Judge Moore accused of sexually assaulting/pursuing underage girls in his 30s

[ImTheCaptain]

I forgot Bernie won the presidency

 

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

I forgot Bernie won the presidency

exactly

Democrats aren't progressive

 

[BarcaDeac]

so a centrist Dem barely wins over a sexual predator in Alabama and the call is maybe we should have run someone really progressive instead

 

[Wakeforest22890]

An Alabama senate win for the Democrats isn't the battle I'm picking to wage as a progressive liberal who is also not a big fan of the Democratic Party at large, but that's just me.

 

[06deacon]

He already lost risc, no need to keep smearing the accusers

 

[myDeaconmyhand]

so a centrist Dem barely wins over a sexual predator in Alabama and the call is maybe we should have run someone really progressive instead

The notion that Jones's relative moderation/conservativism won him the election is erroneous. Democrats have been unsuccessfully running moderate-conservative candidates in the south/midwest forever and they nearly always lose, especially now in the hyper partisan fox news era. The amount of conservatives that the dems are able to peal off is extremely negligible - certainly considering the potential gains to be made by ya know, actually campaigning on economic and social progress. Rather than just not being the racist party.

 

[avalon]

Inside McConnell’s slow-motion Alabama train wreck

This adds another step to the saga... McConnell decided to treat Strange like an incumbent and threaten to blacklist those that worked with any opponents, which kept stronger establishment candidates from running.

Suddenly, potential candidates started dropping out, including some who could have worked well with the party under different circumstances. Reps. Robert Aderholt and Bradley Byrne both decided not to run. Del Marsh, the top Republican in Alabama’s state Senate, traveled to Washington to meet with conservative groups who might support him. But Marsh quickly encountered resistance, with national consultants saying they couldn’t work for him.

“We actually had [firms] that we thought were going to sign on with if I got into the race, and they started getting phone calls stating they could not do the race because of conversations with the [NRSC],” Marsh told POLITICO days before announcing he would not run.

Then he went hard after Mo Brooks, thinking a Roy Moore matchup was better for Strange. And, in doing so, created a whole anti-McConnell backlash, which soured voters views of his big spending against Moore and may have helped Moore win the primary.

The McConnell-aligned super PAC believed Moore’s hard-core conservative views limited his appeal to a minority of the Republican primary electorate. They figured Strange’s likeliest path through the GOP primary was a one-on-one match-up with Moore in a runoff.

So began a massive, multimillion dollar ad blitz targeting Brooks, who was receiving quiet advice and backing from Bannon, then still in the White House. The ads torpedoed Brooks, who earned just 20 percent of the first-round GOP primary vote.

But they did not provide an overwhelming boost to Strange, who advanced, in second place, to a runoff with Moore. And by this time, Strange was tied with McConnell in voters’ minds.

tl;dr lol McConnell

 

[myDeaconmyhand]

But maybe you're right, maybe southern Democrats would also rather vote for a pedophile than vote for upper and middle class taxes to go up.

 

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

This does a better job of articulating what I was getting at. Democrats are quick to publicly express appreciation for minority groups, but want no part in -- or are completely incapable of -- actually being a part of the redistribution of money, power, and opportunity.

 

[cville deac]

I think Jones has a chance in 2020 running against the Pub running on Trump's coattails.

No way. As long as the nominee with the R by his name stays relatively quiet, doesn't rape or molest anyone or talk about raping and molesting, that R will win in AL. I would love to be wrong here, and you can come back and make fun of me in 3 years if I am.

 

[RJKarl]

No way. As long as the nominee with the R by his name stays relatively quiet, doesn't rape or molest anyone or talk about raping and molesting, that R will win in AL. I would love to be wrong here, and you can come back and make fun of me in 3 years if I am.

Even as crazy as Mo Brooks is, he'd likely get 60+% of the vote if he runs in 2020.

 

[PhDeac]

No way. As long as the nominee with the R by his name stays relatively quiet, doesn't rape or molest anyone or talk about raping and molesting, that R will win in AL. I would love to be wrong here, and you can come back and make fun of me in 3 years if I am.

How many Democrats don't vote in Alabama because it doesn't matter? How many will vote in 2018 and 2020 after last night showed that it does?

I think you're going to see a lot of black voters and "my vote doesn't matter" voters and young voters come off the sidelines. I also think democrats will peel off some poor white voters after the next year of tax cuts and entitlement cuts.

 

[Gooner]

This does a better job of articulating what I was getting at. Democrats are quick to publicly express appreciation for minority groups, but want no part in -- or are completely incapable of -- actually being a part of the redistribution of money, power, and opportunity.

I think that's changed (albeit slowly) since the 2016 election. And having people like the Crooked Media guys actively pushing women and especially minority women into the limelight is only going to keep that change moving. I 100% agree with you that we need more women and minorities in positions of power in order to actually enact true change. Hopefully 2018 keeps the trend up, and even accelerates it.

 

[Gooner]

How many Democrats don't vote in Alabama because it doesn't matter? How many will vote in 2018 and 2020 after last night showed that it does?

I think you're going to see a lot of black voters and "my vote doesn't matter" voters and young voters come off the sidelines. I also think democrats will peel off some poor white voters after the next year of tax cuts and entitlement cuts.

Young voters + "my vote doesn't matter voters" cannot be stressed enough looking toward 2018. I can't tell you the number of people my age that were furious about 2016 and began to get interested and involved in politics. My older brother had never voted before because here in KS, a Dem vote doesn't go anywhere, and that makes interest in politics hard to come by. He voted for the first time this year when there was nothing more than a couple tax questions and a local school board election on the ballot here in Lawrence, KS. He reads political news, texts me questions and is active in the discussions now. There are thousands, if not millions, of people like him in the 18-30 range that are going to be coming out to vote for the first big election after 2016 and that matters. I think the House is going to flip hard for Democrats in November due to people who have never felt like they had a voice realizing that it does matter now.

In addition, I think the national coverage of the AL race is going to be a recurring theme in 2018, especially if more Bannon candidates start springing up in the Senate elections. Charles Barkley said it great when he said it was time for AL to stop being an embarrassment to the nation. People don't want other people to know they voted for a terrible person. By publicizing the elections AND putting up qualified, charismatic candidates, Democrats can make whole states either own a shitty choice of candidate or stand by what they promote as their beliefs. It's all about keeping the pressure on those candidates and those states.

 

[avalon]

This does a better job of articulating what I was getting at. Democrats are quick to publicly express appreciation for minority groups, but want no part in -- or are completely incapable of -- actually being a part of the redistribution of money, power, and opportunity.

The second tweet under that one is important too. Because that's not going to change on its own, and it isn't going to change from the top down. Donate, volunteer, vote, whatever you can manage.

Collective PAC

Higher Heights

Stacey Abrams

Anyone have other suggestions?

 

[DeaconSig]

I think a democrat in Alabama has about a 0% chance to win in 2020. Jones should vote his conscience and recognize that his future does not lie in being an elected official in Alabama.

 

[RJKarl]

I think a democrat in Alabama has about a 0% chance to win in 2020. Jones should vote his conscience and recognize that his future does not lie in being an elected official in Alabama.

What if Nick Saban ran as a Dem?

 

[Wakeforest22890]

So we vote shame certain states? Bridgegate got to chubby but he was running for prez.

I like what you’re saying to a certain extent. Not sure calling out shitty states.

Excluding the 2016 presidential election, what other elections do you recall where one of the two candidates has had multiple individuals accuse them of inappropriate sexual conduct? That Alabama almost elected Moore is embarrassing, but they did come out on the correct side of this one.

 

[ImTheCaptain]

This does a better job of articulating what I was getting at. Democrats are quick to publicly express appreciation for minority groups, but want no part in -- or are completely incapable of -- actually being a part of the redistribution of money, power, and opportunity.

then don't vote for democrats?

 

[myDeaconmyhand]

Excluding the 2016 presidential election, what other elections do you recall where one of the two candidates has had multiple individuals accuse them of inappropriate sexual conduct? That Alabama almost elected Moore is embarrassing, but they did come out on the correct side of this one.

Dems can't count on running against cartoon villains in every election. They have to actually try winning with policy. Hopefully they are recognizing that playing it safe and running just a few notches to the left of "center" is not a winning strategy in red states. We should be energizing the electorate with idealogy and policy. Remember how successful Obama was with "Hope" and "Change"? Hell, Trump's MAGA message was very powerful and positive (to his audience).