Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Could Things Get Any Moore Strange in Alabama?

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

There is a Republican primary election next Tuesday in Alabama that will determine which of two ambitious politicians will ultimately earn the right to represent their party in the race to fill the Senate seat recently held by Jeff Sessions.  The race is between the appointed incumbent, Luther Strange, who, as the state's attorney general, was widely thought to have abandoned an investigation of the state's governor so that that same individual would appoint him to the vacant senate seat - which he did, and a Bible-spouting lawyer, Roy Moore, who has twice been forced out as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court due to conflicts that he created over religion.

Strange, by virtue of his brief incumbency, has attracted lots of campaign cash and the support of such "strange" bedfellows as Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell.  Moore, who has far less funding than his opponent, also has some noteworthy public support from political powerhouses like Steve Bannon and Sarah Palin - as well as one of the Duck Dynasty hillbillies.  With only seven days left in which to campaign, most polls show Roy Moore with a significant lead.

The Senate race in Alabama is mean and getting meaner.  Both sides are accusing the other of being a part of "the swamp," with Strange being portrayed as carrying water for Mitch McConnell and Moore being cast as a part of the Mobile (Alabama) corrupt political machine.  And whoever ultimately prevails will still not be assured of six years at the public trough because the Republican nominee will still have to face a Democrat , former U.S.  Attorney Doug Jones, in the fall.  And with feelings this bitter, it is not inconceivable that Jones could win.

Donald Trump is planning a trip to Alabama this week to personally campaign for Luther Strange, a journey that will give the blowhard New Yorker some degree of ownership of Strange's ultimate success or failure.  It is a risk, and apparently one that Trump deems worth taking.  It could be a smart political move, or, perhaps more likely, Trump's trip south could be a sign of things to come - a very, very long midterm campaign season in which Republicans fight ruthlessly to rip each other asunder.

2018 may be a year of bloody Republican primaries - and, if it is, it couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of folks.  Here's hoping The Donald makes time to personally become involved in each and every one!

No comments: