What the columnists said

Republicans’ response to this scandal has been “idiotic,” said Matthew Walther in TheWeek.com. The “if true” qualification, which McConnell himself deployed before declaring Moore unfit for office, is clearly ludicrous. What are they waiting for—video evidence? But that wasn’t the most outrageous response. Jim Zeigler, Alabama’s state auditor, argued there was “nothing immoral” in Moore’s alleged actions because the Virgin Mary was a teenager and Joseph an adult, and “they became parents of Jesus.”

Blame Bill Clinton for this mess, said John Podhoretz in the New York Post. Moore is simply following the 42nd president’s playbook for dealing with sexual assault allegations: deny all accusations, dismiss the scandal as a conspiracy, and rally supporters against the other side. Bubba successfully mobilized the Left to run interference for him, smearing his accusers—and got away with it. If Moore does the same, we can “thank liberals.”

The fact that Trump was accused by 11 women of “unwanted touching or kissing” during the election makes this issue “infinitely harder for Republicans,” said Aaron Blake in WashingtonPost. com. First, it raises the question of why they believe Moore’s accusers, but not the president’s. Second, it makes it tough for Trump to intervene. That leaves McConnell with few good options. The GOP base will view a write-in campaign as an “effort to take Moore down” by the very establishment he has vowed to fight. And a vote to expel Moore from the Senate would “override the will” of the electorate. “Against that backdrop, it’s really difficult to envy McConnell.”