On Nov. 9, it was revealed that Alabama Senate Candidate Roy Moore brought 14 year-old Leigh Corfman to his home on two occasions, kissing, groping and partially undressing her and guided her hand to his genitals. Moore was 32 at the time and working as assistant district attorney. The allegations against Moore have grown to nine girls. Still, Moore’s support has only grown with Evangelical Christians. The same group also supported Trump despite his vulgar comments about sexual assault on the Access Hollywood tape. 13 women have accused Trump of sexual assault, including a 13-year-old girl.
Moore has vehemently denied the allegations. He was asked by Fox News Commentator Sean Hannity whether he dated underage girls. Moore responded, “Not generally, no.” He also said he did not, “remember ever dating any girl without the permission of her mother.” Moore’s defense is in conflict with a former colleague, Deputy District Attorney Teresa Jones who said it was “general knowledge” that he dated young girls, adding that it was weird. Jones added, “We wondered why someone his age would hang out at high school football games and the mall. But you really wouldn’t say anything to someone like that.”
Newsweek reported that 38 percent of Evangelical Christians said they were “more likely” to vote for Moore after the allegations. Only 28 percent said they were less likely to vote for him, while 34 percent said it made no difference. 80 percent of Evangelicals voted for Trump despite his allegations of sexual assault. It is suggested the Evangelical support is due to Moore being removed as Alabama Supreme Court Justice twice. Moore was first removed for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from the State Judicial building. He was recently removed for telling Justices to defy the Supreme Court’s decision to federally recognize Same-Sex marriage.
Sean Hannity and others have been criticized for their excuses of Moore, citing the Bible. Hannity commented, “Look at Mary and Joseph. She was a teenager when with Joseph.”
The “Mary and Joseph” comments by Hannity are so out of left field. Hannity is no stranger to ridiculous comments and controversy. For example, he was fired from his first radio job for saying, “gay people are prone to disease because they consume each other’s feces during sex.” Another Hannity comment was suggesting that Colin Kaepernick protested the national anthem because “he might have converted to Islam.” Fox News has become synonymous with lies and an alternative reality for the white, religious right who believe they are being discriminated and persecuted.
Many conservatives have come out against Moore following the allegations. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “I believe the Women.” Former Presidential Candidate and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney echoed McConnell’s comment. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) have also rescinded their support for Moore.
What looks even worse for the Christian Right in Alabama is the clear choice opposing Moore. Doug Jones is a former federal Prosecutor for Northern Alabama, nominated by President Clinton in 1997. He prosecuted two Klu Klux Klansmen who killed four little girls the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. This should be a clear choice for anyone, a man who prosecuted the KKK or a sexual predator, but it’s not.
Again, this is Alabama, and what is more important to Southern, Christian, Whites is race and the “R” in front of one’s name. The religious right has become synonymous with racism, White Supremacy, and hate. The fact that Jones prosecuted the KKK in Alabama is probably a strike against him for whites, but is supposed to be a motivation for Black voters.
Jones is getting nationwide support from mainline Democrats and every faction of the party. This election will be crucial for the Republicans to retain control of the Senate going into 2018. The 2017 elections saw major wins for Democrats and progressives, even historical wins. In North Carolina, a Transgender woman beat a man who wrote the “Bathroom Bill.” In New Jersey, a Sikh man became Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. Finally, two Socialist candidates were elected to office. These elections typically top out at 25 percent voter turnout, favoring Republicans, but Progressives turned out. The Progressive movement is growing, in spite of Trump and the Far-right movement. The Movement will do all it can to ensure Jones beats the sexual predator Moore in Alabama.
Moore has continued to vehemently deny the allegations, and his Evangelical supporters believe it. His denials and threats towards the victims’ mirrors Trump’s reactions.
More and more sexual assault allegations continue to come out against actors and politicians. A picture was recently released of Democratic Senator Al Franken groping an unconscious Army soldier. Franken quickly apologized, but was attacked on Twitter by Trump. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement saying, “the difference between the accusations against Trump and Franken are that Franken admitted to it.” The pattern between Republicans and Democrats who have been accused of this conduct is noted. Many more Republicans are accused of this conduct, and most deny it.
Many are “devout” Christians who should know lying and sexual misconduct is a sin. The behavior of these politicians is unacceptable, no matter what party. The least one can do is admit to it. The excuses and continued support of sexual predators by Evangelicals reflects poorly on the group. Forgiveness is a very admirable quality, but Evangelicals are not forgiving, because they make excuses for this behavior and stand by the predators. There is a pattern of victim blaming by the group, which is disgusting.
