The Roy Moore Mess - WSJ Editorial
A famous country song aptly summed up where the Republicans are with Senate candidate Roy Moore in Alabama: You’ve got to know when to fold ’em.
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Several women have made detailed accusations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Moore, and multiple people now say he was known for trolling shopping malls for young girls while in his 30s. Mr. Moore’s public defenses have also been less than convincing, not least that he doesn’t know his latest accuser, though he signed her yearbook.
Mr. Moore’s credibility has fallen below the level of survivability. Some of Mr. Moore’s presumed colleagues in the Senate have said they believe the women and that the judge should withdraw. Colorado’s Cory Gardner has suggested that even if Mr. Moore wins, the Senate should vote to expel him from the body. It’s a rare candidate who achieves that degree of political abandonment.
The sensible move would be for Mr. Moore to step away from the campaign and allow Alabama’s Republicans to put forth a more credible candidate to run as a write-in against Democrat Doug Jones. Most likely, Mr. Moore won’t do that. He made his reputation as an Alabama state judge by openly defying valid court orders, which twice cost him his court seat.
In the event that Mr. Moore refuses to drop out in the next day or so, President Trump might have more sway if he suggests that he leave the race. If Mr. Trump won’t do that, then the GOP will be better off if Mr. Moore loses, despite the blow to its Senate majority. Democrats and the media will make Mr. Moore the running mate of every Republican in 2018.
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There is one other obvious loser in this debacle: Former White House aide Steve Bannon. Some have argued that the Bannon insurgency against the Republican “establishment” is in the mode of earlier party challenges led by Ronald Reagan or Newt Gingrich. This one isn’t close. The populism of Reagan and Mr. Gingrich was always about building the conservative movement into a majority that could govern and change the country.
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Raging against the establishment for the sake of raging is an agenda for losers, and it will cost conservatives the votes in Congress they need to achieve conservative goals.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-roy-moore-mess-1510703218
