Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, continues to remind us that he is a man of poor judgment and little character who is completely unfit to govern.
After months of hiding from accusations of racism and his embarrassing words on infanticide, Northam is now facing scrutiny for appointing Gail Gordon Donegan, a woman who regularly targeted Catholics and mocked their beliefs, to the Virginia Council on Women.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Donegan has a history of troubling statements that should have disqualified her from any position in the state government, let alone a political appointment.
In 2017, she tweeted, “Abortion is morally indefensible to Catholic priests bcuz it results in fewer children to rape.” Later that year, she wrote, “Saw a bumper sticker: ‘You can’t be both Catholic & Pro-Choice.’ Add: You can be a pedophile though!”
She also attacked Democratic and Republican politicians she disliked. In 2011, she called Minnesota representative Michele Bachmann a “dumb bitch.” In 2017, she told Radkiha Jones, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, to “F— off, eat shit, and crawl back to hell.” And just last year, she wrote, “Bernie Sanders and his shithead followers need to f— the f— off.”
When confronted with her past statements, Donegan doubled down: “Psychological studies show that people who swear make better friends,” she told the Times-Dispatch. “And they’re smarter.” On her anti-Catholic tweets: “I will say for the record that my father was severely beaten in Catholic foster homes and I am an atheist. My father was orphaned at age 4, sent to live in Catholic foster homes and severely beaten until he ran away at age 14.”
Even if this is an accurate retelling of Donegan’s family history, it is no excuse for such blatant bigotry. Why did Northam appoint her? The Virginia Council on Women is hardly an influential organization, but it is supposed to represent the women of Virginia and promote female dignity and strength in the state’s communities. And he chose this woman?
Perhaps Northam wasn’t aware of Donegan’s ravings before the Times-Register’s report. But it didn’t take much to uncover her sentiments. Some of these comments were made in the past two years, and a quick scroll through her Twitter feed should have raised several red flags.
Or, perhaps he didn’t care. After all, his office has continued to defend Donegan’s appointment, arguing she “has spent years advocating on behalf of issues important to women across the Commonwealth.”
“The governor certainly does not condone this language,” added Northam’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky.
Northam’s inability to recognize and admit where he went wrong is just part of the broader pattern. When his infamous racist medical school yearbook photo emerged, he offered a similar deflection: “In the place and time where I grew up, many actions that we rightfully recognize as abhorrent today were commonplace,” he said.
Although stubbornness isn’t enough to disqualify a man from office, it does reveal that Northam is incapable of good governorship. Leadership requires humility, and Northam’s excuses are getting old.
