{"id":1217205,"date":"2022-01-14T18:49:25","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T23:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1217205"},"modified":"2022-01-14T18:49:34","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T23:49:34","slug":"washington-post-revises-ralph-northams-history-the-rebirth-of-a-wounded-healer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-post-revises-ralph-northams-history-the-rebirth-of-a-wounded-healer\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Post Revises Ralph Northam&#039;s History: The &#039;Rebirth&#039; of a &#039;Wounded Healer&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwashington-post-revises-ralph-northams-history-the-rebirth-of-a-wounded-healer%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1217205&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">RICHMOND, Virginia \u2014 Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is set to end his term on January 15 after a tumultuous four years as the protagonist of several scandals, most notably wearing blackface, only to make a political comeback based almost entirely on advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>While at the time of the blackface scandal, Democrats, establishment media organizations, and other left-wing groups called on the governor to resign, Northam\u2019s last weeks in office have been viewed by the media as an opportunity to rewrite his legacy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The <em>Washington Post<\/em> appeared eager to be of service,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2022\/01\/09\/governor-northam-blackface-scandal-legacy\/\">revising<\/a> the narrative of Northam as one of personal growth \u2014 the \u201crebirth\u201d of a \u201cwounded healer.\u201d The <em>Richmond Times-Dispatch<\/em> similarly <a href=\"https:\/\/richmond.com\/news\/state-and-regional\/govt-and-politics\/a-better-person-and-a-more-inclusive-state-northam-nears-end-of-tumultuous-and-consequential\/article_1ec9300b-7d32-51ec-a76f-7673ab8ca4b3.html\">advanced<\/a> the narrative of someone who became \u201ca better person\u201d and ushered in a more \u201cinclusive state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Such a narrative comes after Northam\u2019s most prominent scandal, one in which he likely either wore blackface or a Ku Klux Klan outfit, then apologized for it, and then claimed it was not him and that he had never even seen the picture placed prominently on his personal page of his medical school yearbook.<\/p>\n<p>The media, however, decided to agree with the governor that he was neither the Klansman, nor the person in blackface, prompting the <em>Post<\/em> to ask, \u201cAs incredible as Northam\u2019s political comeback has been, it still turns on a mystery: Who is in that photo?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>And yet while much of the media reported on the blackface scandal, many never mention the scandal from just weeks earlier in January of 2019, when Northam seemed to advocate infanticide \u2014 in some medical detail \u2014 on radio.<\/p>\n<p>In defense of an abortion bill up for consideration in the Virginia General Assembly \u2014 one that would legalize abortion up to the point of birth \u2014 the pediatric neurologist-turned-governor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/virginia-governor-defends-letting-infants-die\/\">walked<\/a>&nbsp;the listeners of WTOP\u2019s \u201c<em>Ask The Governor<\/em>\u201d through what seemed to be a post-birth abortion \u2014 in other words, killing a baby who has already been born.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen,\u201d he said. \u201c<strong>The infant would be delivered<\/strong>. <strong>The infant would be kept comfortable<\/strong>. <strong>The infant would be resuscitated if that\u2019s what the mother and the family desired<\/strong>, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.\u201d [Emphasis added].<\/p>\n<p><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The comments drew the ire of pro-life people across the country, with many noting that not even New York or California had abortion advocacy that radical.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>At the time, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) told National Review, \u201cIn just a few years pro-abortion zealots went from \u2018safe, legal, and rare\u2019 to \u2018keep the newborns comfortable while the doctor debates infanticide.\u2019 I don\u2019t care what party you\u2019re from \u2014 if you can\u2019t say that it\u2019s wrong to leave babies to die after birth, get the hell out of public office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNortham shocked the consciences of Americans everywhere when he endorsed a bill allowing abortions right up through birth, and even seemed to sanction depriving a newborn slated for abortion of basic medical attention,\u201d March for Life President Jeanne Mancini told Breitbart News. \u201cThose who lack a basic compassion for society\u2019s most vulnerable have no business governing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Attempting to retroactively save face for Northam, however, the <em>Post<\/em> dutifully reported that \u201cconservatives seized on [the comments] to accuse the doctor-governor of supporting infanticide. It was a false allegation, but Northam<b>&nbsp;<\/b>did little to clarify his remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The blackface scandal, however, immediately eclipsed the infanticide scandal, and set the foundation for a diversity, inclusion, and equity-driven administration that ultimately culminated in the Commonwealth\u2019s being used as a national battleground over critical race theory in schools and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10064010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-865418906.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10064010\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-865418906.jpg\" alt=\"SPRINGFIELD, VA - OCTOBER 23: Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam speaks to residents during a visit at Greenspring Retirement Community October 23, 2017 in Springfield, Virginia. Northam is running against Republican Ed Gillespie to be the next governor of Virginia. (Photo by Alex Wong\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Northam and the medical school yearbook page depicting a person in blackface and a person in a Ku Klux Klan robe. (Photo by Alex Wong\/Getty Images).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Detailing the governor\u2019s \u201crebirth,\u201d the Post drives the narrative that perhaps the blackface scandal was actually the best thing that happened to Northam, considering the rest of his term was so focused on penance that Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) \u2014 who initially called on Northam to resign \u2014 now believes Northam is the \u201cmost consequential Virginia governor in the modern era,\u201d per the <em>Post<\/em>. Contributing to Kaine\u2019s assessment was Northam\u2019s push to abolish the death penalty, becoming the first Southern state to do so; legalize marijuana; and, as the Post puts it, \u201cexpand access to the vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Former Gov. Douglas Wilder (D), who became the Commonwealth\u2019s first black governor since Reconstruction and the country\u2019s first popularly elected black governor, said, \u201cIt is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that he has any other choice \u2026 but to resign.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I stated, earlier, that Gov. Northam\u2019s continuing in office was his choice to make. It is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that he has any other choice \u2026 but to resign.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 L. Douglas Wilder (@GovernorWilder) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovernorWilder\/status\/1091855185993859072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 3, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And while many, including Kaine and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, backtracked on their calls for Northam to resign, Wilder \u2014 who now serves on Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin\u2019s (R) transition team \u2014 maintained his position, slamming those who reversed themselves.&nbsp;\u201cThe people of Virginia have not forgotten, they\u2019re not stupid,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not fooled, they\u2019re not being hoodwinked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\" data-el=\"text\">Indeed, after some apparent soul-searching and speaking with members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, \u201cNortham made a pledge: He would stay and devote the rest of his term to fighting racial inequity,\u201d as opposed to resigning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNortham\u2019s rebirth is as unlikely a story as any you might find in today\u2019s polarized world of instant cancellation,\u201d the <em>Post<\/em> continued. \u201cIt was driven partly by an extraordinary effort to connect with Black constituents across Virginia, a process that Northam says broke him down and built him back a better person \u2014 more aware of the ugly reality of race in America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have had to confront some painful truths,\u201d Northam said. \u201cAmong those truths was my own incomplete understanding regarding race and equity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That \u201cugly reality of race in America\u201d the governor needed to \u201cconfront\u201d led him to create the first state cabinet-level diversity officer position in the country. With his new \u201cunderstanding,\u201d Northam began describing racism as&nbsp;\u201cpart of a system that touches every person and every aspect of our lives, whether we know it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\" data-el=\"text\">\u201cI think if the \u2026 scandal had not occurred he would not have been as effective,\u201d Virginia Commonwealth University political scientist Jatia Wrighten, who focuses on race in state legislatures, said.<\/p>\n<p>As the <em>Times-Dispatch<\/em> pointed out, \u201cWhatever goals Northam came into office with, he now owed his political future to Black Virginians who supported him or gave him a chance to make his power work for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While some on the left are disappointed with Northam for not going far enough \u2014 for example, not challenging the Commonwealth\u2019s right-to-work law or shutting down natural gas pipelines \u2014 he did get other leftist proposals through that surprised many Virginians.<\/p>\n<p>Before Northam, and before the full Democrat control of the General Assembly starting in 2020, Virginia\u2019s gun laws were relatively liberty-minded. The Democrats in Richmond, however, were able to push through handgun purchase limitations to one gun per month, red flag laws, and locally enforced gun-free zones including at protests and rallies, among other provisions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19493938\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1194909162-e1642183024291.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19493938\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1194909162-e1642183024291.jpg\" alt=\"RICHMOND, VA - JANUARY 20: Gun rights advocates attend a rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square near the state capitol building on January 20, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. During elections last year, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam promised to enact sweeping gun control laws in 2020, including limiting handgun purchase to one per month, banning military-style weapons and silencers, allowing localities to ban guns in public spaces and enacting a &#039;red flag&#039; law so authorities can temporarily seize weapons from someone deemed a threat. While event organizers have asked supporters to show up un-armed, militias and other far-right groups from across the country plan to attend the rally and show their support for gun rights. (Photo by Zach Gibson\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gun rights advocates attend a rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square near the state capitol building on January 20, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Zach Gibson\/Getty Images).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Northam also sought a ban on \u201cassault-style weapons,\u201d but was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>While the governor hinted that his political career will be over after he leaves office Saturday, as he plans to return to the medical field, he did appear to hint at the extremely lucrative diversity, inclusion, and equity speaking and consulting business that has taken businesses, governments, and other organizations by storm, telling the <em>Times-Dispatch<\/em> that&nbsp;\u201ctalking one-on-one with patients and their families, talking to students at a college or university, or \u2018going into a boardroom\u2019 to talk about the importance of embracing diversity,\u201d may be in his future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I can help in that regard because discussions on race have often fallen on people of color,\u201d he said, \u201cand I think it probably is a good idea that maybe people that look like me be part of the discussion as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Northam\u2019s successor, Youngkin, will be sworn into office at 12:05 p.m. Eastern on January 15 outside the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia.<\/p>\n<p><em>Breccan F. Thies<\/em>&nbsp;<em>is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter&nbsp;<a title=\"This external link will open in a new window\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreccanFThies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@BreccanFThies<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RICHMOND, Virginia \u2014 Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is set to end his term on January 15 after a tumultuous four years as the protagonist of several scandals, most notably &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1217205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1217205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1217205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1217205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1217205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}