# Virginia gov. yearbook page has Klan and blackface pictures **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 1, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809 "2019-02-01T22:05:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/161 "2019-02-02T20:28:35Z")
Can someone be kicked out of a party? I don’t think that is an option. Most states you list your party at voter registration and you can change it when you want. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/162 "2019-02-02T20:31:57Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > My first reaction was “He was so young and it was so long ago.” > > My second reaction was “But Kavanaugh…”. There is a huge difference between resigning a job for which you were elected by the will of the people- vs simply not getting a promotion to a better job. If those revelations about Kavanaugh had come out _after_ he had joined the Supreme Court, I would say “Too late!”. I say he should not resign. But if he does, that’s Ok too. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/163 "2019-02-02T20:34:06Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Can someone be kicked out of a party? I don’t think that is an option. Most states you list your party at voter registration and you can change it when you want. You aren’t kicked out of the party, you are removed from any leadership roles in that party, along with any backing for campaigns for elected positions. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/164 "2019-02-02T20:34:36Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > But, I have learned something today. It is offensive if a white person is dressing as a black person for Halloween or some other such informal party, to use dark makeup to get in character? Why is that? I’m not talking about a black minstrel face with the ruby red giant lipstick type of character. I understand that is offensive. But a white person now in 2019 simply cannot portray a black person at these informal gatherings? That’s considered offensive because of the history of blackface – white people using white supremacist tropes to mock and denigrate the humanity of black people in performances. Without that history, you could dress as whomever you like. But in today’s world, any attempt to darken a white (or light-skinned) person’s face in America for a costume is likely to bring up thoughts of blackface. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/165 "2019-02-02T20:53:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There is a huge difference between resigning a job for which you were elected by the will of the people- vs simply not getting a promotion to a better job. > > If those revelations about Kavanaugh had come out _after_ he had joined the Supreme Court, I would say “Too late!”. I’m not following this point. If the idea is that because of action X we don’t want a person to be our Governor for the next four years, why is it not equally valid if you find out six months after election to say that because of action X we don’t want him there for the next three and a half? I don’t think he should resign, but he is killing himself with this poor explanation and dodging the obvious question he was asked several times. I think that something along the lines of “I have always abhorred racism, but I grew up in a rural area of the Tidewater area of Virginia. Some of my friends who were not as progressive as me on race would sometimes get drunk and dress up in KKK hoods and blackface as a joke. At the time, I did not realize that this “joke” was not funny at all and has real harmful implications for many people. That is one of the reasons that 25 year olds are too young to become governor. I think my record for the past thirty years, blah, blah, blah” I could accept. Now, many others might not be able to accept it, but people can change and grow. But his explanation of why he said it was him, or why he believed that it could have possibly been him when he states with certainty that the only time it happened was the Michael Jackson thing just doesn’t make sense. He was given several opportunities to answer that question but he reverted to his talking points. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/166 "2019-02-02T20:55:10Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > I’m not following this point. If the idea is that because of action X we don’t want a person to be our Governor for the next four years, why is it not equally valid if you find out six months after election to say that because of action X we don’t want him there for the next three and a half? > . Do you not see the difference between getting fired and being denied a promotion? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/167 "2019-02-02T21:14:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If those revelations about Kavanaugh had come out _after_ he had joined the Supreme Court, I would say “Too late!”. The thing with Kavanaugh is different though. Those were contested allegations that depended on the testimony of a few people. It was totally appropriate during confirmation and I wish it sank Kavanaugh, but sitting judges or governors shouldn’t be burdened with that kind of stuff. Also, politically speaking, it’s a heavy lift to impeach a SCOTUS judge. But if something incontrovertible and criminal came out about Kavanaugh? Yes, impeach the man, no matter how long ago. It blows my mind that we barely touched the issue of $200,000 credit card debt he had… for baseball tickets. Who even has $200,000 in credit card debt? Who were these tickets for and what happened to them? How did he pay off $200,000 in credit card debt? I suspect there’s at least 1 crime hiding in there, I think it should be investigated, and if proven, then he should be impeached. A governor’s position is also different in that it is an explicitly partisan position. Democrats have a right and duty to decide who they want to represent them and who they want to work with. If they decide a governor doesn’t represent who they are, and his lieutenant is also a Democrat, then it’s obvious they should ask him to step down and thwart his legislative agenda until he does so. It’s a no-brainer. I would struggle with this a little more if it meant handing the governorship to a Republican. Democrats would have to decide which is worse, the embarrassment and hypocrisy of tolerating a past racist, or giving Republicans the reins to continue gutting voter’s rights in Virginia, which is a serious problem there and everywhere else. You don’t cling to one principle if it means giving a position of power to someone likely to offend that principle even more severely. Would be a tough call and I’m glad it isn’t necessary. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/168 "2019-02-02T21:30:10Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > That is right at the fucking edge, Rittersport. > > … Sorry! Won’t happen again. RS ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/169 "2019-02-02T21:41:08Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Speaking of ‘off,’ I was sure wrong about him resigning today! > > What a fucking nightmare for Virginia Democrats. This is why I don’t make political predictions. A week ago Virginia Democrats seemed unstoppable. Now this. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/170 "2019-02-02T21:55:28Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Wait a minute, let’s give this guy a chance to explain himself. Maybe he was in Maryland at the time at a party with Squee lifting weights and drinking beer! I’m looking forward to the SNL opener that will reenact this incident. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/171 "2019-02-02T22:50:28Z")
I am surprised that we have yet to hear from anyone who was in med school with him or the editor of that year book. If we have that one page, we should, by now have the whole thing online. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/172 "2019-02-02T22:54:23Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > It’s a damn shame a solid progressive like Tom Periello lost to Northam in the primary. I lived in Charlottesville briefly and had the pleasure of voting for him in his successful run for Congress in 2008. Periello always knew which party reflected his own values. Northam voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and ran as a Demcrat forthe state senate in 2007 because he didn’t stand a chance of unseating the Republican incumbent in the primary. Always beware of conversions borne by expedience. The GOP can have him back. I will bet you a dollar that Northam (inevitably, within 48 hours, I think) resigns—and announces he is now a proud member of the Republican Party, because that is the party of integrity, not like those nasty Democrats. And the GOP will embrace him enthusiastically. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/173 "2019-02-02T22:55:51Z")
That’s horrifying. Probably more consequential for the Democratic Party as a whole is his abortion stance, which pro-abortion rights activists pressure all Dems to adopt. A majority of Americans support the right to first trimester abortion but not so much after that. Which is where Democrats should plant themselves to best contrast themselves with “every sperm is sacred” or at least “life begins at conception” extremists. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/174 "2019-02-02T22:57:58Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > But a white person now in 2019 simply cannot portray a black person at these informal gatherings? Nope, not IMO and for the reasons **iiandyiiii** stated. It’s a bit like not being able to get away using a swastika in your wedding procession even though you are a devout Buddhist and it has nothing to do with Nazism in your eyes. You can get away with it if you’re [Robert Downey Junior](https://sleeplessthought.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/alg-robertdowneyjr-jpg.jpg?w=750&h=510&crop=1) in a major motion picture, but only if you approach it from exactly the right angle( which **Tropic Thunder** did IMHO ). ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/175 "2019-02-02T23:06:27Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Nope, not IMO and for the reasons **iiandyiiii** stated. It’s a bit like not being able to get away using a swastika in your wedding procession even though you are a devout Buddhist and it has nothing to do with Nazism in your eyes. You can get away with it if you’re [Robert Downey Junior](https://sleeplessthought.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/alg-robertdowneyjr-jpg.jpg?w=750&h=510&crop=1) in a major motion picture, but only if you approach it from exactly the right angle( which **Tropic Thunder** did IMHO ). Yep. Immortal line chastising the black-face Downey Jr. character, given to one of the main characters who was a black guy: > [@](#): > > You’re Australian. _Be_ Australian. (my emphasis) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/176 "2019-02-02T23:16:46Z")
When you’re getting trolled by North Korea, ya gotta go. > ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/177 "2019-02-02T23:24:01Z")
His insistence he’s not in the photos is bizarre. Who’s in the photos? The idiot in blackface shouldn’t be too hard to identify for some enterprising reporter. When that idiot is found, they can be gently asked to tell who the idiot in the hood is. That photo has a story and a history and a setting and a context. Finding that out seems the next step. And Northam needs to give a complete goddamn account of anything at all he knows about that photo–and if it comes out that he’s prevaricating even the slightest, that it. But the whole thing is so bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mr\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/178 "2019-02-02T23:26:10Z")
Not too good a week for the Dems. First Lieawatha has to apologize to the Cherokees and admit that she isn’t an indian. Then it comes out that Kamala slept her way to the top (although I’m not crazy about her new campaign slogan, “I’m with Whore”). Then Northam (D-Racist) says it’s OK to kill kids after birth. Now he also admits to wearing blackface. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mr\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/179 "2019-02-02T23:27:42Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > That’s horrifying. Probably more consequential for the Democratic Party as a whole is his abortion stance, which pro-abortion rights activists pressure all Dems to adopt. A majority of Americans support the right to first trimester abortion but not so much after that. Which is where Democrats should plant themselves to best contrast themselves with “every sperm is sacred” or at least “life begins at conception” extremists. The guy is on tape on WTOP saying it’s OK to consider killing a baby… after it is born. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809/180 "2019-02-02T23:29:43Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > That’s horrifying. Probably more consequential for the Democratic Party as a whole is his abortion stance, which pro-abortion rights activists pressure all Dems to adopt. A majority of Americans support the right to first trimester abortion but not so much after that. Which is where Democrats should plant themselves to best contrast themselves with “every sperm is sacred” or at least “life begins at conception” extremists. How likely do you think it will be that Democrats will share that unsupported and incorrect view of his position on abortion? I certainly see republicans pushing that line, trying to convince democrats to stop supporting him based on that sort of falsehood, but I like to think that democrats will be able to avoid falling for such lies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-gov-yearbook-page-has-klan-and-blackface-pictures/828809.md?page=10)