Is this issue about race, or is it really all about politics and power? Certainly for the Democratic party, where Gov Ralph Northam is being pressured by the Democrats for an offensive photo from his law school yearbook of the 1980s, its hard to tell. I suspect Mr. Northam will be on his way soon, and the quicker he goes, the happier Democrats will be. Now its not clear how a picture from the 1980s, however offensive–and it is deeply insensitive–relates to Mr. Northam’s current ability to serve Virginians of all races. Of course it has not been that long since the Democrats forgave the former grand wizard of the KKK, Senator Robert Byrd, after he made appropriate penance for youthful “indiscretions.” But in today’s politics, there is no redemption possible. As related in today’s WSJ:

On Sunday TV news shows, most Democrats called for Mr. Northam to resign. “The good news is there is zero tolerance, and people do understand that,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D., Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, on NBC.

Democrats are pretty clear at why this is so important to get rid of Mr. Northam, and it has almost nothing to do with actually helping African-Americans.

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, Democrats have been laying the groundwork to draw a bright line between their party and President Trump on issues of racial injustice and sexual discrimination by purging any members accused of wrongdoing.

An extended face-off over Mr. Northam’s status risks undercutting a key Democratic message as the 2020 race for the White House gets under way, party officials and advocates said.

“This creates a fissure in the party in how we see ourselves, what we stand for and what we believe in,” said Anton Gunn, a Democratic strategist who advised President Obama’s 2008 campaign in South Carolina. “This really does undermine the moral high ground of where the Democratic Party wants to put itself in the 2020 cycle, and it’s a shame that the governor of Virginia doesn’t understand that.”

So is this all about political posturing and the goal of showing the unstained Democratic Party nominee as the agent to defeat the evil racist Republicans? Its hard not to draw that conclusion.

Certainly its a good thing that what once was laughed off by the majority of people as a joke is now recognized for the offense it is. Yet I’m not sure of what the right response is.* Politically the answer is certain; both parties insist he should resign. But when the sin is that of gross insensitivity to others, is that really a sin that can never be atoned for? Who among us has not done that? Perhaps not on race, but surely our individual fleshly self-focus has thought nothing of the harms to others when we pursue our own foolish desires. Mr. Northam undoubtedly didn’t want to harm African-Americans. Or even really to cause them pain–he thought he was being funny. The sin was that he didn’t really think about African-Americans at all when he did that–they were just an abstract object of his poor humor. So, it was all about him, with no critical reflection on what his behavior would mean to others. We can all do better in this regard, and we must do better.

*WRT this issue only. Isn’t it ironic that a man that just days ago embraced infanticide feels almost zero cultural heat, but a 35 year old insensitive photo is the kiss of death?