What Would Kirsten Gillibrand Do?

So how do we handle discovering that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook contains a racist picture of him? (He's apologized, of course.) It should be noted that if a Republican had done this 35 years ago they would brush it off as nothing. But since Northam is a Democrat who supports legislation that would ease restrictions on late-term abortions in his state, they're pretending to be upset about the photo -- which Dems actually are but for the right reasons.

I can see an argument for resigning or staying. If he resigns, it is poetic that the lieutenant governor is an African-American man, who would become the state's first black governor.

As far as staying goes, I guess the only thing I would say is shouldn't the point of evolving or atoning for your past sins be some form of forgiveness? Should we still hate Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for being homophobic because they didn't initially support marriage equality? Or should we be supportive of them for evolving? Michael Ertel, Florida's secretary of state, did recently resign when it was revealed he dressed as a "Katrina Victim" for Halloween 2005 -- immediately after the catastrophe that claimed more than 1,200 lives. 

But the most notable difference between the two incidents is that Ertel continues to operate in a way consistent with his past transgression, having been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, about whom his recent gubernatorial opponent said: "The racists believe he's a racist."  Northam is a reliable Democrat who has worked to fight the GOP war on women, backed marriage equality in 2015 and has a decent record on a host of other issues. Should a lifetime of good work be erased by a horrific but non-violent act in your 20s?

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