Claim To Fame: Two Virginia newspapers
Why They're Person's of the Week: for calling out m Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam approving a Democratic Party of Virginia mailer linking Republican challenger Ed Gillespie to white nationalist protesters. The flyer superimposes images of Gillespie and President Donald Trump over white supremacists on the march in Charlottesville.
This smear, is yet another attempt by the Left to politicize the tragedy that occurred in Charlottesville a few months back at a local rally that led to melee's that in turn ended up getting protester Heather Heyer killed.
The Virginia gubernatorial race, which has
become very contentious and has
received a ton of national attention as a possible barometer for next year's midterm elections, has been used by the liberal media time and time again in their dire hope to see a Democrat win a major election in the Trump era. However, two local newspapers weren't having any of Northam's sordid attempt to pain Gillespie as a racist.
From
Townhall.com:
As the Virginia gubernatorial race enters its final days, the Democrats appear to be getting nervous. There may be something in their internal polling showing that Republican candidate Ed Gillespie could win because they’re pushing this absurd and borderline libelous mailer linking him to white nationalism. Virginia’s newspapers have voiced their opinions on the matter, noting that Gillespie issued a strongly worded response to this protest, and that he’s done everything right when confronted by this horrific event.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch, which later endorsed Gillespie, slammed Virginia Democrats, calling the mailer “practically libel.” Now, The Daily Progress, a Charlottesville-based paper, is ripping Virginia Democrats for using their pain to score political points. They described the tactics of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democratic candidate, and his campaign as “stomach-turning” (via Daily Progress) [emphasis mine]:
…the Northam campaign issuing a deliberately provocative mailer, trying to smear Republican Ed Gillespie. This one hits very close to home, because it politicizes the Charlottesville tragedy of Aug. 11-12.
Not that the issue hasn’t already been politicized. And that’s part of the problem, part of the reason we’re having such difficulty coming to rational conclusions about the community’s failures before, during and after the white supremacist invasion.
We don’t need state candidates trying to use our pain to their political advantage.
The mailer features a photo of the Charlottesville Tiki-torch marchers, and condemns Mr. Gillespie for not speaking out against President Trump’s now infamous “good people on both sides” comment made on Aug. 12.
Mr. Gillespie did, however, denounce the white supremacists — before the rally ever took place.
[…]
…the Northam campaign wants to do everything it can to tie Mr. Gillespie to the unpopular president.
And that’s because the race is so close; the Democrats want to grab every advantage they can scramble for, even if it means political exploitation of the Charlottesville tragedy.
[…]
For his opponent to challenge him on the degree to which he endorses the Trump agenda is fair game.
But to take the tragedy of Charlottesville and exploit it for political advantage is stomach-turning.
