RESUME. BACK IN 1976 GESTURE
IS A POLITICAL COLUMNIST AT THE
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH AND HE
JOINS US NOW TO JEFF SUCH A
PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US. SO HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS
MOVE RIGHT NOW
FOR VIRGINIA.
>> WELL THIS IS A REMINDER THAT
VIRGINIA IS THE LEAST SOUTHERN
OF SOUTHERN VIRGINIA SUPPORTED
THE THE CAN FEDERER SEE AS ITS
CAPITAL FOR MOST OF THE CIVIL
WAR, IT IS A C IN WHICH RACE
HAS
BEEN A CONSTANT AND RACE WAS
CERTAINLY A HUGE FACTOR IN THE
LEGISLATURE'S DECISION TO
ELIMINATE THE DEATH PENALTY BUT
TO THE POINT ABOUT THIS
CHANGING VIRGINIA. THE MAJORITY
OF PEOPLE LIVED IN VIRGINIA
LIVE IN CITIES AND SUBURBS THE
MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE
IN VIRGINIA OR NON NATIVE SCUM
HEERS AS WE CALL THEM PRESENT
COMPANY INCLUDED VIRGINIA IS
A FULLY MULTI HUGE STATE BLACK
WHITE BROWN. ALL OF THIS HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO A MODERATING TO
SOME TO BE A NATIONALIZATION OF
ITS POLITICS AND VERY
REFLECTION OF THIS HAVE BEEN
REMARKABLE NEWS
AMONG THE REPEAL OF THE DEATH
PENALTY BUT NEWLY RESTORED
MAJORITY IN THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY PAIRED WITH A
DEMOCRATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
>> YEAH, THE TRANSFORMATION OF
VIRGINIA OVER THE COURSE OF THE
LAST FEW DECADES JEFF HAS BEEN
INCREDIBLE YOU MENTIONED THE
RACE FACTOR IN ALL THIS AND
GOVERNOR NORTHAM MENTIONED
THIS YESTERDAY 296 OF THE
377 PEOPLE THAT VIRGINIA
EXECUTED IN THE
20TH CENTURY, WE'RE BLACK THAT
IS JUST AND A TERRIBLE NUMBER
RIGHT THERE DID RACE BASICALLY
WAS THAT SORT OF THE DEFINING
THING ON THIS THIS IS WHY
NORTHAM CAMPAIGN BY GETTING RID
OF THIS, BUT THIS POLICY.
>> WELL WE'LL KEEP IN MIND THAT
THERE WERE ELEVATED
SENSITIVITIES ON RACE WHEN
NORTHERN WAS ELECTED GOVERNOR
IN 2017, BUT THEY
PICKED UP IN 2018 WITH THE
BLACK FACE CALAMITY THAT NEARLY
FORCED HIM
FROM OFFICE AND IT FURTHER
ACCELERATED FOLLOWING THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD
AND SO ALL OF THESE FACTORS
HAVE REALLY SORT
OF THINGS FUEL IN MOVE THE
LARGER RACIAL EQUITY
DEBATE OF OF WHICH THE DEATH
PENALTY IS A HUGE COMPONENT.
>> DO YOU EVER EXPECT MAYBE THE
SUPREME COURT WILL TAKE UP THIS
ISSUE JEFF I
AGAIN DOWN THE ROAD AND I AND I
SAY THAT BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE
SEEING IS BLUE STATES LIKE MY
HOME STATE OF COLORADO,
VIRGINIA OTHERS, ABOLISHING THE
DEATH PENALTY, BUT RED STATES
STILL HAVE PRETTY MUCH EVERY
INTENTION ON KEEPING THAT STILL
ON
THE BOOKS DO YOU ENVISION A
SCENARIO WHERE THE SUPREME
COURT HAS TO TAKE THIS UP
AGAIN.
>> THIS WILL COME
COMING OUT OF LARGELY RED
STATES THAT ARE MAINTAINING THE
DEATH PENALTY THE PARTISAN
DIVIDE WAS EVIDENT IN IN
VIRGINIA. THE REPEAL
LEGISLATION PASSED. IT FOLLOWED
DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT AND SOLID
REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION
P S ONE OF THE REPEAL BILLS WAS
INTRODUCED BY REPUBLICAN STATE
SENATOR
FROM IT, PARTICULARLY TRUMP BE
PART OF THE THE RURAL SOUTH
SIDE.
>> YOU MENTION, RALPH RACIAL
SCANDAL
THAT HE HAD A WHILE BACK WE
ALMOST GOVERNOR CUOMO HERE IN
NEW YORK, ALMOST OF USES THAT
IT SEEMS LIKE AS SORT OF AN
EXAMPLE OF RIDING OUT THE
CONTROVERSY THAT HE THAT HE
THAT HE ISN'T
ADORED HOW DID RALPH NORTHAM
SURVIVE THAT SCANDAL.
>> SOLDIERED ON YOU KNOW AFTER
HE.
SEEMS TO MORE CRISPLY FRAME HIS
STORY THAT
HE WAS NOT THE INDIVIDUAL IN
BLACK FACE IN HIS MEDICAL
SCHOOL YEARBOOK.
PHOTO BUT THAT HE
HAD WARNED BLACK ATTENDING A
DANCE COMPETITION IN TEXAS WHEN
HE WAS A
>> SOLDIER PHYSICIAN AND MADE
CLEAR
YOU KNOW THIS WAS WRONG.
IT WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT IT WAS
IN THE WORST POSSIBLE. TASTE IT
REFLECTED POOR EARLY ON ON IT
A SETBACK FOR VIRGINIA AND THE
PROGRESS IT MADE HAVING
ELECTED. THE FIRST
BLACK GOVERNOR AND 1989 IN DOUG
WILDER AND SO HE TOUGHED IT OUT
IN A KNOWLEDGE EATING
HIS SENATE IF YOU WILL HE THEN
SORT OF YOU KNOW. ARMED HIMSELF
WITH IT PAIRED WITH THE
DEMOCRATIC TAKE BACK OF
THE LEGISLATURE OF AND
INCREASED BLACK PRESENCE IN
THE LEGISLATURE. WHAT WAS
SIGNIFICANT ALL OF TO MAKE
FOR A STRONGLY PROGRESSIVE
AGENDA STARTING IN
LATER LATER 1920
19 AND CONTINUING ALL THROUGH