Two months after a blackface photo in an old yearbook nearly ended the political career of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, his life seems mostly back to normal.

The mainstream media has forgiven and forgotten the massive racist scandal for the Democratic leader.

Now, the Democratic governor is cracking jokes at almost daily public appearances around Virginia. State lawmakers who called on him to resign are now all smiles, standing beside him at news conferences. The Twitter mob has moved on to other things, and the media have moved on to all-things President Donald Trump.

At a century-old black church in Richmond over the weekend, Northam was warmly received as he helped unveil a historic marker for civil rights matriarch Dorothy Height.

It’s a remarkable turnabout, just two months since Northam was nearly driven out of office. And it highlights the volatility of politics today and the liberal bias of the mainstream media.

Richard Levick, a crisis communication expert in Washington, said the rules of managing a political crisis are quickly changing.

Another game-changer was the Democrats’ summary take-down of former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken last year over sexual misconduct accusations. Levick said Democrats are no longer as eager to force resignations, and he doubts Franken would be out of office if his scandal had erupted today.

“We’re seeing a modulation back to the norm, whatever that norm is,” Levick said.

The near-fatal fall came swiftly for Northam, who easily won election in 2017.

A picture surfaced on a Friday afternoon, Feb. 1, of a man in blackface and another person wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit on his medical school yearbook page. Northam issued two apologies within hours, indicating that he was one of the people in the picture. By midnight it was frontpage news across the country.

At a news conference the next day, Northam said he was convinced it was not him in the picture, and he said he wasn’t going to resign. But he said he did in fact wear blackface once decades ago, to look like Michael Jackson for a dance contest.

The mainstream media soon moved on, however. Northam was all but invisible in February and much of March, but in recent days, he’s made public appearances without answering tough questions.

Republicans have called Democrats hypocrites for standing by Northam’s side again as this year’s legislative elections approach. All the state’s House and Senate seats are up in November, and Democrats are hoping to secure a majority in both houses.

“Democrats are willing to sacrifice their morals and values to stay in power,” said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jack Wilson.

 

DISGUSTING! Chuck Schumer does NOT want this video getting out

 

The Associated Press contributed to this article