I have never been in the camp calling for Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., to resign over behaviors he exhibited decades ago. I’m not a Democrat, nor did I vote for Northam, but as an African-American I’m very uncomfortable seeing this new version of Democrats try to force someone from office over behavior he’s never exhibited while serving in public office.
If we start allowing moral Puritans to disqualify people for behaviors they exhibited 35 years ago, who would be fit to serve in public office?
When I first saw the alleged photos of Northam either wearing blackface or dressed up as a Klansman, I was appalled. However, the Christian in me learned long ago to forgive racists — not because I believe racism has subsided, but because resentment makes you just as vicious and ugly as the people you have grown to loathe. I learned years ago it’s not good for my long term sanity to be aggrieved about things that occurred before I was born. My ancestors died so I can take advantage of better opportunities, not so I could re-litigate Robert E. Lee, the Confederacy, or things that happened decades ago. Slavery is America’s original sin, and whether on earth or in heaven, those that engaged in evil will be judged by how they treated the less fortunate.
If we are going to start purging politicians for past behavior, maybe the Democrats should start purging many members of their own party for their current hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism. While social justice warriors want to purge everyone that’s ever done a racist act or made inflammatory statements, they can’t see their own hypocrisy. It’s a known secret in Democratic circles that no Democratic politician, white or black, can expect to win black support unless they kiss the ring of racial instigators such as Al Sharpton, who once referred to Jews as “Diamond Merchants” and started a pogrom against them known as the Crown Heights riots. Consider that Jesse Jackson, when he ran for president in 1984, called New York City “Hymie Town,” a racial slur against the Jews. Finally there’s Minister Louis Farrakhan, a man who claimed “Hitler was a great man” and referred to Jews as termites.
When you’re African-American, you can’t escape leftism. You’re basically born into this foolishness. It’s drummed into you that the white man is the devil and all conservatives are racist. However, recent polls are showing that 60 percent of African-Americans want Northam to remain in office. If Americans are supposed to be morally outraged over racist photos of Northam, then we should be equally outraged over our newest members of Congress who attack Israel and make inflammatory statements against the Jews. If we allow the moral crusade to cleanse Congress of all people that have erred in sin, then we objectively need to call out white supremacists, radical leftists, or people of color that inject hateful language to keep people divided and angry at each other.
If we keep going down this path of allowing social justice crusaders to purge people from office based on actions they have committed years ago, how can our government be effective? Sometimes the only “crime” that sets off a crusade of highly partisan investigations, lawsuits, and even jail time is simply disagreeing with or defeating the opposition.
Jeffery McNeil is a columnist for Street Sense.
