That McConnell has seen Moore's internal numbers and they're really bad, and he's scared Moore is going to lose to Jones. So he's trying to get him to step down and replace him with someone McConnell thinks is more electable.

I don't know if there's any proof to back that up, though.

He would fare better with Moore

This theory makes little sense

so not sure that is his motive.

They could campaign for write in votes for a different candidate though. That's how Lisa Murkowski won in 2010.

No proof, of course, just a hunch.

But if McConnell (or someone) didn't like how Moore is polling, this bombshell might be just the thing to make Moore toxic so his loss in Alabama doesn't look so bad for Republicans. "We're real sorry to lose a Senate seat to a Democrat, but we'd have been even sorrier to have Roy Moore join the World's Greatest Deliberative Body identified as a Republican. Besides, we'll get another chance at this seat in 2020, and hopefully we'll have a better candidate then. Shouldn't be hard; maybe Sessions will be in a position to run by then?"

As having nothing to do with Republican policies and the declining appeal of culture-war issues.

Making it about Moore personally will help deflect blame away from the GOP and they will remind everyone that Trump backed Moore's primary opponent.

Whether McConnell had anything to do with this revelation is questionable, but it seems, the GOP leadership is not backing the "Liberal WP Fake News" angle. They want Moore to go away whether they believe the allegations or not and are willing to punt what would normally be a safe seat. That is itself a remarkable indicator of how bad things are for the Republicans.

Moore winning would embolden more alt right Roy Moore's to run in more states, in states that are more moderate that they can't win.

This is like when the Tea Party tried to take over the party and lost a bunch of senate elections with candidates like Christine O'Donnell. This time its Bannon though and the alt-right.

It would probably be better for Democrats if Moore won.

All of these men were serial predators years ago.

Any woman that accused him would have gotten ground to hamburger. Now she gets heard.

but I'm not sure Yurtle has the smarts for it.

I wondered what his real motive was...

but I believe it's true...they have just been holding the info for the right time to feed it to the WaPo

I was thinking the exact same thing, and was about to post a thread about it.

Whether the REPUG establishment picked this up on their own oppo research and are using it now to try to save themselves, does not mean the allegations aren't true. What woman would want to expose herself to the RW trolls and hatemongers?

Seriously, I saw the story break, and then disengaged from the news for a bit. When I came back, McConnell had already called on him to step down "if true."

I'm guessing McConnell had his statement ready before the story broke. If so, one explanation is that he got advance word of it dropping. The other possibility is that he was part of feeding the Post the story.

The power-mongering repubertle was poised & drooling to jump all over this like rancid butter on burnt popcorn kernels.

McConnell is smart. If it had been an inside hit job, then he would have done it sooner. As it stands now, the GOP can't replace Moore on the ballot. There would have to be a write-in campaign and those rarely work.

I think this was just great reporting from WaPo.

The GOP senators were quick to line up and make a statement though, usually they stay silent as long as possible on GOP scandals.

Why was it held back? It isn’t like this is the first time Moore has been using his piousness to win an election.

If the accusations are false, I almost feel sorry for the asshole.

That's really the only logical explanation. Had he known, this would have been unleashed then. No doubt about it.

It checked on the court date that is in the original story, and was the individual's mother in court that day for what it is alleged. My guess is that the Post also got witnesses who verified that these women told them about Judge Moore, friends, relatives, etc. of the accusers, long before publication. And..I would assume more than one witness for each individual ..that is more than one who supports and heard the accusations long ago..

I couldn't believe that the Washington Post, a reputable news source, would publish this if it were false..

The Harvey Weinstien story that the NY Times published also had to be true. (and is) You are not talking about some second class investigators.. If this had not been proven beyond doubt, the Times and the Post would not have published these stories.. Their reputations are worth more than some expose about sex. ..These are the leading news sources in the country... I would believe them more than some judge who disobeys the ruling of the Supreme Court.

... far fetched he got one of the ages wrong.

The guy from Breibart was on and tried to skew away from those points

WaPo got it and now it is still true, but now it is known.

However, I do know personally the main accuser in the story (went to HS with her). I also know the locales and descriptions of some of the details mentioned. Such as the restaurants involved, Gallant (western part of the county), Pizitz was a department store in the Gadsden Mall at that time (space currently occupied by Belk). Too many details covered that screams guilt or at least malfeasance.

and does not support Separation of Church and State. He's pure evil.

They would have preferred someone else but they'll take literally anyone with an R after their name over someone with a D.

and reports a couple weeks ago said Moore met with Senators and things didn't go well. He did not fit in. I think Moore would totally destroy the Republican wing in the Senate with his extremism and they're perfectly ok with dumping him and not giving Bannon the win.

He will announce a deal has been made that if elected he will step down the next day and the governer will appointment (fill in whatever name here) to replace him, so when you vote for Moore you are really voting for (fill in the blank).

From CNN.. at this link, 4 or 5 paragraphs down

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/09/politics/roy-moore-senate/index.html

The situation is this: The Washington Post talked to 30 people for this story. They name -- and have spoken to -- four women who a) do not know each other b) did not contact the Post before the Post contacted them and c) all tell very similar stories about Moore's decades-ago approach and intentions. They confirm that one woman's mother was in an Alabama courtroom on the day the accuser said she first met Moore. (Her daughter was 14 at the time.)

This isn't just some story slap-dashed together by a news outlet you've never heard of before. This is a deeply reported piece in which the reporters are entirely transparent about how they came upon the story and reported it out. Only the most biased minds could read the Post story and conclude that it was a "hit piece" or some sort of partisan attack.

No one fabricated anything. They just dropped a dime on the good judge.

so the repukes might will follow through on it...disposed as they are to Assume the Position for the darkside money mobsters of the icy-cold evil empire* russia.


* per ronald freakin reagan

Should have done it before the election.

Perhaps the Post was still researching it at that time. Who knows the timing of this? Not me

If this fucks Moore in the general then it's good

Don't victims of sexual abuse have a right to come forward without being dismissed as liars or part of a political plot?

Have I no respect for the victim?

First, there were victimS. At least four of them.

Second, where do get off asking if I have no respect for them? Based on what, exactly?

The republicans of Alabama have come to see us as Lucifer incarnate.

Moore will win by 10+ points.

They coordinated on this. Already they are talking about gearing up for a Luther Strange write-in campaign.