Roy Moore’s victory yesterday in Alabama’s GOP primary occasioned a walk down memory lane by NY Magazine.
As the magazine’s article reminded us, Moore–crazy as he is–isn’t the only radical conservative peddling a noxious stew of theocracy, white nationalism and assorted bigotries: others identified included Stephen Bannon, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Ben Carson, Sebastian Gorka, Sarah Palin, Steve King, Mark Meadows, and Jim DeMint.
And, of course, Mike Pence. Which will surprise exactly no one who lives in Indiana.
As the article notes, “Pence has spent most of his political career aligned with Roy Moore as a stalwart of the Christian right.” He only looks safe and/or sane when he’s standing next to our unhinged President.
Pence nearly wrecked his gubernatorial tenure in Indiana in 2015 by pushing through a “religious liberty” bill that made his state a national pariah and the subject of major business boycotts before he agreed to modify it. But long before then, as a leader of hard-core conservatives in the U.S. House, Pence was notable in the extremism of his commitment to conservative religious ideology. For one thing, he co-sponsored “personhood” legislation designed to make fertilized ova citizens for purposes of constitutional protection. For another, he was closely associated with the shadowy conservative Christian power-elite group “The Family” (a.k.a. “The Fellowship”) along with Jim DeMint, Sam Brownback, Mark Sanford, and other fire-breathing members of the cultural right.
Political opponents like to point out that Pence failed to pass any legislation during his 11+ years in Congress, as though that is a telling criticism. In my opinion, we should be profoundly grateful for that failure, given the sorts of legislation he sponsored. For example, Pence was one of the original co-sponsors of what was called at the time the “single most outrageous bit of right-wing legislation introduced in Congress since the days of segregation”: the Constitutional Restoration Act of 2005.
[S]ome of the wingnuttiest members of the Senate have decided to attempt to turn us into a Christian Reconstructionist theocracy once and for all and have introduced the Constitutional Restoration Act.
Though it is described as a “bill to limit the jurisdiction of Federal courts in certain cases and promote federalism,” reading its actual summary proves enlightening as to its true intent: This legislation seeks to make it possible for Congress to remove any judge who refuses to acknowledge that the basis for all law, liberty, and government is God.
We can all guess whose version of God is the “author” (according to Mike and Roy)–or perhaps only the “inspiration for”– the U.S. Constitution.
Not so incidentally, the measure would have eviscerated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, and made state court decisions–not decisions issued by that pesky Supreme Court– the final word on “God’s” law.
The co-authors of this modest proposal? They were none other than Roy Moore, along with his longtime sidekick Herb Titus, who was once the vice-presidential nominee of the openly theocratic U.S. Constitution Party.
Pence’s areas of agreement with Moore are extensive: both would strip LGBTQ citizens of any and all legal rights (Moore has advocated recriminalizing same-sex relations); both supported the above-referenced “Personhood Amendment” to the Constitution that would outlaw all abortions by making a fertilized egg the legal equal of a fully-grown human; both believe that Muslims are dangerous terrorists, and that American Muslims are intent upon imposing “sharia law” on Americans; both would defund Planned Parenthood…the list goes on.
The fact that Mike Pence is widely seen as an improvement over the current President–and viewed as a “mainstream” Republican–tells us all we need to know about this President and the current iteration of the Republican Party.
Thanks, Sheila
No one could say it better. One plays FASCISM, the other RELIGION. A potentially MURDEROUS & TWO-TIMING COMBINATION.
I have no words – at least nothing positive to say :-(. Sigh…..
Just when I thought I had seen it all, there stood the poster boy of Christian hypocrisy… a gun toting, bible thumping, Constitutional rejecting jack-ass from Alabama. What a gift to the Democratic Party!
Moore and Pence would be happy if Shari’a law were the standard in this country. Its tenets are identical to those of the right-wing religious whackos who claim to be Christians. For example, in Iran, abortion and homosexuality are illegal, same-sex marriages are illegal, women are subservient to men, no separation between church and state, birth control is prohibited, and education should be based on morality (which downplays science and eliminates any mention of evolution). Mike and Roy would be glad to run on that platform.
” For one thing, he co-sponsored “personhood” legislation designed to make fertilized ova citizens for purposes of constitutional protection.”
Question: would this also count fertilized ova as “citizens” to increase the population count which in turn would affect gerrymandering and the population count districts and number of Representatives? Sort of “counting his chickens before they hatch”!
I wasn’t very clear. The two-timers I was referring to are Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Mike and Roy are coming from the same place.
As Walter Cronkite said many years ago: “It’s WHITE SUPREMACY [Trump] masked in CHRISTIANITY [Pence]. Steve Bannon, if nothing else, is a MATCH MAKER straight from hell.
two’-time vt. -timed’, -timing [Slang] to be unfaithful to—two’-timer n.
~Webster’s New World Dictionary
We should have stayed out of the way of secession.
Pete,
We should have stayed out of the way of secession.
Ditto! Most of us could have been able to sleep better through all these years.
Perhaps we can ditch all this freedom and liberty stuff in our Constitution and go back to the days of the crowning of Charlemagne by the then pope as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, which Voltaire later noted was neither Holy, Roman nor an Empire. Charlemagne was the perfect funnel for the religion of Rome to the savages of Middle Aged Europe and, incidentally but not surprisingly, Charlemagne was illiterate. After burning our Constitution, maybe Moore, Pence and other ideological savages will appoint Jerry Falwell, Jr. as our emperor though, and this might be a stumbling block, I am told that Falwell can read. Oh well, that still leaves Richard Spencer or David Duke. Back to reality – the real and most directly affected are the people of Alabama who did not vote (or for that matter, the people who did vote) for Moore. While the rest of us must bear the burden his vote will impose in favor of amalgamation of church and state, the people of Alabama will suffer disproportionately because of many other votes he is likely to cast opposing federal aid to Alabama and other right wing positions he is likely to make where states rights collide with federalism. This man belongs in a cave, and way back in it.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROY MOORE AND ME, a very short story
The allegations are true: Alabama cops do lay in wait for Indiana drivers. I can attest to that from personal experience. I made the crucial mistake of crossing into Alabama sovereign territory with Indiana license tags on my motorhome during my recent trip to Florida, and was immediately pulled over. A spectacle soon developed.
I was driving my motorhome and towing my red convertible behind on a tow-dolly. I pulled my rig to the roadside, and in my rearview mirror, I watched the policeman get out of his patrol car. He sauntered to the driver’s side window and told me to get out of my seat and come to the residential side door. That made sense, since my motorhome does not have a driver-side door.
With license and registration in hand, I opened the “residential” side door and looked down at the policeman. He did not look threatening at all, in fact his face looked up at me with a big grin. I thought, Oh, boy, this cop is not only a bully of out-of-state drivers, but he has a sick psychotic response to the emotional and financial pain he inflicts.
“Step outside the vehicle, please,” he said.
I kept my thoughts to myself and did as I was told. When I handed my documents to the cop, he flashed that sadistic smile and said, “Very good, sir, these are important rat now. Y’all’re from Indiana, rat?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Well, come with me then; we’ll get rat to the formalities.”
I wondered what he meant by formalities. The word in this context sounded ominous. He ushered me back to his car, opened the rear door and ordered me to get inside.
“This will only take a few minutes. The rest of the task force is nearby. Just sit tat.” He stood outside with his chin tucked into his shoulder talking into his sleeve-radio.
Within a minute I heard sirens coming from the rear. I could see flashing lights in the cop’s rearview mirror, lots of them. Then a fire engine came into view; then a number of motorcycles followed by three black limousines, one of them bristling with a number of flags, another emblazoned the length of the hood with a Christian cross, and then some more police cruisers followed with sirens blaring. Starting with the fire engine, they all pulled in front of my rig. Several of the motorcycle cops peeled off to take up traffic control positions front and rear. About time the last car had parked, another fleet of vehicles came into view in the mirror. These were big, like semi-trucks and flatbed trucks. It looked like some of the flatbeds were hauling fighting tanks. As they went by to take a place in the formation, I saw trucks hauling 105 howitzers, a fighter jet plane and a missile launcher. I saw other trucks hauling caged circus animals: elephants, camels, giraffes, lions, tigers and eagles. I began pecking on the window. I needed to tell the policeman that this was a big mistake.
He did walk toward me. A group of men came with him. Some were in suits and some were in uniform. There was one young, beautiful woman wearing a crown and a sash that said, MISS ALABAMA. Behind them, a band of musicians was forming. They had a big drum that had CRIMSON TIDE printed on it. I was hyper-ventilating.
The policeman opened the door and the band started playing “Back Home Again In Indiana”.
“Governor Bently, this gentleman is Larry Kaiser. He’s from the great state of Indiana,” the cop announced rather formally.
Governor Bently, turned to the assembly of musicians, elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, eagles and people—people in cars caught in the traffic jam had gotten out of their vehicles and were gathering about—and spoke into a microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the great state of Alabama is proud to welcome this here Indiana boy—come on Mr. Kaiser, get out and stand up where folks can see what a true Hoosier looks like.” I wanted to crawl under the cruiser but got out as ordered and stood facing the crowd. My knees were so weak I worried that I might topple over. I wanted to explain their big mistake, but all I could get my tongue to say was, “…mis…mis…mis”.
As the band morphed into “On the Banks of the Wabash”, Governor Bently, profusely thanked . “…the voters of Indiana, like Mr. Kaiser, here, for electing Indiana Governor Mike Pence, a brother bigot. Now, Indiana makes one more great state in this here federation devoted to correcting the monumental mistakes of the 1960s and 1970s, namely the travesty of civil rights, not to mention the calamity of the Civil War…”
The rest is a blurred memory. A slow, leisurely parade through the entire state of Alabama. Me seated beside Miss Alabama atop my motorhome, my Winnebago towed by a fire truck. The marching band. The motorcycle escort. The elephants and giraffes trotting alongside. The Governor giving a speech at each small town, followed by Chief Justice Roy Moore giving a rousing sermon. The confetti. The balloon and pigeon releases. The cameras. The rebel flags flapping next to Indiana flags. The fried chicken. The girts. The 21-gun salutes. The Majorettes and cheerleaders. The gaggle of Alabama celebrities pushing and shoving to take selfies with me.
At the Florida border, the Governor made one last speech, Judge Moore gave another sermon which included a gift to me of a plaster replica of his statue of the Ten Commandments, and the arresting officer shook my hand for the camera. Miss Alabama kissed me on the lips and slipped her written phone number in my pocket.
I continued my trip through Florida in a bemused and befuddled fog. Reaching Gainsville, I pulled off the interstate, found a place to park, and checked myself in the full-length mirror. Everything looked normal, except…well, if it’s so great to be a Hoosier, then why is my face so red?
The Republicans it seems want to force woman into having children. No birth control will be allowed, the Republican Health Care will make sure there are high premiums, high deductibles and the states will decide what they want to cover. Trump states will not likely want to any cover any form of birth control.
I suspect people like Pence and Roy Moore have to pray they do not have any impure thoughts or joy before, during and after sex.
There was a good reason our founders insisted on the separation of church and state. They KNEW how badly the church performed in influencing “government” for centuries. Religion is a myth anyway, and those true -believers like Moore, Pence, et. al., are living in a fantasy world of they own making.
To put their fantasies into legislation is anathema to the spirit and intent of the Constitution. All these people are really very, very bad people bent on fascism and control. Their delusions must NEVER be allowed to soil our nation.
It’s clearly no wonder that Trump picked Pence as his VP. The guy is a complete idiot even more egregious than Trump himself. Trump couldn’t have somebody smarter or better than him as his second man, could he?
This article and the comments are just more indications of the trouble we and our Constitution are in. Religion has this habit of blowing up everything it touches.
Larry,that was great!