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[rooster59]

Republican establishment bails on Alabama candidate after sex allegations

By Joseph Ax

 

Alabama Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Roy Moore speaks with reporters as he visits the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

(Reuters) - The national campaign wing for U.S. Senate Republicans cut fund-raising ties on Friday with Roy Moore, the party's nominee for a special Senate race in Alabama, a day after sexual misconduct allegations upended his front-runner bid for the seat.

 

The move was the latest sign the Republican establishment, holding onto a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate, was abandoning an insurgent candidacy heavily promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump's former political strategist, Steve Bannon.

 

Meanwhile, Democrats and progressive groups, emboldened by Democratic election victories in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday, sought to capitalize on the accusations in support of the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones.

 

Moore, a controversial former judge and a staunch Christian conservative, was accused by a woman of initiating a sexual encounter in 1979 when she was 14 years old and he was a 32-year-old prosecutor, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

 

Three other women said he pursued them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18, though none accused him of sexual contact.

 

The 70-year-old Moore again denied any wrongdoing on Friday during an appearance on conservative commentator Sean Hannity's national radio show.

 

"These allegations are completely false and misleading," Moore said.

 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which helps elect Republicans to the Senate, filed paperwork with federal election officials on Friday severing its fund-raising relationship with Moore for the special election on Dec. 12.

 

Numerous prominent Republicans have either called on Moore to drop out immediately, as Arizona Senator John McCain did on Thursday, or said he should do so if the allegations prove true, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

 

"Moore is unfit for office and should step aside," former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Friday on Twitter.

 

Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who initially took the same stance as McConnell, tweeted on Friday that could "no longer endorse" Moore's candidacy, after reading "the detailed description of the incidents, as well as the response from Judge Moore and his campaign." Senator Steve Daines of Montana likewise said he was pulling his endorsement.

 

But several Alabama Republican officials did not waver in their support of Moore, who scored a decisive primary victory in September over Luther Strange, the incumbent appointed to fill the seat on an interim basis when Jeff Sessions was named U.S. attorney general.

 

DEMOCRATS ENERGIZED BY SCANDAL

 

The race had been seen as a long shot for Democrats in Alabama, which has not elected a Democratic senator in a quarter century. Jones was trailing by double digits in some opinion polls.

 

Following publication of the Washington Post story, several Democratic senators, including liberal Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, sent email blasts to donors, soliciting more support for Jones' campaign.

 

The Democratic Party has been coordinating with Jones behind the scenes, wary of providing overt support such as television advertising in the deeply Republican state.

 

Progressive groups MoveOn, Democracy for America and Indivisible expect the allegations against Moore to boost their grassroots efforts to engage Democratic voters in Alabama.

 

"We were planning to go bigger already," said Matt Blizek, a mobilization coordinator for MoveOn. "With the news and the fact that this is a close race, that's only going to increase."

 

A win for Jones could transform the political picture in Washington, narrowing the Republican majority down to just one vote.

 

Moore has come back from controversy before.

 

He was twice forced out of his position as the state's chief justice, once for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse and once for defying the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Democrats have highlighted his penchant for incendiary statements about Muslims and homosexuality.

 

Zac McCrary, a veteran Democratic pollster based in Birmingham, Alabama, said he now sees Jones as the favourite.

 

"Roy Moore had much less margin for error than a Republican does traditionally in Alabama," McCrary said.

 

But Jonathan Gray, a Republican consultant in Alabama, said voters were already questioning the veracity of the Washington Post story, given its timing. The only development that could sink Moore's candidacy is a write-in campaign from a Republican backed by the party, he said.

 

Absent that, he said, all the analysis in the world will not change a simple fact: "Roy Moore wins December 12."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-11

[Becker]

Apologies

[boomerangutang]

Does this mean there are a few decent Republicans in Alabama?  Wow, that's a relief.

[tonray]

Don't worry...soon he will be a Senator and all forgiven if he votes their way. The right only convicts liberal sex offenders without proof...their own have a different standard

[mamypoko]

It ain't over until he steps down. Other bumpkins weathered other scandals and still got into office. 

[howbri]

Rinos and commie liberals don't want to see a man of faith in the congress. He would upset their joint effort milk the system and fatten their wallets. Roy Moore has run in five previous campaigns without any blemishes. Why now? TRUMP. They don't want Trump to advance his pro-American agenda of jobs and immigration. 

They're all slime balls.

 

[ilostmypassword]

7 minutes ago, howbri said:

Rinos and commie liberals don't want to see a man of faith in the congress. He would upset their joint effort milk the system and fatten their wallets. Roy Moore has run in five previous campaigns without any blemishes. Why now? TRUMP. They don't want Trump to advance his pro-American agenda of jobs and immigration. 

They're all slime balls.

 

Actually Roy Moore doesn't want a person of faith to be allowed into Congress, if that faith is Islam.

[zydeco]

Soon, everyone in America will be made to prove their innocence of being sexual harassers. Witch hunts and hysteria. Sick place.

[Jonnapat]

"" A staunch Christian conservative "" Indeed!.

[Becker]

2 hours ago, howbri said:

Rinos and commie liberals don't want to see a man of faith in the congress. He would upset their joint effort milk the system and fatten their wallets. Roy Moore has run in five previous campaigns without any blemishes. Why now? TRUMP. They don't want Trump to advance his pro-American agenda of jobs and immigration. 

They're all slime balls.

 

Some posters shouldn't be allowed behind a keyboard without adult supervision. Roy Moore is the perfect example of the very worst in US politics. He's a hypocritical slimeball of the highest order and I hope he will spend the rest of his life in jail being the b**** of the baddest black dude in the joint.

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, howbri said:

Rinos and commie liberals don't want to see a man of faith in the congress. He would upset their joint effort milk the system and fatten their wallets. Roy Moore has run in five previous campaigns without any blemishes. Why now? TRUMP. They don't want Trump to advance his pro-American agenda of jobs and immigration. 

They're all slime balls.

 

He is a pedophile, maybe that is no problem where you are from but in the normal world it is a crime.

[Jools]

Met him personally about five years ago. He's a fake. He has been chasing women for many years. One of my journalism colleagues told me that Moore kept calling his wife for several months after her marriage to him. Moore comes across as very low-key in person but I've seen the type so often that he's almost a cliche. I worked in broadcast journalism in Alabama for many years before retirement. It is a sad, sick place that elects men and women who serve none of the electorate and any corporate entity that can pony up enough money for the admission fee.

[Slip]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

He is a pedophile, maybe that is no problem where you are from but in the normal world it is a crime.

There are no depths to which Trump supporters will not sink in defence of their orange idol and his depraved minions.  All bets are off.

[brewsterbudgen]

He is a pedophile, maybe that is no problem where you are from but in the normal world it is a crime.

He's a bigot and a hypocrite but I can't see why he's a paedophile.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Skeptic7]

Some facts about this racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, bigoted moron...

 

A Christian fundamentalist

 

Twice removed (fired) from Alabama Supreme Court...in 2004 and again in 2016...for ethics violations

 

Refers to Asians as "yellows" and Native Americans as "reds"

 

Says the 9/11 attacks were punishment from god

 

He is a "birther" 

[mamypoko]

That tie kicks ass! 

 

No, not his...

 

The other guy's tie

 

It is magic, straight up Pilot Magic

[Langsuan Man]

10 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

He's a bigot and a hypocrite but I can't see why he's a paedophile.

Quote

The age of consent in Alabama is 16.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_the_United_States

 

Now you need to Google pedophile 

[brewsterbudgen]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_the_United_States
 
Now you need to Google pedophile 

Actually it's you who needs to use Google. Paedophilia refers to pre-pubescent children. He may be guilty of underage/illegal sexual activity but it's not helpful to use imprecise language. Either way, hopefully his political career is finished.

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[jerojero]

Rinos and commie liberals don't want to see a man of faith in the congress. He would upset their joint effort milk the system and fatten their wallets. Roy Moore has run in five previous campaigns without any blemishes. Why now? TRUMP. They don't want Trump to advance his pro-American agenda of jobs and immigration. 
They're all slime balls.
 

A person of Faith. As long as it's not Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist....right? Moore and his supporters are such narrow minded self righteous hippocrites. Aka, slime ball.

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[boomerangutang]

12 hours ago, Jools said:

Met him personally about five years ago. He's a fake. He has been chasing women for many years. One of my journalism colleagues told me that Moore kept calling his wife for several months after her marriage to him. Moore comes across as very low-key in person but I've seen the type so often that he's almost a cliche. I worked in broadcast journalism in Alabama for many years before retirement. It is a sad, sick place that elects men and women who serve none of the electorate and any corporate entity that can pony up enough money for the admission fee.

it sounds like Moore and Trump are two rotten peas in a moldy pod.

[FritsSikkink]

11 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

He's a bigot and a hypocrite but I can't see why he's a paedophile.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Because the girl is 14

[brewsterbudgen]

2 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Because the girl is 14

Does that make her pre-pubescent?  I doubt it very much.

[Scott]

I think we can dispense with the discussion of pedophilia.   Technically, it's not pedophilia, since she would have been in puberty.   Given that he seemed to be attracted to those on the young side, it would be hebephilia.   The point of this discussion, however, is the moral and legal aspects.   So let's stick to that.  

[boomerangutang]

The title of this thread is misleading.  The word 'bails' means 'quits'.  Republicans in Alabama aren't quitting or bailing on Moore.  At most, a few are distancing themselves from him.

The majority of Alabaman Republicans are still going to vote for Moore, because they're hypocrites who put more importance in party fidelity than upholding any sort of moral code.

[Andaman Al]

This is what the USA is up against if it ever wants to be great again. Here is a die hard Trump and Moore supporter. He implies that what Moore has done is no worse than stealing a lawnmower when he was 21 !! The news anchor wants to punch him! Funny as hell, and straight off the stereotyped Trump supporter profile.

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, Andaman Al said:

This is what the USA is up against if it ever wants to be great again. Here is a die hard Trump and Moore supporter. He implies that what Moore has done is no worse than stealing a lawnmower when he was 21 !! The news anchor wants to punch him! Funny as hell, and straight off the stereotyped Trump supporter profile.

 

 

Bunch of braindead inbreeds. 

[Bill Miller]

On 11/12/2017 at 7:38 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Actually it's you who needs to use Google. Paedophilia refers to pre-pubescent children. He may be guilty of underage/illegal sexual activity but it's not helpful to use imprecise language. Either way, hopefully his political career is finished.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Actually not so cut and dried, e.g.:
 "2.6 If the term "paedophile" is used formally by Australian law enforcement agencies at all (as opposed to a phrase such as "child sex offender" or "child abuser" or "child molester") it seems generally to be used to refer to offences involving children up to at least the age of 16." 
There is some confusion in that there are three possible "definitions" of pedophilia, one being medical, one sociolegal, and one biological, and all three having variations depending on the source one wishes to quote.
"Prepubescent" and "pubescent" are also rather inexact, age definitions being often at odds with biological reality. It is not uncommon, for instance, for American girls to enter the first stages of puberty as young as nine. Conversely some girls do not exhibit signs of secondary sexual characteristics (boobs, e.g.) until fourteen or fifteen.
Generally speaking I think fourteen and below is a reasonable age at which "Thou shalt not!".

[Bill Miller]

On 11/12/2017 at 8:57 AM, boomerangutang said:

The title of this thread is misleading.  The word 'bails' means 'quits'.  Republicans in Alabama aren't quitting or bailing on Moore.  At most, a few are distancing themselves from him.

The majority of Alabaman Republicans are still going to vote for Moore, because they're hypocrites who put more importance in party fidelity than upholding any sort of moral code.

No, it is not. Some or even all of Alabama Republicans may be part of the "the Republican establishment", but they are a relatively small part of it... one out of fifty states, last I knew.
Enough Republican leaders have cut and run, or indicated a willingness to, that the title is substantially true.

[Andaman Al]

 

The USA is totally frakked. Looking over the last 3000 years at how empires have fallen the last 12 months for the fall of the USA has been the funniest. Watch Fox go into melt down tomorrow morning. LMAO. AL Franklin in his days as a comedian , and he really could have run in 2020. Funny as hell.

 

[Andaman Al]

Here is the best 20 minutes ever of Fox news and Sean Hannity!

 

Watch Sean Hannity be torn apart by his own guests concerning the interview Hannity did with Moore. He back peddles more than an olympic gold medalist reverse cyclist and then towards the end has no choice but to change the subject to "was Bill Clinton a sexual predator"  

 

Handy took on more than he can chew here.