A friend asked an interesting question.
Who suffers a sexual attack and then asks the attacker to sign their yearbook?
3
In the sixties, we lived in New Orleans and were witness to all of the civil rights struggles. The one irony for me that always stood out for the last 50-60 years was the picture of George Wallace standing in the doorway entering the University of Alabama and saying "segregation now, segregation forever!"
I think of that every time Alabama plays for the National title in football. And I marvel that people cannot see the irony. If George Wallace had had his way,
Alabama today would be a Division 2 Football school and the SEC likely wouldn't even be a conference.
This would indicate that the south has a golden opportunity, namely, to be a leader in the movement that reconciles itself with the rest of the country and while at the same time giving voice to its achievements instead of fighting the same old battles it has been fighting since the Civil War.
And here is another irony. The person to lead them is the senior senator from Alabama, Richard Shelby.
2
I have no faith in the people of Alabama. If they voted for Trump by large margins, they'll vote for Moore. The Republican Tax Plan is a declaration of war on Blue States. Yes their are good people in the South, but they are not the majority. It is time to write the south off. If they want war the Blue States should give it to them. First, step, vote out any Blue State Republican in the house that votes for the Republican tax plan. They have betrayed their state. Second, expand the house of Representatives so that it is truly Representative. Why should a house member from Wyoming get to represent 1/3 fewer people than a House member from California. The house can change the artificial limitation on the the number in the House of Representatives by a simple majority vote. The current number was established in the early 1900's as way to insure rural dominance of national policy. If Democrats do take back the house in 2018, they make the change and not loose the opportunity again like they did 8 years ago. Finally, it is time to start dismantling farm subsidies, apply market rates for the exploitation of minerals on government lands and for grazing on government lands. If the rural voters and their representatives won't support the 'urban agenda' the urban and suburban voters should stop supporting the rural agenda. Let them stew in their self reliance.
4
Mr. Blow,
As always your column is a tonic. I would add, however, that the word "people" is very important in Moore's rhetoric. A colleague of mine was teaching American History at a university some years ago, and when the students were discussing the peculiar institution, one student remarked that she thought that "people should decide for themselves whether or not to own slaves." In other words, slaves were not, in her mind, people. Moore's rhetoric replicates this understanding. Slaves, and by extension black people, are not actual people to these folks. However, we occupy the uncanny valley, sufficiently like "people" that our personhood has to be stamped out with extraordinary violence.
3
It's just politics as usual. Republicans will get Moore in to secure the Senate seat, then they will kick him out. All us left wingers shouldn't be so smug when we all celebrate people like Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton, and worship at the alter of Hollywood. With the mainstream media and academia indoctrinating and brainwashing the upcoming generations, the progressive semi-Marxist agenda will certainly overcome these right wingers who love the ideas in the Constitution and appreciate the concept of the United States.
If Jones loses, who will the Democrats blame? I mean which Democrats will be tarred and feathered with this loss? Sure, Moore and Trump are evil racists. And, they lie cheat and steal. And worse. But, if your candidate can't overcome "badness", how will you ever win? Anywhere? Again? 2018 might not be the Liberal second coming.
Merry Christmas, ya'll.
1
Think Moore won't win? They couldn't possible elect somebody as off the wall as Moore appears to be? November 2016! The fix? November 6, 2018. There are more of us than there are of them BUT, unless we make it our aim in life to restore order and save what little may be left of our country by that time, ignorance, myth, racism, hatred and superstition will win again. And the country can't survive that a second consecutive time.
2
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" was MAGA 1.0, just for the record.
1
Mr. Blow I appreciate the passion and reasoning of this piece. Sadly, we have lost our ability to separate passion from reason. Your facts, historical context, and highlighting of hypocrisy cannot motivate passionate/unreasonable people to add a modicum of reasoning to their flaming passion buckets. Passion fades the truth is forever....I can't wait for the Roypublicans to fade to black
1
The race for senator of Alabama is very close and no one knows how it will play out as it has been very unpredictable. Those who support Roy Moore feel strongly that their candidate is the best for the state. They do not believe their candidate is guilty as charged. They wonder why the women waited until the eleventh hour to come forward with these allegations. And this is what they are allegations. He is unorthodox by Republican standards but quite popular by many.
The opposition Doug Jones is a liberal in a conservative state. He is for abortion after 20 weeks in a state that is pro life. It may come down to choosing between a candidate (Mr. Moore) who is an alleged sexual abuser and a candidate who favors abortion (Mr. Jones). The people must decide for themselves who they want to send to the senate and what issue is most important to them. One thing you can say about this race is that it has not been dull. We should know sometime tomorrow who the people decide will be their new senator. We may be quite surprised and the one chosen may not be the one we expected.
1
Roy Moore has the support of the president and most Republicans. If this hideous immoral man wins tomorrow I do not want one Republican to even pretend he or she is not the racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, white supremacist, homophobe he or she is. The ministers out there supporting Roy Moore, are a disgrace to their churches. How dare they call themselves Christians. How far this country has fallen in a few short months. Republicans and the evangelical right have sold their souls for power.
8
Unfortunately, Trump did not bring down the GOP to this cess pool it is currently swimming. The GOP lost its way and it's soul a long time ago. They used to call themselves the "family values" party and they have become the party of no values.
5
Alarm bells sounded, fair enough. Now what do we do? Wait till 2018? That might well be too late. Mr. Blow, use your bully pulpit and start a counter-revolution!
3
Seems to me the GOP is now the Grand Old Pedophiles or the Grand Old Predators. I'm glad Blow keeps up the pressure, because little by little, people are accepting this extremism as normal, so nobody even thinks about the Muslim ban, or the newly inspired white supremacists.
3
Mr. Blow, I agree with you completely. What frightens me is that this Roypublican stuff sells. 38% of the population loves Trump, loves Moore and probably loves the KKK. Scary!
3
There is nothing you can say that will change the brainwashed christian minds that Liberals are evil and no matter what must not be elected. Nothing.
Liberals are god-hating heathens who are destroying America. That's their motivation and that's why a pedophile before a Liberal.
Until religions are treated like cults, America will suck.
12
Agreed. Religion is an archaic ideology and the master of chaos
2
Remember George Wallace - "Segregation now, segregation forever!"? Roy Moore with his nostalgic view of slavery is this generation's Wallace, with a little pedophilia thrown in. Alabamians have done much to put the legacy of Wallace behind them. Electing Moore would negate that progress and take us back to a much darker time.
2
Lets not muddy the waters with vague charges of white supremacy. This isnt about that, this is about one thing: child molestation. That is the reason not to vote for Moore. As much as Democrats hated to take their medicine, they got rid of Franken, and can now sleep with a clear conscience. The Republicans can now officially be called the party of people who tolerate sexual abuse - thats the takeaway here.
6
The swampy sewer runneth over, flooding red states red. Where is Noah?
Irony that the same people claiming non-believers will go to hell and can only be saved by unquestioningly believing the way they do are themselves in need of salvation and rescue from the devil these fine people have warned us from as they sell their souls to trump, and moore who has a special place next to trump. Indeed, they've been mislead and sold their souls to the likes of Swaggert, Roberts, Falwell & Jr., and many other faux preachers of Christianity.
3
Alabama has had economic and educational problems for ages. What is puzzling is not the racism that continues but that the "forgotten" core support of GOP keeps getting screwed by their party platform and keeps voting for them all while waving that bible. That's what I call blind faith and worshipping a false god.
4
The moral decay of the Republican party should have been clear for all to see with the election of Donald Trump. When Roy Moore wins on Tuesday, that moral decay will be confirmed. But what is most frightening about this is the degree to which it doesn't matter to Republican voters. This election will be another giant step on the road to fascism, and will confirm that to a large swathe of Americans, justice doesn't matter. They will support sexual assaulters, child molesters and Nazis, just as long as minorities don't get more power.
5
Again and again the deep south has inflicted its backward, ignorant, ugly beliefs on the rest of the country, with devastating consequences. And because they keep re-electing the same toxic neanderthals to congress, most important congressional committees are chaired by senior-ranking crackers. Why did the US fight to keep these folks in the union 150 years ago? Think of how much better off this country would be if we had allowed the confederacy to secede. This time, how about we fight a war to kick them out? The south has been dragging down the rest of us long enough.
8
oh, please...roypublicans, slick-lyin'williecrats, the roys only have to look to the slicks for ways to shake the stench, first rule, trash the women.
there "will (indeed) be no way to simply say that Moore is the abominable outgrowth of Alabama voters’ anger" but it can be said that passing over his election, if it happens, will be a political choice, just like letting willie and wife sleaze on past his abuses of a number of women...wake up mr blow, blind partisanship helps no one, least of all the union...look around, we're so busy trashing that we've stopped thinking (remember it was you lot who let trump gain traction while you made fun).
you could, as you did, find trump's visit to the civil rights museum an "offense" but you could also find that rep lewis, (tough enough, once upon a time, to face the dogs of segregation!), rather betrayed than honored those enshrined by not showing up and standing in trump's path, leaving the widow evers essentially alone...a self-serving act that might be said to be "an abominal outgrowth" of his own anger.
as for moorings to "fundamental morality" you'll find hypocritical hands which have "toted bibles" and preached its line, lechers, adulterers, abusers, liars and thieves (and see you wagging your moral finger at multiple marriages!) on both sides of the aisle.
you are the one who has "dived face-first into ithe sewer," rather, as ibsen said of zola, "to bathe in it than cleanse it."
1
Republicans can assume the rise of Moore thanks to the Republican president will solidify the GOP as the racist and sexist party.
A brilliant essay, Mr. Blow.
Roy Moore is the abominable outgrowth of Alabama voters’ irrational hatred of 'liberals' and the rest of America. It is this hatred (and maybe white supremacy) that is the unifying force in the GOP and they must keep it alive to exist. That is the real political dilemma hurling our nation ever closer to Civil War II.
1
The sad and scary question is, does Bannon's boy Roy represent anything approaching a majority of Americans? Have the Republicans sunk that low and drifted sickeningly closer to Putin than Lincoln?
2
Thank you Mr. Blow for your amazing writing. The painful truth of slavery should never be changed to make it palatable. The Republican Party has disintegrated into something unrecognizable. If a pedophile is elected then the RNC should be disbanded and true conservatives should look for a new home.
Who would elect Roy Moore to be "top mall cop" in their community...?
Well I guess the job of United States Senator is a different matter...!
Today Huckabee Sanders attacked the free press, accusing members of the press of intentionally disseminating information they know to be false. She has absolutely no support for such, except for citing Brian Ross's error for which he was disciplined by ABC. The press should have walked out en masse. Sanders is a dishonest, unethical person who has no interest in an honest exchange. She is using the press to spread demagoguery and to undermine the nation's stability.
6
The depths of Republican depravity is bottomless. As a so-called counter-punch, the pro Trump "The America First Project" Super PAC has brought in a 12 year old girl; political neophyte Millie March to *interview* Roy Moore.
I can only imagine, someone believed the visual was supposed to show the world that "little girls" shouldn't be afraid of 71 year old Moore; 21st Century version of sacrificing ones Virgins to the GOP gods?
2
The Republicans under Trump are trying to resurrect the values of the ante-bellum south: paternalistic and racist Christianity, adulation of rich plantation owners (today CEOs), disdain for the rights of workers, and a tendency to see all labor as servile. And finally a wealthy privileged enclave cut off from the outside world. Did Dixie produced any significant global missions movements or theology schools? How could it when it despised people of color?
Dixie also was adept at galvanizing the support of poor whites who couldn't compete with the slave economy by stoking their fears via racism. And today's Trump supporters follow suit, always voting against their own economic interests, as Paul Krugman constantly points out.
The real problem is that the Democrats are completely without passion and totally inept, out of tune with the anger of the working class that Trump mobilizes against their own economic interests.
In a choice between principled p*ssies vs passionate bullies, the latter are winning.
1
The McConnell-led Republican party strategy for handling unpopular situations: First, Trump will never be our candidate and such a man will never be our President. Then later, welcome Mr President, just sign here! Then again, we are pulling our financial support and if Moore is elected, we will refuse to seat such a man. Then later, we are giving Judge Moore our financial support and look forward to having his vote in the Senate. Pass me the hand sanitizer, will you Vice President Pence?
2
I very much hope that Roy Moore is soundly defeated. But the fact remains that many Alabamans will vote for him. They will vote for him for the same reason that they voted for Trump, to poke a stick in the eye of all those smarty pants know-it-alls who told them not to. It is an act of resentful vandalism, same as all those Trump votes were.
Keep going Mr. Blow. I don't want to return to the 19th century, which is where these guys seem to want to live. It's too late for that, the world has moved on, but these guys won't go without a lot of kicking and screaming. And ugliness.
4
Keep it coming, Mr. Blow! And thanks for giving the Roypublicans a name. I hope it sticks, whether he gets elected or not.
4
Democrats need new blood and a candidate that will "tell it as it is": Specifically that the Republicans are plundering America back to the stone ages and that Roy Moore is a full blown COWARD because he refuses to even debate Doug Jones. Putting the child assault allegations aside, the media should FOCUS for that Roy Moore is a weak coward who refuses to debate on the same stage as his political opponent. Right, left, liberal, conservative, sane, insane should all agree that in a political race, the parties should have to debate the other side.
Godspeed to the People of Alabama tomorrow. God Bless America.
1
If Alabama elects Moore, how 'bout we consider expelling them from the union? I do not want to be associated with a state that votes that way. I'd much rather have Puerto Rico.
2
Donald Trump and Roy Moore are manifestations of the modern Republican Party for very good reasons. From Watergate, to the southern strategy, to trickle down tax policy, to anti-gay, to anti-environment, to anti-education, to malevolent patriarchy, to needless war, to torture, to economic collapse, to the birther movement, to anti-free press, to Charlottesville and to whatever comes next, it has been an ugly disintegration of values for a long time coming.
The big Republican folks running this country sure do seem hell bent on bringing about civil strife and unrest to the nation. And thanks to the NRA, society is armed to the teeth.
1
The pseudo-intellectual self-styled Leninist, Steve Bannon, is largely responsible for the current situation. See the article in the link:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-king-of-bullshit-mountain
The party of " American moral values" on full display America...like what you see?
I keep reading that more than a handful of Alabamians are going to vote for Jones just because they should, "but he'll probably lose." That's true but only if everyone is as defeatist as they are. But it truly doesn't have to be that way? Still going to the polls? More power to you - bring along every left-of-far-right friend you have who appreciates that, sexual harassment aside, Moore's positions are proven anti-constitutional and un-American. It's time to give the "Roypublicans" a major whacking at the polls. The election is over only when it's over, and voting is nowhere near complete. Fact: "Everyone thought" Clinton would win; she lost. "Everyone thinks" that Moore will win, but guess what, he can lose, too, but not with a defeatist attitude. Too many otherwise good people are showing signs of being what the right-wing wordsmiths call a "defeatocrat." Don't be. This race really is winnable, but only if everyone who thinks it is can be won gets out and makes it so. (And congratulations to Mr. Blow for once again being one of country's greatest tellers of the truth.)
1
I'm not sure that Republicans "Believe his mission" I just think that it has gotten to the point where Republicans would rather troll Liberals than worry about their own well being, or the well being of their children or the country. Every time the left shouts out in rage, a quiver of joy occurs in each and every Trump supporter's groin area.
3
Darnit. I've been calling them the Trumpublicans. What should I call them now? Roytrumplicans? Trumproylicans? Mooretrumplicans? No. That's terrible. We needed less of them. Much less. I'm ringing my hands.
This idiotic idea that people in some circles have bandied about: 'slavery and Jim Crow was bad an all but at least the black family was strong...' needs to be challenged each time it is uttered. It had become popular in the right and it is absolutely stupid but without consistent challenges to these ideas they will live on.
2
When mentioning the Republicans, we democrats and independents should continually use this term "Roypublicans". Let's remind them of who they really are, not who they claim to be, and reveal what Democrats and decency stands for: accountability, fairness, legal and sound immigration policy, financial security, affordable quality healthcare, a just legal system, freedom to vote early and without I.D. in fair democratic elections, a healthy planet, clean water, fresh air, green space/natural lands, modern/green/sustainable/technology based diversified economy, excellent education, free Junior college for all, safe housing in clean and safe neighborhoods we can afford, rising wages and meaningful employment, a strong diplomatic corps, sound fiscal policy, value based foreign policy, strong social fabric, morality and compassion, quality education systems. I can only speak for myself, and vote my values. Read #climb the hill, another great Blow article.
2
So much has been written about the "collusion" between the Trump/GOP campaign and the Russians. I doubt that there is any collusion. Those who knows Russian modus operandi, from tsarist secret police, through Soviets and now Putin, know that they are more insidious in their anti-democracy. In fact, they have already won their struggle with USA to become the world power. They did it simply by supporting people (Trump of course) who systematically destroy our political system, administration, eventually economy and bring us to the level of "4th world country" (by what I mean a technologically advanced but morally bankrupt). I get everyday messages from friends in Western Europe asking what has happened to us-how could we elect this GOP cabal. Anybody knows?
1
By far, to date, the most cut-to-the-chase, deftly written op-ed about Trump/Republicans and race. Thank you, Mr. Blow…this should be read from the mountain tops.
The Republican leadership is aware of the trends in demographics, and true to their ruthlessness, they're grabbing for all they can get for themselves in the meantime. There are probably any number of horrific examples in history of such self-serving greed and bigotry among a certain population. The French and Russian aristocracies come to mind. But in our country, twisted by very effective advertising, the revolution is supporting the aristocracy. You gotta admire the cleverness of such propaganda, as surely diabolical as it also is.
It's doubtful that Moore was thinking much about black families in this quote, he gives zero hoots about black people, whether they're strong or not, safe or not, treated fairly or not, educated or not, protected or not. It may appear that in voting for Moore, Alabamans and many Republicans are starting to lose their heads, to turn them from truth. But the truth is that this horrifying behavior has been going on a very long time. We are only now being forced by the blatantly racist actions of our elected leaders to open our eyes to horrifying injustices of power that have been affecting minorities all along, and that includes blacks and women, and many others.
Amoral/immoral Republicans have been funded by large corporations and the super rich working to control the US government since Johnson's Great Society gave rise to Nixon's Southern strategy.
The takeover of all branches of government is nearly complete. Soon, the Roberts Court will be supported by a federal court system salted with supporters of the oligarchs. When that happens laws that favor the rich, discriminate against minorities, and target democratic voters will be locked in.
The mercenaries, purchased by large corporations and the oligarchs, in Congress, the courts, state legislatures and the executive branches of gvt. are ready to cross an American Rubicon — midterm elections. If the amoral/immoral Republicans are successful in winning the midterms the great experiment in democracy, the United States, will have failed.
Do not expect Senators, McCain, Collins, Burr, or other so called moral Republicans to fulfill their oath of office to protect our Nation. Their votes on the tax bill clearly define a lack of commitment to that oath and the values of our Nation. Flag lapel pins do not make a patriot.
To forestall the takeover, an overwhelming electoral defeat of the Republicans in the midterms must be followed by a purge of the Democrats to jettison "owned" politicians. Then, a constitutional convention is needed to fix a flawed document that has been corrupted beyond the fears of the Framers.
1
I recommend for your attention two other NYT articles that I consider relevant to your knowledge base of the tragic antipatriotic takeover of our government by haters, looters, and hurters:
The foolish deregulation of rampant profiteering in our financial industry, the casino on Wall Street heading us for a crash that will dwarf 1929: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/opinion/bubble-economy-financial-regu...
Voter suppression and cheating:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/opinion/roy-moore-alabama-senate-vote...
All you supposed supporters of Christianity, hypocrites who would put Jesus in Gitmo or some such, this is not making American anything but small and mean and dishonest. If Trump starts a nuclear war to distract from his lies and thefts and his support of fellow kleptocrats and Russian influence meant to destroy our trust in each other, you will have something to answer for to your children and younger friends.
Try the 10 commandments, the 7 deadly sins, the gospels, and the teachings of Jesus if you call yourself religious. Democrats have been trying to help, and demonizing them is dishonest at best.
7
"devoid of principle"
Yes! I am always perplexed by references to "the Trump agenda," since the only agenda seems to be whatever he feels like saying at the moment.
12
Re my submission, Byrd's exact words were he would "never fight alongside a negro!"Byrd wrote this while he was in the Senate and Democratic Party did not deem it worthy of condemnation. Byrd also voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.How much more bigoted can you get?No se ofenda, but in my view Mr. Blow lacks a thorough knowledge of political and regional history, which accounts for a weakness in his writing. When you, second person plural, do not do your research, it shows!
1
In fact the rise of the Roypublicans started with the Southern Strategy of Richard Nixon, follow by the welfare queen of Ronald Reagan and the Willie Horton add of GHW Bush. Moore and Trump are the ultimate conclusion.
10
Thanks for giving voice to the shame of Moore's rmessage and what it symbolizes. The worst chapter of America's past has been given a new life by the residents of Alabama and our bumbling president who genuflects to his base.
I wonder if the Senate ethics panel will convene, much less get any traction, or will they wait to get a few votes out of old Roy? Somehow, I think we know the answer.
13
This is about Raw, Naked Power... White Power! And if we don't understand this now, we will lose the soul of this country to these people!
Alabama, vote like your life and soul depend on it! Vote for your children, your neighbors' children, your daughters and sons, and for your future generations! Vote for your future, your neighborhoods, vote for your state, vote for this country, vote for my children, and most importantly vote for your souls!
9
Moore will win because Republican Alabamans know who they are and vote who they are. They haven't change since the institution of slavery began in their state.
6
I disagree only to this extent: the Republican Party has been diseased well before Trump and Moore. Were it not seriously diseased, there'd have been no Trump and Moore. They're the result, not a cause, of the death of a party that at one time had at least a one-finger grip on reality.
8
The Republican party includes a large segment of people who have no problem with football players who kill dogs with their bare hands, punch their girlfriend in the face on camera and are accused of rape. This is all Fine. But take a knee in protest.....well that's a whole different kettle of fish.
You see what I'm saying. Abuse of women, girls or animals is not going to change their minds one bit because that's what they do. About the only time I see these people defend a minority is when they're a good football player accused by a woman. Suddenly he's a saint and I guess we all know what she is. Trump has given these people a proud voice.
11
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." George Orwell, "1984"
How politicians who don't appear literate enough to have read "1984" can crib so thoroughly from Big Brother's playbook is a testament to the transcendent horrors of fascism.
12
Benny Hill used to make fun of "Alabammy" on his comedy show 35 years ago. If Roy Moore wins election to the Senate, Alabammy will rise again!
7
I'd suggest that we rename the Republicans the swamp party.
10
Excellent, excellent article today. I don't have much hope for Alabama and Trump's will indeed lead to the rise of Roypublicans.
3
Having lived in the South it is true they are anti-government and love it when they can stick it to liberals. But there is a right and wrong that the GOP has manipulated well. They have made decent Southerners vote for Moore when they would have never done 5 years ago. The fake news stories have created this dangerous environment when people cannot tell the truth. The GOP has managed this psychological game well. Although sexual misconduct or pedophile or whatever one wants to call it is not talked about in the South nor anywhere especially incest, Southerners know what was wrong. Their insistence to vote for Moore should be a wake up call for all of us that they have swallowed everything their leaders, media manipulators and some pastors have dished out. Better a pedophile than a liberal. In reality, they have been coerced by the GOP party that will stop at nothing to get to our money and to make money during their lifespans by destroying our future. If Moore is elected, do we finally accept that we are in trouble?
3
He is not accused of pedophilia by anyone not a liar who knows both what the word means and that the youngest girl with whom he is accused of sexual interaction was fourteen at the time.
That was a very serious crime under Alabama law, but it was not pedophilisa.
The rest of his interactions with teens were either not criminal at all or lesser crimes.
What he really is, was, and did is quite bad enough without lying about it.
1
I agree that we ought not refer to Roy Moore as a pedophile, as pedophilia is defined as sexual predation of prepubescent children, however, those using the term aren’t so much liars as looking for a term with the urgency to describe the loathesomeness of Moore’s actions. We have no word for this particular creature—other than despicable.
2
Apologies accepted ?
Pedophilia is defined online, sexual contact with a Minor, in Alabama that would include 14 year old girls, meets that definition.
Ryan, McConnell, Pence, trump and Moore will look good on the ash heap of history. They are the best leaders money can buy. Let’s give them a democratic deliverance in 2018!
8
The voters of Alabama will decide who they want as their next senator not the op ed writers of the New York Times. Roy Moore has been in political life for years and seems to be liked by the people. He has not been found guilty yet of sexual harassment so the people will make that decision at the voting booth. These claims are from 40 years ago and why did the accusers wait so long? Is it because he was running for senator and they support his opponent, Doug Jones?
Doug Jones is a supporter of abortion rights after 20 weeks. He does not regard the fetus/baby in the womb as having any rights. We also do not know much about his background and if there are any skeletons in his closet. He is a liberal and that much we know for sure. This is why he has been so popular with the progressives.
President Trump was chosen by the voters because they felt he was the best candidate for our country. He promised conservatives that he would look out for them and he has fulfilled his promises. That had been missing until now. They had no one representing them. Of course, he is not perfect. Who is?
Tomorrow the voters will go to the ballot booth and choose the candidate that is best for their state. I know who I would vote for and many would disagree with me as a conservative. Neither candidate is perfect but the voters will select the one that they feel represents them the best. We may all end up being surprised some happy and others not so much.
Mr. Blow is of course entirely right. How was this not going to happen when the outrageous Southern Democrats of old turned to the Republican Party because the Democratic Party's mainstream had finally decided to stop tolerating official racism (unofficial, well...)? The Party of Lincoln became the Party of Thurmond. Just as essentially dishonest, brazen and sneaky as the old Southern Democrats, because they were the old Southern Democrats, literally or by genetic and/or cultural heritage (how many white Southern Republican officeholders of recent times have had parents or grandparents who held office as Democrats?). And it appears that by now most Republican politicians outside of the South have, with differing levels of hesitation or enthusiasm, embraced their inner bigot (which of course they will deny with a forced self-righteousness that is all the stronger because of the energy required to overcome the inner lie that they may or may not have acknowledged consciously). There are still Republican voters who haven't taken in the change (I know and like some of them, including some Republican voters of color), but this is what their establishment has become, and tribal loyalty or laser focus on a few issues is preventing them from admitting to themselves what they are abetting. All the sadder because a functioning democracy needs a responsible outlet for conservative views, which I say as someone who, obviously, is not a conservative.
The entire Republican party is rotten, corrupt, and cowardly to the core, puppets to their fat cat funders. Stop with the focus on Trump. He is a symptom not a cause. Readers need to know that the Republicans at the state, local, and federal levels must be tossed out.
This is not about Trump. When he is gone there will be no return to anything "normal."
5
The south has not changed one bit since the days of slavery. All the moral changes in racist laws and institutions were forced on the south under duress. I have a great job and love the climate, but I am embarrassed to admin I am from Tennessee. I suppose it could be worse. At least I don't live in Alabama.
4
At least the Republican formal acceptance of almost any form of depravity, racism, sexism and moral turpitude for reasons of "tribal politics" is spelling the end of the Christian Evangelical movement.
Many real Christians are now distancing themselves from the Evangelicals, who have revealed themselves to be what people like me (a hated "leftist atheist") have always denounced them to be: hollow Bible-thumpers, holier-than-thou hypocrites hiding behind the veneer of religious bigotry to pursue their real extreme right wing autocratic tendencies and their "white male supremacist" worldview.
Maybe Roy Moore will be the breaking point that will convince many truly good Christians that they have been betrayed by the fake religious hypocrites, and they will finally stop voting for a party (the GOP) that is as far from the teachings of Jesus Christ as anything one could think of.
1
Andy, leftist atheists elected to House and Senate would defend the safety nets for the 99% -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, womens' rights, equal justice for all, separation of church and state, wages you can live on, To know them is to respect and admire them. Leftist atheists come in all varieties -- burger flippers, maids, elites. What's not to like?
2
As I wrote of the danger of extremism and global Empire more than a decade ago:
"We are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-racial, even post-racial, sectarian, mixing-pot-world of democracies on a small fragile planet --- and yet, we are still not beyond the danger of existential death at the hands of ancient and irrelevant tribal 'empire-thinking'.
As only Kurt Vonnegut's sense of ironic black humor might envision, "It is as if the whole human race was about to sit down to a celebratory picnic for successfully reaching our 21st century, when we are all unexpectedly killed by one remaining giant dinosaur."
The last people in the world who should want to stay in (or ever promote) a world of tribalism, are the Muslims and Jews ---- based on how they have been abused by various nationalist and other modern "-ism" Empires.
Fighter pilots have a saying that, "speed is life". But, for all the rest of us, "inclusiveness is life" --- and tribalism is death by the oldest lie of empire.
Racism is another deadly old lie of empire, as is aggressively fundamentalist religion.
Nationalism is a somewhat newer lie of empire, proving particularly deadly in the 20th century.
While, economic ideology is the newest, and current, lie of empire (which is causing our economic and environmental collapse).
But all the lies and deceptions of "empire-thinking" lead ineluctably to the very same grave --- so choose your empire poison, stupidly. Or choose your inclusiveness, wisely."
5
Hey, Mr. Blow, don't knock folklorists, who are academic professionals who study folklore and its influence on people. What you're looking at is people who believe folklore, which is a very different thing.
1
I read somewhere that most of the polling in Alabama is on landlines. Doesn't that leave a large swath of unpolled voters on mobile phones? Alabama's business communities want to join the new millennium and I'm betting that millennials do too. Crusty old dinosaurs such as Trump and Moore represent a dying breed of southerners who cling selfishly to centuries-old sentiments that no longer serve the South. At least that's my vision for the beautiful state of Alabama. We'll see tomorrow.
3
Excellent article, but the GOP is not become the Roypublican Party. The Grand Old Party died decades ago. All that has been left for decades are echos of a party lead by Abraham Lincoln that championed making the statement "all men are created equal" reality rather than an aspiration. It really died when it sold its soul for votes by embracing racism, white supremacy and segregation. The party won the Southern bigots, but lost any sense of morality or values. Once there was a willingness to embrace the dark-side Republicans continued to distill all the worst impulses of people: greed, misogyny, racism, bigotry, xenophobia, envy, grievance, homophobia, intolerance, religious fanaticism and tribalism. They boiled away all trace of moderation, rationality or empathy. What was left was their pure and rabid base. It was predictable, inevitable that this base would elect someone who epitomized their despicable views - Donald Trump.
Republicans are the Dr. Frankenstein of American politics. Their base is the serum they distilled. Donald Trump is their creature. The GOP died long ago. Like in Mary Shelly's book, the creature is will destroy everything is creator loved.
I think (hope) that Jones will win due to several observations:
1--A number of reporters have documented that there are many more yard signs for him, compared to Moore (this was also true for Trump, vs Clinton)
2--A reverse bias in polling may be present. With Trump, many who voted for him didn't admit their preference to pollsters. Now many Alabamans may be hesitant to tell pollsters that they will vote for a Democrat.
3--The ground game seems to be almost non-existant for Moore, and vigorous for Jones.
4--Moore's support by churches and pastors appears to be largely fabricated or manipulated to make it appear much greater than it actually is.
I hope I'm right. Another disturbed, bigoted and ignorant man in high Federal office is the last thing we need.
2
In reply to Denis Pombriand...
Your observation is very fine... but your strategical suggestion for the Dems to appeal to a positive aspect of this election, however, comes a bit late. (!A better strategy might have been...")
I would suggest to you and all your "recommenders" to send in a similar message every day from now on until the mid-term élections, because the same analysis (a lack of positive propositions from the DNC and other individual leaders (?) of this party) is blatant and has been since the Trump disaster election, last year. A heavy silence, sign of a lack of ideas?
The time to react is now (in this verb is the same root for ACTION) for fear to come too late once again...
Alas, I fear the Roypublicans have risen already, regardless of the outcome of the Alabama election. In this vacuum of moral leadership, views that would once have been considered unutterable by all but the most rabid racists and other haters are now tossed off with impunity by ordinary citizens and legislators alike. Consider Iowa Representative Steve King's recent assertion that "Diversity is not our strength" and dark musings about "mixing cultures."
The greatest danger is that the American people will become inured to such discourse, and that our children will grow up thinking it is normal and acceptable to think and speak in such ways.
The truth, Mr. Moore notwithstanding, is that blame for this lies at the feet of Mr. Trump. A fish rots from the head down.
2
Roy Moore is unfit to serve even ignoring his grossly wrong behavior with high school girls. He was twice removed from the position of a judge for his continued refusal to follow and his purposeful violation of the Untied States Constitution. In order to be a judge, let alone a Senator, a person has to swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Moore, when he became an attorney, had to also swear to uphold and defend the US Constitution. The fact that he routinely violates the Constitution makes him unfit. But, the Alabama voters will elect him because they would elect the Devil himself if her were a Southern Republican.
2
I have a feeling Alabama is going to pleasantly surprise us and vote for Jones. I pray so.
1
Great piece. Unforunately, this is to no surprise for millions of Americans and particularly PoC. I look at my millennial daughters and try and reassure them that what they see and hear is not all doom. We must remain hopeful in this democracy. If we as a people survived slavery and it's horrific malady, we can overcome this era too! What they must do is continue to vote, stay involved in their own communities and speak up! Join those organizations (BLM) who speak for the voiceless. Our family migrated from the south (Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, & Virginia) all slave states where people like Alabamians still think white is supreme. We now know enough about our history to dispel the "Roypublicans". As I've said so many times before that this country was built on racism, rape, misogynistic views. These will have to be reckoned with if we want an inclusive, loving and moral country.
The United States provided economic assistance through the Marshall Plan for the recovery of Western Europe after World War II. We employed science and technology to put a man on the moon. American citizens have been awarded the most Nobel prizes. So many wonderful American accomplishments.
Yet, when asked when America was great, Roy Moore claimed it was during the time when families (white families, obviously) were "united" despite the fact that many African American families were torn apart.
This man, who is so ignorant of history, has a good chance of winning. I cannot adequately express my disgust.
1
Neil Young was right.
1
The question to ask is why do people like Trump and Moore have any political standing?
It is easy to blame racism, but most people are not KKK members. While there are racists, we need to remember that Obama won the majority of the white vote, in some case by the very same people that voted for Trump. Labeling all Republicans racists will not win elections.
How can it be that the Democratic Party, once the party of the working person, has become hated by actual working people today?
I believe that the answer lies in economic resentment. GDP is up and rising, but only the well educated and the rich are benefiting. For decades, America pursued policies that, in some cases, literally moved factories to China and turned a blind eye to illegal immigration which dropped wages for unskilled, manual labor. The country cannot have cheap prices and a thriving middle class at the same time.
Which party stands for policies that actually benefit regular wage earners and not donors? Neither.
Last Sunday I spent part of my day with an American living here Ontario now and he was quite self deprecating about his country and apologetic. I did remind him that having had a 45 year career in the Canadian military, some of the most outstanding people I had met were Americans. However I can share his sense of loss as I watch what the country of Roosevelt and Eishenhauer has become. I simply cannot fathom how the GOP has turned the US into a country that has found the slaughter of the innocents and rape of the Sabines not just tolerable but useful to gain political power. I fear for the political fortunes of a nation whose parties present their electorate with leaders such as these.
Somethings collapse under their own weight. The pile of Republicans' lies and distortions is growing both upwards and around the girth, it has to come down. The human mind has the enormous capacity for misconduct and bad deeds, as it has for good and great acts. Still, it has its limits defined by the sheer fact that it is human prone to our faults and failings. Republicanism, as it stands today, will collapse.
(I say it out of total conviction in my belief. In my first year in college, during a heated discussion with my lefty classmates, I stated that communism was a creed that carried its own dead end with it, I got a slap on the wrist for saying that from my roommate. But I never veered away from that belief even when the Soviet stole the lead over us in technology with their Sputniks and the time when the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, was threatening to bury capitalism. So, I steadfastly hold on to this belief, also).
If it's true that one bad apple can rot a whole bushel full of the fruit, the Republican carton now has more rot in it than the clean, uninfected apples. Anyone with a moderately functioning nose should be able to smell the foul air coming out of the GOP.
The salmon metafor:
Let's hope and pray that the Republican Party will behave like a salmon : it swims up a river, spawns it's offspring and dies. After it has finally delivered tax-cuts for it's donors the Republican Party will cease to exist.
If they persevere and will continue to enable Trump's fascism then only the following medicine might work: boycott any Corporation who still sponsors the Republican Party.
Inspired by “Roypublican,” and hoping to offer up another handy, catchy label to hang around the entire GOP, may I humbly suggest “Trumpublican Party”?
If there is an embodiment of what is wrong in American politics today, Roy Moore is it.
Sure, it's shabby, sordid, and damaging, and a new low for the GOP.
But who could blame Trump? He just wants enough votes to impose his paradise tax reform for the 1%, so he is endorsing Roy Moore.
The perspective of Roy Moore, a pistol-packing, stetson-wearing ex-judge accused of sexual misconduct and pedophilia being elected to the US Senate is indeed appalling but the true disaster was the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States.
America doesn't have an excuse. Not the Russians, sexism, racism, Bernie Bros, misogyny, Jill Stein, Facebook, Twitter, white women, Bernie, Comey, Putin, the media, white resentment, etc..
No, it was Hillary and the Democrats.
If Alabama wants to elect a barking mad representative, let them. He's far from the first in that part of America and a sure sign that Alabama is still rife with superstitious, bigoted, cruel and stupid people. He is a national embarrassment and will do nothing but dumb down the Senate even more - if that's even possible.
Until now, Ted Cruz was the single most hated member of the Senate, hated heartily by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Think how he must be looking forward to the day ol' Judge Moore is sworn in.
Lastly, I want to thank America.
Whenever I worry that the EU is going in the wrong direction, at least I can look across the Atlantic and reassure myself that things could be worse.
A lot worse.
2
Someone should call 911 on trump, moore and the republican party, but the police are not equipped to manage crazy..
And the Evangelicals full with presuppositionalism, let them get away with it.
Mr. Blow has once again "surrendered the moral high ground" by mischaracterizing an entire population based on his own personal condemnation of two flawed men. Predictably, Mr. Blow's anaysis connects no dots except for those recognized by his "religion of victimhood" - a false ideology that is grounded in hatred for all who may not assimilate it in its absolute entirety. As usual, he avoids mentioning any misconduct practiced by those on his own side of the fence.
Mr. Blow certainly provides some advantage to his political opposition, as his outspoken bigotry and intolerance compels many to dissociate with the "terrible twos" politics that he mistakes for a product of rational and morally acceptable thinking. It helps to see the humor in that.
1
When some one tells you who they are believe them. Trump told us who he was and Republicans elected him knowing full well he we totally unqualified in all respects...
Roy Moore told us who he was and once again Republicans are all falling inline to support and elect a totally unqualified man to become a senator to represent them...
When support of party over rides any idea of common decent behavior or morals you know you are lost...
Blow means Roypublicans believe in due process and being convicted in court, not knee-jerk reactions and guilt via public trial of the WaPo and NYT comment section. The #MeToo movement found so much nuance with Al Franken, but not so much anyone with R by their names.
Moore is a clown, but even clowns get a fair hearing in court. Odd that we had so many women just show up 3 weeks beforehand, too.
3
I am so glad none of the RINOs survived the primaries. All of this caterwauling would reduce Jeb to a quivering gelatinous blob, trying to make all of the critics happy.
So, liberals, welcome to the world that ignores your imagined pain. Having survived 8 years of Obama, I'm well aware that you feel like you've been transported to the planet Wednesday?Thursday?Friday? Some news outlets tell the truth, that isn't. Others only exceed the wildness of the lie, by the volume of delivery. What you are experiencing is the withdrawal of Hopium. Reality and the recovery of our beloved Republic, will eventually dull the sharp panic you feel.
Merry Christmas. Be nice to your family. And, your neighbors. And co-workers. You ARE your dog's best friend. Remember what Stuart Smalley said, "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!" And, Happy Hanukkah, in case I miss you tomorrow.
1
Alabama is trying mightily to revise its own history -- that of a racist, backward, impoverished, uneducated state with an unhealthy and unsophisticated employee base who are generally ignorant as pig tracks.
They want technology, manufacturing, space programs, industry and they would like to demonstrate they have the workforce to handle it.
For good or ill, the thing turns on the vote.
In the 60's before the Voting Rights Act, I worked in Huntsville, AL, in the space program. The Univ. of Ala. there integrated peacefully its graduate science programs while Gov. Wallace was shouting at the campus in Tuscaloosa. Those people will not vote for Roy Moore.
Meanwhile if registered blacks voted in large numbers, even with voter ID, Moore would lose through a coalition with thinking whites like the scientific folks in Huntsville. A true wave turnout of the black voting population of Alabama cannot be effectively deterred with voter ID laws; in such a case the whole election would be tied up in so many precincts that the election would grind to a halt or be thrown to the courts. If people turn out, Moore is in trouble.
Tomorrow black people and reasonable whites could be the first of a wave that can take back the country.
80
As I understand it (from Kiplinger's, among others), the plan is already in place to remove Moore if and when he is elected. That will allow the Republican Governor to fill the seat. Republicans in the Senate probably view this as a win-win -- they look good for removing Moore and keep the seat. Could it be that we Democrats simply need better strategists?
7
McConnell will "dither" not the right time, etc etc if Moore is elected. Now, if Jones is elected, they will try not to swear him in until after the tax vote. Just wait.
1
I have understood that to be their strategy all along...d.n.k. what will happen if Moore resists, or if Dems fail to support such a move.
Trump, McConnell, Ryan, and the RNC should all publicly commit to personally welcoming and taking a photo op with Moore in the Oval office and on Capitol Hill, if Moore is elected to the Senate.
11
I believe that this vote is a tipping point:
If Roy Moore is elected, then the spineless Republicans will fall in line behind Trump. They will move to stop Mueller.
If Roy Moore is defeated, then there is a small chance that Republicans may begin to have the courage to step away from Trump.
What a sad state of affairs.
8
Thanks to Senator Shelby and Nikki Haley for saying what all other Republican legislators and officials are unwilling to say: That Roy Moore should not be elected and President Trump's accusers should not be silenced. If Moore is elected and/or Trump evades hearings it leaves an indelible stain on the GOP.
8
I completely agree with you but you missed one important thing in your list of words to describe Mr. Moore's appalling politics and personal beliefs. Don't forget the he is no respecter of the US Constitution and was thrown off the Alabama Supreme Court twice for refusing to comply with court decisions. He refused to remove his Ten Commandments monument in the state court headquarters and he instructed probate judges across Alabama that they need not perform same sex weddings. And yes, the state oath includes support for the US Constitution so he has no problem putting his hand on his Bible and swearing to something he has no intention of following.
10
Ever since the Republicans invented the term "Democrat Party," I've been wondering how the democrats could respond. I think Charles has the answer. Roypublicans is a recognizable and telling version of what the name-callers have become. If Moore wins, I'm hopeful his term widely enters the vernacular. I know I'll be using this fitting tribute to the cynical "grand old party."
2
All citizens of Alabama have the right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Just as all Americans have the right to chose how they spend their money. I recently enjoyed a trip to Birmingham with family and friends. I had a wonderful time there. If Alabama elects Roy Moore, I won't be going back. My vacation dollars will be spent elsewhere.
10
During the period when slavery was legal, women were also considered chattel under the law. Roy Moore's happy families were ruled by men who dominated women through law, religious, and cultural traditions. A man had his rights and his wife did not. People were "strong" and "united" in families but under the rule of the master of the house. Happy days.
4
Unfortunately, Moore will win easily. As I understand it, the polls are roughly even. I expect it'll be a similar phenomenon as we saw with Trump, where people won't admit to supporting him, but they'll vote for him.
36
I hope the Dems are watching very closely for voter suppression and polling irregularities ; and have similar watchdogs monitoring the absentee ballots...just sayin.
1
The Republican Party will keep getting more extreme until Democratic voters defeat them at the polls, regardless of all the voter ID laws and other roadblocks Republicans put in Democrats' way. I've been trying to say this over and over again: Democrats must get over their internal schisms, and their lingering Bernie-versus-Hillary bad feelings, because the Republican threat really is that dire. Enough defeating ourselves; let's defeat them instead.
29
/Democrats must get over their internal schisms/
@Mark, that would be loverly, as Eliza Doolittle might put it, but unlikely. With the booting of Sen. Franken we have a new schism: the purity police (Gillibrand et al calling for his head) vs. the even-more-purity police (those calling for the head of Gillibrand et al and swearing to never vote Dem again.
It would be funny if not so tragic for us all.
1
Alabama passed a voter ID law that was designed to depress the black vote. A good description of its aims and effects is in another NYTimes article today " The Alabama Senate Race May Have Already Been Decided." Black voters are expected to vote for Doug Jones, the Democrat.
This race is infuriating because there is a candidate that is reasonable, intelligent and southern; that is, congruent with the life and style in Alabama. But he is a Democrat. And he approves of letting a woman decide on her own health care including the right to decide on an abortion. Those two facts make him an outcast to many Alabama voters.
Doug Jones has been running on the issues and has tried to have a debate with Roy Moore who refuses. Moore has no issues he can discuss. He simply has propositions he propounds. He believes that his idea of God's law supersedes man's written law and has said so often. That right there should eliminate him from becoming a law maker.
He probably will win but the Republicans will lose either way since Roy Moore is well known to march to his own drummer and be pig headed about it. How McConnell will handle him will be interesting. I expect he will be a good boy for a few months.
13
What I will never understand is why Republicans are backing Moore, or Trump or Trump/Moore. I watch Bannon telling a rally that the powers-that-be think Alabama voters are rubes. If they vote for Moore, they prove it.
19
DNA testing in groups of persons identifying as African-American have demonstrated approximately 18% European derivation; the vast majority of that European DNA can be traced to the approximate period of 1600-1850. Most importantly, analysis of mitochondrial DNA, which is maternally derived, indicates that this European DNA is almost exclusively male.
The findings lead to the inescapable conclusion that rape of African slaves by white southerners was widespread.
When Roy Moore and his supporters lament the loss of "family values", somehow this rape culture is not on the list of talking points.
27
Is there even a trace of decency left in the GOP?
24
No, there is not.
1
No.
How do we raise our children, our teens, in this predatory atmosphere?
And how funny that Moore rallied in Fairhope, Alabama last week! Fair? Hope? Nope.
10
My vote, if I have one, is to identify them as the Putin-Trump-Moore Party. They clearly have neither shame nor any connection to the Party of Lincoln, and devoid of any patriotism, considering their undermining of Special Counsel Mueller's efforts.
15
If, or since, there is a battle over who can be a true Republican, the loser doesn't have to automatticly become a Democrat. The Republicans don't have to become Roypublicans. What name these organizations assume doesn't change who they are. A name is only a name. If . members of a group have to change their name, they can change it. They don't have to BE what anybody else wants them to be. If part of the Republican Party takes over the name of the party nnd the party can't stop them, they can call themselves something else.
"...unmoored from any fundamental morality..." No puns intended regarding the "fundamentalist morality" of old Roy?
I know, levity seems misplaced at this point. My only defense is that I'd rather laugh than cry.
2
I hope americans will be smart enough to vote againts RM. But at the same time I know there is a chance the man will be elected. Poor America,
10
Regardless of the outcome in Alabama, nationally there are more that oppose DJT and his ilk than follow them.
These diseased individuals that support the trump version of the GOP are in the minority big time.
Large voter turnouts will (quickly) begin the swing back to a less conservative America and the removal from office of DJT. ryan, mcconnell, etc.
It is simple math that is creeping up on the GOP- they just don't know it yet!
15
dems don't vote.
What "most people" are is not important
Most germans were "good people" - but we now what happened to the jews
Most turks were good people - what happened to the Armenians?
Most muslims are good people - we got 911 anyway.
Most people don't count unless they're people who act.
dems refuse to act
MAGA = “Make America like the GOP’s Alabama”. Alabaman Roy Moore is the face of the GOP. Alabama inaugurated Jefferson Davis, led violent efforts to resist desegregation, and continues to be last in most measures of quality of life and democracy among all states. Yet it recently brought the GOP Sessions and now Moore to make life worse for most in the US.
7
The quotation marks should be on the adjective, not the noun: "Moore has been fully endorsed by the 'Republican' president of the United States, .."
3
Fabulous and spot on!!!!!
10
"Slavery was no respecter of the family. Mothers were frequently, and without warning, sold away from children and vice versa."
OK. So that explains why blacks didn't marry up until 1865 (13th amendment). But now let's try a more recent century. What explains the destruction of the black family ? As recently as 1965, 76% of black kids were born to married parents. And now, marriage is basically unknown in the inner city. 72% of black children are born to single mothers.
How do you blame this on slavery which ended 150 years ago ? And if you are blaming it on racism and poverty, are you really going to assert that these factors are stronger now than they were in 1965 ? Come on !
Even Harvard black sociologist Thomas Shelby recognizes the problem resides with black culture. "Shelby accepts the idea that “suboptimal cultural traits” are the major impediment for many African-Americans seeking to escape poverty. He notes that “some in ghetto communities are believed to devalue traditional coparenting and to eschew mainstream styles of childrearing.”
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/09/dont-like
6
Actually, marriage rates decline precipituously based on economic strata. It appears that less favorable socioeconomic status leads to less stability and lower marriage rates, regardless of race. Check your statistics.
“Sharp declines in the earning power of non-college males combined with the economic self-sufficiency of women — rising educational attainment, falling gender gap and greater female control over fertility choices — have reduced the economic value of marriage for women.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/fashion/weddings/falling-marriage-rat...
Ah, the old What About...? What does this have to do with Roy Moore? You're saying this shows slavery wasn't so bad?
Its not black culture, its the modern welfare state that has created this, because it has incentivized single motherhood. As did the War on Drugs which was essentially a war on black fathers.
The problem here, and with other issues such as baking cakes for gay weddings, is the capacity for faith itself. People whose lives are driven by belief in an ancient document filled with myths and mythical figures are highly susceptible to believing all sorts of nonsense. Lying, hypocrisy, paradox, it's all fine when your ability to believe far outpaces your capacity for rational thought and factual evidence.
10
The good people of Alabama may live and vote however they would like, and I'm quite certain that my way of living in the world is not responsible for the attitudes of Alabama voters. Certainly no more than your assertion that "I can't imagine living in Alabama." Their sense of cultural inferiority is not my doing.
"Republicans have surrendered the moral high ground they thought they held, and have dived face-first into the sewer."
Charles, the GOP has been in the sewer for decades; this didn't just begin. Hypocrisy? Dishonesty? Racism? Moral relativism? I will not soon forget the breathtakingly racist 1988 campaign of George H.W. Bush and Lee Atwater. Nor will I soon forget convicted child molester Dennis Hastert, the longest serving GOP House Speaker in American history. Or "choir boy" Ralph Reed's bright idea to run "stealth candidates" who lie on the campaign trail to sound moderate, essentially normalizing lying as a standard campaign tactic. My favorite was Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), who posed as a pillar of moral rectitude for decades and who voted to remove Bill Clinton from office, knowing full well that he had an illegitimate kid with fellow GOP Senator Paul Laxalt's daughter. Montana's lone Congressman physically attacked a reporter and then lied about it, and was still elected. And aside from Bob Dole and John McCain, the Republican Party has been running one draft-dodger after another for a long time, while sneering at actual war veterans like John Kerry. At this point, there is absolutely nothing the Republican Party can do to make me respect them, ever again. I see the GOP as the "enemy domestic" the Founding Fathers warned us about.
14
Alabama, making KANSAS look reasonable. Seriously.
16
Now we ask Whatever happened to Alabama?!
1
Complacency is what brought us complicity.
Vote America, Vote!
15
Unless and until this situation provokes all Democrats everywhere to get out and vote, with equal zeal, for the Democratic candidate, there is nothing to stop Roypublicanism.
12
Agree! Follow Virginia's lead. Over the years, voter's have turned this once red state to blue and kept it there. It can be done.
4
What was a slow moving fascist coup, begun during Reagan’s terms, has gained speed.
Fascism, authoritarianism, bigotry, racism, sexism, toted by the oligarchs; couched in the cultural wars; delivering Calvinistic theocracy are the guiding principles of the Greedy Old Party.
How we will navigate these times remains to be seen.
Our posterity will inherit the results of our navigation through these demoralizing times.
9
If the Democrats had a platform that could roll this back, they'd win. The best they can manage is to slow it down during the time they're in office. That's why their support is so tepid. They REALLY need to come up with a plan that addresses the root causes.
3
Stunning that this should be happening in an advanced, democratic society. It almost seems a reversion to its early nineteenth century form prior to slavery and prior to almost any concept of women's and children's rights. Could the leaders of the Republican party please explain to foreigners like me how any support for this man can be justified?
132
This election is not being held in an advanced democratic society. Perhaps we need a Make America Democratic Again movement?
1
It is a function of how badly the DEMOCRATS (of which I am one) have behaved.
The real question is are we: "an advanced, democratic society."
For some time I've hoped that the Republican party would squabble itself to death, leaving room for a newly-named party to rise from the ashes with a reasonable platform and well-thought-out policy. Where are real Conservative voters to go? Who represents them? I'm not naive. How could I not know that this country is made of haters who cut off their noses to spite their own faces? Washington is burning and there are no fire fighters. This is why I take anti-depressants.
8
"That is a defining feature of these modern Republicans: contorted moral rationalization."
You are running a bit late on this, Charles. Modern Republicans don't need to contort moral rationalization, since they have abandoned morality as mattering at all in political calculations.
8
"Any pretense of tolerance and egalitarianism, already damaged by a Republican history of words and deeds, will be completely obliterated."
It didn't have far to go for the said "obliteration." As loathsome as it may be they're not likely to lose many votes to registered Republicans. the obliteration ship sailed with Trump.
Whether or not Roy Moore wins this election the "obliteration" ship sailed with Trump.
I think Moore will handily beat the polling spread.
3
Roy Moore is willing to espouse views too extreme even for the public Trump. If he is elected, Trump will probably take great pleasure in his statements for a while. That could well put Roy Moore in a brighter spotlight than Trump. Unfortualtely for Trump, he will be harder to silence than Mr. Scaramucci
5
Having had the misfortune to have briefly met Mr. Scaramucci, I must reluctantly agree.
I only disagree with one point made here: "That was when the hands that toted the Bibles stopped toeing its line." No; the evangelical right and its leaders have been bathing in moral hypocrisy for a generation or more. Look at the number of "clergymen" and bible-thumping "family values" politicians who have turned out to be knee-deep in the very behavior they obsessively condemn in others, or worse. That's what has made it so easy for many of them to sell the next (last?) bit of their souls to the current administration.
6
Are we being set up for a new secessionist movement? The Red states wanting to be separated from the Blue staes of the West and East. That seems to the vision that Trump and the "Moore-ists" are putting in front of us. The Union seems much less united than it has in the past, or at least more aware of the separation that exists.
1
It won’t surprise me if Roy Moore wins the Alabama election. Our morals have been sliding downhill since our Predator in Chief was elected, then the Montana Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte was elected after assaulting a reporter and now the Roy Moore fiasco. The list of conservative atrocities to our country is too long to list. I’m almost hoping the conservatives get what they want, but that means I have to go down with them.
This insanity won’t stop until the liberal Fourth Estate develops a winning strategy for us. I’m not really happy with the way news and liberal opinions are currently reported. I’m hoping our country will automatically correct itself from this Trump phenomenon, but I’m beginning to think this may not happen if conservatives have reason to continually fault and criticize our liberal news sources. The liberal Fourth Estate needs to develop a winning strategy over the opponent, just like any other sport. The current one isn’t working because we don’t have a level playing field.
6
The sexual history is important but more important is who will be the best representative for Alabama? who will be able to get health care, jobs, infrastructure, environmental improvement best? These should be the real issues. More, will be an outsider to al groups. He will not be effective and will probably spend time defending himself. Alabama needs to get over their compulsion to refight the civil war, hate liberals, etc. They need to vote the person best for them .
6
It's ironic that the Roypublican voters in Alabama don't understand that electing Roy Moore will do more damage to their party than if he were not elected. Even if Moore is not elected, every future Roypublican who runs for office will be repeatedly asked where they stood on the whole tawdry mess. But a SENATOR Moore will hang around the neck of each and every Roypublican who did not speak out against Moore.
8
You are assuming that there will be a next election. I and others have posited that somehow Trump will find a way to suspend elections and make himself some kind of emperor with the Roypublicans as his "court." I can't believe I feel this way, but sadly, I think it is absolutely plausible.
1
republicans like to pretend that t rump and moore are unforeseen bumps in the road to their plan for one party rule in the U.S. If they want to live in that fantasy let them but I think that the rest of US should not pretend that these two so called men are anything but the obvious and karmic ends to 50 years of republican efforts to achieve their majorities with Southern Strategy racism and sexism.
t rump and moore are the only kinds of people that could have come along to achieve the prominence they have with the policies and politics of division and fear that have been the life blood of the republican party since Nixon.
Let the rest of US stop pretending that the republicans are big believers in democracy and a civil society. They have done nothing positive for the American people in 50 years.
7
Why are the words "conservative" and "conservatism" used to describe modern Republicans (Roypublicans) and their socio-political ideology? There is nothing conservative about rightwing politics in America. Anarchy and reactionary come to mind. Neither of those is conservative.
8
It seems likely that Moore will be elected tomorrow. Alabama is Alabama.
But one hopes that we can tie the mantle of his racism, bigotry, ignorance and child sexual predation around the Republicans neck in 2018.
6
It's only likely if good people sit on their hands and stay home.
1
Idolatry and fear.
Idolatry. For too many in the GOP, worshipping to the golden calf of abortion politics trumps all other concerns. Nothing is more important than seating activist right wing judges who will undo Roe v Wade. This, more than anything else, will likely account for Moore’s victory tomorrow.
Fear. Pat Buchanan’s hard work is finally paying off. E Pluribus Unum is meaningless to many in the GOP, a party whose leader is clearly sympathetic to neo-Nazis and contemporary Confederates. Having adopted the mantle of victimhood, traditional values are easily swept aside in the perceived battle for survival.
Sad!
2
If abortion is outlawed, then any woman forced to give birth to a baby unwanted for any reason --healthy, deformed, dead at birth, sick, whatever--those newborns should be deposited at the head of the local republican party to dispose of. I wonder how long it will take for changes to take place.
My Republican neighbors all still support Trump and I live in a blue state. That is a demonstration of how twisted the mind can be. No amount of evidence or growing list of horrors to our people and the environment, can dissuade hard core Trumpsters. My neighbors are so self absorbed that they will use a shovel to toss their dogs poop in the river, yet spend thousands to build an electric fence around the common area to keep out the homeless.
5
One of the reasons, that Trump supporters continue to support him no matter what he does, is that the US media is also severely polarized. As long as outlets like Fox News and Breitbart exist, Trump supporters won't know and/or believe what is happening.
1
And to add to your summary, the rise of this contorted, view of morality, there goes the country with it. It is now permissible, even advisable, to assault young women, as you are teaching them the ways the bible. Slavery will return, slavery in different forms, of women, the poor and people of color. I can rarely say I truly hate anyone but I do hate anyone who justified a vote for Trump because of Hillary's emails. It goes without saying but what's to come will be true hell.
4
All of my lifetime midwest friends (save paid pols) have joined me in leaving the once Grand Old Party. The Roypublicans and don jon are the last straw. Senator Robert Alphonso Taft- "Mr. Republican"- would proclaim that the Roypublicans and don jon
have rendered the GOP a sham. This latest caper with the pedophile is nearing the end of the Grand Old Party. 2018 will do it.
Time for a GN(ew)P!!! Rob Portman. Move on while you can.
Kasich gets it. Why not you? Ohio is NOT Alabama.
6
"Roypublicans" would go viral if the Democrats hadn't forgotten everything the Obama campaigns taught them about using social media.
Alabama should change their state name to "Antebellum" for that is the era they seem to want to return to. What's next on the Roypublican agenda?
6
Republicans have always been Roypublicans...they just pretended to have “conservative” values and economic .ideas like self reliance, fiscal responsibility , and family values were promoted by naifs like David Brooks, and WF Buckley before him..but this has always been ridiculous...the real origin of Republicanism was the Party of Jefferson Davis, and racist hatred. It’s lineage was through George Wallace, Jesse Helms, Rush Limbaugh, and now Tucker Carlson. Republicanism if fascism ...there is no hiding behind the skirts of Martin Friedman now.
5
What is wrong with these people? Is there no man too evil? It seems they will vote for anyone as long as they uphold racist, misogynistic beliefs. Is it acceptable to go after 14 yr olds in Alabama? We are watching you, Alabama.
8
I love this quote Mr. Blow, “There will be no way to shake the stench of this homophobic, Islamophobic, sexist, racist apologist and accused pedophile. He is them, and they are him. Any pretense of tolerance and egalitarianism, already damaged by a Republican history of words and deeds, will be completely obliterated.”
You must be referring this reality to your readers, the 68 million voters who did not vote for the self proclaimed sexual predator in the Whitehouse.
The gop however will NOT hold ethics hearings on Moore, they will not talk about him, they will go about their business as usual.
They don’t care.
It’s a dream Mr. Blow, just a dream.
3
Mr. Blow, as usual, you speak truth to power !
7
Families were strong, and Dad was having sex with an underaged slave girl (or boy).
8
The situation in Alabama is beyond any logic. It is the manifestation of the dark elements in human behavior. It thrives in its belief that the white race is vastly superior to people of color, even though human history shows the falsity of this claim. Further, these white supremacists thoroughly discount any proof that humankind had its beginnings in Africa and all of us are part of its progeny.
6
What kills me is all the baby boomers, whose parents fought nazis and fascists, many of them perishing in WWII, supporting these neo-nazis and fascists. Any earthquakes felt around DC will have an epicenter right in Arlington National Cemetery.
6
Not all of us, A. L. Not by a long shot.
"There will be no way to shake the stench of this homophobic, Islamophobic, sexist, racist apologist and accused pedophile." It has become something of an art to bury the word "accused" in a lenghty sentence both in print and watching the news on TV. The voice drops the speed increases during that one word racing by while the other words like p e d o p h i l e go on forever. Indeed there is one way that the stench can be removed Mr. Blow and if it happens it will monumentally change the current conversation. If Mr. Moore is elected, investigated and found to be innocent. What then? The McCarthy like rush to judgement may only then be more carefully considered with at least a modicum of balance between daming the "accused" and thereby forever damaging his reputation and his persona. How is what you are doing not bullying? You do not know who is telling the truth but you are destroying a man based upon 'he said' 'she said'. I have no idea who is telling the truth though the decades of silence and the peculiar timing make me seriouisly doubt the facts are all on the table and ready to be judged.
2
I'm less concerned about his admittedly worrisome sexual peccadillos and far more concerned about the extremist and unconstitutional positions he takes. There is no excuse for allowing anyone who espouses them into the halls of congress where he would be hard put to represent the interests of all Americans, not just a narrow sliver.
Theocracy, here we come. The Crimson Tide will no longer be metaphorical blood but the real deal flowing, not on a football field, but the streets of America.
Remember, a theocracy tolerates one and only one religion. Roy Moore hails from the evangelical absolutist arm of "christianity" that declares it is the only true religion, even among any others that label themseleves Christian. This group includes, Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians and any and all who differ in even the slightest way with the dogma of this sect that hates much more than it loves.
If you were not baptized the way Roy Moore says you should be baptized, you are bound for Hell, and things go south from there.
6
Being kind of harsh Mr. Blow. Roy is defending "Alabama Family Values."
1
Lots of southern families need to be disowned. I have disowned my own about twenty years ago when I could no longer tolerate their non-stop racist hatred.
1
I send money to Doug Jones--more money than Jeff Flake sent! I hope he wins. But if he doesn't: Alabama, you have set yourself back one hundred years.
6
No more.....no Moore!
5
If Alabama and Mississippi want to secede from the USA, let them. Good riddance. No Civil War this time, just waving a hanky goodbye. Other southern states who want to join the new Confederacy should go, too. All their citizens of color should be welcomed in the mother country as refugees from states of misery, and helped to start new lives. Of course, the North - the mother country - has its own racial and other hypocrisies to be dealt with. But - hey - it's a start.
8
Oh dear, have you learned nothing from history? Were they to secede lets be honest, those poor and minority folks who decide to stay behind would be terribly mistreated. The millions who move north would overwhelm the social safety nets of northern states and cause resentment, as well as cuts in services. Meanwhile, rich, white southerners would live it up cutting taxes and starving the poor, or forcing them to move North.
If the Dems are serious about winning close races in red states like this, they should be shouting from the rafters about the clear racism of the strict voter/photo ID laws in states like Alabama, whose constitution was written in 1900 by white men who publicly avowed an intention to create a white supremacist state in which only a few blacks could even vote.
4
These people aren't conservatives, not Moore, not Trump, not McConnell, not Ryan. They're primitives, nativists, corporatists, nationalists, authoritarians, mercenaries, some bordering on fascism...
6
Taking America down the drain some moore.
3
Trump leading the charge back to the 1950's backing a throwback religious zealot spewing out hate in the name of religion. Trump is not a patriot he is a tool for the oligarchs running the GOP ignorant,unfit,erratic but he has a hand to sign the bills to make the rich and powerful more so as Grover Norquist yearned for to help his clients out. Moore could demand a law to criminalize gays or he will not support GOP agenda. Moore will try to gut civil rights laws and support racist appointments by white supremacist Trump/Bannon. Trump wants the FBI and Justice Dept to be his tools to attack and imprison his political opponents just like a 3rd world dictator he yearns to be by his nature which is not going to change for man in his 70's who does not read and is informed by sycophants on Fox and friends.
3
Well, said. Roypublicans are moorebidly oblivious.
5
Wins or loses, they can’t shake it. The stench lives in the White House.
5
The voters of Alabama have the right to elect whoever they want to the U.S. Senate. The rest of us have the right to make them pay for it. Boycott Alabama and the companies that do business there, including:
1. Royal Cup Coffee — imports specialty coffee and fine teas & they are sold on Amazon.
2. Coca-Cola
3. Books-A-Million
4. Golden Flake Snack Products – acquired by UTZ in 2016
5. Chester’s International – fried chicken – in mall food courts, 1,000 sites worldwide
6. Hibbett Sports, Inc – retailer, 1025 stores in 32 states
7. Southern Progress Corp – subsidiary of Time, Inc. – publishes Southern Living, Cooking Light, Health, Coastal Living, and Sunset magazines.
8. Mercedes-Benz
6
I've jotted your list down. Thangs, Glen.
Thank you. There are already no such products in this household. (By the way, wouldn't "southern progress" be an oxymoron under Moore?
The GOP has lost their entitlement to the word 'Conservative'.
There's nothing Conservative about blocking voting.
There's nothing Conservative about stoking hatred.
There's nothing Conservative about favoring the 0.01%
There's nothing Conservative about conspiring with Russia.
There's nothing Conservative about pedophilia.
I am claiming 'Conservative' for Liberal America; we are now the Conservatives.
5
Unfortunately, Republicans can't surrender the moral high ground because Democrats can't seize the mantel. Any attempt by Democrats to moralize a topic, even something as simple as pedophilia, is perceived as an insult or hypocrisy by a large portion of the nation. Meanwhile, A basic element of tribalism leads these same people to defend their own transgressors no matter how deplorable. Case in point: When Clinton condemns racists, she's condemning half the country. When Trump defends Nazis, he's only talking about the good Nazis. That doesn't make things right but that's how these things work. Republicans have discovered a bottomless pit of moral decrepitude within their own ranks and they're following it all the way to the bottom.
3
Once again, Mr. Blow tells it like it is. Too bad no one from Moore's base will ever read his words. Or give up their moral hypocrisy if they did. If these people are Christians, then I'm the Queen of Sheba.
5
Amen, Brother.
4
What about Jeff Sessions? Mike Pence? Everything described in this piece describes them, too, except for the pedophilia.
5
And the rise of fascism.
Hey, Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, John McCain, and Bob Corker! Enjoy being Roypublicans.
2
Everything about this man is appalling, but the slavery comment is the most self-incriminating to me. This race should not even be close. Charles Blow is right on all counts.
3
15% of Americans will vote for the most outspoken racist every single time. There are more blindly racist whites in this country than there are African-Americans. With half of the electorate staying home, and half of the rest voting as tribal zombies, that is a huge and very easily manipulated voting bloc. All that is required for that evil to manifest in office is for a politician or a party to regard it as a winning margin too tempting to pass up.
5
You will soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow Charles, be in the twitter sights of our Fake President. Your transgression? Referring to "his party"
as Roypublicans! How dare you. We all know that it was the amazing, fabulous, incredible, magnificent Don the Con from Queens who singlehandedly transformed the Party of Lincoln into the Party of Trump, and he did it spectacularly in under two years. Unparalleled in the history of the nation. By the way, you will soon also be hearing from his lawyers, demanding a retraction for your libel. MAGA.
3
How many people can he demand anything from? I will never apologize, or retract, or anything else. I intend to lob insults as long as I am alive. He can't cover the entire country. And I dream of hurting him.
The white guy on the white stallion is using this pose to pick the pockets of the same racist americans who think he is their champion. Trump' only agenda is Trump: his own power and his own greed.
4
Let no man/woman be ignorant of the following:
For many decades already the majority of white Christians have supported the GOP like it was branded on their bottoms at baptism.
White Christians form a leg of a the 3-legged stool of the GOP. It would fall over if the pulled out. The other two legs are the Rich and the Stupid.
It is a spiritual crisis in America. Old time religion ain't good enough no more. The Bible has been turned into a false idol.
5
The party of, by, and for Racists. Not ALL Republicans are racists, but all racists vote Republican. America's original and never ending SIN.
Thanks, GOP.
5
None dare call it fascism...yet, it is
7
Your column today makes me want to cry.
2
I suspect the Republicans are just fine with Moore's stated position that some of the amendments passed after the Bill of Rights are bad for the country.
"You know people don’t understand how some of these amendments have completely tried to wreck the form of government that our forefathers intended,” Moore said in an interview.
I suspect he was particularly upset with the 14th amendment, which granted citizenship to freed slaves, and the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/10/politics/kfile-roy-moore-aroostook-watchme...
Yes, he could be a US Senator, another Republican who wants to take this country backwards rapidly.
10
I wonder whatever happened to the Senate voting to censure one of its members, to express very strong disapproval of the behavior, but something short of expulsion. Otherwise, all will be tarred with the same brush, even when boorish but not as extreme as others. Democrats should have pressed for that move, demonstrating serious concern about Franken's behavior but not lumping it together with Moore's far more egregious behavior with teen girls. https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Censure_vrd.htm
4
As a "progressive moderate," I feel sure that the Democrats' piling on to make a sacrifice of Al Franken will come back to haunt them (us). But let's hope it doesn't until after Jones (hopefully) wins tomorrow and we can reclaim one or more chambers of congress next Novemb. (And by the way, I wrote to many senators expressing my outrage at their support of dumping Franken both before and after his speech. I hope he reconsiders.)
It is not just Alabama. It extends to Michigan where the states Governor is delaying the vote in predominate black district to replace John Conyers until November 2018.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/10/opinion/republicans-roy-moore-harassm...®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
7
"Trump is a white man on a white stallion fighting to preserve white culture and white power…"
Stop pulling out the race card.
Americans have gone beyond that sigma by blacks for all their woes.
Denzel Washington said (Dec 1 2017):
"It starts in the home. If the father is not in the home, the boy will find a father in the streets. I saw it in my generation and every generation before me, and every one since. If the streets raise you, then the judge becomes your mother and prison becomes your home."
In a 2012 GQ interview when asked what advice he would give black men said,
"Take responsibility. One of the things that saddens me the most about my people is fathers that don’t take care of their sons and daughters. And you can’t blame that on The Man or getting frisked…"
In 1993, Jesse Jackson told organizers in Chicago: "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved."
If he, a black man, feels jeopardized by another black man, how much more will a policeman feel when his life may be at stake?
Get your train back on track.
3
If Moore is elected, all multi-state and multinational businesses should pull out of Alabama.
7
This might be the most appropriate anthem to how America feels about Alabama (courtesy of a Canadian) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QGMz9beIL0
2
From his denunciation of climate change to his full-throated endorsement of Roy Moore, Trump has consistently shown a flat-world approach to governance - where there is no moral high ground. It's win at any cost, and the ante is extremely high.
See:
RevolutionOfReason.com
TheRogueRevolutionist.com
5
Trump has shown no sign of any moral awareness whatsoever during this past year. I have actually started to wonder if he sold Ivanka to Jared for the Israel punt. And he stays far away from Tiffany--Marla must have threatened him.
While it is surprising, and perhaps alarming, that Trump pivoted so strangely and simultaneously on the seemingly separate topics of Roy Moore and the capital of Israel --- it is doubly strange that while some very smart people 'at home' and 'abroad' in Israel are already addressing these issues for any possible political synergy, that the "Times" surprisingly is yet to do so:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.827591
http://www.edition.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/barack-obama-nazi-germany...
1
The rise of Roy Moore is not surprising. We have a man who is President of the United States who questioned the heritage of the first African-American president. What is surprising is that Alabama, if voters elect him, will believe in the GOP so much that a person like Moore is chosen to represent them. When Trump spoke at the Moore rally, he had passion. When Trump spoke at the Civil Rights Museum in Mississippi, he lacked passion. This is not spin, it is insight into race and power. Some in our country were so angered and threatened by the progress America was making with Obama that they felt that the old guard--namely white privilege and southern pride--must be upheld at all cost. I hope Moore loses, but he probably will not. If Moore is elected to the senate, I am afraid of what this will say about us as Americans.
171
I am afraid the election of Trump has already said it.
African Americans in the Deep South are so intimidated by an ambient Jim Crow environment, they are unlikely to vote or will be prevented from voting by GOP voter suppression policies. If Jones is elected by a small miracle, the Democrats must use his ideas to highlight what the GOP does not do for its constituents, black or white.
3
Don't underestimate the African-American electorate's ability to see what's happening and do something about it, especially when it comes to Jim Crow.
1
In the 21st century the African Americans of the south can prove to the world they are ready to shed off the intimidation of centuries and morph into free colorful butterflies. Get out the vote, please, the country owes to you.
Good old fashion values. Christian values. Values that made us great during slavery. Values that bring home the catastrophically hypocritical values of the Republican Party. Liars and thieves, all. May they not Rest In Peace.
10
This is a dry run for the 2018 midterms. The Bannon-style candidates will crawl out like zombies infecting the public discourse and tear at the social fabric of America. The Democrates have their work cut out for them. Something vile seems to be spreading throughout the land. Stop the epidemic please as it could easliy cross our Canadian border and infect my country too!
16
dems don't vote in mid-terms - this is only going to get worse
"protectionist trade policies":
I think to be accurate we should stop talking about "free trade" vs. "protectionism". They have no meaning in the context in which they're commonly used. It would be better to day that Republican's favor trade policies to benefit the rich, just like their favored tax policies and their favored labor policies.
Beyond this small gripe of mine, I'm with you again Blow. This party is buried deep in a pile of manure. To recycle a partial joke from a really good movie, "The Glass Castle": "What's the difference between a pile of manure in your yard and the 'president'?"
I can only think in terms of movies and TV shows because this all doesn't seem real, and so while I liked the show, "The Twilight Zone", I don't want to live there.
I'm willing to say that I'm starting to regret my write-in vote. I wanted to send a message, and I think the message was delivered and heard. It is time to move on and call a turd a turd.
I'd like to know from older folks, has American politics ever been this bad? I can't imagine it has ever been this bad.
On the issue of racism, all you have to do to become deluded is watch the movie, "Gone With The Wind". It portrays slavery as though the slaves were part of the white families by which they were enslaved. It just doesn't jive with the much more realistic "Roots". It certainly makes it seem like a less offensive arrangement though.
We're such a primitive species. We got some evolving to do yet...
3
I think it was this bad in the era immediately after WWI, when a fair number of black troops came back from Europe thinking things would be better. They were wrong--things were worse, with lots of lynchings, burnings, whole towns destroyed, etc. It was bad enough that there was a mass migration African-Americans to the north--Chicago, Pittsburgh, etc. As WWII approached, FDR and Eleanor realized that we would need to utilize African Americans more, and Eleanor in particular made an effort.
We can rant and rail against Trumo and Moore. But they would not be where they are without supporters. The big unanswered question is Who are these supporters who support liars, bigots, paedophiles, thieves and traitors. What’s wrong with these people? They cannot be that stupid or racists. Well it seems they are.
9
Why do Democrats keep acting so shocked when people like Trump and (most likely) Roy Moore win elections? Democrats have lost over 1,000 seats since 2008. Democrats need to figure something out, and fast.
7
“Fast”... there’s part of the problem right there. Obviously democrats are slow on the uptake with what’s wrong.
See Clinton, Hillary!
2
I cannot believe that the black citizens of Alabama would support Moore given his statements. Where are the big stories on the suppression of the African American voters in this state? Electing Moore would be sliding Alabama into a past where Frederick Douglass was actually still alive. Where is that coverage? This election isn’t just about a groper. It is also about civil rights and democracy.
7
There is TV show called Black Mirror which tells satirical tales which examines our modern society, with particular regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. Now lets phase shift it to another show called the Handmaid's Tale based on Margret Atwood's 1985 dystonia novel where the story tells of a country reinvented.
Was that got to do with Moore and Trump? it encapsulates the Moore comments " “I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another. … Our families were strong, our country had a direction.” and Trump's manipulation of the use of twitter with his call of "Make America Great Again". Combining these two fantasy TV shows do we have a reality with Trump and More, with the new Tax Law, Gun Rights in an open carry right to bear arms any where in the USA, and the movement to remove Women's Rights!
Are we heading towards Gilead?
5
The sad thing is nobody cares about the moral high ground.
7
'When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.' Sinclair Lewis
23
"If Roy Moore is elected to the United States Senate, Trump will solidify his position as the author of the rewritten conservative."
But also if Roy Moore is elected to the United States Senate, he will forever diminish that government body and make it the very sad laughing stock of our political congress. It means that no longer will it be held in solemn esteem because it will become so much less and those who are part of it will be looked upon as true idiots for knowingly electing and allowing someone so foul to be a member. The senate, as we have known it and held it in high regard, will be l gone forever. How then can any other senator be taken seriously? Don't they realize they will be painted with the same brush as Moore? Isn't there an old adage that says, birds of a feather flock together? Moore's sins will rub off on the rest of the senators because they will have to work with him making that group one to be avoided at all costs. It's bad enough that our government is headed by Trump as he has brought the entirety of his government to its knees and those who work in government are now considered to be just like their dear leader. They are looked at by the majority of citizens as being the worst administration ever. They are all painted with Trump's brush and that painting is one to be destroyed as quickly as possible.
7
Excellent column.
4
Moore is only one more problem of the GOP Congress. The biggest problem is that for the most part it is made up of bought-and-paid-for lackeys of a very few completely bonkers billionaire backers.
11
The nasty truth is that misogyny and sexual abuse was prevalent in our society from its very beginning transcending race and color. Yes it was more obvious among the propertied slaves but it permeated every part of our society. It is only relatively recently that we made an issue of it. Faulkner and others were very accurate in their descriptions.
This is why so many Trumpians can go back to the days when family values hid so many secrets and the people who are now called out on sexual abuse are greeted with a shrug as they mimic things that were common practice not long ago. We as a society have barely scratched the surface of our present attitudes and hidden past.
6
I am waiting to see the fallout from all of this at the first round of the national championship when the Tide plays Clemson. Their football team will have to endure an onslaught of chants and signs. I hope the "fake news" media covers that part.
2
Seems to me the Republicans are planning a three-stage strategy: 1. “Save the seat” by electing this despicable candidate, 2. “Reclaim the moral high ground” by using the ethics process to refuse to seat him, and 3. “Replace him with a knee-jerk Trump Republican”. Almost as cynical and scurrilous as the Garland Supreme Court debacle. Not a surprise with McConnell pulling the strings.
7
The Republican elite may be one thing, but Roy Moore voters aren't overlooking or "sacrificing" his accusers. They do not believe his accusers. Not sure which is worse.
3
Or they do believe his accusers, but think what Moore did was his privilege as a man in a powerful office in his small corner of Alabama.
2
Thank you Mr. Blow for your truth and continued resistance to the authoritarian racist who has made the lives of all rational people with a conscious a continuing nightmare. I might add that there is no doubt in my mind that the creature in the WH and his base operate with the intent to dehumanize people of color and objectify females to make them submissive and subordinate to male patriarchy. What a dystopian mess they have made of our country and our standing in the world.
7
Royvangelicals and Trumplicans believe the great Donald to be their savior. Their sewer has always been there, it is just overflowing now, overrunning all that is good in America. trump succeeds because his base "wants to be like trump". They want to be bad for badness sake and get away with it. They want to win the same lottery that trump played from birth and won.
The Troypublican's end game is for slave wages for all but the wealthy master Plutocrats, and that food, housing, heath-care, education AND the 20+ Trillion dollar government debt be paid for entirely from those slave wages.
6
Exactly zero young women have died in Roy Moore’s car.
Exactly zero outrage was directed to Sen Kennedy’s multiple outrageous incidents when it mattered and could negatively affect Democrats political fortunes.
Exactly zero is how much credibility Democrats have now who are railing against Roy Moore when they eulogized Sen Kennedy as if he were a saint...
2
Don't ever say that Trump is riding in on a white stallion - the traditional steed of true heroes and saviours. He rides a sick, broken-down mare, whipping, kicking and cursing her the whole way.
As for "If Roy Moore is elected to the United States Senate, Trump will solidify his position as the author of the rewritten conservative" - Trump and his ilk have nothing to do with any kind of conservative ideology. They are opportunistic nihilists - destroying our country and our people to expand their power and explode their bank accounts.
6
Nihilism is indeed the central tenet of Trumpism.
1
Brilliant, Charles! Only an African-American, who's roots are planted in the evil institution of slavery, could make such an indictment.
3
Sometimes the sanest reaction to an insane situation...is Insanity.
We, the People are under the Rule of a Sociopathic Personality Disorder.
"President" Trump is Diagnosable....We, the People, Need Treatment.
2
Most democracies with a shameful past have gone through the painful process of self-reflection and healing -- think Germany coming to terms with its Nazi past after WWII or South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There has been no such attempt made in the U.S. with the result that we have election after election where racism and misogyny are the coded dog whistles that call forth the un-repented past of slavery. After the civil war, corporate interests found it useful to organize their needs around a brazen defense of racism and the sexual abuse that accompanied it. While the Alabamians rail at 'the establishment' and 'control from Washington' they are not aware that their poverty, insularity, and poor GDP are due to the fact that they are in the pockets of this very 'establishment' that blocks them from becoming aware of their own racism -- from the days of the civil war to the present. The most visible avatar of this is the TRUMP_BANNON_MOORE axis .
3
Roy Moore's smile is a lot like Trump's. Sinisterly fake, clueless, sly, and brainless, all at the same time.
4
Civil War 2 officially began 20 January 2017.
2
Amid accusations of pedophilia, we forget that Roy Moore was never fit to hold office. He was fired from the state supreme court for not following our laws. The pedophilia is just icing on the cake.
6
Actually, the proper name for the new GOP is: the "Roytrumplicans". They have proven to truly be "deplorables". The Christain right and Repulican Party has shown its true colors by professing their conservative beliefs yet abandoning any moral compass. It's disgusting. Come on Alabama, do the RIGHT thing!
4
Some of them see abortion and LBGT rights as greater evils than the potential child molestation charges. If he were convicted of, or had admitted to, the molestation it might make a difference. It is a real moral dilemma for then.
I wish the POTUS had sufficient morality to even have a dilemma.
So why do we have political parties and elections? As an indication of our freedom? Our freedom to lie cheat and steal? To pillage, bully and rape?
This is a man problem which knows no borders. Dictators exist in every habitable continent and they are, if not completely, certainly overwhelmingly men.
All governments sanction their perverse actions because men make the rules and if women don't like these rules, too bad. What about every so called civilized culture don't we get?
Men rule Mr Blow and you know this. What you may not know is that the men who seek to rule or to control are dim witted creatures who live in fear of existence and will not come to grips with just how infinitesimally, immeasurably small they like the rest of us are.
2
Amen. Now, let's make these names stick: Trumpcare for Roypublicans. And, Democrats would be wise to start advertising across the airwaves every night: Paul Ryan wants to take your Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid so he and his buddies can pay even less in taxes and profit off of their all day, everyday insider trading that is wholly encouraged by El Trumpo's regime. Welcome to our new corporate fascist reality, America. Melania is Evita.
2
This is about the Civil War, still. Moore and the Republicans can't lose because the Democratic party sponsored civil rights legislation 50 years ago. It's that simple. Trump was elected nationally by the same logic. His voter wanted to revers decades of attempted accommodation to "others". That's what he promised them.
160
You should check your history, Brian. The Civil Rights Act was sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats. What's more important, it was Democrats (Klan member Robert Byrd, Richard Russell, Sam Ervin, etc. etc.) who filibustered the bill for over two months. And when it finally came to a vote, 80% of Republicans voted in favor, while only 61% of Democrats supported it. If there's any civil war now, it's those who want big intrusive government with little liberty vs. those who want more liberty, accountability and "leave me alone". Democrats are never happy unless they're telling everyone else how to live.
Then you are going to have a bloody uprising within five years.
Moore is the voice of white male supremacy. The phoniness of his claims about his love of morality is too ridicules. Trump and his 2nd Amendment people who wrap themselves in the confederate flag love their guns and keeping black people from having any say in the gov't.
4
Republicans are already Roypublicans. Even if Alabama voters find a conscience and don't elect Moore. The Roypublicans in Congress have already provided support by proclaiming that they must honor the voters of Alabama. That is code for saying "Welcome aboard Roy!"
There no longer is a GOP. Those calling themselves Republicans are an abomination to morality and Christianity, and a grievous insult to the party of Lincoln and Jefferson.
How does the Moore voter in Alabama expect Jesus to overlook his vote for a sinner? Does he bank on asking for forgiveness? Is that the Christianity that Roypublicans believe in? Okay to sin because you can later say, "Hey, Jesus. I was voting for Moore because he is against abortion." And Jesus might reply, "Supporting a sinner to stop a sin doesn't get you into my fold. Have you ever heard that two wrongs don't make a right? Good intentions pave the way to Hell? Rationalizing sin was the sin of Judas?
4
Trumpageddon
4
The Gary-Stubbs-Democrats meet Roy-Moore-Republicans and suddenly they turn into pearl-clutching chastity vultures.
Bravo Mr. Blow.
6
I expect McConnell will recommend the Royatollah be confirmed for the next vacancy of the Supreme Court to get him out of the Senate. On the Supreme Court the Royatollah would have no restrictions on what he says or which parts of the law or the Constitution he ignores, and he would be Roberts problem.
2
Amoral/immoral Republicans have been funded by large corporations and the super rich working to control the US government since Johnson's Great Society gave rise to Nixon's Southern strategy.
The takeover of all branches of government is nearly complete. Soon, the Roberts Court will be supported by a federal court system salted with supporters of the oligarchs. When that happens laws that favor the rich, discriminate against minorities, and target democratic voters will be locked in.
The mercenaries, purchased by large corporations and the oligarchs, in Congress, the courts, state legislatures and the executive branches of gvt. are ready to cross an American Rubicon — midterm elections. If the amoral/immoral Republicans are successful in winning the midterms the great experiment in democracy, the United States, will have ended.
Do not expect Senators, McCann, Collins, Burr, or other so called moral Republicans to fulfill their oath of office to protect our Nation. Their votes on the tax bill clearly define a lack of commitment to that oath and the values of our Nation. Flag lapel pins do not make a patriot.
To forestall the takeover, an overwhelming electoral defeat of the Republicans in the midterms must be followed by a purge of the Democrats to jettison "owned" politicians. Then, a constitutional convention is needed to fix a flawed document that has been corrupted beyond the fears of the Framers.
11
ha. 'Flag Pin Patriots'.
If there is no December surprise and Moore is elected, the truth of Charles Blow's words will be felt and it will be a hard pill to swallow. I have always believed things have to get much worse before they get better, but the hard part is surviving the "much worse" period that we are in with the Roypublicans.
6
Ever since the GOP decided to nominate D.J. Trump as their Presidential candidate ,we have known that it is the party of the degenerate and immoral. The Party's embracing of Roy Moore just confirms that. It is all about power calculations and these guys will stay in power until the voters who are not degenerate or immoral figure that out and either stay home or vote non-GOP.
9
Well said, Mr. Blow. Thank you for the word “hagiography”, which seems particularly useful today. Perhaps what you call a lie might also be viewed as the delusions required as people construct their auto-hagiography. Roy Moore is too smart and well educated to avoid the liar label, but I expect that many of the Alabamians who vote for him misbelieve the more comfortingly contorted versions of their and Mr. Moore’s history. Personally, I find the idea of the mass delusion even more disturbing than the idea of a politician lying.
BTW the metaphor is to “toe the line” not “tow the line”.
7
More than likely Moore will win in Alabama, mainly because Alabama voters vote from their gut and not their head, it's something that goes all the way back to the civil war or something, it's all attitude and no brains. Trump will declare victory, take credit, pound his chest and throw around a few lies about what it all means..., but...it just means our nation is dysfunctional, disjointed, angry...people of Alabama only care to make a statement of southern independence , a middle finger to the northerners...and, the crime will have happened, a completely unacceptable man becomes a US senator.
6
We hav a completely unacceptable person in the White House do why not have one in the Senate
As a lifelong Democrat, I wish that this were true, but Trump's election heralded the beginning of an era where our country elects people based on anger alone. Republicans have become the party of resentment and rage, something a good number of our electorate seems to have in large measure. The days of appealing to the better angels of our nature are gone. We will continue to see this cancer on our country metastasize, preventing the election of anyone with the vision and compassion to start actually addressing the needs of the angry and hopeless, causing a vicious cycle. I wish that the destruction of the "reputation" of the Republican party were all it took to destroy its power. Right now, it's fueling it.
5
Fortunately, Roy Moore does not believe in a woman's right to choose, or in sensible effective gun control. If he did, the RNC would have withdrawn their support, and Trump would be screaming for a candidate to support his agenda. The Republican Party has really been turned upside down: bad is good, dark is light, wrong is right.
6
The Republican Party is extreme right wing that lost its relevance. In a multiple party system they would get 5 percent. The problem is the 2 party system which should be changed. So other moderate parties will take place. Moderate Republicans and parry which fight for the workers from the Democrats side. That will also help block clowns Like Trump being elected.
Sure. The GOP just elected the actual first president that supports gay marriage (and has for years, publicly) upon his election rather than when he is forced by the statements of his VP.
Where there is no truth only cynicism remains.
There is no reason for America to continue. Where once you had an executive, legislative and judicial branch of government all that is left now that truth is gone is cynicism.
5
I agree with everything Charles Blow has said here.
However, I believe the fundamental dynamic that drives contemporary political action is simply self-interest: my tribe over your tribe. The tribe exists only to promote itself, to accrue power and money, to be in the headlines, and to reward those that provided the money that keeps the tribal machinery running.
Everything else, the statements of positions on the topical issues of our time, is just posturing. Republicans, as a party, don't fundamentally believe in anything except gaining power and maintaining it. Policies are crafted only to incite target voters. This is all calculated and cynical. Yes, there may be some occasional dissenting voices, like a Susan Collins or a Jeff Flake, but the tribe is overwhelmingly in lock step with their leaders.
I would say the same, but to a far lesser extent, about the Democrats. I.e., there is no equivalency.
As much as I applaud Charles Blow for laying out the moral and ethical failings of the current Republican party, I don't think that party gives a ....(fill in your own word.) Follow the money.
6
To a lesser extent?
Blacks vote 95% Democrat
There is your tribalism...whites are just entering the game.
The Democrats have their problems in that they have lost credibility as the representatives of the working class. They have allowed these RepugniKlans to use dog whistles and sweeping oversimplifications to garner votes, as well as game the system through gerrymandering.
The Electoral College’s "President," with Russia's assistance, has successfully eroded America's faith in its electoral system and in its free press. The system we have now, with its fragmented major parties, looks more and more like a Parliamentary system ~ but we have no way to declare "no confidence," which is certainly the case. We are closer than ever before to being checkmated ~ politically and economically.
3
We must admit we’re living in a corrupt society because the rulers, President Trump and the Republicans in control of Congress don’t have the moral identity that entails decency, honesty, liberty and meaning. For this reason, there has been an enormous shift in how people think because there are only crumbling reminders of what America used to be and what it stood for; once the beacon of the world for believing all men are created equal. Only if we venture inside ourselves we’ll find desolation for the absence of willpower to regain what’s been robed from us.
Let not be surprised if Alabama voters elect Roy Moore to the Senate; a man accused of harassing and even assaulting teenage girls who were afraid to stand up to him. Power is the ruler; it has the capacity to subtlety control the behavior of others.
5
The Gone-with-the-Wind/Birth-of-a-Nation mythology is so deeply ingrained in some that when the true nature of slavery is revealed (as in, say, Edward Baptist's "The Half Has Never Been Told") it is dismissed as revisionist history.
2
As the dark offensive world of Moore and Trump
turns: Consider this daunting view of reality:
"1% of us control everything
4% are sell-out puppets
90% are asleep
5% know and are trying
to wake up the 90%
The 1% don't want the
5% to wake up the 90%"
10
The Roy Moore quote has perfect internal logic so long as you don't consider slaves to be people. And I don't think he does. I'm not sure if he considers women to be people either.
5
The Democratic Party has moved so far to the left, that they are no longer a viable choice in many areas of the Country.
1
Unfortunately for our nation, WB, most of the Democratic Party and most liberals have no idea as to how thoroughly they have lost the confidence of those in the middle on whom they must rely to get elected.
And while the Republicans and the conservatives have problems reaching those in that middle, far more people for the past nine years have been more confident with their ideas than they have with the liberal ideology and candidates.
I would have thought that it had become apparent to the liberal that a candidate that accurately reflects their view cannot be elected to the highest office of our land. They seem to like to ignore the flat-out drubbings handed to Hubert Humpkrey, Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Michael Dukakis, and John Kerry.
1
No it hasn't moved so far to the left. It didn't choose bernie sanders. It still won the presidential vote (Hillary had over 3 million more votes than trump). What we need is to get rid of the electoral college and work harder to stop racism.
5
If Roy Moore is elected to the United States Senate, people of conscience have a duty to gather by the thousands on the day of his swearing in to prevent him from reaching the building.
4
Thanks Mr. Blow for this article. I particularly appreciated your use of the word "unmoored." Let us hope that by Tuesday evening after the polls close, the senate seat of Alabama will remain unmoored.
4
Charles you say that the pre-Trump republican party is dead. I don't find much difference in the pre-Trump republican party and the party of Trump. What has changed is the rot is now manifest. Previously republicans relied on dog whistles to get there elitist and bigoted views expressed. Now thanks to Trump even the lest of them feel empowered to explicitly voice their hateful and divisive opinions.
6
If Roy Moore gets elected it says a lot more about the voters in Alabama than it does about Donald Trump.
2
It can be said that "Birds of the same feather are the same bird."
2
To trust in our "so-called" president or this predatory Roy Moore, is to pretend their lies are true. Anyone who says they trust in God and can be so deceived is going to be held accountable, "Don't be deceived, God is not mocked, a man shall reap what he sows. Whoever sows to please the flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction." There is no pretending here that you cannot know the truth of what evil is being done in the guise of faith. Jesus overthrew the money changers in the temple, because they cared not a wit for those who were seeking to be saved through sacrifices. How much more His righteous indignation will be provoked by the likes of Donald Trump and his merry band of pirates, ransacking and blundering our democracy and nation for their greed and Roy Moore for his reckless indifference to the lives he has assaulted and the masses he has misled. The day of reckoning is coming. Thank-you Charles for fighting the good fight!
3
Regardless of whether Roy Moore wins or loses, the Republicans have become a Party in which decent, principled people cannot be members.
Moore's strong support from the RNC, Trump, the entire Alabama Republican Party and many officeholders including Senators such as Ted Cruz speaks all anyone needs to know about how corrupted that Party has become.
One little story really says it all. Ronna Romney McDaniel is the niece of Mitt Romney, a major critic of Donald Trump. As a condition of being appointed Chair of the RNC, Trump required that she no longer use her "Romney"middle name. She complied. It says everything about her. It also reveals what a vile, petty person that Trump is.
6
As 45 has demonstrated, no amount of money can by virtue. Roy Moore, whether he wins or loses will illustrate no number of votes make him virtuous. Perhaps the Republican Party can be reformed in the future. Perhaps they will be like the wise in Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus". "Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight/ And burned is Apollo's laurel bough/ That sometime grew within this learned man./ Faustus is gone: regard his hellish fall,/ Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise/ Only to wonder at unlawful things,/ Whose deepness doth entice such forward wits/ To practice more than heavenly power permits." Perhaps.
2
Extreme Fear & anger undermine reasoning. Fox, Briebart, Limbaugh etc. stoke these emotions relentlessly. Welcome 2 this new ugly.
3
If only we could become unMoored from this vessel of shame.
2
Does this coincide with the fall of the Frankencrats?
Alabamians are responding more to the Blowmocrats than supporting Roy Moore. The Dems are so hypocritical, dishonest, condescending, and self-serving that it is difficult to support their candidates no matter who the Repubs nominate. Roy Moore is in the same moral cesspool as the Clintons, and having our government led by such a group of deplorables only emphasizes the need to have a limited government. If the Alabama electorate is 25-30% black and there is not an Obama-level turnout, the Dems have only themselves to blame - if a party can only motivate its members to vote for someone who looks like them then it deserves to lose.
1
At this point, Moore and Trump can molest their daughters, and these voters will blame the girls. Congrats, Mitch and Ryan. This is your Republican party
10
I think “Redpublicans” is a better handle.
Today, not in the 1970s, not in the 19th century, there were 80,000 reported rapes a year in the US. Then there are those rapes that go unreported. Those victims who are killed. Then there are perhaps a million women coerced into sex.
This type of politicizing is an obscenity against these victims.
Their rage against those who justify, ignore, belittle and obfuscate these horrific crimes is justified. That's how you make a "Roypublican".
5
Roypublicans and ranting Blow-Hards! What a world we live in today.....
Let those among us without sin cast the first stone at the errant abusers. We have committees and courts for such determinations, and not the likes of us. We are quick to forgive the errant in our own party, but unforgiving to those who are not.
I wonder how Charles would feel if he bent down and saw his own name written in the sand. We are all sinners, folks. It's not our office to condemn. You could look it up!
1
Democracy is in trouble folks ! A lot of you stood by to let this happen !
4
When the books get closed on this presidency there will be one journalist of note known to me who refused to find the middle ground. Charles said he wouldn't play the equivalence game and he hasn't. He has pointed out the depravity of the man-beast who won. I am sure a few heads were turned after the "interview" with Donnie John at the Times and Charles first piece out of the block was a "I'm not gonna play memo". I guess we know whose heads turn now. Congrats, you placed a large bet and won. Keep it up.
6
I don't care for the state to begin with -- my aunt showed up dead and a black man was put to death for it. And someone in the state or maybe the whole state is not telling the truth.
1
Alabama has the opportunity to make a move away from fundamentalist ignorance and hypocrisy and toward enlightened thought.
Come on Alabama: Baby steps......Baby steps.
3
Unfortunately, Mr. Blow, I believe that Roy Moore will the special election in Alabama on Tuesday, and for all of the reasons you visit here. And more.
Howell Raines, once the New York Times executive editor, has a piece this weekend in which he peels away the layers of the Alabama voting culture. Race is the motherlode of this fool's gold mine. It illuminates the primitive culture of the state.
It was one thing when Donald Trump traded on his own brand of racism by denouncing Barack Obama as a foreign-born usurper, a belief deeply held by candidate Moore. What does this say? It says that the "president" and the "judge," who have both been accused of assault and serial pedophilia, can easily divert attention from their grievous sins and, instead, cast the light of racism upon the 44th president. Anything that they did in their private or public lives pales in comparison with the election and re-election of Barack Obama. What the "president" is attempting is the complete obliteration of the Obama legacy and if the "judge" joins the ranks of the rancid Republicans next week, Trump will have a boorish, braying consigliere in the Senate, shoving down the throats of the other members his own brand of anarchy and historical revisionism.
It must be said that the state, one that witnessed Rosa Parks's defiance and Dr. Martin Luther King's eloquence, stands poised to deliver, once and for all, the definitive statement of what it stands for.
May God help us if Roy Moore is elected.
5
Republicans are a disgrace. Shame on them.
Shame on the US.
6
They have no ethics. They only have rules set forth by their religious leaders, who use their followers for their own gain, especially the women, who have been brainwashed from birth to allow it.
5
This article seems about 13 months too late.
3
All true and horrible but Charles criticism from New York is certain to only bolster support for Moore.
1
Worst thing about this is that millions of people in Alabama and elsewhere call themselves "evangelical Christians," and the media go along with this charade. It's obvious that whatever they are evangelizing, it's emphatically not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More like a witch's brew of racism, nativism and xenophobia. No believing Christian should any longer take these imposters and their "pastors" seriously. It's all a scam.
6
He'd rather go down in the Annals with Caligula, Attila, and 'You Know Who', than end up on some list with Taylor, Tyler, and Garfield.
1
Look, if I were wearing the same blue team jersey Mr. Blow wears, I'd be doing the same thing he's doing: treating the GOP like a monolith and trying to hang Roy Moore around the neck of every single Republican.
It's a sound tactic. I'd be disappointed in Mr. Blow if he weren't using it.
But flip back to the news pages and you'll see a large number of Republicans, including prominent and powerful ones, speaking out against Mr. Moore. Voting against him. Donating to his opponent. That's a facet of reality that didn't make the cut as Mr. Blow composed today's entry.
For those who remain in Mr. Moore's corner, including the president and the RNC, Mr. Blow's criticism is completely deserved. I second it.
But Mr. Blow chooses too wide a brush, deliberately, and in so doing erodes his credibility. As I said: a sound tactic. But if I must come to this page for tactics, where should I go for insight? The DNC?
I'll repeat what I've said before about Mr. Blow. If each day's news is just a hook for the same harangue we've all memorized by now (see paragraph 10)... if everyone knows what you're going to say before you say it... what are you contributing, really?
1
This is a most puzzling response to a frustrated commentary by Mr. Blow. Yes, there are a pitiful few Republicans who have registered their opposition to what is a cynical and disgusting campaign, but regardless their moral stance, they are tied irrevocably to a political party that is led by a President who has no moral or ethical traction at any level. In fact, the GOP has serious problems that are not only tied to Roy Moore and Trump, they are burned deep into the soul of a party that is now defined by racism, xenophobia, anger and hate. Far from “Grand”, the GOP is now the voice of the far right and the distorted message of the evangelical Christian community. It could better be labeled the SOP (Sad Old Party).
5
I, too, would like to hear innovative approaches toward solving the problems.
I fundamentally feel that citizen conscientious objection is the best solution.
** BUT **
The thing I am most afraid about in today's U.S. (even worse for me than nukes), is the push to silence (ARREST) protesters & journalists. I feel that when protections for citizen gatherings erode, that erosion is the most powerful tool of the ruling elite / oligarchs.
This fundamental protection of speech and a right to peacefully gather is getting stripped. And, without it, hope dies, and effective action disappear. (I suppose that is the end-goal of the elite ...)
I am afraid.
1
"Now, unmoored from any fundamental morality ...". No pun intended, I'm sure.
4
Let's take it to its conclusion: These people, Trump and his people, are nihilists who want to bring it all crashing, burning down. They know that this is the end of their reign and if they can't have it, nobody will. They're just fine committing national (perhaps global) murder-suicide.
7
The “pre-Trump Republican Party” was the same as this one, Charles. Trump just allowed the zombies to come out of hiding and into the lurid light.
7
Yes, the Republican party is diseased and dysfunctional. It is beyond redemption. But, Mr. Blow, the real question is what does that say about a society that allows such a party to flourish?
7
So much winning.
3
Roy Moore gives white Alabamans a pass for their shared historical shame, and they love him for it.
A real leader with any moral compass at all would help his constituency face the past and move forward confidently to a better place, but despite the cloak of religiousity and morality act he puts on he is an evil man intent on dragging Alabama down with him.
3
Nonsense.
Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton did not lose to Donald John Trump in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio in the 2016 Presidential because of any Roypublicans. And the Republicans won 57%, 59% and 58% of the white vote in 2008, 2012 and 2016 where misogyny, homophobia, white European Judeo-Christian supremacy and xenophobia were essential elements of the partisan political coalition.
The Democratic liberal progressive partisan political dilemma rests with Bill/Barackocrats. Clinton and Obama were both well too the political partisan right wing of FDR and LBJ as expected but Ike and Nixon as well. Clinton beat the senior Bush with the help of Ross Perot. And then he beat the dinosaur Bob Dole.
Obama won twice despite being opposed by majority of white voters due to a record turnout and support of non-white voters plus a minority of whites. Obama's "win" was a personal coronation that decimated and destroyed the Democratic Party. The Obamas, just like the Clintons, are off making their millions "earned" from their "public service".
The Democratic Party dilemma begins with proven recent three score and ten year old losers like Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. They need to all be banished to a natural political history museum diorama. The South belongs to the Republican Party by Confederate States of America Reagan/Nixon collusion and collaboration. Alabama is neither the problem nor the solution.
2
Moore epitomizes Alabama, which has nothing good to offer the world. really, who ever would contemplate visiting Alabama for any reason?
2
This column is brilliant. Just brilliant. The facts are the facts. And what Charles Blow has written here is the truth, "the whole truth." We are in such trouble today.
1
Any other republican candidate they vote for would vote for the Trump/GOP agenda. They do not have to elect an alleged pedophile to get that done. Just like GOP voters did not have to vote for a race baiting dictator to get a tax cut. This vote will determine if GOP voters have any morality left. They have already squandered our post WWII legacy as world leaders for economic freedom and moral democracy.
If Roy Moore is elected it will be a result of the Democrat insistence that all of their candidates pledge loyalty to abortion on demand. Blow can reach back 150 years and try to tie Moore to slavery. The easier answer is reaching back, oh, two weeks and tie Doug Jones to an abortion stance far out of step with Alabama voters. Rather than rise of the 'Roypublicans' this is a story of the fall of the Dougocrats, an entirely self-inflicted wound.
2
JB, Pew Research Center's 2017 poll showed that "57% [of Americans] say abortion should be legal in all or most cases." Why, then would Democrats need to worry about Alabama's voters when it seems obvious the smart people are somewhere else?
"Contorted moral rationalization" can easily be substituted with amoral rationalization. Every time we predict that Trump and his congressional Republicans can not sink lower, we discover that they indeed have and are but a few feet away from the abyss of hell.
Perhaps their final judgment day will not occur until the day they are no longer breathing. Although, I hope it happens while I am still breathing. Meanwhile, they have not missed one segment of society (except for the affluent) whom they have purposely - and personally - wrought hate upon, suppression, and total lack of compassion and ethical representation. And I am sure that I am not the only one who has witnessed the metastases of their diseased souls to followers and supporters who insist on voting for shameful human beings rather than an "other." Tuesday should be another day of reckoning for us individuals...a day that can determine further moral loss in our society under Trumpism.
1
As a lifelong but still reluctant Alabamian, I have a request to make of the rest of America: When Roy Moore wins the senate race on Tuesday--as I fear he will--please do not paint all of us with the same brush.
Just as there were Southerners who were appalled by slavery, just as there were Germans who were repulsed by the Nazis, just as there were Americans who did not join the rush to war after 9-11--so too are there are Alabamians who find Roy Moore to be an unbelievably despicable candidate for the office of U.S. Senator. Even before the pedophile accusations, he proved himself to be unfit for any office.
I believe I have done my part to help elect Doug Jones--a very good man who will be a hard-working, honorable senator--by canvassing neighborhoods, manning phone banks, and talking him up when possible. I could have done more. Come Tuesday, I will regret that I did not.
But when people are determined to have closed minds, no amount of knocking will bring them to the door.
423
I appreciate your effort to keep Roy Moore from being elected, I cannot help but paint you all with the same brush in the same way that I paint all Americans with the brush responsible for electing the most unqualified President ever. The fact that WE as a people can allow such a travesty reflects poorly on everyone. We are still one country and we as a people have to take responsibility for the consequences. The rot that has led us to this point has been a long time coming and one election is not going to make it go away. We must all be accountable.
2
People who have been conned with promises of post-mortal benefits are beyond reach.
2
Thank you for doing the things that you did to help Doug Jones. I did the same for Bernie Sanders last year. Every once in a while I have pangs of guilt where I think, I should have worked an hour more, or I should have stuffed 100 more envelopes. It is crazy to think, but it is true. So that being said, thanks.
Moore wins this hands down....
The only thing positive I can say about the Alabama electorate is they make Arizona look good. Thanks y’all.
2
I keep saying this: Roy Moore's refusal to follow the law while he was Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, twice, should make him ineligible to run for public office! When the Supreme Court ruled the same-sex marriage was legal, Chief Justice Moore ordered his 69 probate judges to defy the law and refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Add to that his 'Bama-style dating and this man is a disgrace and disaster.
2
God's law, as interpreted by Moore, simply trumps all human laws. The narcissism of God's pet goldfish is as vast as the universe.
2
There is rot throughout the GOP. Roy Moore is another piece of it. Look at Steve King of IA who announced on national TV last year that the white race contributed anything to the world. I guess he forgot that the Egyptians had a little something to do with algebra... like inventing it. Charles is right and the revisionism is revolting.
What is both frightening and validating is that evangelicals and the religious right are finally fully exposed for the racist hypocrites, misogynists, anti-Semites that those of us in any of the previously mentioned categories always knew that they are. They talk of coastal "elites" (i.e. since nobody in LA is actually from LA I'm not sure what this means)) with disdain - when they are the ones with self righteous contempt for anyone who does not think exactly like they do. But beyond their hypocrisy being undeniably confirmed - they also terrify me for the status of the women trapped within their cult. Speaking from experience - being sexually assaulted by a grown man at 14 is a devastating event that a woman rarely confides in anyone, including her nearest and dearest. But the effects are lifelong. And yet - the Roybulicans, men and women, willing to act like this didn't happen or if it did that it was so long ago - that it's not big deal. I assure them all it is a very big deal to his victims - and there are probably more who just don't want to relive it and come forward. I think of all the young girls living in this horror with parents who they see are willing to defend and deny its criminality - and think how similar these people are to the Muslims and "Sharia" that they hate so dearly. I just hope there are enough decent people left in the right districts to knock these people out of public life once and for all in 2018
3
Their promise of a better afterlife for joining evangelists in preaching delusion is an enduring scam only because nobody can possibly return to complain that they were cheated.
The good news is we are entirely on our own without any interference by any fickle personality representing the interests of nature. The bad news, (a blessing, really) is that is that all sentience is mortal.
The God of human projections would have committed suicide out of boredom eons ago.
To paraphrase a great American:
Don't comment - CONTRIBUTE!
1
The best things in life are supposed to be free.
Software is as close to free as any product can be, and that is what is needed to deal with the Trump mess.
Yeah. Some used to getting things their way are upset; some are unhinged to the point of lunacy and some, like this crayon-wielder, are talking themselves into visits from gown-clad hulks brandishing straightjackets. The left has made elective politics a zero-sum game. It took us a while to appreciate that, but we've got it down now. Numbers? We have them in the right places. Monolithic voting patters? We've learned from the Hassidim. Since reflection, nuance and debate have all been tarnished by the left's decades-long autocracy, we refuse to submit to inane charges leveled against us, reject your attempts at hurling guilt at us because your brand is in the gutter. Tough. There will be no retreat, no easing up on the accelerator and no mercy at the polls. The second American Civil War is just around the corner. We leave it to the likes of you whether you wish to take that walk.
Let's imagine for a moment what would have happened to Roy Moore in Alabama if everything about him were the same except for the color of his skin.
4
Powerful observation!
1
With or without Roy Moore, Republicans are a party of fascists, led by fear, as are all followers of fascists. They have been conditioned to fear immigrants, Muslims, gun control, abortion, blacks, strong and independent women, atheists, transgendered people, homosexuals, elites, universities, unions, mainstream media, Deep State, Obama, Obamacare, Hillary Clinton, Mueller, Democrats, and Liberals. To a great degree, they will follow any politician who espouses hatred and ill will for most of those institutions, even if those public figures violate the law, the constitution, common morals, and even the better interests of the followers themselves. And that is where the fascism comes in. These people are happy to have government (backed by police, military, and prison) used to subdue or destroy the aforementioned institutions, even if they harm many people and institutions that are not on their popular enemies list. Nothing matters more to them than attacking those who are on their enemies list.
4
Will Alabama or the DNC have enough poll watchers in Alabama to prevent Republican ballot stuffing?
Unmoored.
Heck to the yes.
1
Ironic that your imagery of Trump as a white man on a white stallion championing white power parallels images of The Night King and the Wights--uhm, the "zombie Republicans".
Might Alabama be Viserion rising from the lake?
Moore's election is all that stands between Republican decency and decay. The Republican Night Watch is dead. Once Trump and Moore breach the wall, the Republicans have handed over their souls.
“Now, unmoored from any fundamental morality, Republicans have a situation where a professed horndog is boosting an accused pied piper.”
Sending you a virtual hug, Charles. This line managed to pull together my thoughts about Roy Moore, Trump and republicans in general as they relate to republicans acceptance of immorality as the new morality.
85 is the new 20.
Republicans really have become un-Moored.
Maybe we can change our national anthem to Joel Grey's money song in "Cabaret". It's a catchy tune and, unlike our current national anthem, it fits the times.
2
They are beyond hope, and help. This a a secession, from polite society.
Fine, let them sink or swim, on their OWN. BOYCOTT ALABAMA. Don't travel there, don't spend your money on products from that State.
Money talks. Make them responsible for their " choices". Do it.
I what does it say that Mr. Blow and commenters are having to explain why slavery was so evil?
The evils of Roy Moore’s hateful ideologies (plural) wouldn’t need enumerating in a sane world. A single quote from or accusation against Mr. Moore would have obviates his candidacy in reasonable times.
And yet, we liberals endure outrage fatigue while the pent up rage of the downtrodden rural whites is so easily diverted toward race, Godlessness and culture wars by the deep pocketed donor class.
Is this the death rattle of Democracy?
Roy Moore has the support of the GOP for one reason, and one reason only...they don't want to lose a seat in the Senate. If he wins, he will be subjected to the ethics committee and eventually run out of the Senate. The Gov of Alabama will pick the guy they originally wanted to replace Moore.
On the Dem side, Senator Franken was told to step down so that the Dems can make a claim that "they" are the party that supports women. The Gov of Minnesota will replace Franken with one of their own and happily move on.
Lets be clear...Moore is a sick perverted man and Franken is a sick perverted man and neither party gives a political hoot about sexual harassment...or have you all forgotten about Bill Clinton?
I have visited the south several times. On one particular plantation tour, we were told that the slave owners loved and respected the slaves. AND, they educated the slave children and loved them as if they were their own. The lies have been going on for years.
2
So many wonderful aspects of life are tainted by the president.
Charles now you have put Trump on the back of the white horse.
Yes it is true that the Emperor of Persia Xerxes 485-465 BC,
another ruthless dictator type, kept a stable of white horses according to the Greek historian Herodotus. Bred from the ancestral Arabians and technically grey, the Lipizzaner are the most well known.
1
The foundational covenant upon which the Judeo-Christian-Muslim systems are built is found in the Book of Exodus, chapter 22, vv. 20 -23. We must wonder just what makes the evangelical tradition so forgetful of its beginning. "You shall not oppress or afflict a resident alien, for you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt. “You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.”
None of the prophets they revere would remain silent against what is transpiring.
1
To ask the Republican party to uphold basic moral values is like asking the National Socialist Party of Illinois to uphold the rights of ethnic minorities.
1
"Trump is a white man on a white stallion fighting to preserve white culture and white power."
We have bingo. And people love it.
2
Always read what Charles Blow has to say, it's invariably succinct, to the point, insightful and very informative. Thank you Charles Blow!
1
Is the GOP salvageable?
2
Unfortunately, Mr. Blow, Alabama voters don’t give a tinker’s dam about what the country thinks about them. They’ll vote for whomever they please, displaying the defiance and intransigence that epitomized George Wallace and Bull Connor sixty years ago. Mitch McConnell, an Alabamian by birth, is now oddly an outside agitator of the Washington Republican establishment that was spurned by Stephen Bannon. It is Bannon who has the ear of the voters there, not McConnell or the president.
Since the Republicans made it possible for their party to be pirated by a racist, misogynistic, xenophobic and religiously intolerant businessman, the party will make ready a welcome of one of their own. McConnell smugly notes that the election results will be left up to the Alabama citizens, thus absolving the GOP of all blame if Roy Moore wins. However, the end is in sight for the Republican party as we know it. They may win this battle in Alabama Tuesday night but they already lost their moral authority as the conservatives’ voice in America. They can never again look American citizens in the eye and claim that they represent them and their values. The GOP will be forever spiritually unmoored if Moore is elected to the Republican Senate.
1
It is simply a dropping of pretense and an open embrace of racism and authoritarianism.
2
You really think they'll do so? Ha! Where have you been for the last 40 years?
Once again, thank you, Mr. Blow! You are as honest and succinct as ever.
The Republicans have been coining politically effective slogans for years, starting with the powerful “Tax and Spend”, which has stuck to Democrats like a bad smell for decades now. All Moore’s victory will do is give rise to another one to be trotted out every time another slimy specimen is put forth for the electorate’s consideration: “At least he’s not a Democrat”
1
Words fail to describe what is happening to America. The Republican putrefaction is visceral, miasmic, catastrophic!
Dear Mr. Blow,
Trump did not instill bigotry & intolerance it was always there, laying dormant, he just awakened it & made it acceptable. It was what gave him the Presidency,& what will elect the pedophile to the Senate.This is America, lets not have any delusions.
3
The comment about America being great while the south had slaves has not been highlighted nearly forcefully not often enough
1
Joe: Well, the thing is, Ray was only referring to strong white families. The ones that matter. So long as they are heterosexual and of the proper Christian persuasion. That's what MAGA is all about. Thought you knew.
The pre Trump Republican party was a bit different and for is sure not yet dead.I'm guessing that the Republicans will wait and see what Mueller's investigation turns up. If it's damning to Trump I would not be surprised if he resigned or gets impeached. Trump knows that the majority of Republicans in Washington would much prefer a President Pence. It seems to me Roy Moore's winning or losing won't change much in the party, but his defeat would still be good news for Alabama and the USA.
i doubt if Mr. Blow's words will reach far enough to get Blacks to the polls in Alabama, which is all that stands between us and Roy Moore.
1
Apparently, for today’s GOP anything, and I mean absolutely anything, in pursuit of tax cuts is no vice. These rats will crawl through the foulest sewer to steal from us, the public, for their rich donors. Their stink worsens by the day.
19
Evidently only Alabama football legends have any influence left in the state. They are staying quiet although good for Sen. Sheldon for speaking against Moore.
The women who have courageously shared their stories about Roy Moore are being denigrated in Alabama by his supporters. This goes with Trump territory. Threaten, insult, minimize any truth tellers. Try to silence them.
Breitbart sent "reporters" to tarnish the women's reputations. Fox, Breitbart, Moore and Trump all accused Ms. Nelson of forging Moore's signature in her yearbook. That was false, and Fox has since rescinded the slur. Moore's signature and comments in the yearbook have been confirmed through handwriting analysis. Ms. Nelson had simply annotated it by adding the date and the place below. The writing is different, and this is the kind of addition often found in scrapbooks or photo albums.
But the women have been viciously attacked. If Moore wins, what will happen to them? What will happen to Alabama? Or the Senate.
Alabama is poised to send a child molester and fairly bizarre lunatic person to the Senate who was twice thrown off the bench. They have a decent and qualified candidate who would be a much better choice. Hopefully there are enough sane and normal people in Alabama to not be part of this electoral travesty.
21
Thanks to Howell Raines who contributed something nuanced and intelligent.
Charles omits the part in that speech (or another speech) wherein "mr" Moore declares [if he could], he would do away with all Amendments to the U.S. Constitution- after the first 10. Rather than chalk this up to some doddering foolish hyperbole, this is the real view of the millions of Roy Moores in the U.S..; he is just the most embolden to say it out loud. I am glad Mr. Blow paints a picture of some of the horror Slavery undertook.
Lest there be any doubt- much of the South is still Pro-Slavery; simply by its tacit acceptance of people like Roy Moore and his GOP colleagues.
12
So are Democrats the rise of the Frankensteins?
If Moore is elected it will be because of expedience, willful ignorance and the belief that Satan is better than a Democrat. You can't fight that with words.
To get past Moore's sleaziness and just off the charts creepiness, supporters have simply stated that the people accusing Moore a liars. It is a sting. And they can believe it, because the rabid GOP supporters, like James O'Keefe, like the group that set up Planned Parenthood to make the appear to be selling baby parts, uses stings, uses lies, uses half truths to destroy the opponent, They can easily assume the opposition is doing the same.
Sadly, we don't have to: Moore really is that awful. And it won't matter.
They voters need Moore, to help them shoot themselves in the foot. Moore will take his solid lead character to Washington - Mr. Misdeeds goes to Washington - and pass legislation that will sink his constituency. But they will know he stands vocally against gays and taxes. Little girls? Well that was never wrong until recently, right?
6
Roy Moore's supporters seem to dig in deeper with each attack from outside. This is the norm in Alabama and never was the best strategy to defeat him. He is kissing kin to street preachers and self-ordained "ministers" who do have grass-roots appeal. History shows that they cn survive anything but ridicule and satire: Clowns make you laugh but don't thrive when their faces are unmasked and their past revealed. Southern humorists like Brother Dave Gardner and Lewis Grizzard would be making Moore's life miserable with their stinging stories. There's no counterpart to them today and we are lesser for their absence. Take a listen to the great Alabama political song, "Christian Gentleman Big Jim Folsom," and lament that no one fighting Moore could be creative enough to give us a good and hilarious country song about Judge Moore hanging around a mall looking for some love.
2
Republican voters reliably vote, and Fox News has brainwashed them to hate Democrats. Hate, hate, hate. And hate.
Under these circumstances, virtually every Republican voter came out and voted for the unqualified and despicable Donald Trump. Why would anyone think they would act differently when the Republican is a despicable Roy Moore? At least he's familiar with what government does, unlike Trump.
Democrats need to wake up the fact that there is no convincing Republican voters. All Democrats can do (and all Democrats need to do) to win elections is to get the overwhelming majority of Americans who prefer sanity, decency, and competence to come to the polls and cast a vote.
Turnout is where the action is. Ignore the (R).
11
I agree with your 'hate, hate, hate' observation but I don't think we should 'ignor the R' entirely. There are people of good will in a confused middle space that the Dems can turn if they get their act together and push back against the 'hate, hate, hate'. Anyhow we should push back on the brainwashing just on general principles.
This election will not mark the end of the republican party; it will be the turning point for the take over of American democracy (what's left of it) to a single party autocracy similar to what we see in Venezuela or Russia. Yes, we'll still hold elections but the outcomes will always be in favor of the ruling party.
Think it won't or can't happen here? It already has and will continue until the people take to the streets en masse.
8
Citizens United has caused corporations to have equal if more rights than actual people. Democracy is slowly dying and most don't know it.
1
I've been saying this for over a year...it's not the Trump's and Moore's of this country that are the real problem, it's their enablers. Listening to an evangelical justify a vote for Trump or Moore is like looking at an extreme yoga pose on Instagram. You wonder how they got into that pose, then you wonder why they got into that pose. The sad truth is that if you twist yourself into a pretzel you'll never be a pretzel stick again.
2
Oh, Trump and Moore are definitely the problem, because they give voice to a lot of ignorant, racist, xenophobic, hidebound, misogynistic, vengeful people.
"That is a defining feature of these modern Republicans: contorted moral rationalization."
Yes, that is how, astonishingly, Megan McCain, Senator McCain's daughter, justifies support of trump against her own father who, as a true patriot, has been repeatedly insulted and denigrated by trump.
We are living in terrifying times.
6
We are in a strange world when someone who was banned from a mall for trolling teenagers will be welcome to serve in the United States Senate. The GOP needs to find its conscience and its very soul.
14
The soul of the Republican Party was lost long ago.
Is anyone really surprised by this? I mean, this is Alabama we’re talking about here. Only Mississippi would be worse in its awfulness.
I fully expect Roy Moore to win by double digits, confirming all the stereotypes we already knew about Alabama.
5
Well, we can fight back. Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, Hundai manufacture cars in Alabama. Perhaps when we go to buy a car we can demand cars not made in Alabama. That's a start.
I've noticed that when a state is hit in the financial area they change real fast.
I think people are misreading Moore's statement about families were united during slavery. I think he was talking about white families. Omitting slaves from any thoughtfullness and compassion is what he and his confederates buddies have done forever.
3
I always thought slave families were separated at the owner's convenience. Moore is such an ignoramus and, sadly, many people agree with him. They need to read "The Half Has NeverBeen Told" by Edward Baptist.
Republicans never held the morral high ground, they simply pretended they did which, thanks to Trump, has become depressingly obvious.
9
First I want to say that of course I despise Trump and Moore and everything they are about. However, I wanted to offer some food for thought.
Conservative Republicans, you say, refuse to see Trump and Moore (and the current Republican leadership for what it is) - and I agree. However, keep in mind that in their Fox News inspired political bubble, it is the Democrats that are evil, spineless, moral-less, and shills for special interests.
To them it is the evil NY Times and evil CNN and other evil publications and stations that promote an anti-family and anti-Christian and anti-American agenda. Not to mention the "lies" that your publications print about decent, honest, God-fearing men like Donald Trump and Roy Moore.
There is no irony for them. This is their world. And they will continue to believe and vote for these people until some way is found to break through to them, to speak to them in their own language, to engage with them. Otherwise, welcome to the new normal.
2
Reading Charles Blow tonight makes me proud to have contributed twice to the Jones campaign, and I urge others to do the same. Put our money where our mouths are, so to speak. Still, it will be up to Alabama citizens to make the final decision.
4
This is the “heritage” those monuments celebrate.
7
ROYPUBLICANS . . . love it! Here’s another one for the aggrieved might hear: Remember the Wall Street financiers and bankerswho broke the economy of the entire world and.lost you your pensions and jobs? Guess what: Donald Trump IS A WALL STREET BANKER! No? Take a look at the people he’s appointed to top positions in his administration.
1
Evidently Moore gets his impression of the superior family values of pre-abolition America from watching 'Gone With the Wind.'
Mr. Blow, you are too generous to the GOP. Trump and Moore merely helped pull the Klan and misogyny sheets out of the GOP closet for their party members to fully admire. The GOP was rotten long before these clowns; the party just hid it better back in the 60s through 90s. It's on display now and the rank and file GOP doesn't mind a bit. In fact, they love it. I see random pro-Trump and Moore advocates holding signs at major intersections here. The election has been over for more than a year! Sadly, the party of hate has many vocal adherents. They are all my neighbors.
2
How did we ever breed such a strong camel that could handle an unlimited number of straws?
I am hopeful that electing Roy Moore will be enough to wake up all of America to the fact that our government is being stolen as we watch.
1
That Roy Moore preyed on teen-age girls is a distinctive aspect of his case &, as I believe, it defines the crucial issue here. For this reason the voters of Alabama will reject him in a result that is bound to shake Bannon & Trump. Nikki Haley is right (if I have her name right) & our national listening to more than a dozen Trump accusers comes next.
High time!
1
Yes, it is a Circus, and yes we can go on laughing at the clown with his painted face and his funny hair, but it's clear to me that the tent won't fold for good until, like Barnum And Bailey, we get rid of the Elephants.
5
I listed to Trump's comments at the Civil Rights Museum and was disgusted. While the words were well written (except the ad lib "big words") and may have had meaning coming from Reagan or either Bush, I found them to be monumentally vile and hypocritical coming from the man of the Trump rallies where everything he spoke of has a button, banner, or t-shirt against. The man who claimed no knowledge of David Duke and who accepted the support of neo-Nazi's and white supremacists and who was quick to condemn the actions of others protesting horrific acts against them but found reason to blame the other side when protesters were mowed down with a car in Charlottesville protest.
Then it occurred to me that at the moment he really may have meant and believed them for a second as he shifts seamlessly from one mind to another with each seemingly having no idea the other exists.
You make it sound like something is new here. Roy is the same old Republican Party. You know, the one that backed the bombing of women's clinics, and the arson of black churches. The one that called the poor "welfare queens." The one that embraces every form of violence, from the NRA to the invasion of a helpless nation that supposedly has "WMDs" to shooting of physicians. There is nothing new about Roypublicanism. It's the same mentality that prompted the 1994 Florida legislature to oppose funding for education. It's the same mentality that opposes birth control, sex ed, abortion and child protective services - Republican policy positions that have been in place since at least the 1980s. Roypublicanism is the same old same old from the GOP.
1
I would visit my Mamaw in Montgomery when I was a little boy in the mid-1950's. A highlight of the trip for me was a taxi ride downtown for a chili-dog at Chris's. Chris's is still there after sixty years and still looks like the dump it was then. The only thing that seems different is the hotdogs. They just don't taste as good as I remember.
Alabama is like Chris's. Stuck in a time warp and has not improved with age. Only God knows how it keeps going as it is. I suspect federal tax dollars are somehow involved. If Alabama was a sovereign nation on its own, it would be somewhere economically between Serbia and Albania. As the Cradle of the Confederacy, maybe we should have let it succeed from the Union. We would have to build a wall around it, however.
5
Please don't insist that Trump has an agenda that would take more than one sticky note to outline. Please don't let our young believe that Trump wants to preserve any culture other than whateverthehell he sees as "culture." Don't say he fights for white power; he's never fought for anything that doesn't come in bundles of green.
Trump's only mission is to be recognized as the most wonderful person to ever have walked on earth. To be universally adored.
Please let's get rid of this jerk, good people.
5
The Russian influence peddlers and Sheldon Adeleson paid fair and square for their “Boyo” to perform certain acts.
The beauty of this show is the Marionettist’s control bar is in clear view of the audience. The jerky motions, caricatured to accentuate a Golem on a string. They display the inelegance, lack of pretense when bought and sold for a pittance.
America’s been took, hook, line and “stinker”. Those in the know grab the goodies during the show.
Balagan Curtain calls Please.
6
A couple of mild objections to Charles' fine piece. Donald Trump is the end result of what the Republicans have been for the past 30 years. He is NOT the cause of the Republicans rot, he is the result of it.
Point two: Roy Moore and the Republican Party would be totally in sync with the party of Mussolini in 1920's Italy and they are proud of it. This disease has to be stamped out before it destroys us. Vote in 2018.
9
Just to tag on to your post, the Willie Horton campaign run by Bush-I should have said everything anyone needed to know about the moral compass of the Republican party. But that, too, was a continuation. You're just not going far enough back. The Southern Strategy was almost 50 years ago (1968). It was consciously done (read Kevin Phillips).
I'll let the donkey party off the hook on this, either. Going back to hte Boston/Massachusetts politics of my childhood, Kevin White ran for Secretary of State against Ed Brooke (Brooke was later the State's first and only Black US Senator). White allowed the use of the slogan "Vote White" in that campaign. Fast forward to Hillary Clinton's "super-predator" comment, and her husband having his picture taken alongside an all-Black chain gang while President.
Racism is truly bi-partisan, just like the sexual predation now coming to light (finally!).
With the election of Obama, the world saw what is great about the United States.
With the election of Trump, the world sees what is wrong with the United States.
11
I watched a group of Alabama voters interviewed this am. on Morning Joe and
my hair stood up. The defense they spewed of Roy Moore was replete with lies,
misinformation and ignorance. They, to a man/woman, believe in him and what he stands for. There was no intelligent review of his background of intolerance, racism and pedophilia - the latter was not "believed". This all sits at the feet of
the liar in chief, Trump, whose repulsive message has resonated in the Republican party and now makes it invalid, a disgrace to its history as the party of Lincoln. It has lost it's humanity and I agree with every word of this op-ed.
Their "stench" is everywhere.
6
Thank you Charles M. Blow. Moore represents the absolute worst elements of mankind, the 32% who support Trump and the GOP. And the future?
2
Unless the Democrats re-take the House & Senate in 2018, I fear the Country will descend into unresolvable acrimony and chaos in the following two years.
3
Or better yet, the "trumpublicans" because trump has made Moore legitimate. Trump is the blame for all of this. Trump, along with all his enablers - all 35% of them.
2
The death of "republicanism" is an expired horse that many commentators seem to want to continually eulogize. Yes, now it's worse than it was it the "heady days of Ronnie Reagan", but a whole bunch of us thought it was pretty nasty back then. Republicanism is not conservatism, it's toxic regressionism with a stinky quasi-patriotic wrapper.
5
We are living a nightmare with a runaway republican vulgarity in full display, enabling misogynous Trump and Moore to feast on their despicable behavior, their abuse of power humiliating their victims...and then withdrawing the culpable hand and tongue. Too bad that Moore's supporters read exclusively Fox Noise, it's nasty republican loudspeaker...given that your assertions are on the mark, and possibly able to sway voters to the democratic candidate.
4
Thanks, Charles, for telling it like it is. The Republican Party can never again don the mantle of “the party of family values”. They have sold their proverbial soul in a Faustian bargain; first with Trump, now with Moore.
If this were the end-times, I’m convinced that most evangelicals wouldn’t recognize the anti-Christ, even if he announced who he was (“I could shoot someone on Fifth Ave...”).
Will Alabamans vote for Mephistopheles or go with the better angels of their nature?
6
The rise of the roypublicans and, if you like, the republicans. They will rise in the populace like a geyser after a steady diet of foul lies and rancid ideology. They will be reckoned with in a way that will forever tie them to Trump, Moore, McConnell, Ryan, Bannon. Sessions, etc. Their base? Most of them will come around, or their kids will. And then we will be caretakers of the memory of what almost happened to our country. That will be our job. To vote these bugs down before they get started.
4
Fundamentally they are all the same, they believe that the white race is the superior one, and those wealthy members of this race need to be the elite in power over America and Americans. They don't care that Trump or Moore are amoral self-promoters, misogynists, racists, or bigots because they are the same. In this 'ole boys club' they can simply turn away from the fact that these men are sexual predators. Boys will be boys after all. It is the nature of the beast they rationalize. Meanwhile girls and women are being objectified, and are still being considered inferior to men.
Roy Moore's direct quote should disqualify him immediately from holding any office, but not if you lack a moral compass or never found slavery to be abhorrent but just sound economics practiced back in the day. Practiced against people who had no rights or voice in America until President Lincoln's declaration of emancipation pronounced slavery an abomination against man and God.
Americans have to be aware that we have to fight for our democracy every day, we have to fight that ALL Americans get represented and that our voices do not get muzzled or our votes neutralized. We can only lose our freedoms if we let them take them away from us. We have all been too complacent for far too long.
As former President Obama just stated, and I paraphrase, our democracy can become a fascist government if the people get lazy or complacent. What happened in Germany in the last century could happen here.
4
And if Roy Moore is elected, I'm sure he'll start attacking Bob Mueller and then the FBI. To think that we have sold America down the river for Trump and Moore. They are as un-American, unpatriotic, anti-democratic, un-Christian, and immoral as it is possible for two people to be. And they even have their own state news: Fox and Breitbart,
2
Thank you, Mr. Blow. And I love that you refer to the "president" in quotes. Such a sad time in our history.
1
As Charles knows well, this is not a new story. The shocking thing is that it goes back several hundred years, and though the names have changed the guilty still persist - like zombies, indeed. The KKK was routed by Ulysses Grant in 1869, but came back in the early 20th Century under the same name with the same terrorist agenda, then was routed again in the 30s - yet still is with us. Demagogues plying racist and misogynist themes, like Roy Moore, are coddled by weak centrist apologists, afraid to offend or arouse the prickly well-armed militant right, just as defenders of freed slaves in the 1870s backed off of Southern Reconstruction out of their fear of rekindling the Civil War.
This recurring cycle of white folks being forever mean to black folks, and men forever demeaning women, will continue under the banner of conservatism, traditionalism, and states rights until we finally have the courage to end it decisively.
4
Republicans would seem, in fact, to be Marxists - Groucho Marxists:
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."
1
"Now is the time to lift our Nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid bedrock of brotherhood." So said Dr. King in his famous "I have a dream" speech of 1963. It is worth reading again. I'm not going to try to compare or even contrast MLK's powerful words with the blathering of the Roycists, that would be an insult to the English language. There is however a constant here: bigotry against true faith. How can this immigrant white atheist be so moved by the words and deeds of a southern baptist? Brotherhood. But in my view the root of the evil is in the obscene distortion of religious belief by a minority of bigots. My solution is radical, I concede that: It is time to move from the quicksand of religions to the bedrock of brotherhood!
2
The conceit of evangelicals is that they are "good." Moore's voters are self-identified "good" people, and Moore is one of them. The damage done in the name of goodness is awesome to behold.
2
All those people need to stop thumping the Bible and read it. We are entering the Christmas season with a whole lot of people misunderstanding the message of Christ, which was NOT "Lie, cheat,steal, and grope. Oh, and hate gays."
One way or another, the voters of Alabama will show the rest of the country what matters to them.
2
On a recent visit to Alabama, soon after the Las Vegas shootings, my partner was appalled to witness Alabamans love for guns. They hold it more dear than humans (after professing their love for Jesus first, goodness gracious). What is wrong with Alabamans! They live inside an 19th century bubble. Should Roy Moore be elected by these 19th century Alabamans, the Senate should quickly and swiftly punish him with 19th century’s norm of 20 lashes, in full public view.
1
One thing that’s clear from the blaring rash of anti-Moore columns the recent past, is that the NYT hasn’t learned it’s lessons from Hillary. Which is great for Moore, he can include them in his Thank You list post election.
Listen, the Alabama voter isn’t dumb. She can (easily) tell the Press is meddling with the election. In a big, big way. There was no reason for Moore’s accusers to sit on their allegations for this long, just there was no reason for Rosa Parks not to take the bus. Unless they were baited, fished, garnished and published, which they were.
The press’s Moore backlash ain’t about alleged travesties 40 years back. It’s about the liberal media’s fear and anger about his anti-gay stance. That’s it. Valid as they might be, their channeling it on the Alabama voter, fear-mongering and ostracizing her, is all wrong. It’ll only get them to vote Moore in.
The only question that remains is by what margin. Expect big. Maybe huuuge. We will see. Thanks, Charles.
1
Their "moral compass" has been replaced with a plumb bob: They always point down.
Brilliant summary. The term "Roypublicans" is perfect because it is not only apt, but will drive Donald "It's All About Me" Trump crazier.
Having read transcripts of Trump's robocall to Alabama voters, I didn't need to go any farther than the line about the "Obama disaster" and wanting to undo it.
How so call religious people manage to defend the indefensible is a mystery to me. Where does America go from here ?
Young people need to become more engaged in civic life. This rot needs to be rooted out and exposed for the crime it espouses. These old folk, with racist antiquated ideas spewing hate under the guise of religious morality have no shame or moral compass. There should be no place in decent society for people like this.
The once Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower has degenerated into the sad party of Donald Trump, Roy Moore, and Evangelical Fundamentalists. America's Pharisees have found a home to roost.
2
Mr. Blow what you write is all too true and one reason why, as a Reform Jew, I find modern day Christian's beliefs so hypocritical and repugnant. The problem for Americans who still care about truth and values is not so much Trump and the Republicans, it's the many other Americans who see nothing wrong with these guys like Trump and Moore and somehow can still support them just to keep a Democrat out of Congress. What next? Will Trump tell us it's ok to support a murderer just because he/she is a Republican?
1
Like “deplorable” - the “very fine people” of Alabama will proudly parade their “Roypublican” banner like a Miss Universe contestant wears a silky sash. And filthy cash? That’s the only thing GOP cares about. Abundantly clear - America is not being protected by checks & balances. We are imploding in another heartbreaking attack - not by external enemies but by “family” who took sacred oaths to protect.
The elected Republican Party is the party of exclusion and hate. It tolerates haters who hate me because I am gay (and jewish). It tolerates haters who hate my husband because he is an immigrant (now citizen) from the Philippines. It tolerates (and supports) a man-child who can't stop spewing hateful tweets and hateful words against anyone who criticizes him. And it is getting behind a man of hate and abuse who does not deserve to be anywhere near the U.S. Senate. This is a horrifying time to be an American.
1
“I think it was great at the time when families were united, even though we had slavery, they cared for one another. People were strong in the family.”
It's impossible that R. Moore isn't aware that enslaved families were often ruthlessly separated. I don't know how he dares to label that a great time for "the family." Obviously he can only think White Family. How can he run for office and claim to represent his state when cares only for his own ethnic group at the expense of the others?
Though the pedophilia is horrendous, I think his racism should have disqualified him from running in the first place. I agree with Charles Blow that DJT has made everything so much more terrifying, as he always does, but I also am, honestly, disgusted with the people of Alabama who created R. Moore, and are potentially quite O.K. with him as their representative.
Where has all the so-called progress gone?
1
Where else could the only political party in the world dedicated to decapitating the central government win elections, besides the land of unequal protection of law based simply on where you happen to be in it.
I encourage Charles Blow to keep writing his perspective about these news events. It is such a contrast talking about closely knit southern families and not even thinking about the status of slave families. It is up to commentators like Blow to raise awareness and historical accuracy.
2
"“I think it was great at the time when families were united..."
Children were commonly sold from their parents at slave auctions. Google it.
1
Hooray for Charles Blow who can really take on Roy Moore and his supporters. The South has a history doesn't it. Slavery, Nullification, Secession, Jim Crow, anti- Civil Rights, Nixon's "Southern Strategy," have all been embraced by Roy Moore and his supporters and now the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump himself. I was quite surprised at Roy Moore's reference to slavery. If he had not said what he said in regard to slavery and families, I wouldn't have included it in my list of just what Roy Moore and the "Roypublicans" are embracing.
The only solution to this is to vote for Democratic candidates in the future, not waste your vote on any 3rd party "purity candidates."
If President 'birther in chief' Trump and the rise of Roy Moore doesn't get African Americans all fired up and to the polls in Alabama on Tuesday and all across the country next November, then what will?
2
If roy moore wins alabama, it just proves without doubt, it is the worst state in the union. All who can should shun that deplorable state. They are not voting for a policy, they are voting against progress and humanity by standing with the ultimate deplorabe that is roy moore.
1
As usual, mr Blow reminds us of the debacle that the Republican Party has become. It is historically incorrect to view this as a pre and post Moore moment. This is the next chapter in a sordid tale of immorality that the party embraced long ago.
The new GOP is the old GOP, with the mask taken off. This is what they've been since the 1960s.
Give some thought to "red cow disease." Christian fundamentalists think that it is their duty to speed the approach of the end-times. This gives rise to all sorts of mischief - foreign affairs (we want the battle of Megiddo and the restoration of the red calf to Jerusalem); domestic affairs (elect anyone who supports actions that lead to the end of times.) Thus Roy Moore over a liberal democrat and Donald Trump over a pragmatic Clinton.
It's worse than you think, Mr. Blow.
I was raised in a small town thirty miles from Gadsden, Alabama, the town Roy Moore calls home. He and I finished high school the same year. His school's football team was mine's top rival. I do not know Roy Moore, but I know of whence he came.
And so I know that when he looked back fondly to the days of slavery, when families were "united," he wasn't twisting history. Slave families weren't part of his reference. It was the WHITE ones he was talking about. In Roy Moore's world, they are the only ones who matter, indeed, the only ones who exist.
6
Looking at McConnell and Ryan's smarmy and unctuous smirks, one can assume they care not a whit about being called Roypublicans. As long as their tax break for donors becomes a reality, bring on the rapists and the felons. Fill the chambers of Congress with them -- providing they vote against the poor, the working and middle class, and in favor of the greedy one percent.
This is where we are now. This is what too many ignorant and bigoted Americans have allowed our government to become.
2
Call them what you like, but there is only one way back to our future. VOTE 2018!
3
The election of Roy Moore to the Senate puts us one step closer to class warfare. Bannon is already celebrating.
2
We are already deeply into class warfare, and the tiny upper class is winning.
Birds if a feather flock together. Yup, yup, yup.
1
The Republican Party is able to lie, cheat, steal, denigrate, harass women, molest children, etc...and suffer no consequences. Like in all dictatorships, the party apparatchiks are above the law. In Trump world that's how it's playing out, so far.
1
This is stunning and extraordinary that the party of Lincoln and a sitting president of the United States is supporting a 99.9% probable sexual predator of minors. Never ever imagined in my wildest dream that this tragedy would happen to our once great country!
1
How about this federal judge who had his clerks view pornography? He was chief judge of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and a highly respected authority on copyright law. What a long strange trip this is.
Yet another column about the insanity that surrounds the GOP and its president.
What's needed most right now? A column about malignant narcissism disorder, how it's incurable and what it means for Americans and the world.
Where are prominent Republicans, including but not limited to, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell?
1
The fall of the Hillary-crats. Republicans are playing street-rules ball, and Democrats whine and tally each rule violation. Dems need to stand for something other than how deplorable the other side is.
1
The way I look at it, the worst republican is way better than the best democrat. Go Roy!
1
I know it's hard to list all the groups Roy Moore and his party hate, and impossible to do it concisely, but you left anti-Semitism off the list. It's almost assumed with such as Moore, but he made it explicit with his hateful remarks about George Soros this week. He doesn't want to be a United States Senator, but a commander of the Republic of Gilead. And that isn't hyperbole.
1
It is not only trump that needs urgent psychiatric assessment by that group of 1,000 and growing eminent mental health professionals. Many Alabamanians apparently do and unfortunately a significant percentage of Americans do. I am finally reading THE WHITEST WHITE HOUSE by Ta-Nehisi Coates on the history and roots of American racism. (I am well aware that every country has some racism but in the US it is so deeply rooted in the history of the country....right from the earliest origins of the country.)
1
Think about it.... Roy Moore is just Donald Trump with a southern accent.... Trump represents the slide downward trajectory of a platform that previously would have rejected summarily both himself and Moore
As I prepare to cast a vote in Alabama for Doug Jones and against Roy Moore, it seems like another waste of time and effort. I used to believe the propaganda that America is like a churn, where the cream rises to the top in business and politics But during a lifetime of witnessing the corruption in Alabama and national politics, as well as corporate leadership pulling the strings of government, it is obvious that American politics is a cesspool, not a churn.
320
Ponder this: Both Roy Moore and Doug Jones are Christians. One is a dirty hypocrite, the other is pretty clean. Exactly where is the hard decision? I pray you are not alone in Alabama.
3
Smford please go vote anyway. Then walk around your neighborhood and get everyone else you know to vote. The reason we have this person as President is because people stayed home in places where they shouldn't have. Yes, there were people who weren't allowed to vote. But the sad truth is that in an American election we are a success when a little over half of us vote. It's the only hope we have. Please, do it for your country. We're counting on you.
2
Dear Smford
It is not a waste of time. Get out there and vote. Take people with you to vote. Every vote counts.
2
Republicans play for keeps while Democrats argue about nuance.
16
I agree with everything you said. However, the issue is actually much bigger than the Republican party. Something is fundamental wrong with this country. Coherence is gradually disappearing. If I put myself in the tribe of white people, I would definitely miss the "good old days"! The experiment of "America" is not working well. Don't blame the people of Alabama. They are victims too.
I blame coporations, Wall Street, Republican establishment and liberals. They are all dishonest intellectually and they all serve their self interests. NYT should have pointed out. Both conservatives and liberals are morally corrupted. Using trickle-down economics as an example, both sides are happily feeding tax payers' money to their favorite interest groups. But there is really no accountability. For example, investing on education should "trickle-down" to tax payers eventually. But the reality is we got a broken but expensive education system instead. Speaking of racial tention, now is definitely not a good time to take in more low-skilled immigrants. Why throw red meat to white nationalist? Besides, upward mobility is not working. Poor people stay poor. The true cost is much higher.
I deeply hope that NYT can investigate the true cost of bringing in low-skilled immigrants. We should settle on the debate once for all. Similarly, I deeply hope that NYT can report who the DACA recipients are?
The truth is the changing demographics was not approved by voters. We are taking the consequences!
3
Yes, the US public school system fails utterly at the essential task of debunking the beliefs in magic that create an irrational and ungovernable people. No democracy intent upon national cohesion would have let it get this bad.
“Last week, R.N.C. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told CNN: ‘ the president has said we want to keep this seat Republican. The R.N.C. Is the political arm of the White House, and we want to support the president’s agenda.’ “
Translation: “We are only following orders.”
Now why does that sound depressingly familiar?
16
You got that right, Susan. The dumptster in chief is doing exactly what that guy in the 1930sdid: kill the press and all opposition; tell lies so outrageous that people start to believe them; turn people against one another. And on and on... . And how church folks can stomach RM is way beyond my comprehension and makes me wonder if secession might not have been a good idea after all.
Remembering the coronation of Hillary?
I know a number of decent people who are Republican (and know more via the media) For them the situations is akin to have a family member turn out to be a criminal or nationally known sleazebag. It is brutal for them. They are horrified at what has happened, is happening, to the political party they grew up with and love. They can't support it but they can't condemn it either. Most of them seem to just be getting very, very quiet and no longer want to talk politics.
10
It has to be a very bitter pill to actual conservatives to realize they've been conned by a nihilist.
1
Because they're cowards.
Charles, I continue to share your outrage but I fear for our country as I don't see much of a strong move to unseat this abomination we have for a president.
10
Thank you sir for this Op. so sadly true.
3
Underlying all of this is another fundamental issue- the demonization of democrats and liberalism. The voters in 'Bama know Moore is a dirt bag, but they are convinced that a decent, hard working opponent is worse simply because they will not tolerate his party and what it stands for. We come back to Paul Krugman's correct point- that the forces that promote the Fox News/Rush Limbaugh narrative have won over a significant portion of the population and the mainstream media has been deficient in its response.
13
After just thirty years in the Senate, Mikulski stepped down last year. McCaskill and Murray, however, may get to decide the fate of Alabama's Roy Moore should he get elected to the U.S Senate. They do not believe that Moore lives up to their standards. Without benefit of due process, McCaskill declared him "not fit" to serve in the same Senate as Sir Galahad Ted Kennedy.
Say what one will about Roy Moore, but unlike Kennedy, he did not make a career of debauchery, and no one ever drowned in his car.
3
Really great whataboutism...we get it, there are/were many Dem politicians who are wrong...just like there are many Republican men who have not been caught. How about we just assume that there are a lot of men in many places that are sexual harassers and assaulters.
1
That is some epic whataboutism. Ted Kennedy’s been gone for a while. Why not focus on the Roy Moore issue exclusively, since it is actually relevant. My guess is that is a pretty painful process, so it’s easier to point to 50 year old gossip about the other party.
What one can say of Roy Moore, he is accused of sexual assault, not debauchery. He is also guilty of violating federal laws, and promoting racial, relgious and sexual discrimination. What we can't know is how many people may have died directly or indirectly as a result of his actions.
2
Thank you Charles Blow for reminding and "learning" all of us about the horror of slavery. Americans must never forget this part of our history.
5
As a columnist for a small independent paper, I'm experiencing growing difficulty finding words to describe the horror I feel watching this debacle.Thank goodness for Charles Blow.
8
“The Trump agenda is the Republican agenda: hostility to women and minorities, white supremacy and white nationalism, xenophobia, protectionist trade policies, tax policies that punish the poor and working class and people living in blue states.”
Scratch out “protectionist trade policies” and maybe “white nationalism,” and you’re looking at the Republican agenda since Barry Goldwater. The idea that Trump has taken over and distorted the party is only partially true-ever since Nelson Rockefeller’s moderates lost the war for the soul of the party in the late 50s and early 60s, the Republicans have been the party of the Southern Strategy, Rush Limbaugh, Tod Akin, and the Laffer Curve. This is a point that has been brought up in nearly every comment on New York Times articles detailing the party’s alleged rot under Trump. Hopefully soon more people will realise that Trump merely ushered in the final chapter of the modern American Republican Party, not opened the book.
4
The Party of "Family Values" no longer. Now it is the Party of "Religious Freedom", yet another iteration of bigotry with a wider net.
5
Sorry, this column is way over the top for Blow....which isn't saying a lot because all of his columns border on hysteria as of late. We should be honest about this election...which is rare in the current political climate. Jones, a pro-abortion candidate who supports the Democrats secular progressive platform would have no chance of winning this race under normal circumstances. The best he could hope for is an epic landslide defeat. If he wins now he will get trounced in the next election. The voters here are unapologetically conservative...pro GOP...nothing anyone can do or say will change that for the immediate future. The majority of Alabama voters don't want to be represented by a Democrat. It's wrong to force this choice on them. Imagine this happening in New York which has two Democratic senators. If the reverse was happening in NY how many people here would be enthusiastic about voting for a hardline anti-abortion Republican for Senator? If the Democrats held a slim majority in the Senate how many people here would be willing to give up that seat knowing that it could stall a liberal President's agenda. No one. So let's stop the hypocrisy. Jones is only in this race because of the mounting allegations against Moore. Unfortunately, there is no mechanism in Alabama to take Moore's name off the ballot or delay this election until these charges can be addressed. I'm certain if Moore does win, he will never be seated & a more responsible person will take his place.
4
You are skipping the fact that Moore won the primary election against a better qualified republican candidate. Moore was a terrible choice even before the obsession with young girls was revealed.
1
Forced on them? They’ve been voting this whole time...for Roy. I won’t lose any sleep worrying about to moral quandary they themselves chose.
"It's wrong to force this choice on them."
Huh? This is their electoral process, as dictated by law. Republican voters put this monster over the top in the Republican primary, and now voters in the general election must cast their ballot one way or the other (or not at all).
And to your hypothetical: in fact, I think it would be different in New York. Also, even putting the sexual misconduct allegations aside, it's impossible to imagine someone with such abhorrent views, and such a failed resume, ever winning the Democratic primary in NY to begin with. That's what makes the parties different.
The Republican National Committee Chairwoman actually said the RNC is "the political arm of the White House?" So the Republican President entirely dictates RNC policy, no matter how much or little of an actual principled conservative he is? I shouldn't be surprised.
2
Actually, the bigger story is the betrayal of Biblical values by the Evangelicals, but 'Roypublicns', is a close seconds.
4
Charles,
I would add that even if you dismiss the child molestation allegations, Moore is patently unqualified to hold a place in the U.S. Senate. Twice he has been removed from office because of his refusal to enforce the law. This is a secular nation - not a theocracy. Given that Moore clearly values Deuteronomy (well, parts of it), more than he values the U.S. Constitution, he is the very last person who should be admitted to the Senate.
14
Call them whatever,
They are the majority.
They hold the presidency, the senate and the house.
Deplorable.
5
Thank you,Mr. Blow, for this straight truth. Boy does America need voices like yours to cut through the tangled knots of lies.
3
From what I can see these crazy values that people like moore and trump are telling the truth, are decent, etc. are held by a small group of white people with very big mouths. Where are the rest of the people come election day? I have never been to Alabama however I can not image a place where the majority of the people believe and admire a person like moore or trump. I can not image a place, a whole state, where the majority of all people eligible to vote just care about one issue, abortion! They don't care about loosing healthcare, paying higher taxes, bigotry, racism, women's rights, equal justice for all and the list goes on. The ballet box and a open mind is all that stands between us and a banana republic.
3
I. Think Democrats are making a mistake if they plan to be the all-sex and all-Russia, all the time party. People care about little things like the economy, foreign policy, and so forth. And I don't see Democrats addressing them.
3
I don’t see Roy addressing them either.
Time for republicans to get royiled.
Anger motivates. And Dems are ready to fight.
2018 end of GOP.
2
Roy Moore and Donald Trump make me think of J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson . Or Nixon and Rebozo. All Republicans. Nothing changes in the GOP.
2
On cable TV news some Alabama voters interviewed said they don’t believe the accusations against Moore and think ‘someone’, they won’t say who, is paying the women to make up these stories about Moore molesting young girls.
Here are quotes from Howell Raines of the NYT in his op ed today:
“Alabama’s much-ridiculed preference for officials regarded as unfit by the rest of the nation is embedded in tradition, but Mr. Trump’s success argues that this is now a national tic. He won with the tools that have cast spells on Alabama voters for two centuries: race, religion, hysterical oratory, intimidation of critics and economic three-card monte dealt by big-business hand jivers."
"Electing Mr. Jones, who is admired nationally for prosecuting racial crimes, would be a cultural watershed for Alabama voters and a sign that the Trump base will fracture with unexpected ease.”
Will it fracture or will it be strengthened?
1
The Trump supporters in Alabama maybe able to figure it out. That Roy Moore is guilty as accused but from everything I am hearing it would be a miracle.
Perhaps if someone could convince the voters there that they could be the first State to start turning this Country around by voting for Doug Jones this would make them true Patriots. Appeal to their Patiotic duty. After all they have a huge Military base in Huntsville and there is nothing more Patriotic than the Military
1
How can the despicable Roy Moore take a vow to protect and defend the Constitution when he has so blatantly ignored it in the past? He was removed from his judgeship in 2003 for denying a federal court's orders, and, after again being elected as Chief Justice, was again suspended for continuing to endorse Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage after it was ruled unconstitutional. This alone should disqualify him, even putting aside his racism and appetite for underage girls. Unfortunately, today's GOP doesn't believe in the law when it comes to their own. How much more un-American can you be?
2
The Trump/Roypublican agenda is; Voter suppression, gutting environmental regulations, reducing Medicare and social security to pay for a tax cut for the wealthiest 1%, devastating consumer protection regulations, removing 9,000,000 children’s healthcare. If the people of Alabama believe in this agenda they have their man in Roy Moore.
What really amazes me is not that Americans across the country fell for the con and voted for the GOP against their best interests. What amazes me is their ability to over look the agenda’s destruction of our country’s core values and declare it a way to #MAGA. As an old line republican once said “...you can fool some of the people all of the time”. If only we could devise a system where only the fools paid the price of their foolishness.
Good name, and it fits the Trump GOP. Unfortunate for democracy, for good the the plutocrats who want to pump up, burn up and pollute the world.
The zombie Trump party has always existed, raising its head every 20 years or so.
1
Mr. Blow's exquisite writing [coupled with the Special Prosecutor's diligence] by shining the light on #45 and the Roypublicans or as Paul Krugman has suggested, the Trump-Moore Party, reassures me that the end is near for this nightmare. And indeed, it cannot come to soon.
Moore will win. And sadly, he may not be the pariah people think. This nation, particularly rural red, is turning into something dark and hateful. I feel the worst is yet to come
2
Republican voters are what they are. Here is the question: what are democrats doing about all this? I wish the democrats would figure out the following:
a. The right is not the problem. Democrats will never attract the 47% of Americans, the white christian tribes who want Moore, higher taxes, wars, pollution, coal, unfunded schools, guns, and a theocracy. They will not turn friendly because you offered reasoned arguments (Hillary tried).
b. Trump and republicans are inordinately successful. They have won every election since last November. The support for Trump among republicans is sky high. Trump is raising taxes on the poor to feed his rich friends, and the right loves him for this. Now that is power! Being loved by making people poor.
c. Trump communicates directly with his base with fire and steel. Just because it is objectionable does not make it ineffective. Democrats have no such connection.
d. Trump has loyal constituencies. Democrats attract self-involved, self-indulgent, petulant, smug, and mercenary mosaics. Hillary lost not because people voted for Trump, but because democrats (blacks, young) did not vote at all (presumably to show up the rest of us). Democrats have no solutions for this except whining.
Republicans may be doing everything objectionable, but they are winning. Democrats find one new reason to shoot themselves in the foot each morning, and are wondering why the other foot is healthy by nightfall.
Kalidan
Thank you once again Charles.
I'm utterly mystified by white Alabama women who are supporting the Grotesque Oligarchy Party. Unless they're all suffering from Stockholm syndrome, it seems unimaginable that anyone with 2 X chromosomes would vote for this despicable character. It speaks to the tribalism of this era that they apparently identify as white more than they do as women.
And there should not be an attorney anywhere in the state who would vote for a man removed from the bench for defying higher courts. The rule of law prevails only because a society agrees to obey the laws, even those that some may find personally objectionable. I wish the press would stop referring to him as "Judge" Moore. His conduct and removal from the bench should make him ineligible for that title.
To the GOP, no personal moral failing matters. One can be a sexual harasser, pedophile, corrupt, completely devoid of knowledge or interest in learning anything. All that matters to them is voting “yes” on tax cuts for the rich and large corporations, to be funded by stripping Americans of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and raising taxes on the middle and lower middle class. The culture wars drivel is a sideshow to get incurious and poorly educated rubes to vote for the GOP.
2
Long before these sexual harassment charges came to light there were ample reasons not to vote for Roy Moore. He was a judge who was twice removed from the bench for refusing to accept decisions made by the Supreme Court, one which required him to removed a 5000-pound Ten Commandments monument and the other to cooperate with marrying gay couples. How can someone like that be elected to the United States Senate? Answer: it's the state of Alabama, which to those of us who live in the liberal Northeast, is a foreign country.
323
It is truly more foreign than we can ever imagine. People hold their "guns" closer dearer to them, than they hold them fellow Americans of the north.
4
Your post is right on target bald...so foreign to me, I am in purple Colorado.
Well, Minnesota elected Jesse Ventura (I think he was a champion pro wrestler) as governor and California elected former show business tap dancer & movie star George Murphy to the Senate before Ronald Reagan.
Everything you write is true, but now what?
Facing down a fascist, I’m afraid, with any kind of rational thinking does not work.
Every word they utter a lie, a lack of conscience and a sadistic nature, it seems it will take far more than a smart column.
We have known for some time all of this, and now what? The outrage must turn to action. As the assault the nation is under feels about to be complete.
7
Writers write. Voters vote. And help to register voters and get out the vote.
"Trump is a white man on a white stallion fighting to preserve white culture and white power. People who support this point of view and cheer the Trump charade forgave his failings because they believed so deeply in his mission."
It is comforting that only someone with such considerable and deep-rooted failings as Trump could assume the role of champion of these rascists. What is much less comforting, however, is just how many of these racists are actually out there. By this point the stakes of the election are very clear, and unfortunately Tuesday's outcome will reveal just how many "Roybublicans" are among us.
1
MOORE'S SUPPORT From Trump on down is a disgrace that is a powerful indictment of the pervasive moral turpitude that is the GOP that is plaguing the nation, threatening to destroy all the liberties and freedoms We the People are entitled to. Any member of the GOP who remains silent in the face of open endorsement of slavery thereby condemns her or himself as a hater of freedom and liberty. The bedrock upon which our nation was founded. When Oppenheimer observed an early explosion of an atomic weapon he alluded to a deity he described as being the Destroyer of Worlds. The GOP does not need any weapon or deity to destroy the planet. They're destroying the Earth by supporting criminals who will leave the US a smoldering wreck, From Sea to Burning Sea.
4
It's beyond my understanding how in the 21st century there are still white people who think slavery could be tolerable and happy. I am mindful that as strongly as the Left feel disdain against Trump and Moore, the Right felt similar irk against Obama. How do we come to have two realities?
3
No matter what happens in Alabama it is time to hit the streets. It doesn't matter what happens in Alabama because Moore could even get on the ballot. Even worse not only could he get on the ballot, but it is close. Trump is to dumb he will never understand much of anything. People need to learn that the South lost the Civil War (maybe we need war reparations to make that clear). People need to understand whereas it used to be adults could get away with going after teenage girls at the mall, try that now and you're in jail. And if you did it 60 years ago we've got a jail cell for you. Just because actions don't have consequences right away, doesn't mean actions don't have consequences.
At long last our gradual change means there is no room for some people from the past. We need to move on. And Judge Roy Moores only part of the future is as an embarrassing note in history. Anyone in Alabama that votes for him, needs to know they join that embarrassing historical note. 20 years from now will really be saying, could anyone really have voted for him? What was wrong with them?
2
They already have reparations! Far more public money flows from liberal, blue states to red southern ones... and that's been true for decades.
They profess to be anti-government, but rely upon it, especially when unemployment, economic downturns, and "natural" (man-made or worsened) disasters strike.
1
Just now people are realizing the depravity of the Republican Party? I can’t remember the last time the party stood for anything other than guns, homophobia, xenophobia and extreme evangelical beliefs.
9
Trump is appealing to his base with "white nationalism", etc but simply wants to enact legislation and policies that benefits the ultra rich. Everything else is a distraction. Cable news simply yaks about Trump 24/7 without examining his actions with the EPA, health care, etc. The blacks and other minorities make the mistake of not voting. The religious right is irreligious. They sacrifice the poor for two issues- abortion and homosexual marriage. They have made a pact with the "devil" and the GOP.
4
Moore will get a good share of votes from Alabama women, and I suspect that no one at the Times knows why. The Birmingham News has little good to say about Moore. But they are following the election very closely. A recent story was revealing. The newspaper interviewed an older woman from rural Alabama. She had little problem with Moore's dallying with teenagers. She herself had been 18 when she began dating her 32 year old husband. And her mother had married a 29 year old man when she was 15. Rural Alabama is not New York City. And NYC values, which seem common sensical, don't carry the day in Alabama's rural counties. It would be helpful if the liberal media read the Birmingham News, a respectable newspaper. Women who have grown up in a Roy Moore culture should not be ignored. Otherwise, we'll get more bad predictions of election results.
2
"NYC values"? Really?
How about Arizona? Sounds like you're okay with sexual predation of underage girls. Not to mention flouting the rule of law, when that law is separation of church and state.
Oh yeah. And how about slavery? That was a good old time. Arizonians are good with slavery, too, eh?
And just plain good old constant lying. No problem with that down in Arizona, where all the clear-thinking people live, right?
The fact remains that the women who are now accusing Moore of various degrees of bad behavior have had 40 years, 40 years when he was running for public offices to say something...they haven't because maybe these claims are not true.
Incisive writing that captures the inherent hypocrisy of the religious right. As long as religion is in the mix, nothing good can come out of it.
4
Mr. Blow, you say that "If Alabama voters on Tuesday elect Roy Moore to the Senate," then any "pretense of tolerance and egalitarianism, already damaged by a Republican history of words and deeds, will be completely obliterated."
It doesn't matter who wins tomorrow's election in Alabama. Republicans have already sold their soul for the price of a Supreme Court justice and tax cuts for the rich. Character doesn't matter when party line votes are at stake. That ship sailed over a year ago.
14
Just finished the book, Grant, as was reminded how deeply scarred the Civil War left the southern mind. At this late date, 2017, so many southerners continue to believe they fought for a just cause and for decades after the war made every effort to reinstate white supremacy. While not as virulent today, you still see remnants of that white rebelliousness in the candidates these states send to Congress.
1
I have yet to see a word of blame where it really belongs, the Supreme Court whose fake 'conservative' majority upended the entire election process by allowing big money to influence politics (citizens united).
Fasten your seat belts, the worst is yet to come in the name of Gorsuch
9
This may be Trump's Fifth Avenue moment. If Moore wins, then Trump will be able to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. He will argue that the dead person was in the way of some legislation and, therefore, was expendable. I cannot find the words to express my despair with the path that my country is has taken.
4
On the positive side, the civics lesson continues, the uncovering of religion as motivated delusion continues, the exposure of evangelicalism in particular as a hollowed-shell of racism and immorality continues. All this points up. Eventually.
3
It would have been nice if Mr. Moore had been more explicit in his comment. What he meant was "when WHITE families were united". It still would have been an inaccurate historical statement, but at least it would have told the truth of what is in his heart.
Is it the "Rise of the Roypublicans" or the fall of reason, the fall of fact checking, the fall of a common, provable reality as we have known it. The rise of rationalizations, the rise of hate, anger, and animosity, the rise of us vs. them, the rise of false equivalencies.
1
Mr Blow,
It is not that I don't agree with everything you say about how unctuous the Republicans have become, because I do and you are right. My problem is that exactly when did they become so ugly that they needed to be called on it, and notice the use of past tense. For me that probably is close to 30 years ago when Christian Conservatives (aka Evangelicals, previously known as The Religious Right) with their political agenda which robs others of rights in their pursuit of a Christian Nation began to have a stranglehold on the party. Remember when there were killings of Abortion workers and they kind of smiled and said that they had not had a hand in the violent act but they can't get too upset because of all the "baby killings?" Remember the violence perpetrated against trans people, even unto this day when this years murder tole is the highest it has been in history, 25 and counting nationwide. This acceptance of the abhorrent is nothing new, nothing is horrific if it advances their cause.
2
This one verse, this on sentence continues to pop into my mind every time I think about the last two years of the Rebulican led Congress of the United States: You shall know them by their fruits." Evangelicals? Please!
3
George Wallace (former Alabama governor "segregation now, segregation forever") won 5 southern states, 45 electoral votes, 13% of the national vote, split the Democratic Party and swung the 1968 presidential election to Nixon. His primary base was young white working class men.
Young segregationist grow into old ones, they are voting tomorrow in Alabama.
6
Blow makes clear that the profoundly flawed morality of a racist South can be mobilized to support a President without a moral core. Trump like all dictators knows full well that bigotry and vulnerability to hatred of other, the paranoia of racism that sees all evil in 'other', can be manipulated to offer a path to power. Trump's ability to play to that audience imperils democracy. He undermines equality at the center of our democracy. Shrouded in the garb of the Christian right Trump is redeemed and the racist South is resurrected and normalized. Thus, the way has been cleared to a mode of governance that undoes all that we have given our lives to defend, freedom for all no matter the diversity that is the reality of the world around us. Xenophobia prevails as the ethos of the racist South rises once again as a dominant force in American politics. Trump is a clever psychopath and predator who knows full well whom he can exploit and control. He, his supporters are the resurrected and re-legitimized Southern slave holders, hypocritical advocates of a version of Christianity that is abhorrent and hateful at best. They will take us into a version of fascism from which it may take another Civil War to free our Nation. TRump rules amidst hatred and bigotry.
2
Besides its undeniable depravity, there is an extremely devious and morally self-serving political reason the RNC got on board: If Moore is elected and then self-righteously expelled, the Republican Governor of Alabama appoints someone to occupy the seat.
Makes you want to cry.
1
It makes you want to cry that the Democrats can't steal a seat that the electorate in Alabama want to be Republican? That makes me want to cry.
Seat stealing by Democrats? Are you serious? Please check Alabama's actions following the overturning of the Voting Rights Act.
Sadly, every word written here is true. Moore makes George Wallace look like a saint.
I strongly urge the Blue State tax givers to find a way to not have their federal tax funds go to the Red Taker states, fair is fair and why should we subsidize their poor economies, their poor education systems and their poor health systems...they have army bases that is more than.enough federal aid to.meet their desires.
3
Since 1980 I have viewed the religious right with interest and a degree of sympathy. This is mainly because of my hostility to the sexual revolution.
By supporting Roy Moore and Donald Trump most Christian conservatives betray their principles.
They should consider what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
When Moore responded, “I think {The Civil War} was great at the time when families were united, even though we had slavery, they cared for one another."
Not only did The Civil War split the nation (hence: Civil War), it famously split families.
Why are we wasting time arguing about the election? This man should be in jail along with the other sexual predators, period. This has become a confused, lawyer run country, shame.
It would be great to see the conservative women of Alabama take a stand, and if they swore to God never to vote for one of those "Democrats", then they can keep their oath and just not vote.
Too often we have seen the flip side of a bible thumping conservative leader is some man with a sexual anomaly. And what ever happened to the dozen or so women who complained about the behavior of President Trump?
Amen! I have read too many columns about the "good people of Alabama" and how the Roy Moore debacle (stench, if you will) is unjustly tainting the good people of this great state. (If you voice this lament while chewing magnolia leaves, you develop a southern drawl.) If I read one more person -- usually someone who grew up in Alabama or the Deep South -- waxing poetic about the good ole days and how the "good people of Alabama" are wrestling with their past and agonizing over this decision ... I may lose my lunch. This revisionist history has been fraught with lies about how great things were back in the day. Only if you had power, which translates to a white man with money.
2
I almost want Moore to win. Would serve the goal of the entire GOP tumbling down like a (forgive me) house of cards.
1
Agreed. It would give Mitch McConnell another clown to try to sequester.
Tuesday will mark the beginning of the end of the Republican Party, and, quite frankly, I will applaud.
347
I was pretty sure that Nov. 7, 2016, was the beginning of the end of the Republican Party. Be careful what you wish for.
2
On the contrary, I think it'll be the Democrats, feckless ditherers and cavillers all, who will go under. The Repubs will be reinvigorated, but will need a new name: the National Socialist Party comes immediately to mind. Or maybe the Party of God.
2
I'd say the election of Trump was the end of the GOP, period, this is just another slide further down into the abyss to Hell.
1
The GOP is right on the cusp of being able to pass their sweeping agenda that benefits the wealthy and begins the shredding of the social safety nets (including Social Security and Medicare). The need to keep that one vote GOP for the tax bill. Their choice is not based on any morality but rather on expediency.
10
I agree. I have spent the last year or so trying my hardest to understand our current environment. Good points were made for how there were many people that were left out. I bought the idea that I was just thinking like a coastal elite and that I had no clue how things really were in the rest of the country. I admit, some of that is true.
How am I supposed to absorb this? What book can I read that can explain how this comes about? What are the excuses and rationalizations for me to temper my own leftist thoughts on Moore and Alabama and all the other places that look backwards to me? At this point I can't. The simple fact of the matter is that this is not the direction the country should be going in. This is not progress. This is not the United States I admire. The real people loose when people like this win.
7
Robert, there are no books to read. I live in a deeply red county in the south (80+% moron voters in 2016) as with the worst of the counties in exurban/rural America, minority population barely scratches 10%, i.e. basically all white. Unlike many really rural counties the economy is excellent by US standards considering a poorly educated workforce, i.e. lot's of warehouse/distribution/"logistics" and menial service jobs. No it really is racist, misogynist ignorance fear and the ensuing emotion of anger at anyone who believes in the positive life affirming values of love thy neighbor as thyself. These folks are so fearful they consider it a victory as long as emotionally they feel like they hurt you worse than they hurt themselves, the only equivalence I can think of are suicide bombers convinced they are going to heaven after detonating their bombs. Really, you could perhaps read up on the eschatological fanaticism of those at the Roy level to explain their Putin/Israel fixation. Hopefully the old slave spiritual and gospel lessons of the Advent season will show us a way out of no way! Hope this helps.
Don’t blame Trump.
He just made things that much more clear about what we’re up against with the Republican Party.
9
I can not believe I am witnessing what is happening to America. I am dumbfounded. I thought we were an educated nation, a mature democracy. What happened?
21
Republicans became a tribe in about 1964 and voted to protect the chief (a deity to the tribe) ever since. Now here we are.
All election ballots should have a “none of the above” choice. If NOTA wins call a new election but exclude those candidates from re-election.
The primary system ensures that most elections offer little choice.
5
Wait until the GOP and the Russians take over the census. Like a fraudulent election, there is no remedy for a fraudulent election, not while the GOP owns either the House, the Senate, the Presidency, or the Supreme Court, which they hold now. Holding any ONR of these levers of power means they can keep their ill gotten gains. Once the deformed Census goes through, it is all over for Democracy in the "United States".
11
One doesn't have to go to the sexual allegations. Moore has already disqualified himself from the office. Has everyone forgotten that he has twice been removed from office as Chief Justice for failure to follow the constitutional order? How could anyone believe him if he wins and swears
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
18
You only have to have lived in Alabama or in a nearby state (I've done both) to understand that these people aren't stupid.
They are proudly giving the middle finger to the majority of Americans, who they disdain. This is almost modus operandi in red states today.
How we keep a republic amidst all this, I don't know.
I agree with what you say about the sleaziness of the Republican Party and its fealty to racism. But I draw a line here: I am a white person and I refuse to accept that the culture of Roy Moore and Donald Trump is my culture. That's like saying that black culture in the US is defined by gangs and crooked and sexist politicians who happen to be black instead of white. I recognize perfectly well the myriad ways that I have benefited from white privilege, but that doesn't mean that I believe that it is right and want it to continue. Painting with such a broad brush helps no one.
5
The last time any Republican politician put the good of the country over their own power was during the Watergate scandal.
7
Unfortunately those outside of the politically aware, have no idea who Moore is. If Trump has not shamed Republicans, Moore will absolutely have no affect.
3
It is not just in Alabama. Here is an example in Michigan.
Here is an example of white privilege. This would never happen if the congressional district was white.
There are over 700,000 citizens living in the 13th congressioal district in Michigan. This was the district of John Conyers who resigned. Governor Snyder decided not to have the vote for his replacement until November of next year which means this district has no representation.
If this was an all white suburban district this would not happen. Wouldn’t it be nice if the suburban districts around Detroit spoke up and demanded a quicker election. There are many of us in the burbs who like to say we believe in equal rights. While here is a chance to do something about it.
The candidates for the office are well known by that districts citizens so a lot of time is not needed to decide. Let’s help our neighbors.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the white suburban districts demandec a faster election?
14
This would be the same Snyder that was an accomplice to the poisoning of Flint's citizens, i.e. murdering. Yep a fine republican there...
Back to the Rawl's morality of justice, can anyone explain in what just universe Sniyder would not be snatched up and imprisoned until old age or death rendered him non threatening to humans ever again?
1
Same one. Same one who put Detroit under emergency management, rightly so, but with the result being Detroit's market value of net worth as a result of that bankruptcy actually decreased. This is the opposite of what is suppose to happen.
That after 40 years this all came out one month before the general election is clear evidence that this is simply a (pathetic) attempt by the left to steal a Senate seat. It has nothing to do with getting justice for any victims or bringing perpetrators to justice. It is a bald faced grab for a Senate seat.
So what are we to do? Does a vote for Moore mean anything other than we are not giving up that seat to a Democrat? No it certainly does not. The greater good here is getting all the conservative policies passed in the window we have, which may be short. All the lifetime judge appointments, the immigration policies, the wall, the military spending, the tax cut, the infrastructure plan.
To be honest, the left got too cute on this one. By waiting a month before the general election, they left no time to vet the story, and cleared the way for Moore to win. Republicans are going to elect Moore, buy some time, and then get rid of him if the allegations prove out. But at a time when he can be replaced with a Republican.
What Republicans are NOT going to do, is fall for incompetent political trickery, and give this seat to the Democrats. That is not going to happen. They can rid themselves of Moore, and the legacy of him, in other ways that maintain the seat. So you can kick and scream and pout and lay on the floor all you want. You're not stealing the seat.
2
What leads you to believe that republicans have a "right" to that seat? What gall.
You should stop thinking in Michigan vs Ohio State Football terms, this isn't Republican vs Democrat, it's Plutocrats vs the 99%. Trump was elected ostensibly as a Republican but the reality is that he isn't and never will be; real Republicans don't actually want to merge Christianity and Government, they don't want taxation / wages of the 99% to get so high / low that people have to choose between food and healthcare, real Republicans helped introduced Social Security and Medicare after the Plutocrats had taken everything, bet it on the stock market, and lost.
Your labels are ridiculous, wake up and realize how close we are to serfdom - unless, that is, you're a 0.1% who want to be a plantation owner?
My child already withdrew an application to an Alabama college.
I have friends who hare moving their businesses out of Alabama. Others are canceling contracts.
You reap what you sow.
17
Reasonable and rational persons marvel at the "evangelicals" supporting the most immoral figures like Moore and Trump. But listening to the Radio Atlantic podcast of the interview of the author of their article on Mike Pence, I better understand their perspective, as bizarre as it is. They see their world view, it would seem, as under siege, and they think there is no reason to change with a changing world. They are used to following charismatic preachers. They find some scriptural contortions about bowing down to civil leaders. They think that transgressions are wiped away by some later request for forgiveness. (And they love the vicarious and titillating accounts of especially the sexual misdeeds that precede the absolution request.) So they do not see it as hypocrisy to glam onto the Roy Moore or the Donald Trump. Those despicable characters are seen as their saviors.
I guess at this period it is the intelligent, scientific, and cognitively capable who are maybe more under siege.
8
Oh, come on Mr. Blow, don't hold back! Tell us what you really think of Roy Moore and his party.
Even if Jones wins the election, it will be because some Republicans stayed home. The overwhelming majority of those who will vote will do so enthusiastically for Moore. For them, his molesting children makes no nevermind.
Let us not forget that it's not just Trump and the RNC now. The few Republican Senators who had expressed disapproval of Moore - chiefly ones like McConnell who don't care how Moore (or Trump) treated females but sure care that Moore had threatened them politically - are now silent, hoping he will win.
7
Republicans who err on the side of the likes of trump and moore (small caps are intentional) are complicit in the degradation of our societies ethical and moral norms. They are also complicit in the degradation of the US Constitution and are guilty of seditious behavior; they have sold whatever soul they have to the worst amongst us. The RNC, McConnell, Ryan, etc., etc., all despicable, phony, hypocrites.
12
Clearly, for Trump and the Republican Party the "The end justifies the means", still the most un-American of ideas.
3
It is often not noted that the "establishment" Republican party brought this perfect storm in Alabama on itself. As attorney general, Luther Strange would have been part of an ethics investigation against (now former) Gov. Robert Bentley. Bentley, a representative from Tuscaloosa, won the office originally by being the First Baptist Church elder who preferred shelling peas to swirling cocktails. That was until his second term when it was discovered by his (now former) wife that he was having improper relationships with a young woman who was his political muse whose salary was paid for by a suspect 501(c)4. This bombshell rocked the state and investigations were called to see if the "Love Gov" had misappropriated any public funds in courting her. HOWEVER, when Sessions was named AG, Strange (a former DC lobbyist) dropped the investigation and subsequently Bentley appointed him to Sessions seat. I honestly think my dog could have run against Strange and won because the public was upset by what it deemed was a "sell out" by the AG. I don't see how the GOP "powers that be" allowed Strange to take it except that Bentley had also said Strange would finish out Sessions' term (his replacement Kay Ivey called for this "special election"). The GOP miscalculated in letting Strange take the seat to begin with. Moore could have been beat by a better candidate in the primary. Now in this "red dog" state, they are stuck with him.
3
Among other things is the hypocrisy of many Alabaman Republicans who cry "let Alabamans choose!", vilifying McConnell and the rest of country for having an opinion, as if this were a state senate seat Moore is running for. It should be pointed out to all those voters that the Supreme Court decides for all Americans and that most laws passed by Congress (and signed by the guy who got elected president) will be law for all of us. So we get to have our opinions and our say.
3
This phenomenon would surely be the beginning of the end of the GOP, if there were a viable opposition party in waiting. Democrats need to detoxify their brand, otherwise the Roypublicans could remain in charge for a decade - with disastrous long-term consequences for the USA and beyond.
In Alabama (perhaps) and elsewhere (certainly), Democrats could turn the momentum with three steps: 1) reframe messages of inclusion in terms of economics and equality, not ethnicity and special treatment; 2) respect and engage with religious viewpoints; and 3) get back to bread and butter issues and simple themes of good, honest government.
Note, for example, how the focus on Moore's peccadilos is obscuring some basic facts that should disqualify him as a candidate. Does anyone remember a month or so ago, when we found that his 'charitable' foundation was paying him a fat salary to basically give his political stump speech, paying his relatives, and probably violating tax laws? And when we think about his actions as a judge, why focus on the fact that he promoted the Ten Commandments (an action I would, as a lawyer, argue should be acceptable), rather than on the simple fact of defying a federal court order (as a lawyer, right or wrong, court orders have to be obeyed, even by judges who disagree with them)? Democrats have a wide lane to simply push for policies that treat all of us equally, lift those in economic trouble, and implement honest and transparent government. Use it.
4
The article, though incredibly antagonistic, does show a broader issue: How does the GOP deal with the potential addition of Roy Moore to the US Senate? Ted Cruz may have a buddy now, but even Ted would go “Really?” However, it is up to the people of Alabama to decide. And will be the people of Alabama, who will bear the brunt of having Roy Moore in the Senate.
However, do you really want someone who has been kicked to the curb twice from the Alabama Supreme Court? Not to mention, someone, many people would probably not want to live next door to.
1
I will not doubt that corrupt "moral rationalization" defines Republicans, regardless of the vote tally. It is Republicanism, with one vote in Alabama or with 20.
1
Bravo Mr. Blow. Truly one of your best. A spot on and impassioned analysis or our current moment. God bless you!
3
It is very fitting that Trump, Moore, and the current breed of GOP should be warriors for evangelical Christianity against LGBT, Choice, divorcees, and civil rights movement in general.
I always think evangelical's protest in this regard to be hypocritical. They condemn. They condemn unabashedly with anger and hatred. There is no love, no generosity, no kindness.
So hypocritical politicians advancing hypocritical religiosity, very fitting.
2
Mancuroc:
Re: "Jones should spend most of his time talking about the Republicans' threats to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security."
1000 times yes - on a national level.
70% favor a higher minimum wage, 80% of voters support Social Security. Winning positions. Positions which once were known to be fully supported by New Deal Democrats, but were deserted by Obama, who appointed Simpson and Bowles - known Social Security haters - to have a national debate about how to "cut the deficit". "Cutting the deficit" translating to cutting Social Security.
OTOH - the Alabama senate race may be beyond the reach of economic issues. I have heard from people with family in AL, that for many, the issue has been framed as the baby killer vs the child predator. For single issue voters (anti-abortion) - who form a large block in AL - that justifies voting for Moore.
For swing voters in the rest of the nation, those economic issues provide a huge untapped opportunity to unify voters and win. But since both Democrats and Republicans are anti Social Security, that will need to wait until a third party gains critical mass. Democrats' weak and vague populist posturing are just good cop to Republican bad cop. If Democrats were truly economic populists, it would be child's play to unify a solid majority and win on those issues - and thus win on *all* issues. The failure of very smart and powerful donors and pols to take that path, is evidence that their donors won't allow it.
3
As someone who's watched history unfold for well over sixty years, as much as I want to endorse Mr. Blow's conclusion that Trump has, "led to the rise of the Roypublicans," it just as plausible that the Roypublicans have led to the rise of Trump. Us old white guys who years ago chose the Civil Rights Movement and equality for all have been saying all along that many in our acquaintance would bring back slavery in an eye blink if they could. Roy Moore's nostalgia for his twisted version of American "greatness" didn't begin with Donald Trump; it's been smoldering for decades. Trump fanned it into flames and the inferno is still spreading, with no end in sight.
2
Alabamans who support Roy Moore are perplexing to me...why do they put all their stock in "belief"?...why do they so forcefully hold onto old revisionist history?...why do they overlook what they see with their own eyes?
Has it not occurred to these people, that their Creator gave them five senses so they CAN know the truth, a brain so they CAN figure things out, the power of reasoning so there CAN be progress to overcome both physical disease and mental narrowness, a sense of right and wrong so they CAN be safe from being led astray, a sense of humility so they CAN see their own shortcomings in order to grow and become perfected throughout their lives, as sense of empathy so they CAN understand others' lives, and a sense of shared responsibility so they CAN protect the vulnerable from those who would hurt them?
1
Charles, as always, your column is stark and realistic - but I disagree that Trump was the "gateway" to Moore and "Roypublicans." Trump was the inevitable result of decades of GOTP descent into its current roiling abyss of hatred, bigotry, venomous misogyny and sexism, homophobia, religious extremism, celebration of ignorance over intellect, and more. He is not a "gateway" - his party began paving that road and building that gate as far back as the 1950's during the McCarthy era, rapidly amping up with the signing of the Voting and Civil Rights Acts in the 1960's. The GOTP has assiduously courted low information, fearful conservative white voters since then, and Trump merely used and marketed those fears to his advantage. He shifted parties because he would never have been elected by Democrats writ large - whatever our failings (and there are many), we do not incite and stoke hatred or religious extremism, and we believe in equal rights. Ornstein and Mann were absolutely accurate in describing the GOTP as an "insurgent outlier" party - bent, in my judgment, upon resurrecting the Confederacy, where white, male "christians," held all of the power and women and people of color were fully subjugated. That is and has been the entire GOTP. 12/11, 8;52 AM
2
Republicans surrendered any moral high ground long ago.
The GOP was always the party of the rich and big business, but in the 60s and 70s moderate Republicans supported the civil rights laws, environmental protections and, as recently as the early 90s, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those days and those Republicans are long gone, replaced by angry-at-other-Americans who they blame for every problem. I think the transformation started with round the clock brainwashing by talk radio and Fox News, which have monetized the demonization of every progressive politician and cause.
Many if not most Republicans now disdain the adjective by referring to the "Democrat Party", using the bad grammar as a petty insult. While perhaps pettiness should not be repaid in kind, it is fair to say that the old GOP is dead, replaced and perfectly represented by Donald Trump.
Clearly, we now have two major parties: the Democratic Party and the Trumpicans. Let Ryan, McConnell, and all of their ilk wear their new moniker. They've earned it.
It seems to me that the Senate Republicans have much more to gain than lose by refusing to seat Roy Moore should he be elected. Here's the scenario:
Moore gets elected. The Senate--with McConnell taking the lead refuse to seat him on ground of moral unfitness for the office, to say nothing of his defiance of the US Constitution when he was a Federal Judge. The Governor of Alabama appoints a Republican to take the Senate seat--most like the current sitting Senator Strange. This way the Senate Republicans get a Senator who will vote the same way on any bills of substance that at Senator Moore would have, but without the stigma and stain of a Senator Moore.
What is the downside here for Senate Republicans? I can't see any.
1
I believe that the South won the civil war. We have been controlled by GOP politicians in house leadership postions for many years. We have a fractured country being nurtured by hateful, vile people. These are the same politicians that purposefully keep their constituency in perpetual ignorance which wins them election after election. Their voters may be ignorant but most of these GOP politicians aren't as dumb as they sound expect for Trump and Moore. They know how to placate their voter's emotions with their dog whistle civil war era rhetoric. How the Democrats allow themselves to be portrayed as evil doers and immoral by the GOP and the alt-right media is appalling when the GOP is exactly that.
2
The ship of democracy has become "unMoored" in Alabama. The late Republican party of Romney, Reagan and GH Bush will pay a steep price in 2018.
Its' time for the pendulum to swing back to the center!
1
What is amazing to me is that I thought the GOP could never field a more loathsome character than Trump... but in Roy Moore, they did. The only minor consolation is that if Moore is elected he won't have control of nuclear weapons.
3
Most remarkable to me in the Alabama Senate race is the opposition of Alabama's Senator Richard Shelby to Roy Moore. Shelby told the media he has already voted for another unnamed Republican. I believe it is probably unprecedented that a sitting U.S. senator of the same party has denied support to a senatorial candidate in his state's party. Shelby, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, would be a key player in an ethics investigation of Moore, should he be elected. I trust that Shelby would make Moore's life in the Senate miserable from day one.
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Alabama is one thing. It is to be hoped, however, that once Roy Moore is in the Senate, the rest of the country will react appropriately. The only response to a party that would support Roy Moore is to throw it out of office. The midterms can't come soon enough.
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We are still fighting the Civil War. We are still tainted by the original sin of slavery bequeathed to us by our founding fathers who saw fit, for the purposes of the census, and presumably achieving consensus for ratifying the Constitution, would have slaves counted as three-fifths of a person. It effectively gave the south far more representation in congress than it actually deserved (which it would have deserved had slaves been emancipated). Ironically, the south has forevermore been outsized in its influence in our national government than it deserved. Here we are 230 years after the 1787 Constitutional Convention still hobbled by this messy compromise. We went to war over this issue and it has never been adequately resolved. While the Fourteenth Amendment presumably repealed the three-fifths compromise it simply left the south to bitterly "reconstruct" its supremist ambitions with Jim Crow. Today's voter supression efforts and clamor for presevering confederate monuments are the ugly truth of how our ideals of equal justice under law have fallen short. "Roypublicans." You're right, Charles. If the shoe fits, they're happy to wear it. Try as you might, you won't "learn" that old dog any new tricks. It's infected with mange and fleas and they don't care.
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