How can the pressure be dissipating when all these faces are arrayed against Northam?
MSNBC is going on and on about this story, and I think you can really tell that what's driving them is a desperation to bolster the powerful Democrats who went all in on this?
It seems to me that if that guy with the coffee cup wants to give the Governor another chance, that's the right answer. I'm going with Coffee Cup Guy.
ADDED: He has a name — AJ Brewer. Let me transcribe what he said: "I don't like this idea of, you know, this person doesn't deserve a second chance. It seems to be, at least from my perspective, Ralph is a decent guy, and, whatever person he was 35 years ago doesn't seem to be that person today. I don't want people to treat me that way, so I'm not going to treat him that way."
ALSO: Here's an article about AJ Brewer in Richmond BizSense:
Anthony “A.J.” Brewer, owner of Brewer’s Cafe at the corner of Bainbridge and East 12th streets, has signed a leased to take over 1,600 square feet at 1309 and 1311 Hull St., where he’ll open Brewer’s Waffles.Brewer's Café gets 5 stars on Yelp. Sample review:
“Everything really came into place for it to work,” Brewer said of the lease. “When you see what’s happening in the neighborhood, you can either sit on the sidelines or take part in the activity … I choose to keep making a difference.”...
Brewer said about half the space will be an art gallery and entertainment space for poetry acts and musicians....
“I really feel like the neighborhood needs something that stays open late,” Brewer said. “When people are on the way home from an event or a night on the town and want something good to eat, this is going to be the spot for them.”
Brewer, who worked as a stock broker and at Capital One prior to opening the cafe, said his latest installment in Manchester is driven in part by making the neighborhood a viable destination, and setting an example for his son.
“Of course you want to make some money in the process … that’s the name of the game with any business,” Brewer said. “This is our home. It makes me teary-eyed to think that one day I’m going to be riding my bike with him to Blackwell Elementary, and he’s going come into the shop to buy and sell goods that we make here. I’m showing him how much of an asset he can be to his community because that’s important to me.... Every day there seems to be something about to take off, and that’s exciting... The transformation is here, and I think what you’re going to see over the next 10 years are more businesses and people looking to join what we’re building in the neighborhood.”
I love this local cafe. The ambience feels like a sitcom from the late 90's. The the coffee is always freshly brewed and the food always hits the spot. Try one of their pastries, you will not be let down. One of the things I really enjoy about this cafe is that it has a very community oriented vibe. The people working there seem genuinely cool....Like a sitcom from the late 90's.... I guess that's "Friends." Nice. People love that.
Posts
135 comments:
They'll keep him so all those heads have a fulcrum on which to lever their black people bona fides into 2020.
He stays also because lefties like when rules don't apply to them.
The problem with Democrats is they don’t believe in democracy.
What is it about his name that keeps making me think of the Honeymooners?
It's been bugging me for a couple of days now.
I never did it and I swear I'll never do it again.
Also, Democrats don’t believe in peace as evidenced by their desire to punch a kid in his face.
That guy should be on every talking heads panel - he represents the ‘average American’ imo ! I agree with Althouse - I love him!
Whether Northam stays or goes, the narrative train has conveniently shifted from the infanticide track to the racism track. Mission accomplished.
Ed Norton--played by Art Carney. The sewer worker.
Coffee Cup Guy whipped out the Golden Rule like it was second nature to him.
Nor do they believe in economic prosperity, as evidenced by their hopeful pessimism and shorting the markets.
There's an old line that goes "well if you've lost coffee cup guy..."
Coffee cup guy stands strong. Good news for Northam.
I agree. We need tee shirts with an arrow and "I'm with Coffe Cup Guy".
This 'mounting pressure' is coming from the left so they can use this as a hammer on the right. I don't think most people on the right care.
The guy is an idiot not for the photo but for his horrible, terrible communications strategy last week.
Beards are masculinity's push-up bra. Dainty coffee cup guy begs to differ.
#AJBrewerForPresident
Media reality vs. normal person reality
The SJW media is the tail wagging the Democratic Party dog.
All those Dem pols scrambled, not to get on the right side of the issue, but to get on the right side of the media covering the issue.
#GoldenRuleRules
I'd go with there's nothing wrong with it in the first place.
"Ralph is a decent guy"
Other than smearing his opponent as a racist and appearing to justify infanticide, sure.
"Nor do they believe in economic prosperity, as evidenced by their hopeful pessimism and shorting the markets."
They believe in prosperity for those who are deserving
And by those who are deserving they mean those who are serving the D.
The hack press pulls our strings and manipulates the narrative. They to the bidding of their masters in The Party.
I'm torn. On one hand, the left need to play by their own rules. Which would mean Northam must go. On the other, if this creep stays, we get to use him as an on-going example of democratic party radical leftism. He's for 100% infanticide.
If Northam has been paying attention, he won't resign. Resigning gets you nothing. Deal with opprobrium.
The Dem Party wants him gone, so they can pretend the disastrous post-birth abortion interview never happened.
If he’s still around, then Trump and others can re-ignite the issue.
I'm guessing he will resign.
On C-SPAN radio a caller said that he's heard illegal aliens will be attending the SOTU, and wondered if not only they would be arrested but the person bringing them would be. If he is talking about the former workers of that trump property or properties, then was he asking if the congressperson who brings them to the House chamber would be arrested or one of the trumps would be?
Meade wrote: The problem with Democrats is they don’t believe in democracy.
As evidenced by the fact that none of the clowns who ride in the Democratic 2020 Presidential Clownmoble who have called so loudly for Norham's head are willing to let Virginians decide who their governor is.
AJ’s right objectively but , except for Trump, the Republicans are far too cowardly to ride out a similar storm. So, yeah, let’s put Northam’s head on a pike.
The media are also the ideologues. They will not brook bucking the narrative so they are pushing this.
Just like they try to create the narrative of Orange Man Bad.
I hope the media succeeds. As they make the Democrats seem less and less human, they will help fill up my big tent.
The only thing that might save him is that Feminists don't care about blackface, so their shrill voices will be muted.
Now if Northam was anti-abortion, well...would the Golden Rule still apply, Ms. Althouse?
Excuse me. You are on record with Kavanaugh. I withdraw the question as already answered.
There's a bit of battle-space prep here too - a test if you will - for AOC. Top Dems and long time allies are at some point going to be asked for their participation in a dog-pile on her.
If an "old guard" takedown of Northam works it'll work for her too.
Democracy in and of itself is something to fear. It's a step below tyranny.
We live in a Constitutional Republic with Democratic institutions. When the "democratic" takes over, it turns into fascism.
“Like a sitcom from the late 90's.”
Where everybody knows your name. And their always glad you came.
A man named Brewer owns a cafe?
What are the odds?!
He shouldn't resign. It's about time the Republicans got their own cudgel for awhile.
The Professor is 100% correct, but the Dems have a Race Card they must keep bright, shine and playable. It’s all they’ve got besides the promise of a Glorious Communist Dictatorship.
If an "old guard" takedown of Northam works it'll work for her too.
The old guard may think that, but I think AOC will take the lesson that it's better to never quit.
Just like Bill Clinton with Lewinsky, and much later, Trump with the Access Hollywood tape.
Coffee cup guy is the epitome of moderation.
Why leave the house with a coffee cup that small unless you sip it very slowly?
No big gulps. Just small sips between slow, non-threatening gesticulations.
Like Samuel L Jackson as Jules telling Bonnie we're all gonna be like Fonzi -- cool.
Normally, both your asses would be dead as fucking fried chicken, but you happen to pull this shit while I'm in a transitional period so I don't wanna kill you, I wanna help you.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X23AQXEQHcI
Poor coffee cup guy is about to get hammered, like Joe the Plumber did when he had the arrogance to challenge The Lightbringer's wisdom. Within 24 hours there were all these info dumps, smearing Joe.
Coffee guy is going to get the same treatment, alas. That's what happens when you push back the Narrative.
The lesson from all this is that they are all petty, and hypocrites, at least.
The lot of them, the Governor included of course.
This is not a revelation of course. Just another data point.
But why do you let yourselves be ruled by such creatures?
I too like "coffee cup guy". I hope he also believes that Ed Gillespie didn't deserve to be smeared as a racist by Northam in the campaign.
The Pressure Mounties always get their man.
They're unverified as of yet, but there are allegations of sexual misonduct against Lt. Gov. Fairfax. Be interesting to see what happens if the woman involved chooses to come forward publicly. So much popcorn, so little time.
I like Brewer's response. But now I must ask, when does the doxxing begin? His POV cannot be allowed to propagate.
Apparently the Lt. Gov of Virginia, Justin Fairfax, is now facing an accusation of sexual assault.
How can the pressure be dissipating when all these faces are arrayed against Northam?
The pressure can't hold because the faces are full of holes and the air leaks out, especially through the mouth holes where the air is the hottest.
Brewer is telling the listeners not to hate white men who have not shown racism. In a successful Trump Economy we can all get along like MLK dreamed. Boy will that disable the Dems campaigns.
It will be fascinating to see what narratives the far left/LLR's will conjure up to defuse this and the *Hey-lets kill babies in the 4th trimester* and the *you know, we really do hate Israel's existence* dem problems in the leadup to the SOTU.
If Trump gets some easy and clean shots in against these ridiculous dems its likely to send LLR Chuck back into therapy.
Since all of the corruptocrats are lined up in lockstep demanding his ousting - including un-indicted felon who insists she's still relevant, Hillary, - perhaps he should stay? Give em' all the middle finger.
How about a Black Mirror solution - he has to fuck a pig on live stream to keep his job.
It's beyond parody that an old yearbook is more meaningful as thought-crime on the hivemind left, than wanting to kill full term babies.
Notice the intersection of Democrats calling for Northam to resign with Democrats who want(ed) to punch Nick Sandmann in his face.
@Brian
Maybe. But doing so always results in massively reduced effectiveness. I think Northam is doing the political math on this right now...in fact I understand he's having crisis meetings today.
I still say he goes. He's hamstrung now with people shouting "coonman" at him while he walks around Richmond from now on and a sizeable dem base that won't swallow any forgiveness pill the party might provide them.
I don't think he can govern at this point. He's toast. Screencap this.
Is imitating Michael Jackson the same thing as imitating a minstrel show performer? Have our views on Michael Jackson changed over the years? Can we say with absolute certainty that a Michael Jackson impersonator from thirty five years past is a racist who deserves no part in the public sphere.....,,,For my part, I can say with absolute certainty that a doctor who advances the view that a baby should be made comfortable prior to murder isn't the ideal pediatrician. Still, let us reflect on the fact that he's morally superior to Dr. Gosnell who made no effort to provide comfort to the babies before he snipped their spinal columns.
"It's beyond parody that an old yearbook is more meaningful as thought-crime on the hivemind left, than wanting to kill full term babies." Spot on. Let's destroy a nominee to the supreme court because of pure slander we made up. Let's destroy a high school kid for same reason. But don't think of trying to change our Constitutional right to kill babies. From the limited and rare bullshit of Clinton, to the current, oh hell, just born?? fuck it, its legal to kill it. Next step is already happening- euthanize people who don't want it.
Let him stay. They let Robert Byrd stay, and what Byrd did was far worse. Hillary regularly embraced Byrd. Of course, she needed Byrd. She doesn't need Northam, at least anymore.
When you see what’s happening in the neighborhood, you can either sit on the sidelines or take part in the activity
Gentrification? I've been told it's a bad thing.
Personally, I would prefer cafes to crack houses, but I'm not woke.
Common sense runs headlong into progressivism again. Of course everyone deserves a second chance and it is very American of us to want to give someone a chance who has a good record when blemish pops up. And magnanimous acts, such as AJ wants to extend to the Governor, are the norm for our culture. However, common sense and magnanimity are in very short supply among the lineup in that MSNBC photo, because they all think they are running to be the Anti-racist-in-Chief, and that requires harsh unthinking action against declared enemies. Once CNN keeps "Republican" on the chyron for a whole day just to add to the governor's enemies the word has gone out that this "friend" is now your "enemy" and must be destroyed.
Man-on-the-street common sense is more just, but less likely to carry the day when a high tech lynching is underway.
The Guv makes a nice piñata. Every time some lefty starts shouting “racist, racist” at a conservative there will be ol’ Ralph swinging in the breeze. Leave him in place, he’s the gift that keeps on giving.
If the left could kill that kid, Mr. Sandman, for his improper smile, they would.
Kathy Griffin could cut off his head. Perhaps the Colorado legislature can make that legal?
Without proggies forcing to learn code 50% of soon-to-be babies, black, in the womb the GOP is doomed. Our GOP goal has always been to joke around about opposing learning to code in order to drive the coding of 100,000,000 proggie NeverVoters. The child-coding coders are the easiest to manipulate into doing our bidding, believing themselves to be other than indoctrinated.
What goes around, comes around.
What comes around, goes around.
When it comes to the games of code, we can play. Although it 'breaks our heart' we goof around declaiming, we will not stop your inter-generational code-learners by ending our manipulation of your primitive, limbic brain based thought processes coders code with.
Clearly, because we willed it to be, coding is proggies' overriding concern: by any and all means will they serve their master. If it's your body, it's your self-code learning then. Not mine. Ha ha.
How can you be God without the power to give and take code at your whimsy?
Progs are very wise, not foolish. Keep it going keep it going keep it going full steam.
To paraphrase the great Jen Garner: Whatever you do, don't follow our orders to learn to code.
whatever person he was 35 years ago doesn't seem to be that person today.
right. 35 years ago he was a partyer; Now, he's someone that signs off on post-birth abortions
I urge everyone to click on Nonapod's link at 9:08. This is fixing to be a huge scandal, not just for Fairfaxbut for the Washington Post and the feminists....,,The press showed no qualms about releasing unverified info on Kavanaugh. Their somnolence regarding these charges against Fairfax is obvious evidence of bias. Will the feminists rally behind the Fairfax accuser?
The media loves low-hanging fruit.
Well, yes, the coffee cup guy is right, the golden rule is the correct rule to follow. Except in this case when the rule of sweet payback trumps. Fuck the golden rule for this asshole who slimed his opponent as a racist. Sans golden rule.
Bill, Republic of Texas said...
What is it about his name that keeps making me think of the Honeymooners?
he's an amalgamation of Ralph Kramden's first name and Ed Norton's last
Ralph Norton => Ralph Northam
It seems to me that if that guy with the coffee cup wants to give the Governor another chance, that's the right answer. I'm going with Coffee Cup Guy.
Is this supposed to be more of your cruel neutrality? Or charity? Why does this charity only go one way? Why are we always supposed to assume the best of the Left and the worst of the Right?
Do you think you are fooling anyone but yourself?
I think his petard will be denial of being in the picture, and of not seeing the yearbook before, but it will come out that he took the picture or provided it to the yearbook. The punishment will be the same as if for the things he denied.
Here are my views on abortion: A woman should have the opportunity to abort in the first trimester, but we should live in a society where abortion is discouraged. In the second trimester, the Catholics and the feminists should fight among themselves to establish guidelines and protocols. In the the third trimester, abortion should be illegal. By definition, there is no such thing as a post natal abortion. Such a procedure is more accurately defined as murder.
"I like Brewer's response. But now I must ask, when does the doxxing begin? His POV cannot be allowed to propagate."
His name is on screen, and I googled his name to find out that he had 2 restaurants. If that's doxxing... I think he's immensely likable and I think he's standing outside his own restaurant holding a cup because he wants to get people to know about his restaurant. I would go out of my way to patronize his places... maybe not all the way out of my way from Wisconsin, but I consider it a destination.
We live in a world that is now sans funny.
That also means a world that is sans forgiveness
Which means sans golden rule
Resulting in me giving sans fucks about high-mindedness
His departure would be sansational news. Fairfax getting #metoo'ed doubly so.
Hoist them. Petard mandatory.
The WaPo determined the allegations were false. But of course.
@ William 9:34 - doing as suggested.
Why would Northam staying affect the narrative? Democrats were playing the race card long before Robert Byrd left the scene. The MSM just ignored it or leveraged it by suggesting that being a Democrat, by itself, demonstrated a change of heart.
If Virginia's Lt. Governor (and therefore Northam's replacement) was a Republican, the Democrats, the NAACP, etc. would be saying that Northam has proven himself due to his support for affirmative action, abortion, etc..
Why are politicians allowed to have evolving views on gay marriage but not on wearing blackface?
“Like a sitcom from the late 90's.”
Where everybody knows your name. And their always glad you came.
Cheers went off the air in 1993.
I do not want Northam to resign. My views are meaningless however as I am not a resident of Virginia.
oops!
Justin Fairfax has a #MeToo problem from the 2004 DNC Convention and the accuser is a highly educated Black woman.
In what way are my views on abortion extremist, and the views expressed by Northam moderate?
from Fox.com:
The allegation was first posted by Big League Politics, the same political blog that published the now-infamous yearbook photo showing someone in blackface and someone in a KKK costume, from Northam's 1984 yearbook page. Despite initially apologizing for appearing in the photo, he now denies either of the individuals is him.
The blog, in the post that prompted Fairfax's denial, claimed that a fellow at Stanford University said a man sexually assaulted her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Mass.
“Imagine you were sexually assaulted during the DNC Convention in Boston in 2004 by a campaign staffer. You spend the next 13 years trying to forget it ever happened. Until one day you find out he’s the Democratic candidate for statewide office in a state some 3000 miles away, and he wins that election in November 2017,” a post from the reported accuser said, according to the blog. “Then, by strange, horrible luck, it seems increasingly likely that he’ll get a VERY BIG promotion.”
She did not name Fairfax, but the report implied she was referring to the lieutenant governor, who then responded to it.
If I lived in Richmond -- or nearby -- I would certainly try out Coffee Cup Guy's restaurants -- especially because they serve milk shakes!!
(They better not be those crappy RI Milk Shakes though that are just milk and ice stirred together -- I made that mistake just once).
If it's true that the Lt Gov of Virginia has a credible sexual assault charge pending, who is next in line if both the Gov and Lt Gov are pushed out? Is is it the speaker of the VA assembly like it is speaker of the house for Presidential succession and isn't the speaker a Republican? Anybody know? This could get interesting.
Lucid-Ideas said...
There's a bit of battle-space prep here too - a test if you will - for AOC. Top Dems and long time allies are at some point going to be asked for their participation in a dog-pile on her.
Dog pile on AOC...nooooo
That is such a last century colloquialism
The establishment DNC is going to run train on her.(think she'll like it?)
https://news.unclesamsmisguidedchildren.com/aoc-and-her-run-train-on-progressive-agenda/
"A few days ago, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (sort of affectionately known as AOC) made the statement that she and her ilk were going to “run train” on their progressive agenda"
SO if Northam resigns, and then Fairfax is embroiled in #MeToo -- then what?
I note that the Post passed on the Fairfax story originally. Hmm.... Wonder why? Because Democracy dies in darkness.
Nope, third in line is the Attorney General and he's a dem.
If I were a democrat, I'd be embarrassed to have Hillary's corrupt face sitting next to mine.
That's the problem with live interviews. Even when an interviewee who checks all the "right" boxes is an individual and not merely a group automaton, and can surprise you.
Althouse: It seems to me that if that guy with the coffee cup wants to give the Governor another chance, that's the right answer.
You thought Kavanaugh should withdraw, didn't you? Why wasn't "give him another chance" the right answer then?
I have a religion and I try to always act in a way consistent with it. Although a Democratic politician may say he's Methodist, Muslim or whatever, in reality, the religion that he must live by is ethnic inclusiveness.
Fairfax's denial says — and CBS affiliate WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., confirms — multiple outlets including The Washington Post previously investigated the allegation and elected not to run it, concluding there was not enough evidence to go to print.
The accuser was named publicly which means WAPO et al have available the same evidence they had when they printed allegations against Brett Kavanaugh: an assertion backed by no additional evidence.
One led to thousands of stories and and a three ring circus. The other isn't sufficient to print a single allegation. I'm sure the Team Red and Team Blue distinction is purely a coincidence.
"Gentrification? I've been told it's a bad thing."
It's cool when black folks do it. They do everything cool. They even make something White Supremacist like "Okay" sound okay to say, if you say it their way.
I should be a rapper.
Mr. Brewer seems like an intelligent and thoughtful guy.
Good luck with THAT!
I didn’t believe Christine Blasey Ford because there was absolutely no corroboration of her charges. Her alleged BFF said she had no knowledge of any such incident and her family as much as called Blasey Ford a fabulist. In the absence of any corroboration of the charges against Fairfax I don’t see a reason to believe them either. But I do note that if there is corroboration of any sort of a sexual assault committed by Fairfax, then the case becomes not like Christine Blasey Ford vs. Brett Kavanaugh and a lot like Juanita Broaddrick vs. Bill Clinton.
Anybody who says the pressure is dissipating doesn't understand where the pressure is coming from.
Is imitating Michael Jackson the same thing as imitating a minstrel show performer?
No. Mainly because Jackson stopped performing in black face many years before his death.
C'mon, it's a joke, unbunch them panties.
Ann Althouse, you are guilty of stereotyping. Look at his cup. It is a tea cup.
The guy who's third in line, "Oh shit..."
Guy who's third in line has already started working on his apology for sexually harrassing a woman while wearing blackface.
Guy who is second in line (after Fairfax) is Attorney General, Kirk Cox... wait for it... (R).
wait for it... (R)
But is that a CNN (R) or a banana?
AOC has Pulchritudinous Privilege. Her Fun Bags are the ultimate in Political Protection. Sinema and Gabbard shows the way: Hillary, Kamala, and particularly Warren are too ugly to be elected without scabrous, arthritic thumbs on the scale.
Which is why Pelosi and other Old School Feminists whose Feminism is predicated on their lack of mating options as Fugly Girls, want to pile on the Princesses.
This is less about politics and more about a Cat Fight.
No White Man since Bill Clinton and JFK has been afforded that privilege. Northam certainly isn't pretty enough to get a mulligan.
The Democrat Governor was attacking Gillespie was being a RACiSS for opposing sanctuary cities.
I hope he gets run out of town on a rail.
Let the D's live up to their own rules. A R Gov. would've resigned by now.
"Guy who is second in line (after Fairfax) is Attorney General, Kirk Cox... wait for it... (R)."
If that's true the Dems will suddenly find it in their hearts to forgive Northam and Fairfax.
"Coffee guy is going to get the same treatment, alas. That's what happens when you push back the Narrative."
Nope. There is no real true "Mounting Pressure." That is a facade. That's why you interview nice guy and business owner/evil capitalist Al Brewer.
As has been historically proven, Fairfax, who is a Democrat, will be offered mercy and the benefit of the doubt, despite the fact that as much evidence exists against him as against a Kavanaugh.
For a Republican, we get Cruel Neutrality ™
Meade said...Nor do they believe in economic prosperity, as evidenced by their hopeful pessimism and shorting the markets.
Isn't that George Soros in a nutshell? cf. Warren Buffett.
I think that Northam won't be able to govern. Downstate Virginia hates abortion so he never had them. He won in the suburbs around DC and the black inner city in Richmond just like Hillary . But those are the areas most sensitive to racism. And that picture is pretty bad. I mean what is it a picture of? Under what circumstances does a Klansman in full regalia stand next a black guy? Was there a ... skit? If Northam stays, that question will be answered in public. Anyhow, he's lost the DC suburbs and downstate. But he was elected. He doesn't have to go. A racist baby-killer trying to hold the state for the Dems.
Isn't that George Soros in a nutshell?
Soros was one of the first macro traders where you take huge positions on one side of a market to pull that market in the direction you want. I suspect the Soros post-Trump election positions were more of an attempt to try and manufacture a desired market outcome rather than an earnest attempt by Soros to profit from a Trump apocalypse.
AJ was predestined to run a coffee shop or brew pub.
Cup is product placement.
"Justin Fairfax has a #MeToo problem from the 2004 DNC Convention and the accuser is a highly educated Black woman."
My view is that if Gov Coonman is allowed to remain in office, it is out of fear for what might happen with LT Gov Fairfax. In the long term, Fairfax is important to the Dems, because he is a good looking black man, while Coonman is not. He doesn't appear to have the political skills to go any higher, doesn't have any intersectionality points, and really isn't that attractive either.
#MeToo, and it's racist equivalent, have jumped the shark now. Coonman was elected, to some extent, on fairly weak racist claims against his Republican opponent. #MeToo may be even worse. It started from real life sexual predation by powerful (almost all Democrat) men. But then they used a drunken high school make out session that probably didn't happen to try to derail the nomination of Justice Kavenaugh. I would suggest that few of the guys here haven't done something as egregious as what Kavenaugh was supposed to have done (but probably did not). I do know that in the half century or so since I lost my virginity, I probably pushed a couple women a little harder than I should have for sex. Most of the guys I know who were somewhat sexually active probably did. And that was the thing - Kavenaugh was saving himself for marriage. We weren't. And yet, this Catholic alter boy was almost derailed anyway. What about normal guys? WaPo (NYT, etc) can only run interference and try to impose a grossly unfair standard so far, based on their politicized expediency standards. These days, the truth often comes out anyway, and they just end up looking like the partisan hacks that they are. They should have left these Pandora boxes shut, since the Democrats have been the racist party for better than two centuries now, and the party that covered up sexual predation in its top politicians at least since JFK, and maybe much longer.
Northam could have survived if he hadn't held that press conference on Saturday. I still think he shouldn't resign, but that press conference made it harder to defend his position because I now think he chose to tell an obvious lie.
If he had just said something like, "Yes, that is me in photo- at the time I thought it was funny, but I now realize that my humor was childish and insulting and I apologize for that without reservation." If he had done that, it would have been over by this morning.
And, yes, Ms. Althouse is correct, too- the media will continue to pressure him to resign because of the numbers of prominent Democrats that have taken the stance that he should resign- for him to defy these people is literally beyond the pale in the journolist mindset.
Ann, you are missing the point. The whole kerfuffle is about changing the subject from legalizing infanticide to a minor racism accusation that no one will take seriously in the long run.
This is a physician who legalized "late" abortions, and said if the kid survived, and then if she didn't want the kid (who had survived the abortion), it would be okay to put it in the corner until it died presumably from hypothermia.
if 80 percent of late abortions are done for social reasons (Guttmacher institute quoted in NatReview last week), then wouldn't he do better to get money and support from organizations that help such moms? As Governor Bill Casey did years ago?
The governor was a Pediatric Neurologist, so probably has seen many kids with brain damage, and this might have influenced his choice: it is very difficult field. (I am a physician by the way).
Yet I wonder how many of his patient's paretnts' parents were encouraged to have "non treatment" options when antibiotics or routine surgery would have saved their lives.
But then, I'm old enough to remember the Oklahoma Children's Hospital that advised "non treatment" for half the children there with meningomyelocoel (a common reason for late abortions, by the way, and the malformation behind the Baby Jane Doe case). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6889059
One of the criteria the doctors used was poverty, and years later a black doctor examined the cases and found a lot of the "non treatment" cases were black kids, whose parents didn't realize that treatment would have saved the kids' lives. more here. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408685/
so yes, let's all shout "racism" and change the subject.
First, Northam should resign because he thinks it's OK to murder babies AFTER they're born. Why there's not more pressure on that ground is insane.
Secondly, what I don't get about the picture stuff is that Democrats should know this guy personally. They should've known whether or not he's a bigot before they endorsed him and elected him governor. I can see how this picture would raise questions about that judgment, but do they really think this guy is a racist now because of a 35 year old picture of what are now deemed "racist" Halloween costumes? If they don't think he's currently a racist, then why should he resign? If they think so little of him that an ancient picture (which may not even be him) could so quickly change their opinion of him, then why'd they nominate him in the first place?
"What is it about his name that keeps making me think of the Honeymooners?"
Me, too. Of course, the reason is that his first name is Ralph and the last name sort of sounds like Kramden in the last syllable, but I think my mind locks onto "Northam" because it sounds even more like "Norton" which is the last name of Ralph's best friend, Ed.
And I see Gilbar has already explained it.
And, I missed Darrell, too.
This might be old news but CNN has identified the Democrat governor as a Republican.
And if Fairfax had been a Republican, Northam would have been just fine today.
This is the mainstream media flexing its power and trying to be "a player". MSNBC seeks to drive the narrative, shape public opinion, and affect the political landscape. They seek to be a power broker, shaping this country for our own damn good. It's disheartening that there are so many lemmings who are incapable of thinking for themselves and thus will follow the propaganda right off the proverbial cliff.
My daughter - "Letting other people think for you is the surest way to be taken advantage of."
"You thought Kavanaugh should withdraw, didn't you?"
No. I know what you are referring to but go back and read it. Here.
You're probably remember the 16th point on a set of 20 points made while watching the hearing. It's what I wrote after Blasey Ford testified and before K came on:
"16. I'm skipping ahead, looking to see if Kavanaugh's testimony has begun. It has not. I talk with Meade for a while about what Kavanaugh might say if he were asked if he is 100% certain that Ford is wrong when she says she's 100% certain that Brett Kavanaugh did what she remembers. Here's what I imagined Kavanaugh saying: I cannot be 100% certain. I know that I drank far too much on some occasions when I was an immature teenager, and though I've said that I don't remember ever suffering alcohol-induced amnesia, I cannot know for an absolute certainty that it never happened. Watching Dr. Ford testify has been a horrific experience for me. What if there is a blank, dark spot in my memory where drunken young Brett Kavanaugh did what Dr. Ford describes? I pray to God that's not true, but I cannot say 100% that it's not true, and if it is, I am so terribly sorry. I beg Dr. Ford's forgiveness. I hope for God's forgiveness. I hope that my life's work as a sober adult makes up for what I may have done all those years ago. I still believe I have devoted and useful service to give to my country, and I humbly submit myself to your vote, Senators. And I thank all of you for considering my case, and I want Dr. Ford to know that my heart goes out to her, and my heart goes out to every victim of sexual assault. Thank you."
I don't say he should withdraw. It's my attempt to imagine what he could say that would most impress me. Notice that I have him submitting to the judgment of the Senators but expressing a desire to be confirmed.
Once Kavanaugh did testify, I wrote:
"I've been listening to Kavanaugh for a long time without stopping to write anything. Let me quickly say that I'm finding his opening statement extremely powerful and persuasive."
And:
"19. ... I thought Kavanaugh did really well in his written statement, expressing strong outrage and real emotion. In the questioning, this demeanor sometimes felt too strong. He interrupted and shouted back and seemed to show some hate and contempt for some of the Senators.... 20. ... If I had to decide, I would not go by who's more likely to be telling the truth, but how everything we've heard weighs on the question whether or not to confirm. In view of everything we know about Kavanaugh, does he deserve confirmation even with the degree of doubt we have about something terrible he might have done when he was 17 (and a couple of other, much weaker allegations)? I suspect most people will end up in the same position they had on him anyway, because it's a matter of weighing. But when I think about how BK and CBF could be so far apart, I have 3 explanations: 1. BK has some alcohol blackout holes in his memory, and what CBF remembers is in one of them, 2. CBF has a false memory and really believes it (caused by some genuine trauma), 3. BK has no route but forward, and he knows he did it, but feels entitled to what he's worked all his life to attain. Since there's no way back to his old life, he must force his way through this obstacle. And he's barreling ahead to save his life and save his family. Cornered, he had to fight like hell, and that includes lying."
I end up not putting my opinion in print, but I know how I felt at the time. I thought he should be confirmed.
But when I think about how BK and CBF could be so far apart, I have 3 explanations: 1. BK has some alcohol blackout holes in his memory, and what CBF remembers is in one of them, 2. CBF has a false memory and really believes it (caused by some genuine trauma), 3. BK has no route but forward, and he knows he did it, but feels entitled to what he's worked all his life to attain. Since there's no way back to his old life, he must force his way through this obstacle. And he's barreling ahead to save his life and save his family. Cornered, he had to fight like hell, and that includes lying."
So one of the possible explanations is that Kavanaugh is lying, but the possibility (near certainty) that CBF is lying is not. That's the point. All benefit of the doubt and charity to the Left, and none for the Right.
I end up not putting my opinion in print, but I know how I felt at the time. I thought he should be confirmed.
Funny, after all you wrote about Kavanaugh, the accusations and the hearings....that little detail got left out. Especially since I and many other commenters asked you repeatedly to do so.
@gahrie
You're really very far from getting me.
Some people get me and some people don't. I'm writing for myself and I'm gratified that some people are enough on my wavelength to understand some or all of what I'm saying or to like it for whatever reason. But I'm not going to change anything to try to be more inclusive of people who want a different kind of writing. I am able to do this blog project (for 15 years every single day) because I do it my way. There's nothing else that's going to happen. You're just beating your head against the wall.
I read my last comment out loud to Meade and he said, "You're not going to turn Althouse into a right-winger. No matter how much you want her to be."
"You're not going to turn Althouse into a right-winger. No matter how much you want her to be."
I fully realize that. It was never my goal. I just want you to stop pretending to be neutral.
@ Althouse: It may not seem like it, but I do appreciate your blog, and your efforts. As a failed blogger (I didn't have the discipline) I know how much of an effort it can be. Generally you are one of the more responsible Leftwing bloggers out there, rarely banning anyone or deleting comments and generally allowing a wide ranging discussion. Believe it or not, I can disagree with someone without disliking them or attacking them personally.
That Meade guy is devious!
"The whole kerfuffle is about changing the subject from legalizing infanticide "
Possibly so. But the subject will come up again as it is there, full blown, in NY at least.
There will be dead babies.
I'll second gahrie @12:43. And, for a Leftist, she doesn't tsk much. Truly, she is a skilled writer and a free speech proponent. She does troll us quite regularly but that's part of her shtick.
You guys don’t get Althouse. She’s an artist who became a law professor. There are not many of those around. Open up a bit and think about how others might look at the same facts that you see. There isn’t a correct answer on the professor’s questions— there many possibilities, some more persuasive and probable than others. What did you think of CBF’s testimony and why? What about BK? What did you think and why? Althouse was pretty clear about her evaluations. I personally disagreed with a lot of what she wrote about CBF, but reasonable people can differ. The thing as I recall that she didn’t do was look at it from the standpoint that BK was telling the truth and that there were no holes in his memory. What then? What was he supposed to do then? She skipped that one except to say that he should keep disputing the story of CBF, which is what he did.
An artist wants to work imaginatively with what is presented to make something that presents a different, fresh take on the world. I think Althouse went too far in dismissing BK’s protestations, and she never really looked critically at how hard it was to disprove CBF’s story—no time, no place, no witnesses identified who could support or dispute what CBF said.
I have an acquaintance whose reasoning was this: something like this happened to me in high school, and I wouldn’t want that person on the Supreme Court, so I don’t want BK on the Supreme Court. I don’t think Althouse went there, but she has told us that she was assaulted by a teacher, and I think at some level she was sympathetic to CBF in a way that I never was.
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
I read my last comment out loud to Meade and he said, "You're not going to turn Althouse into a right-winger. No matter how much you want her to be."
A right winger?
Hell, I would be content when her 'creative silences' and her 'cruel neutrality™' were applied to both sides equally.
As it stands now, there is significant doubt. To wit: Althouse NEVER postulated any bad faith on the part of Christine Blasey Ford and when she puts charity in print, it is almost always for a Democrat.
I never committed to neurality.
You’re remembering the cruel neutrality tag, but that’s something I do when I want. I’m often not cruel, and sometimes I take a side. Usually I find side-taking boring.
I started using that phrase when I said, in 2008, that I wouldn’t pick who to vote for until just before the election. I did that for a few reasons and not because I needed to adhere to neutrality as some sort of principle that I believe in.
You can look it up.
FIDO: there are no sides, only situations.
sometimes I take a side. Usually I find side-taking boring.
Well maybe if you took the other side once in a while it wouldn't be so boring.
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