Alabama's pro-life voters choose between Roy Moore and staying home (C. Smith/al.com)

By Cameron Smith
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on November 13, 2017 at 1:30 PM, updated November 13, 2017 at 1:41 PM

Roy Moore's character is in the media's crosshairs. With a month to go before the election, the question is whether Alabama's Republican majority believes Moore or those accusing him of illicit sexual conduct. Either way, the Democratic candidate Doug Jones isn't an acceptable alternative for one major reason.

Moore's rock-ribbed supporters will show up and vote for him regardless of any allegations leveled against him. They think Moore was wrongly removed from office twice and that the latest accusations are evidence of liberals and the Washington establishment trying to destroy him.

Then there are voters like me.

I'm not about to defend the conduct alleged against Moore. Attempts to do so by several Republican officials from Alabama have been ghastly. I already had significant reservations about Moore's candidacy. His removals from judicial office strike me as disrespect for the rule of law rather than evidence of strong convictions.

The question is whether I'm going to show up and vote for Moore or not.

Jones is a great candidate in many respects. He's not a polarizing bomb-thrower. He is, by all accounts, a man of impeccable character with a storied legal career.
***
Oh, if only he had stopped there ... you probably don't want to read more: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/11/alabamas_pro-life_voters_choos.html#incart_river_index