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| Moore with Christofascist, Mat Staver |
As regular readers know, I view both today's Republican Party and its Christofascist base to be irredeemably morally bankrupt. Lying is the new norm combined with hypocrisy that knows no limits. I'm not saying that progressives and Democrats are angels, but in the grand scheme of things "conservatives" have become the champions of misogyny who apply one standard to themselves - one where anything goes and no lie is too disgusting - and a totally different one to their political opponents or simply those who demand moral decency in political candidates. The roiling Roy Moore sex scandal personifies this double standard (have you noticed that it seems 9 out of 10 times it is the Republicans/right wing pastors caught up in sex scandals?). A column in the Washington Post looks at this reality. Here are excerpts:
Trump’s conveniently flexible standard on accusations — and he is not alone — boils down to: If the accuser points a finger at a Democrat — Bill Clinton, Harvey Weinstein — her word is to be trusted, automatically. If she complains about a Republican, Trump’s otherwise dormant devotion to due process kicks in. How can claims from “many years ago” be allowed to “destroy a person’s life”? Some answers: Because they are entirely credible. Because the girl, now a woman, has no conceivable ax to grind — she is a longtime Republican, a Trump voter even — and nothing to gain from coming forward. Because three other women related similar, although less disturbing stories, underscoring Moore’s interest in younger girls.
Because the presumption of innocence, while essential in the legal realm, does not mean the elimination of common sense outside it. (Thank you, Mitt Romney, for saying that.) The willing suspension of disbelief has its limits, or should.
Unless, that is, you are a politician dealing with a story you wish would go away. Then you turn instinctively to if-then-ism. “If these allegations are true . . .” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), leading — or not — his prove-it caucus. Disappointingly, among them were women senators who ought to know better. “
The correct response came from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who — without hedging — termed the allegations “deeply disturbing and disqualifying” and called on Moore to withdraw. It is better, sure, than the jaw-dropping alternative: so-what-ism, remarkably flagrant among Alabamians in response to the Moore report. “Much ado about nothing,” State Auditor Jim Zeigler told the Washington Examiner. Joseph did it with Mary, he observed. Except, um, minor theological point here — did he? 32-year-old Moore could put a 14-year-old girl’s hand on his erect penis and touch her over her bra and underpants. Trump could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue. It would not deter their supporters. Okay, at least we know where you’re coming from. Your moral parameters are clear in their absence. One last strategy — blame the messenger — has come into play here, deployed by Moore and supporters such as former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon. “The Bezos Amazon Washington Post that dropped that dime on Donald Trump is the same Bezos Amazon Washington Post that dropped the dime this afternoon on Judge Roy Moore,” Bannon said, referring to Post owner and Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos and the “Access Hollywood” tape. “Now is that a coincidence?”
No, it’s not. Good reporting breeds good reporting. . . . Blaming the messenger is always easier than hearing an unwelcome message. It does not make that message any less true.
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