It shouldn't be a rousing call for celebration when an alleged pedophile is denounced, and yet that's the country we live in today. On Tuesday night, Democrat Doug Jones beat alleged child molester Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate election. The race was a little too close for comfort, but nevertheless, the defeat of this abhorrent presumed predator is a victory for Democrats.
Doug Jones beat alleged child molester Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate election
Months ago, allegations came to light that senatorial candidate Roy Moore was a sexual predator of many underage girls. The candidate attempted to portray the clear, indisputable evidence as a vast conspiracy against him. This tragically mirrors the often assumed viewpoint of assaulter: that their accusers are either crazy, lying or both. Sadly, many Americans would rather believe that survivors of assault are lying, than condemn a man. Perhaps they don't want to believe we live in a world where sexual assault is so prevalent.
Republican Roy Moore is known for using his religious beliefs as a crutch to undermine and attack civil rights movements. Moore opposes equal rights for Muslims and queer/ trans people. Despite this, many Alabama voters supported Moore, until allegations of sexually predatory behavior were published by the Washington Post. Even then, it was still a close race between a relatively moderate, upstanding democrat and an alleged child molester. Doug Jones is the first Democratic senator in Alabama in 25 years. Jones was an attorney who prosecuted Ku Klux Klan members for a 1963 church bombing that killed four girls. In many other states, he would have been a shoo-in.
Sixteen women accused Donald Trump of assault, and Americans nationwide wildly discredited the survivors and voted an alleged abuser to the highest political office in the country.
Perhaps because of this, Roy Moore modeled his response to the sexual allegations after Trump's. Both of them demonized and discredited their accusers. There are many parallels between how they handled the sexual assault allegations.
One woman said Roy Moore assaulted her violently when she was only a fourteen-year-old little girl. Yet Roy Moore only lost by 1.5%
Do we live in a world where Republicans would rather elect a sexual predator than a democrat?
Our executive branch certainly looks that way. The gain of a Democrat seat in the Senate narrows the GOP's majority to only 51. This is incredibly hopeful, especially with potentially life-changing bills heading to the Senate floor soon. Maybe things will start to get better soon. Maybe everything isn't terrible. Maybe Americans have just shown us that even in Alabama, the willingness to forgive abusers has shifted.