A conservative writer for the Washington Post asked this week what many in our movement nationally have been pondering while watching Alabama creep ever closer to sending Roy Moore to the U.S. Senate: “What’s the matter with Alabama?”
Examining a recent poll, columnist Jennifer Rubin bemoaned that Moore received nearly 60-percent of the female vote, asking did these women “consider that if Moore gets away with his alleged crimes and gets to the Senate, a horrific message will be sent to men who prey on young women?”
Seeing how we’re probably going to send someone to the U.S. Senate whose fellow senator from Alabama – whose own governor, even – sees no reason to disbelieve those who have accused him of sexual molestation and sexual assault, indeed, what is the matter with Alabama?
As many ex-girlfriends have told me, “It’s not you. It’s me.”
It’s not so much what’s the matter with us, it’s what’s the matter with the rest of the country.
Alabamians aren’t so much supporting Moore than they are reacting to years, decades even, of our way of life being constantly under assault from popular culture – the news media, film, music, books, you name it.
Then we’ve had our political leaders rise to power through our support only to see them abandon and then betray us to the establishment and elites once in office. We’ve seen the government use the force of law, and the courts use force of decree, to change our sacred institutions and force us to act against our conscience.
We looked to our leaders to successfully push back against all of this, yet we saw nobody, and we heard no one.
So is it any real surprise that when someone finally comes along who actually does push back, who actually does shout back, that he gets support from many of us, some of whom would have never supported him 20-years ago?
Look no further than Moore’s new television ad running this weekend as evidence.
Here’s a partial script:
— “They call us warmongers for wanting to rebuild the military.”
— “Racists for securing our borders.”
— “Bigots for recognizing the sanctity of marriage.”
— “And they call us foolish for believing in God.”
So if the establishment in Washington doesn’t like Moore, then that’s too bad. It’s their own fault that he’s about to become one of their colleagues.
They didn’t fight for us then, so Alabamians are looking for someone who will fight for us now, and some are rationalizing their votes because they feel they have no options and so much is at stake.
This isn’t about taxes or regulation or budgets or foreign policy … it’s about our culture, and many in Alabama see it slipping away, if not gone already.
Remember when Samson said in the Book of Judges, “With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.”
Had the Republican establishment treated us with respect, not lied to us, not retreated or rolled-over at every hard choice, and actually fought to advance or even preserve our way of life, then perhaps Alabama would be sending another conservative yet likable man like Jeff Sessions or Richard Shelby to the Senate.
Instead, Alabama has had enough, and it’s about to smack Washington upside its head with the jawbone of an ass.
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