Judging a man by the dumbest thing he's ever done.

[RockHardNYC]

Bret Stephens is another conservative writer whose work I enjoy reading. His controversial opinion piece in the NY Times this week is titled, Why Ralph Northam Should Not Resign.

"…we believe that our worst moments and dumbest utterances shouldn’t define us. That our youthful behavior is more of a reflection of what is around us than a representation of what’s inside. That we deserve to be judged by the decency of our intentions and the totality of our deeds. That we are entitled to a presumption of innocence, a measure of forgiveness, a sense for our times, and multiple opportunities for redemption."

It is a miracle that Ed Gillespie, with all his Republican dollars, never found Northam's medical school yearbook during the campaign, while Northrop played the race card against Gillespie. A miracle.

I don't think Ralph Northam could have handled his yearbook fiasco any worse. He totally failed at explaining himself. Politicians, even those with good intentions, are often terrible at PR damage control. The pressure to "perform" well is too much for many to bear. Even so, I happen to agree with Bret Stephen's position: you don't judge a man by the dumbest, non-illegal thing he did over thirty years ago. In a 35-year career, there seems to be no hint of racial bias. If you're a racist, that's almost impossible to accomplish.