I have spoken about Roy Moore before. He's a verified jerk who uses religion as an excuse to subvert the rights and dignity of pretty much everyone who isn't a straight, white, Evangelical man. To put it short, he's a bigot plain and simple. He was already an awful Senate candidate before the child molestation allegations, but this article isn't just about Roy Moore in a vacuum. Alabama politics has been the proverbial bottom of the barrel for decades. Historically, we are a state known by the rest of the country for its intolerance, ignorance, and incredibly low health and education standards. It is a reputation that, while overgeneralized and unknowledgeable of the state's history of aerospace and engineering excellence thanks to the city of Huntsville, is well deserved and not likely to change barring major radical change.

A major problem is the stranglehold the GOP has in Alabama politics thanks to white evangelicals. This isn't a polemic against evangelicals or conservatives, although I do have many issues with the two movements, but with the seeming lack of discernment on the part of voters and party leadership in the state from both Republicans and Democrats.

I don't quite understand why people seem to think that Roy Moore is mutually exclusive from the Republican establishment. He certainly is nationally, but he's quite literally more of the same statewide. He's a known name here because of his repeated eagerness to defy the rule of law to assert his own will on the people. Convictions are all fine and good if you're a private citizen, but when your job is to protect and enforce the will of the people and you can't do that in good conscience, then it is your responsibility as a public servant to either convince the people to change their minds, give the people what they want, or walk away, and Roy Moore has shown that he won't do that. Alabama has had to deal with both corruption scandals from former Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard and former Attorney General Luther Strange in addition to a sex scandal from former Governor Robert Bentley, so I just don't get why voting for somebody who has been thrown off of the state Supreme Court twice for defying the federal Supreme Court in addition to new and troubling child molestation allegations isn't more of the same? The people have grown not to expect much of Alabama public servants because the predominant party does not expect much of its own politicians other than following a hard right agenda even if it requires that you subvert the will of the people or use shady practices like the backroom legislation that took away federal funding from struggling public schools and gave it to less than reputable private schools and charter schools.

You would think that with as many targets that the Alabama GOP provides, the Alabama Democratic Party would at least attempt to gain ground. However, it has long been accepted that a Democrat can't make it in Alabama, leading to a lack of initiative from party leadership and laymen, leading to a stark lack of meaningful grassroots campaigning when it comes to issues that most Democrats and progressives throughout the country pour gallons of money into. This does appear to be changing a little due to the major backlash against the Trump administration, and it does make me hopeful.

That being said, the Alabama Special Senate race is left at a standstill, wondering what could happen with many facing a level of resigned cynicism that a contest between a civil rights hero and a possible pedophile will be won by the latter. I know who I'm voting for (Doug Jones, said civil rights hero), but I don't know if I have enough fate in my fellow Alabamians to make a decision that isn't blinded by evangelical whitelash and intense disdain for anyone bearing the Democrat label. If Moore wins, there's likely to be major outrage and wondering how the people could stomach such a polarizing and disturbing figure to represent them on a national level. My answer to that would be because it's the only choice that most Alabamians know how to make in a world where you're only a decent person if you vote red. If Jones can manage to clinch the seat, many will take it as proof that Trump has truly sunk the GOP. While I don't know if I'd be ready to agree with that assessment, I would be able to say that if Doug Jones can win this, it just goes to show you what kind of change can happen when enough people are tired of feeling like public servants forgot what it means to serve.