Decency trumps indecency in Senate race in Alabama

Accused pedophile Roy Moore’s defeat Tuesday in the special U.S. Senate election in Alabama is a victory for all Americans who believe sexual predatory behavior is vile and cannot be shrugged off.

Sen.-elect Doug Jones, the Democrat who wasn’t given much of a chance of defeating Republican Moore in deep-red Alabama, emerged victorious in the hotly contested race.

Jones, a former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Ku Klux Klan members in the killing of four young girls in the Birmingham church bombing in 1963, proved that decency can trump indecency.

His victory also showed that the politics of divisiveness finessed by Republican President Donald J. Trump is being rejected across the nation.

Trump gave his full-throated support to Moore, believing his landslide victory in Alabama last year over Democrat Hillary Clinton would translate into support for the GOP nominee.

The reality turned out to be something different. Trump’s involvement in the race simply served to focus attention on Moore’s sordid past.

Last month, several women alleged that 70-year-old Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, made unwanted advances or sexually assaulted them when they were teens and he was in his early 30s. The youngest was 14.

Moore denied the allegations, just as President Trump continues to do after more than 15 women accused him last year of sexual misconduct.

Despite the very credible testimonials from his accusers, Moore still garnered 49 percent of the vote. Indeed, he lost by just over 20,000 votes, which does prompt concerns about the mentality of a disturbingly large number of voters.

Good vs. evil

In his victory speech, Jones sought to frame the election in terms of good vs. evil. Here’s how he defined his candidacy:

“This campaign has been about the rule of law. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency and making sure everyone in the state regardless of which ZIP code you live in will get a fair shake in life.”

Jones talked about the need to find common ground in a state that is polarized politically and racially.

The senator-elect is deserving of praise for making it a point to thank the African-American and Latino communities for their support and for wishing “my Jewish friends Happy Hanukkah.”

“This race has been about dignity and respect,” the former federal prosecutor said.

The special election was called after Republican Jeff Sessions was appointed U.S. attorney general by Trump.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange was selected by the governor to succeed Sessions, but he lost the GOP nomination to Moore.

Trump endorsed the former chief justice after it became increasingly clear that the allegations of sexual misconduct had made the race against Democ- rat Jones too close for comfort.

One of Moore’s accusers, a woman who said she voted for Trump, told the Washington Post she was 14 when she was sexually assaulted by the then 30-something lawyer.

The woman provided graphic details of the assault, but that did not dissuade the hundreds of thousands of Alabamians who voted for Moore on Tuesday.

His refusal to succumb to pressure from Republican leaders in the Senate and other prominent members of the GOP to drop out of the race was reminiscent of last year’s presidential election.

The Republican establishment also shunned Trump as the allegations of sexual misconduct mounted.

In voicing his support for the former chief justice of Alabama, the president made it clear that any Republican was better than a Democrat. A goodly number of voters in Alabama obviously agreed with him.

That said, Jones’ victory in the race that went down to the wire should not be diminished by Moore’s strong showing. The good people of Alabama who voted for the Democrat are worthy of praise.

It is also important to point out that three of the state’s leading newspapers published an editorial on their front pages with the headline, “Stand for Decency, Reject Roy Moore.”

Despite his narrow victory, Jones, the first Democrat to do so in Alabama in 25 years, has given hope to all who believe the politics of division must be relegated to the dustbin of history.