Earlier today, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam capped off a week fluffing for a bill legalizing infanticide with a leak of his medical school year book that showed him either in blackface or in a KKK outfit. Seriously, as far as I can tell he refuses to say which he is.

BREAKING: Gov. Ralph Northam yearbook page shows blackface and Klan photohttps://t.co/6A89ejp5Ho

— The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) February 1, 2019

Chyron Hall Of Fame material. pic.twitter.com/we4HLuDgKr

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) February 1, 2019

As was to be expected, the Virginia Democrat party quickly closed ranks around Northam:

Members of the state legislative black caucus said Friday night stopped short of demanding Northam step down but said “what has been revealed is disgusting, reprehensible, and offensive. We feel complete betrayal. The legacy of slavery, racism, and Jim Crow has been an albatross around the necks of African Americans for over 400 years. These pictures rip off the scabs of an excruciatingly painful history and are a piercing reminder of this nation’s sins. Those who would excuse the pictures are just as culpable.”
…
A Northam ally, Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) defended the governor.

“His whole life has been about exactly the opposite and that’s what you need to examine, not something that occurred 30 years ago,” said Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax). “While it’s in very poor taste, I would think no one in the General Assembly who would like their college conduct examined. I would hate to have to go back and examine my two years in the Army. Trust me. I was 18 years old and I was a handful, OK? His life since then has been anything but. It’s been a life of helping people, and many times for free.”

Compare and contrast this with the way the GOP reacts at any hint of scandal. Here we have photographic evidence of Northam, as an adult, in one racially charged outfit or the other. His party is with him. Roy Moore, on the other hand, is subjected unsubstantiated and, worse than that, unfalsifiable claims that he leered at a teenager 40+ years ago and he’s thrown under the bus. Just last week, Florida’s secretary of state, Michael Ertel was forced to resign with 15-year-old images surfaced of him…wait for it…”in blackface, wearing red lipstick, a New Orleans Saints bandana, fake breasts and large earrings.”

NEW: Individual statements from @timkaine & @MarkWarner call the @RalphNortham yearbook picture “shocking and deeply offensive” & “horrible,” but do NOT call on Northam to resign —> pic.twitter.com/OxpflnwNwA

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 2, 2019

Northam is sure enough of his support that he made a statement tonight that was basically “I’m sorry if you’re offended but screw y’all if you think I’m resigning.”

My fellow Virginians, earlier today I released a statement apologizing for behavior in my past that falls far short of the standard you set for me when you elected me to be your governor. I believe you deserve to hear directly from me. pic.twitter.com/1rSw1oxfrX

— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) February 2, 2019

The take away from this is that the Democrats respect power and the GOP doesn’t. The Democrats could care less about what you think while the GOP craps its drawers at the thought it may offend someone. You may not like the way they operate but you can’t deny the outcome. Don’t fool yourself. The GOP doesn’t act this way because it is more principled and higher minded. They know as well as any that your principles and $5 will get you a froo-froo pseudo-coffee at Starbucks. Just think about the number of “conservatives” who were going to throw Brett Kavanaugh under the bus because the Democrats said he was a bad, bad man. Think about the people who excoriated the Covington Catholic High School kids based on what the left was saying. The GOP behaves this way because it is scared of its shadow, craven to the core, and would rather lose, all the time, than have the correct type of people, the people they aspire to be respected by, say hurtful words about them. It loses where it should win because it doesn’t know how or deserve to win.

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