US Politics February 2019: This is one of the great losers of all time.

not watching but I'll cosign anything peggy says. deeply adept! sure! https://t.co/sfD5LClDyj

— Italian Alex Pareene (@pareene) February 6, 2019

'cut to the muscle'? so, uh, not that deep?

^^^ The things you say when you’re huffing Reagan’s embalming fluid during the SOTU.

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) February 6, 2019

Friends and colleagues know me and know I would be in Washington right now unless something was up. I am home with John and we have entered a new phase. He is my love and we have been a team for nearly 40 years.

— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) February 6, 2019

I will be taking each day as it comes. We thank people for their friendship and support and ask for prayers and privacy during this difficult time.

— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) February 6, 2019

aw man

meanwhile, in virginia

NEWS: AG Mark Herring had a private meeting this morning with the legislative black caucus, Del. Lamont Bagby confirms.

Asked if Herring discussed a photo of his own, Bagby said “He’ll talk about it.”

Before he could say more, the House min ldr pulled him into a private room.

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) February 6, 2019

jfc

wtf is going on there

What if it turns out Northam's offense is the least damaging?

oh my god

AG is third in line if the governor and lt. governor both go down; not sure who would be next

why did the GOP wait til after the election to dump all this crap?

this whole thing seems profoundly manipulative

NEW: Virginia’s Democratic attorney general says he wore blackface at a college party in 1980, deepening state scandal. -AP

— Connor Ryan (@connortryan) February 6, 2019

GOP wielding Dems actual principles against themselves

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-06/ap-newsalert-virginia-s-democratic-attorney-general-says-he-wore-blackface-at-a-college-party-in-1980-deepening-state-scandal

Statement from Virginia AG Mark Herring: "In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it."

— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) February 6, 2019

the fact that this all seems so deeply calculated by the *more* racist party ... it's hard not to go into circle-the-wagons mode

these are the breaks

i would not expect UVA freshmen to be listening to kurtis blow in 1980, but i guess dave matthews hadn't been invented yet

I'm imagining the scramble to find an aide to wiki a rapper's name from 1980.

They should have just done this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V0m1OZ5xGh0

uh meanwhile

Justin Fairfax said “fuck that bitch” as he tried to discredit his accuser during a private meeting Monday night, sources tell @NBCNews’ @GeoffRBennett and me.

— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) February 6, 2019

I suppose I've been laboring under the misapprehension that parading around in blackface was one of the easiest things in the world to avoid doing. Never realized I was such a paragon of self-control.

OK I retract my earlier support

if these VA guys were Republicans, Yam would just issue a blanket blackface pardon

(is the AG a Democrat?)

nm i see he is

I hesitate to defend these guys but it's worth bearing in mind that this is a power struggle, and the alternative to these three people is much, much worse.

next in line is Republican
congrats VA!

I went to UVa in the mid 90s. I definitely saw some blackface frat shenanigans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/02/02/troubling-history-behind-ralph-northams-blackface-klan-photo/?fbclid=IwAR2Z40F03o8OGhcruiO7hNhxhcEvG29THDnOfrlgZxCtUaT8uZ5RhN9h9KQ&utm_term=.863ac2643efd

like, this is not a "all other things being equal, how should this behavior be judged" because all things are not equal in the current scenario, it might be best for the people (and Democrats) of Virginia to acknowledge that they elected some people with questionable things in their past but consider how disqualifying those things are given the stakes.

oops left out a word

like, this is not a "all other things being equal, how should this behavior be judged" scenario

these guys should all just have a serious come-to-jesus moment, beg forgiveness, commit to being better stewards of the public good, and then note the highly political timing of the release of this info and stick together as a party

which might be happening, idk

what the fuck is wrong with all these people?

anyway, I didn't watch the state of the union and I've read minimal things about the State of the Union, but it is interesting at least from an anecdotal vantage that maybe for his first couple people did give him the benefit of the doubt, or did give him a chance, and this time around just did not give a fuck.

Bump this thread whenever another fraternity gets caught throwing a racist party

sad lol

The voting ballot divide: racists or rapists.

like, this is not a "all other things being equal, how should this behavior be judged" because all things are not equal in the current scenario, it might be best for the people (and Democrats) of Virginia to acknowledge that they elected some people with questionable things in their past but consider how disqualifying those things are given the stakes.

― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Wednesday, February 6, 2019 12:13 PM (seven minutes ago)

the blackface stuff...it seems like we have reached a point as a country, or at least a party, where this sort of stuff is just not tolerated anymore. equivocating on this would send a pretty shitty message and potentially damage the party's standing in the eyes of the public at a time where we are trying to BUILD political capital, not squander it for these nobodies

fairfax has been accused of sexual assault and apparently just called the woman a b----. he can fuck off

It’s time for Pusha T to embrace his political destiny as governor of Virginia

— Dad (@fivefifths) February 6, 2019

This is . . . pretty good? As these things go? As a white woman I can't accept it on behalf of POC, but it reads as sincere.

Please see my statement below. pic.twitter.com/FBDcgxHOq9

— Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 6, 2019

yeah that's a decent way forward IMO but as you note I'm not the audience either

Yeah, personally ok this, seems far less creepy and more genuinely contrite than Northram

agreed

How hard can it be to find #problematic shit in any member of the VA GOP’s past I mean get an intern on that

otm

also, that is how to apologize IMO

fairfax's COS is flat out denying the "fuck that bitch" comment. says it simply didn't happen.

I'm a little skeptical of that one myself

How hard can it be to find #problematic shit in any member of the VA GOP’s past I mean get an intern on that

the difference is that stuff actually *earns* GOP votes

An '80s Polaroid of the candidate in a klan hood carries roughly the same political weight as a flag pin on the lapel with yer average GOP voter. Its absence is troubling and raises questions/eyebrows.

This is not a *defense* of Herring, but the year of his Kurtis Blow party, Neil Diamond starred in a "Jazz Singer" remake that features a "funny" blackface scene. People used to be more racist/get away with more racism! https://t.co/Ce5BBIZ4Et

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) February 6, 2019