Robinson: Is the tribe more important than morality in Alabama?

The Columbian ^ | November 24, 2017 | by Eugene Robinson

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Can the descent of American political culture into ugly tribalism be halted? Alabama voters will give their answer when they decide whether to send Roy Moore to the U.S. Senate.

Moore, 70, has built a long, disgraceful career out of smarmy religiosity spiked with tribal grievance. Having posed for years as the most pious of Christians, he now stands accused by nine women of un-Christian behavior: They claim convincingly that Moore, when he was in his 30s, aggressively pursued romantic or sexual relationships, including with teens barely half his age.

Successful demagogues can use tribal enmities to blind their followers to such moral and logical contradictions.

Moore uses his angry Christianity as a tool of self-aggrandizement. He uses the trust and passion of the Alabamians he defrauds to sully the reputations of women who bravely testify to his allegedly vile and creepy behavior.

Alabama’s three major newspapers ran rare front-page editorials Sunday imploring voters not to send this unworthy man to Washington. It is a sad sign of the times that I am not sure whether that hurt Moore’s prospects or helped them. The “mainstream media” is an enemy whose disapproval Moore cultivates to make his supporters love him more.

Moore is not invincible. He can be defeated — but only if Alabamians decide that honor, integrity and morality are more important than tribe.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

This useless waste of protoplasm is a member of 2 groups (blacks and media) who will vote for the rat candidate no matter who it is or what they have done. So he can stick it.

[central_va]

I would have voted for someone else in the primary.

Why?