Last year, Donald Trump got hit with the Billy Bush video a few weeks prior to the election. It was something that NBC had in its vaults but which was held for release until just prior to the election. When it was released, the firestorm that followed nearly consumed the Trump campaign. Trump couldn't deny saying the things on the video, but he called it "locker room talk". Then he overcame it with the help of Hillary Clinton and her absolutely terrible candidacy.
Now, we have Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore and his troubles. He has been accused by one woman of having touched her sexually through her clothes 38 years ago. She was 14 at the time he allegedly did this. Moore denies the allegations as untrue and a smear. Once again, this is a story that just happened to come out at a time right before the upcoming special election. To beef up the allegations, the Washington Post has added claims by three other women that Moore tried to date them or did date them around the same time. They were all over ten years younger than Moore at the time, but they were also adults. In addition, none of them allege that Moore did anything improper with them. So all there really is here is a claim by one woman about which she remained silent for 38 years until just prior to the election. When Moore ran for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, she stayed silent. When Moore ran in the primary and the primary runoff, she stayed silent. She only spoke out when the general election was approaching. And, on top of this, the reporter from the WaPo happened to hear her story and then found three other women who Moore courted 40 years ago. I just think it odd that the reporter was even able to find one woman that Moore tried to date or dated in the 1970s.
The national Republican party establishment did not want Moore in the Senate. As a result, they have used the story to abandon Moore quickly. His candidacy has been left adrift in a way that indicates that the party big wigs all assume that Moore is guilty. But what if this is a false story? What is Moore to do? Can we live in a society in which all that is needed to destroy a man is a phony story of improper behavior 40 years ago?
Think of Anthony Weiner. He left Congress after his sexting with underage women was disclosed. There was no question as to what he had done; we all saw the pictures. Then he decided to try again for office and ran for Mayor of New York. The media and the Democrats did not condemn him. Then it turned out that he was still sexting underage girls. Only then, when he committed a crime for which he is now in prison, did the party desert him. Then there's Bob Menendez. He's on trial for accepting bribes. But there was also a story of his going to the Dominican Republic where he hired underage hookers repeatedly. Menendez denied that story, but no one in the media or his party ran from him. These are two guys who are clearly more guilty of wrongdoing than Moore, but no one seems to care.
But back to Moore. There's really no way to know if he did anything wrong here. He says he did not. I don't know, but I tend to believe him only because the woman in question waited for 40 years before coming forward and then did so at the best time for a political hit.
The people of Alabama have to decide, but I think that if nothing further comes out, Moore will still win his race. It's a rather tawdry episode no matter what happens. To me, however, the key thing is that we ought not jump to judgment when there is no proof that can tell us what really happened.
Now, we have Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore and his troubles. He has been accused by one woman of having touched her sexually through her clothes 38 years ago. She was 14 at the time he allegedly did this. Moore denies the allegations as untrue and a smear. Once again, this is a story that just happened to come out at a time right before the upcoming special election. To beef up the allegations, the Washington Post has added claims by three other women that Moore tried to date them or did date them around the same time. They were all over ten years younger than Moore at the time, but they were also adults. In addition, none of them allege that Moore did anything improper with them. So all there really is here is a claim by one woman about which she remained silent for 38 years until just prior to the election. When Moore ran for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, she stayed silent. When Moore ran in the primary and the primary runoff, she stayed silent. She only spoke out when the general election was approaching. And, on top of this, the reporter from the WaPo happened to hear her story and then found three other women who Moore courted 40 years ago. I just think it odd that the reporter was even able to find one woman that Moore tried to date or dated in the 1970s.
The national Republican party establishment did not want Moore in the Senate. As a result, they have used the story to abandon Moore quickly. His candidacy has been left adrift in a way that indicates that the party big wigs all assume that Moore is guilty. But what if this is a false story? What is Moore to do? Can we live in a society in which all that is needed to destroy a man is a phony story of improper behavior 40 years ago?
Think of Anthony Weiner. He left Congress after his sexting with underage women was disclosed. There was no question as to what he had done; we all saw the pictures. Then he decided to try again for office and ran for Mayor of New York. The media and the Democrats did not condemn him. Then it turned out that he was still sexting underage girls. Only then, when he committed a crime for which he is now in prison, did the party desert him. Then there's Bob Menendez. He's on trial for accepting bribes. But there was also a story of his going to the Dominican Republic where he hired underage hookers repeatedly. Menendez denied that story, but no one in the media or his party ran from him. These are two guys who are clearly more guilty of wrongdoing than Moore, but no one seems to care.
But back to Moore. There's really no way to know if he did anything wrong here. He says he did not. I don't know, but I tend to believe him only because the woman in question waited for 40 years before coming forward and then did so at the best time for a political hit.
The people of Alabama have to decide, but I think that if nothing further comes out, Moore will still win his race. It's a rather tawdry episode no matter what happens. To me, however, the key thing is that we ought not jump to judgment when there is no proof that can tell us what really happened.
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