year. Northam then said that blackface was pretty common in Virginia in 1984. He actually said that.
Look, he's not talking about 1944 or 1964. He's talking about 1984, a year when I think it's safe to say that there weren't many folks in VA who went around in blackface.
So what does all this mean? The simple answer is that Northam has been broken by the stress of the situation. Also, he seems at best delusional and at worst a total liar. He knows whether or not he was in the yearbook photo. How else did it get there? He knows that as an undergraduate his nickname was "coonman", which he proudly put in his undergraduate yearbook. He also knows that no one was trapsing around Virginia in the mid 80's in blackface. Northam is just flailing and showing that he is not fit to be the governor of VA.
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