Roy Moore, who is running for the U.S. Senate, is facing resistance from the GOP leadership over the accusations that he sexually assaulted teenage girls several decades ago. As new accusations surface, several high-profile Republicans are calling for Moore to drop out of the race. However, for many Republican voters in Alabama, the accusations have not altered their opinion of Roy Moore. In fact, 29 percent of Alabama voters now say they are more likely to vote for Roy Moore because of the allegations against him.
A special election is being held December 12 to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Roy Moore defeated Luther Strange in the Republican primary earlier this year and is facing Doug Jones, a Democrat. Since the allegations about Roy Moore sexually abusing underage girls have come to light, his once comfortable lead in the Alabama Senate race has slipped and he is running neck and neck with Jones. That’s to be expected.
What is unexpected is that, according to a poll conducted by JMC Analytics, 29 percent of the respondents answered “more likely” when asked: “Given the allegations that have come out about Roy Moore’s alleged sexual misconduct against four underage women, are you more or less likely to support him as a result of these allegations?” Evangelicals are even more supportive of Moore, with 37 percent declaring they’re “more likely” to vote for Moore.
The Christian Post reports that “a Nov. 9 Opinion Savvy telephone survey found that over 82 percent of Alabama voters were aware of the allegations and that 54 percent of all voters, and almost 73 percent of Republicans, said that Moore should not withdraw from the race.”
It’s understandable for Republicans to take a wait-and-see approach, which would justify the resistance to Moore dropping out of the race. However, it’s disturbing that 29 percent of those polled are now “more likely” to vote for Roy Moore because of the allegations.
This country affords those accused of crimes the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. That, of late, has been thrown out the window and replaced with a mob mentality. However, many in the mob appear to only point their pitchforks and torches at those who are outside of their ideological camp. For example, take the difference in the responses to the accusation against George Takei by many of those who are screaming for Roy Moore’s head.
When you’re a beloved progressive icon, innocent until proven guilty suddenly becomes a sacrosanct principle. In fact, for some progressive icons, even evidence proving guilt isn’t enough to earn the anger of the leftist mob. Ask Bill Clinton.
However, the hypocrisy of the left doesn’t justify lapses of ethical judgment by conservatives, and especially not by Christians.
Holding onto the belief that Roy Moore is innocent until proven guilty is one thing. Likewise, reserving judgment until more facts are revealed is also one thing. However, being more likely to vote for Moore (or anyone, for that matter) because he was accused of sexual abuse is another thing altogether.
There are reasons why victims of actual sexual assault believe that Christians don’t care for them (some of the reasons are legitimate, some not). This recent poll is only going to reinforce that unfortunate belief.
Sexual assault is a sin and should be treated as such. Even accusations should be treated with the sobriety and gravity such a serious sin deserves. Racing to embrace a man because of the accusations signals that a person does not find sexual assault as serious as they find circling the wagons around their political ideology. Even worse, it may indicate that an individual believes that women are made for the pleasure of men and that sexual assault if not a sin. Voting for Roy Moore because he’s accused of sexual assault demonstrates that sin is not taken seriously.
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