Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Doug Jones wins Alabama Senate seat held by Jeff Sessions


Another shot? Really? I didn't know that. I was certain all the money Democrats poured into this race wouldn't work, but it did. Apparently results were very close, I read by 1%. 

38 comments:

Leland said...

I think the real winners here are the NeverTrumpers, as they proved with enough write-ins, they could tilt the election from the Republican nominee to the Democrat candidate. That's got to be good for a few more million from donors.

AllenS said...

It's a chance the POTUS has to take when asking someone from the Senate to serve in the administration, and a replacement has to be found. Trump was right about initially endorsing someone else. Moore, unfortunately, had way too much baggage.

Patrick said...

Nice going bannon. Crack pot candidate.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

The seat comes up again in 2020, that is the other shot.

edutcher said...

Moore has not conceded. My guess is he thinks there's a Franken in the woodpile trying to make him a Coleman.

If he has the goods, I'd love to see him fight it and win.

Leland said...

I think the real winners here are the NeverTrumpers, as they proved with enough write-ins, they could tilt the election from the Republican nominee to the Democrat candidate.

But only in a very close election. And it shows, once again, the party means less to them unless it's the Uni-Party.

That's got to be good for a few more million from donors

Don't put money on that. Trump is the guy who's putting cash in the coffers. A lot of erstwhile donors give to candidates, not the party since McConnell and friends began actively helping the Lefties.

AllenS said...

Moore, unfortunately, had way too much baggage.

This was a smear, pure and simple. And it shows, once again, that the Demos can't win without vote fraud and slander.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Moore had baggage as AllenS, plus did not handle the campaign well after it came out. And he still almost won. But that is how it goes. If there is blame, McConnell gets it too for mixing it up in the primaries.

Look on the bright side (even if he will be replaced by presumably a more electable Democrat), Franken has to go now.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

ed, I think a lot of it was smear, but Moore did have some baggage.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

The WaPo timed this to cause maximum damage to the GOP. If it were just about "good reporting" why not report it sooner? Because they are partisan.

AllenS said...

The simple fact that a 30 year old Moore was hitting on girls under the age of 18, does not look good, even though it's legal.

Amartel said...

RINO Nation, the Deep State and the MSM score a dirty, filthy "win" and the Dems get an unearned Seante seat. Live and learn, Alabama! And, yes obviously Roy Moore was a crap candidate from the get, even without the perv allegations (which will now vanish off the front page). Farming judges! If Bannon wants to be the face of the movement he needs to do a better vetting job.

Amartel said...

Hah. Farking autocorrect

Amartel said...

On the plus side: we don't have to deal with Roy Moore. Also, buh bye Al Franken. And the media credibility erosion continues.

chickelit said...

On the plus side: we don't have to deal with Roy Moore. Also, buh bye Al Franken. And the media credibility erosion continues.

I doubt that Franken will resign now. The threat served its purpose. And who says that Franken is a man of his word?

edutcher said...

Everybody has baggage. Interesting that Moore sounded like a better fit than either of the others. His principles are not seen as weird as some others may think.

PS As I read it, they're still counting and the military vote has yet to come in.

Love to see him pull this out.

Leland said...

Ed, if the NeverTrumpers cared what you thought, you might have something. Alas, they found a niche business.

Yesterday, I heard Rush talking about how the media is acting in a manner that's against their own interest. While I think he may be right over the long run, he's certainly wrong about the near term effect. CNN viewership is up, as well all the other prog news sources including print. The reason is because the people that buy their stuff need to hear all the faux bad news about Trump just to make it through the day. Don't take my word for it, go see Twitter or YouTube to hear about how fragile their life is. So this win gives them Hope, and while that won't buy much for us in reality; it will allow them to make it through a couple of months until hope runs out again. In the meantime, Jim Acosta will get paid for his clown show. He should be the star in the new movie coming out, "The Greatest Showman".

Fr Martin Fox said...

Yesterday morning I was listening to an interview on NPR with a pastor who was supporting Moore. What stunned me was when he mentioned his wife was going to stay home. I thought to myself, if a pastor's wife is going to sit this out, who else will? Right then, I wondered if we'd see what actually happened.

Sure enough, lots of loyal, conservative voters just stayed home.

Moore had many problems, of which the allegations of perverted behavior with teenage girls was only the worst. He was a loose cannon. Every amendment since the 10th was a bad idea? Every single one?

Brit Hume had it right: this election represented two missiles pointed at the GOP; one or the other would be fired.

Fr Martin Fox said...

And I don't have much patience for the "poor Roy" line, that he's a powerless victim of a smear campaign. He has had pretty significant resources to tap into, in order to discredit his accusers. A conspiracy -- which is what you must claim happened if these charges are all false -- requires a lot of people. If Moore knew he was innocent, he could, and should, have set about investigating these people and their connections. Surely he could find folks to help pay for it. He wouldn't have had to discredit every single one; just start knocking them down, one at a time, and the situation would have been very different. And he would have had plenty of friendly megaphones in the media (such as Fox) to trumpet the bombshells.

And it looks like they did do some work, because eventually, they called attention to the false signature. But that's all they came up with.

edutcher said...

Padre, in a court of law, that would be plenty.

Leland said...

Ed, if the NeverTrumpers cared what you thought, you might have something.

Then obviously, I do because the Republican National Committees have been hurting for some time.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Moore was asked to step aside, and he didn't. The GOP doesn't play the same game the democrats play. Democrats play the long game.

Moore is a selfish bastard, and a strange bird. We cannot win with strange birds.
We need sound younger articulate candidates and we need to get behind them and pull our heads out of Trump's butt. Trump is not the second coming.

Luther Strange was odd too, but mostly because of his name. Luther Strange - sounds like a Disney villain.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

If the GOP cannot run a candidate against Claire McCatkill in red state MO - and win that seat - the GOP is useless.

All a candidate need campaign on is how long Claire McCatkill has been in office and how it's time for a change. Here's a thought: Do not let the democrats select the candidate. Do not select a candidate who trips on the dems Lucy and the Football social issues.


Also - Someone needs to unseat Lisa Merkowski.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I know socials issues are important to some people - but when it comes to politics, we need to outsmart the dem's. when the dems bring up abortion - we counter pointing out that THEY are FOR late term abortion. When the left bring up racial issues, we remind the black community that the democrat party destroyed the black family.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I doubt that Franken will resign now. The threat served its purpose. And who says that Franken is a man of his word?

Actually with Dayton announcing Franken's replacement (and a woman to boot), how can Senator Gropey not resign? He is staying in and denying a woman the spot? That would be a gift to the GOP who could use it to run against him in 2020. If Dayton did not announce, I could see Franken's sticky fingers holding onto his seat, but not now.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Dickin'Bimbos: Moore could not step aside and save the seat. There was no time to put someone else on the ballot. Once the WaPo story broke, the only viable option was for Moore to run and win. He almost did, but that is what it is.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

ed, a recount also delays Doug Jones (or Doug Moore as a certain crazy Democrat congresswoman called him last night) getting seated. So I am all for Moore seeking a recount.

Rabel said...

"Sure enough, lots of loyal, conservative voters just stayed home."

Forty percent turnout when twenty five percent was predicted. Democrat party GOTV money without a corresponding effort by the Republican Party turned the election in favor of the Democrat.

That and the hat. Outside of the state troopers there are probably about 20 people in Alabama wearing a cowboy hat right now. It's not fucking Texas. WTH.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Edutcher said...
Padre, in a court of law, that would be plenty.

Well, an election isn't a court of law, of course; but even setting that aside: Moore had something like five or six different accusers. He left most unchallenged. I'm not a lawyer, but I watch a lot of courtroom dramas, so I'm thinking, he probably is still in a lot of trouble in a court of law.

Trooper York said...

You are absolutely right.

The GOP is useless.

They did everything they could to elect a liberal democrats. They even donated to his campaign. American Nationalist show know that the GOP is just as much an enemy of the American people as the press or the Democrats.

Nothing makes the GOP happier than helping elect an ultra liberal. It is how the raise funds and justify not doing anything.

Somewhere Tawana Brawley is smiling.

MamaM said...

this election represented two missiles pointed at the GOP; one or the other would be fired.

Beyond the drama, deceit and power manipulations playing out on the surface, there is a recalibration taking place. A call has been issued for Republicans to figure out what they want and get their act together. Change doesn't happen without discomfort, blocked paths, and an acknowledgement that something is amiss.

While Moore may not have been what he was portrayed to be, he wasn't clean.

Dickin'B hits it: Moore is a selfish bastard, and a strange bird. We cannot win with strange birds. We need sound, younger, articulate candidates...

I felt a mix of disappointment and relief when I heard Moore had lost.

edutcher said...

Fr Martin Fox said...

Padre, in a court of law, that would be plenty.

Well, an election isn't a court of law, of course; but even setting that aside: Moore had something like five or six different accusers. He left most unchallenged. I'm not a lawyer, but I watch a lot of courtroom dramas, so I'm thinking, he probably is still in a lot of trouble in a court of law.


The issue here is that Moore was smeared and a Democrat smear is always accepted and presented as truth by the media. No innocent until proven guilty.

That's for notional sons of Barry Ozero and gentle giants. Not to mention sleazoid adulterers from Arkinsaw.

I am sick and tired of watching good people driven from public life by Leftist slander. You want good government? Try a little benefit of the doubt the next time the Left digs up some phony accuser from 40 years ago. Demand a hearing in court. Demand proof, rather than the say-so of Gloria AllRed.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

ed, a recount also delays Doug Jones (or Doug Moore as a certain crazy Democrat congresswoman called him last night) getting seated. So I am all for Moore seeking a recount.

And, guess what? He has that right, but I'll bet all the Lefties who were screaming about hanging chads 16 years ago are outraged now.

Like somebody else here.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Edutcher:

I think Judge Roy Moore is the wrong poster child for victims of leftist smears.

edutcher said...

Be nice to see that settled in court.

Things being what they are, I'm even willing to give Weinstein the benefit of the doubt.

Smalley OTOH does have those nasty pics to explain.

Methadras said...

Roy Moore was another notch in the democrat belt playbook of trotting out transgressions against a candidate at the very last minute when changes to a ballot cannot be made. This is how they operate and Republicans look like idiots against these tactics when they have to flail to defend a guy against these allegations, which is what they are. Whether they are real or not, they are accusations that require due process. So are the victims now going to go after Moore or are they going to fade away and doing a hit job well done against their political opponent?

Fr Martin Fox said...

Methadras said:

Roy Moore was another notch in the democrat belt playbook of trotting out transgressions against a candidate at the very last minute when changes to a ballot cannot be made. This is how they operate and Republicans look like idiots against these tactics when they have to flail to defend a guy against these allegations, which is what they are.

A good portion of the Republican vote cares a great deal about whether their candidates are honest and upright. Democrats tend to chuckle about their candidates misdeeds. Clinton and Edwin Edwards of Louisiana come to mind, but there are oh, so many more.

The Mike Pence Rule looks better and better.

By the way, I have sympathy for anyone accused of these sordid things. I mean, you know?

That said, the case against Judge Moore isn't just a slap-dash thing; and he handled it badly. And the Post story didn't come out a week before the election; they'd been out there for awhile. Moore had some time to do more than he did.

And, yes, they require due process for a legal proceeding. That doesn't mean they require due process as a political issue. When it was Bill Clinton, I don't remember too many Republicans waiting for due process before concluding he was sleazy -- and I don't just mean the sex charges, but the whole mess.

Methadras said...

Father Fox, while I'm fully cognizant of the moral entrapments that republicans find themselves in constantly against democrats. However, one can be honest and upright and still fight like them and win. This whole, upstanding citizen business is past. People want to see their leaders fight for them. They are tired of the mudslinging and they are tired of conservatives cowering everytime charges of wrongdoing is thrown against them. They want people to fight back against this crap.

I don't know what the Mike Pence Rule is, nor do I care, having said that while the WaPo story was out there, the accusers in the Gloria Allred Victimology Circus came out a day before or the day of the ballot being locked, meaning the candidates on the ballots are now locked too. Agreed Moore handled it badly, but woe is a man who has someone point the finger of such an accusation against them. That's a tough road to hoe.

Overall, what we are talking about is the court of public opinion, not a court of law. Once a person reputation is stained against an accusation, who do you go to to get it restored if its proven to be a lie? In the case of Clinton, he had the opportunity to fight the charge because he was deposed in a lawsuit alongside a special counsel investigation as well. He lied to the public, was found to be a liar in his deposition, he lied to the American people to their faces, he and his wife called it a vast right-wing conspiracy. He was impeached in the house and the feckless, spineless Democrats in the Senate acquitted him. So Clinton got due process.

rcocean said...

Yeah, Moore was a weak candidate. Ran for Governor twice and lost. But he lost because he was outspent 10-1, because McConnell and the RNC gave him zero $ till the last moment. Jones rules the airwaves and had plenty of $$ to get out the vote, Moore almost nothing.

He also had Sen. Shelby attacking him on Meet the Press, two days before the election. Flake and other Republicans were attacking him too. Further, Trump didn't campaign for him in Alabama, and only voiced tepid support 1 week before election.

You can't win if you have to fight the R's AND the D's and have an opponent with 100% support of his party, while you have none.

He lost by 20,000 votes. If Trump had gone to Alabama on Sunday and Monday, Moore probably would've won.

rcocean said...

As for Moore being guilty, these 35 year old smears only surfaced 1 month before the election. That alone should disqualify them, but people are stupid.

One had a yearbook that Moore supposedly signed but refused to let people examine it. That alone should disqualify her. Add in everyone at the Restuarant says she's lying and her ex-boyfriend says she's lying, and the whole thing was obviously bogus. But as I said, people are stupid.

The 14 y/o has a history of mental/emotional problems and got key dates and places wrong. And there's no history of Moore going after 14 year olds or roughly handling women. So she's disqualified.

Its obvious the WaPo and Mitch McConnell's operatives knew about these allegations last summer but they waited until 1 month before the election.

MamaM said...

Not only is Moore a loose cannon, there's enough weirdness in his past without the young women as liars issue to make him a questionable candidate. If Trump had wanted to endorse him by going to Alabama on Sunday and Monday, I believe he'd have done so.

MamaM said...
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