Doug Thompson: GOP defeats itself in Alabama

GOP must thoroughly vet its candidates first

Republicans threw away a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama on Tuesday.

Democrats deserve praise for the heavy lifting still required to pick the seat up. I will get to that. But I am not joining the chorus that a Democratic wave will roll through 2018 yet. What the GOP must do to stop, or at least impede, such a wave is too plain.

Republicans need to stop nominating intolerant con men who can be credibly accused of not keeping their hands to themselves. Roy Moore would never have survived a truly vigorous, bare-knuckle GOP primary -- in any year. His career should have collapsed long ago.

Moore's history in Alabama politics stretches back to the 1982. He never won a race until he switched to the GOP in 1992. It is simply beyond belief that no one knew about his fondness for sweet young girls until the Washington Post showed up.

The idea that the Post made up these allegations or paid for them is given the lie by the fact that Moore's trolling for teenagers was an open secret in his hometown. That was reported in the local press. Moore himself said he never dated a girl without her mother's permission.

Moore drew national attention for defying federal court rulings. His antics forced his removal -- twice -- as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. This clear lack of good judgment was like a flare going up that this man needed scrutiny. No one in Alabama Republican politics gave it. One-party Alabama kept nominating him.

Credible but unprovable abuse allegations against Moore from 40 years ago was just the final blow. Before any of allegations came out, the Post showed Moore took $1 million from a nonprofit foundation he founded after proclaiming he would receive no salary from it. Again, no one in Alabama picked up on that first. Moore's scandals, moreover, were fudge on top of a sundae of open prejudices.

Republicans complain Democrats get away with worse. Democrats in general do not run as Biblical holier-than-thou types. Moore's self-righteousness amplified every failing.

So none of Moore's rich history mattered in the GOP primary -- this year or any other. The question every Republican in Alabama should ask is: Why not? Buying without looking under the hood in GOP primaries is not just a problem in Alabama. The GOP's presidential nomination was won by a man who did not even have to release his tax returns.

Republicans, vet your candidates or your enemies will. Apply 1 percent of the scrutiny lathered upon Benghazi, or Whitewater, or Uranium One, or birth certificates upon your own party hopefuls. Better to regret what you find in the primary than in the election.

Now, for Democrats. Alabama is both a great victory for them and a warning. Look at how bad a Republican must be to lose. The only thing keeping Democrats relevant is GOP self-destructiveness.

Some insist Moore alone did not lose. This race was a backlash against the president, they say. OK. Democratic fortunes should not rely wholly on the repulsiveness of their opponents, whoever they are.

The 2018 elections are not about Democratic resurgence. The 2018 elections are about Democratic survival. If they cannot win while the GOP is so abysmally led, how can they win if the Republicans wake up?

Doug Jones won his race against Moore because blacks, youth and college-educated whites repulsed by Moore and the president turned out in record numbers. This is not a firm coalition. Many a college-educated white Alabamian will snap back to the Republicans once the GOP there restores even the appearance of respectability.

As for the Democrats, a rift closed. No-nonsense blacks, establishment whites and hipsters all celebrated at Jones campaign headquarters as their victory delighted and amazed them. This kind of common cause and solidarity is something Democrats do not see enough.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the darling of the idealistic young, was famously unable to build bridges in his presidential bid with much more realistic black voters. That was a much bigger reason he lost than the clear bias of the party's apparatus. That said, Sanders probably would have made more headway in that regard had he not been running against a Clinton who had worked for President Barack Obama.

For now, a frail coalition won in Alabama. The coalition may hold as long as this president leads the other party. After that, the future of the Democrats remains in doubt.

Commentary on 12/16/2017

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