What is going on with the Democratic Party? It’s the party that whips out the race card to bash Republicans. It’s the party that loves to bean count how many women, Jewish people, blacks, Asians, and LGBT members are within their ranks. And it’s the party where people can engage in outright racist antics…and not get punished for it.
Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam tried to cast his GOP opponent, Ed Gillespie, as someone who would allow whites in pick-up trucks with Confederate flags to run down people of color. And yet, Northam admitted to wearing blackface this month for a dance competition in San Antonio. This comes after a racist photo of two people in costume was unearthed from his 1984 yearbook page at Eastern Virginia Medical School. One person is wearing blackface, while the other is in a Klan outfit.
Northam isn’t alone. State Attorney General Mark Herring admitted to wearing blackface. And Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has been slapped with two sexual assault allegations. All three men refuse to resign, which would turn over the governor’s mansion to the GOP. That cannot happen.
I’ll repeat the Northam trainwreck. He admitted he was in the photo, but then retracted the apology, admitted to wearing blackface on a separate occasion not pictured, and almost did a moonwalk at the presser.
And for now, the ‘I didn’t do blackface in this photo but did blackface somewhere else’ defense has worked. Across the river, well, one Maryland House Delegate dropped the N-word. Are there calls to fire her? Demand her resignation?
Via Free Beacon:
Maryland Del. Mary Ann Lisanti (D.) apologized Monday night to the leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus after witnesses say she used a racial slur while describing a legislative district in Prince George’s County, though the lawmaker says she does not remember using the alleged slur.
Lisanti, 51, a white female lawmaker, was approached by members of the Legislative Black Caucus Monday night after it was reported she made the racist comment after work hours at a cigar bar in Annapolis, Maryland, while speaking to a white colleague in late January, the Washington Post reported.
Democratic Del. Darryl Barnes, who chairs the Black Caucus and represents a district in Prince George's County, said Lisanti apologized to the caucus multiple times. He wants her to take further steps toward absolution, however, telling the Post he thinks when anyone uses the word, it's "a reflection of what’s in their heart."
"She apologized several times," Barnes said. "She recognizes how she has hurt so many within the caucus, and she hoped to repent from this. She said that she doesn’t remember fully what happened, but she recognizes what happened."
If this were a Republican, it wouldn’t have mattered if he were running for dogcatcher. There would be endless stories about the so-called racist GOP. So, the trifecta is now complete. You can wear blackface and survive. Allegedly sexually assault women and survive. And drop the N-word…and apparently, survive. No wonder why people join the Democratic Party.