No election has generated as much interest and controversy as the election for the Senate in Alabama. In this election, the two major candidates in the fray are Judge Roy Moore and his opponent, Democratic candidate Doug Jones. The Gallup polls give a slight edge to Jones, yet the election is a toss-up, and Moore may make it to Washington. Many feel that Moore, who has been accused of dating teenage girls in his 30s, is not the right man to sit in the Senate. Matters have been compounded by Moore, when, during an election rally, he was asked a question as to when was America great.
He reportedly replied it was when slavery was in vogue. This has been reported by Newsweek magazine.
Moore and slavery
Judge Roy Moore made this bizarre comment in reply to a question by an Afro- American in the audience. Later, his office clarified that Moore was not talking about slavery, but the cohesiveness of the family and family values during that period. It was clarified that Judge Moore was not a supporter of slavery.
Roy Moore has been making controversial statements, yet he has a fair amount of support in his home state. He has been contemptuous of local Indians and has referred to them as "reds and yellows," He also followed Donald Trump, and cast doubts on the place of birth of the previous president, Barak Obama.
Teenage girls
Moore is also reported to have dated teenage girls when he was in his 30s. That's decades back, and one will have to concede that the allegations are so old, that they may not have much relevance now. Though they do show the character of the man.
Moore has received a shot in the arm from no less a man than the president, Donald Trump.
Trump has backed Moore's bid for the Senate. CNN has reported that Trump has come out openly in support of Moore and this has made the race for the Senate more interesting.
Moore and Trump
Moore is following in the footsteps of Trump, who started his campaign by stating he wanted to make America great again. Similarly Moore's statement that America was great when slavery was in existence, smacks of appealing to the extreme right.This boils down to an appeal to right-wing white supporters.
Trump and Moore have much in common. The man who once said that Muslims should not be allowed into Congress, though trailing by about two percentage points to his Democratic rival, may very well make it to the White House.
The election takes place on December 12 and the preference of the voters will be revealed. One thing is for sure, in case Moore wins, the Senate will have a strong right-wing supporter of Trump on the scene. Wrong signals may, however, be sent to the world.