Roy Moore appeared at a church Wednesday night as he deals with allegations that he preyed on teenage girls when he was an assistant district attorney in the late 1970’s. Speaking at a “God Save America” revival at Walker Springs Road Baptist Church in Jackson, the Alabama Senate Candidate received a standing ovation as he entered the room.
Moore joked that he is the only person who can unite Republicans and Democrats, saying that they are united in their opposition to his candidacy. He continued, “Now they are together to try to keep me from going to Washington. And why? It has a lot to do with what we are talking about tonight. We want our country to be saved by God.” He said his opponents have spent $30 million “trying to take me out.”
Moore faces mounting pressure to end his candidacy. Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speak Paul Ryan have announced their desire for Moore to step aside. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, McConnell discussed what he thinks the options are to replace Moore. “It appears as if the only option would be a write-in candidate and that’s very seldom successful, although we’ve had an example of it in 2010 Lisa Murkowski from Alaska lost the primary, ran a write-in campaign in the general election and actually won. I think the last person to do that was Strom Thurmond in the 50s. So, why did she win? She was totally well-known and extremely popular. And the name being the most often discussed may not be available, but the Alabamian who would fit that standard would be the Attorney General, who is totally well-known and extremely popular in Alabama. That obviously would be a big move for him and for the President. …I’m confident this is an issue they’re discussing in great detail.”
FoxNews host Sean Hannity discussed Moore on his show Wednesday night, citing the inconsistencies in his responses to the allegations. Then Hannity drew a line in the sand, saying that Moore needs to give a coherent explanation to the charges in the next 24 hours. “You must immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation for your inconsistencies. You must remove any doubt. If he can’t do this, then Judge Moore needs to get out of this race.
The allegations did not dampen Moore’s reception at the church. Moore spoke for about 30 minutes after a sermon and singing from a youth choir. He didn’t directly address the allegations, but alluded to them multiple times. He talked about religious liberty and encouraged the congregation to stand for what they know to be right.
The church’s pastor, Rev. David Webb, addressed why many evangelicals continue to support Moore even after the revelations about his alleged behavior came to light. “In America, you are innocent until proven guilty. Why would you change that? He stood for faith and God and the Bible since he’s been in office and he’s paid a price for it. His character over the last 20 years, it’s been unblemished. That’s why he’s popular among Christians. He’s living what we believe.”
Photo courtesy: Wkimedia Commons
Publication date: November 15, 2017
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