Two news stories today…
Roy Moore, the Republican nominee for the open Senate seat in Alabama, is facing an accusation from a woman who says that he initiated sexual contact when she was 14 years old and Moore was a 32-year-old assistant district attorney.
Comedian Louis C.K. has been accused of sexual misconduct toward several women, including masturbating in front of them to their horror and embarrassment, according to a report in The New York Times.
What do these two men have in common apart from the fact that neither one of them should be in a position of trust and leadership? I would say it's that neither one of them should come as a surprise to us. That is, assuming they're true. In Mr. C.K.'s case, I've yet to see a denial from him or even a single friend coming forth to say, "I know him and he would never do that kind of thing." I suspect no matter what happens here, he's Guilty Forever.
Judge Roy Moore? When someone devotes his life to scolding people about their personal morality, demanding they adhere to his, you gotta figure at least a 50% chance that that guy is hiding something way worse than those he condemns. That doesn't mean Moore's guilty but none of the folks taking sides really care. The opinions I've seen expressed so far are pretty consistent with whether the person expressing that opinion wants to see that Senate seat remain Republican. This would apply to both those who think he didn't do it because they want him to win and those who think it'll cause the G.O.P. to lose so he should step down for the good of his party. And of course, there are those who want to see the Democrats grab the seat so Moore must be guilty.
Moore's "friends" who are urging him to get out of the race are sure not doing the man any favors, especially since it appears to be too late for that. Absentee ballots have already gone out with Moore's name on them for the special election on December 12 and it seems to be past the deadline to put someone else on the regular ballot. I especially don't get statements like Mitch McConnell saying, "If these allegations are true, he must step aside." If you want him out of the race, Mitch, don't frame it so if he does get out, it's a confession. Leave him some wiggle room to claim he's innocent but for the good of the party and/or to devote his full energy to clearing his name, he'll step aside for now and run next time.
I do wonder if any Republicans are worried that if they have Trump in the White House and Moore in the Senate, their party will get branded as a safe haven for sexual predators. If it were me, I'd be more worried about becoming the party that wants to increase taxes and/or lessen the safety net for the poor and middle class so that rich people won't pay very much in taxes.