GOP eyes ‘Frankenstein’ Moore mess
Could seek to throw him out of Senate if he’s elected
Republicans have been in a tizzy since the news broke that the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Alabama once used the local middle school as his version of Match.com. Most of the accusations are merely creepy (32-year-old guy dating high school girls). One of them would have been criminal (he is accused of fondling a 14-yearold girl and forcing her to touch him).
And yesterday another woman spoke out about an encounter when she was 16. She accuses Moore of “trying to force my head onto his crotch.”
Stitch it all together with Moore’s bizarre Bible-beating politics and the result is a Republican Frankenstein monster designed to scare away every voter whose age is under 40 — or whose IQ is over it.
Which is why the Roy Moore problem doesn’t go away even if he hangs on to that seat. In fact, it could be argued that a “Senator” Moore is the worst possible outcome for the GOP.
Yes, this flies in the face of congressional math. The GOP’s majority is already slimmer than Louis C.K.’s chances of guest hosting “The View,” and losing a deep-red seat like Alabama’s would be a dangerous blow. Sens. Thad Cochran of Mississippi and John McCain of Arizona are both struggling with serious health issues, and as the bizarre Rand Paul story reminds us, fate (or a crazed, pro-socialized medicine neighbor) can strike at any time. The GOP majority truly is at risk.
So why is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling on Moore to leave the race? The GOP can’t put a different candidate on the ballot, and a write-in with Moore still running would split the Republican vote and elect a Democrat. And Moore insists he’s not moving. So why is McConnell pushing?
Because as NBC News’ political reporter Mark Miller tweeted yesterday, “it’s clear McConnell would rather lose the Senate seat than have Moore win.” And that’s because a Moore win today is an even bigger loss for the GOP tomorrow.
Eight GOP senators have to run for re-election next year. Having a Sen.
Roy Moore demanding “gaydar” stations at voting booths and mandatory Bible-verse memorization for members of Congress would give Democrats a walking, talking, pistol-waving attack ad to use against every Republican.
Not that the GOP needs the help.
It’s common for Republicans to lose voters under 25 by 20 points or more.
But in Virginia last week, the GOP candidate for governor lost by that margin among voters 44 and younger. Those are voters the GOP may never get back.
The reason? Trumpism. Trump’s the most unpopular modern president after a year in office, and among the pre-AARP set these numbers are even worse. Roy Moore is even “Trumpier” than Trump, and his story reminds voters why they view the GOP with such disdain. In that sense, the damage to the Republicans is already done. But there is a step they can take to contain the blast radius: Elect, Then Eject.
The U.S. Senate has the power to expel members for “disorderly behavior.” True, the last time a senator was expelled was for supporting the Confederacy (the more things change ... ). Still, it just takes 67 senators to send Moore back to Alabama, and the Democrats have 48 standing by.
Colorado’s Sen. Cory Gardner, who oversees the GOP’s Senate campaign arm, has called for the Senate to do exactly that. By announcing it publicly in advance, Republicans can vote for Moore, keep the seat Republican then wait for their GOP governor to appoint Moore’s replacement once he’s given the boot.
It’s a clumsy, convoluted and utterly unsatisfying solution. The fact that it’s also the best one available shows what a mess Roy Moore is for the GOP.