# Can the Democrats win the Alabama senate special election in December? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 13, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504 "2017-08-13T00:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/601 "2017-11-13T21:58:25Z")
Apparently they are floating blocking Moore and [replacing him with Sessions](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/us/politics/roy-moore-alabama-senate.html). Thus, alleviating their problem of having an attorney general who is recused from the Russia investigation. You gotta appreciate the ability to turn lemons into lemonade. \* “One idea now being discussed under this scenario, brought up by two different White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, would be for Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama to immediately appoint Attorney General Jeff Sessions to what had been his seat when it becomes vacant again. Mr. Sessions remains highly popular among Alabama Republicans, but his relationship with President Trump has waned since he recused himself from the investigation of the role that Russia played in last year’s campaign.”\* ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/602 "2017-11-13T22:21:12Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > So, he pretty much HAS to sue them now. If not, I think many supporters will take it as a sign that he is actually guilty. Or worse, gutless. Because if he is innocent, he HAS to sue. Yeah, just like how Trump carried out on his threats to sue all of his accusers immediately following the election. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/603 "2017-11-13T22:24:03Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [Moore threatens to sue the WaPo](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/roy-moore-threatens-to-sue-washington-post/ar-BBETeoL) > > So, he pretty much HAS to sue them now. If not, I think many supporters will take it as a sign that he is actually guilty. Or worse, gutless. Because if he is innocent, he HAS to sue. > > But what are his chances if he goes to court? He would have to prove that A) the story is wrong and B) WaPo _knew_ it was wrong and ran it anyway. Just proving A will not be enough. The paper is allowed to be wrong about a story, just not _knowingly_ wrong. WaPo will bring its reporters and their notes, call the accusers and they will swear under oath. And if he cannot \*prove \*they were wrong… As others have said, he won’t sue them. And, as you point out, he’d never prevail if he did. He’s a public figure, and the standard would be “actual malice.” (knowing it was false or acting in reckless disregard for whether it was true or false). ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/604 "2017-11-13T22:24:58Z")
And so he does, but he has no case. He sues, case gets kicked out, and he just notes how the vast liberal conspiracy rigged the system. Hey, he sued, didn’t promise he would win! ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/605 "2017-11-13T22:51:58Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [Moore threatens to sue the WaPo](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/roy-moore-threatens-to-sue-washington-post/ar-BBETeoL) > > So, he pretty much HAS to sue them now. If not, I think many supporters will take it as a sign that he is actually guilty. Or worse, gutless. Because if he is innocent, he HAS to sue. > > But what are his chances if he goes to court? He would have to prove that A) the story is wrong and B) WaPo _knew_ it was wrong and ran it anyway. Just proving A will not be enough. The paper is allowed to be wrong about a story, just not _knowingly_ wrong. WaPo will bring its reporters and their notes, call the accusers and they will swear under oath. And if he cannot \*prove \*they were wrong… Further, the Wa Po isn’t saying that Moore actually did those things. It is saying that these women are accusing him of doing those things. That statement is indisputably factually true. As an attorney, Moore should know this. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/606 "2017-11-13T23:15:29Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It is not hard to imagine a world in which we would have been better off had Clinton resigned in 1997/8 because of these issues. Except that AFAICT, the only really active Clinton sex scandal at that point was the Monica Lewinsky one, and I think there is no dispute that it was adult and consensual. (I still think the affair was skeevy based on her very subordinate position as a White House intern and her young age, but AFAIK Lewinsky has consistently affirmed that it was consensual throughout, and IIRC evidence indicated that the sexually suggestive flirting was initiated by her.) So I don’t think Clinton resigning over the Lewinsky scandal would have done much to raise public awareness of the problem of **non** -consensual sexual behavior on the part of famous men. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/607 "2017-11-14T00:21:01Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > This woman who spoke today was very difficult to listen to as she described attempted rape by Roy Moore. I found her testimony to be quite credible and emotionally disturbing. Moore is a monster, no doubt. And to sign a high school girl’s yearbook when you’re in your 30s saying she’s beautiful- there really isn’t a non-creepy explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/608 "2017-11-14T00:24:31Z")
[The plot sickens](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/locals-were-troubled-by-roy-moores-interactions-with-teen-girls-at-the-gadsden-mall): > [@](#): > > This past weekend, I spoke or messaged with more than a dozen people — including a major political figure in the state — who told me that they had heard, over the years, that Moore had been banned from the mall because he repeatedly badgered teen-age girls. Some say that they heard this at the time, others in the years since. These people include five members of the local legal community, two cops who worked in the town, several people who hung out at the mall in the early eighties, and a number of former mall employees. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/609 "2017-11-14T00:59:19Z")
Seen on the Twitters: “If you’re banned from the mall, you should be banned from the Senate” ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/610 "2017-11-14T01:29:27Z")
So has the RNC dumped Moore yet? If so, I will eat crow about my earlier prediction of continued support. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/611 "2017-11-14T01:44:46Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Further, the Wa Po isn’t saying that Moore actually did those things. It is saying that these women are accusing him of doing those things. That statement is indisputably factually true. As an attorney, Moore should know this. That’s probably why he’s talking about suing the paper rather than actually suing the paper. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/612 "2017-11-14T01:47:35Z")
Moore is now claiming that the Democrats and the “Establishment Republicans” are working together to derail his candidacy. He also claims to have proven with geometric logic that were was a duplicate key to the locker with the strawberries. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/613 "2017-11-14T01:50:44Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > As an attorney, Moore should know this. There’s a lot of stuff that dipshit should know and yet there he is. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/614 "2017-11-14T02:00:22Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Moore is now claiming that the Democrats and the “Establishment Republicans” are working together to derail his candidacy. He also claims to have proven with geometric logic that were was a duplicate key to the locker with the strawberries. Called it: > "I will up you on that: To drive turnout, _only_ RINO’s like Collins, McConnell, McCain, etc will denounce Moore. TP types will support. Moore/Bannon will run on “take back the Republican Party” as well as against his Dem opponent." ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/615 "2017-11-14T02:29:27Z")
Never thought I’d see the day when McConnell was considered a RINO. How much further right can they go before they fall over the edge of the Earth? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/616 "2017-11-14T02:35:22Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > So has the RNC dumped Moore yet? [No need for crow yet](https://www.buzzfeed.com/henrygomez/the-republican-national-committee-hasnt-yet-dumped-roy-moore?utm_term=.opYK6x4Pm#.mkwmgA25Y). > [@](#): > > But the Republican National Committee remains in Moore’s corner — at least for now. > > About a dozen national party staffers are on the ground in Alabama, handling field organizing duties for next month’s special election between Moore and Democratic nominee Doug Jones, an RNC official told BuzzFeed News. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/617 "2017-11-14T02:37:09Z")
Cue the Pelosi card. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/618 "2017-11-14T03:30:12Z")
Cruz withdraws support: > **[Cruz pulls support from Moore: Allegations merit ‘criminal prosecution’ if true](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/360205-cruz-pulls-support-from-roy-moore-allegations-merit-criminal-prosecution-if/)** > > Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday withdrew his support from Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore, saying allegations of sexual misconduct should be looked at by prosecutors.“As it stands, I can’t urge the pe… ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/619 "2017-11-14T03:40:02Z")
I’m open to the idea that a man can find himself accused wrongly. A guy who’s powerful and knows, supervises, works with a lot of women can perhaps once, maybe twice, be part of a ‘misunderstanding’. Not likely but okay, possible. But once you get past two women, once you get to the point where multiple women come forward with similar allegations over several years, that just strains credulity to believe that they’re all making this up. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/620 "2017-11-14T03:53:36Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Cruz withdraws support: > > [http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/360205-cruz-pulls-support-from-roy-moore-allegations-merit-criminal-prosecution-if](http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/360205-cruz-pulls-support-from-roy-moore-allegations-merit-criminal-prosecution-if) Ms. Nelson’s statement today was rough to watch. I wonder if that has turned the tide against Moore. I imagine this pushed Cruz to do what he did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504.md?page=32)