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"Roy Moore was always toxic. Now he is political poison. Every day seems to bring new evidence that Moore is not telling the truth, while his accusers appear to be."If you have any lingering doubt, take the time to watch Monday’s on-camera interview by NBC of Leigh Corfman. She makes a powerful and compelling case that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was a 14-year-old child.
"If Moore has a conscience, he will do what is right – quit the race to be the next U.S. senator from Alabama. But he won’t do it, of course. His record shows that he rarely does the right thing. He is consistently self-absorbed and self-righteous – a man full of guile, but not an ounce of shame.
"So Moore will surely stay in the race, but he should be repudiated by voters at the polls on Election Day, Dec. 12. His implausible denials and obstinate attitude only do damage to him and the Republican Party. It is his sad legacy, but richly deserved. . . .
"Poised and articulate, Corfman conveys a persuasive account of how she was intimidated and frightened, saying she 'didn’t deserve' to have an adult man 'prey upon' her. When challenged as to why she waited nearly 40 years to divulge what she says happened, she explained that fear drove her silence to all but her family and a few friends.
"Over the years, Corfman said, she struggled with the notion of coming forward to confront Moore. On several occasions, she almost did. But always she worried about what a powerful man would do to her young children and her ability to support them financially.
"When Washington Post reporters recently sought her out, Corfman was reluctant to speak. Assured there were others who said they had been victimized by Moore and were willing to disclose their similar stories, she finally felt emboldened to tell her story.
"When told during the NBC interview that Moore denies he ever met her, she said quite simply, 'I wonder how many ‘me’s’ he doesn’t know.'”
"It turns out there are eight other women who insist that Moore either sexually pursued, harassed or assaulted them. Their stories are all very specific as to time, place and manner of acts committed. The mothers of some of the women corroborate their accounts of creepy meetings with Moore when their daughters were teenagers – how he fawned over them.
"These allegations are compelling. They have the ring of truth. Moore’s denials do not. . . . [Jarrett describes how Moore contradicted himself on Sean Hannity's show, in which he gave three somewhat different answers to the question of whether he dated teen age girls.] . . . People who are incapable of getting their story straight tend to be lying.
". . . . Before the Alabama primary, I argued on air that it would be a serious mistake for Republicans to nominate Roy Moore. He has a long history of lawlessness. If elected to be a U.S. senator, Moore would bring to the chamber his tempestuous personality and seditious approach to government. For his party and the Senate at large, he would prove to be destructive, not constructive.
"Moore was twice removed from his position on the Alabama Supreme Court for defying federal court orders on important constitutional issues, including his refusal to abide by a United States Supreme Court decision. . . .
"Yet either though ignorance of the law or insufferable arrogance, Moore has repeatedly attempted to usurp power and substitute his own judgment for that of the federal judiciary. He pretends to embrace the law. But in truth, he has shown nothing but contempt for the rule of law whenever it fails to conform to his own religiously driven interpretation.
"On this basis alone, Roy Moore is not fit to serve in the United States Senate. The appalling accusations of sexual assault and harassment only reinforce that conclusion."
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In addition, the three major newspapers in Alabama have all endorsed his opponent, Doug Jones. Although the Alabama Republican Party is sticking with him, the Young Republican organization held an emergency meeting of its executive board. Of the 16 members, 15 voted to call on Moore to step aside unless he can "completely debunk" the allegations. The leader of these young Republicans said she was proud that her group -- unlike the older party members -- decided on the basis of the long-term success of the GOP. She added, "Doing what was right was more important than what was politically expedient here."
Meanwhile, Kellyanne Conway, speaking for the Trump administration, summed it up in four words: "We want that vote" to pass the tax bill. So much for long term goals instead of political expedience.
Ralph
Nicely done, Gregg Jarrett, and thanks for calling my attention to it, RER.
ReplyDeleteBarbara
Thanks for adding your comment, Barbara.
DeleteRER