Democracy Has Prevailed.

February 8, 2019

Post-Gazette Editorial Page Idiocy Continues

Today's editorial begins with this:
The Democratic Party, in Virginia and nationally, wants Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign over his having appeared in blackface in medical school.
And then:
But does dressing up in blackface years ago prove Mr. Northam is a racist now? It might only prove that he was stupid or tasteless or had a thing for Michael Jackson — then.

Granted, Mr. Northam might not be a whole lot smarter now. But it does not follow that he should resign his office or that an election should be nullified. [Emphasis added.]
It does not follow that he should resign for that blackface thing.

And then there's this that follows:
If he does resign, it will be because his party has adopted a zero tolerance policy toward all youthful indiscretions, all political incorrectness past and future, and all foolishness (ask Al Franken) and because it needs the name-calling cudgel (”racist!” “sexist!”) for 2020.
Blackface, youthful indiscretions, all political correctness, all foolishness.

Indeed, the argument here seems to be that the reason the Democrats are calling for Northam to resign is so that they can use the same standard on Republicans in the coming election cycle. The editorial board doesn't want that to happen so they attempt to undermine the calls for Northam's resignation for the blackface/KKK photo.

But Northam true problem, at least according to the culture warriors now writing this editorial, isn't blackface. It's this:
The real sin is what he said in a live radio broadcast when discussing a Virginia abortion bill. He said that if a baby survives an abortion it should be kept “resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired” and then the doctor and mother would have a “discussion.”

When asked later if he wanted to revise and extend his remarks, he declined.
Of course they got this part very wrong.

Let's turn to factcheck.org for an explanation. In its discussion of one of the many lies/distortions/untruths from Donald ("I have a great relationship with the blacks.") Trump's recent SOTU:
Trump also alluded to statements Gov. Ralph Northam made in a radio interview following the controversial introduction of a similar abortion bill in Virginia. In the interview, Northam, who is a physician, said third-trimester abortion is “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s nonviable. So in this particular example, if a mother’s in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Northam’s words were interpreted by some to mean that he was suggesting infanticide. As multiple news outlets reported, Northam later clarified that he was not talking about infanticide. A spokesperson for Northam said his comments were “focused on the tragic and extremely rare case in which a woman with a nonviable pregnancy or severe fetal abnormalities went into labor.”
Huh. By leaving out the part about "nonviable pregnancy or severe fetal abnormalities" the P-G editorial board changed the entire tone of Northam's discussion, didn't they?

I wonder why they would do that - mislead their audience for a "gotcha" in an editorial decrying "gotcha" politics, I mean.

1 comment:

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

LOL please don't confuse catering your large necessary voting block for a high moral standard. Like Republicans calling for resignation of someone who paid for a secret abortion.

Conservative Pennsylvania Congressman Resigns Amid Abortion Scandal
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/politics/tim-murphy-resigns-abortion-scandal.html

The progressive outrage Mob wants blood and are now turning on each other.