Recognition of gay marriage (a.k.a.
same-sex marriage or SSM) and LGBT equality

Part 43: Alabama: 2016-SEP to DEC:
Roy Moore (R) runs for the Senate in
Alabama, and loses to Doug Jones (D).

In this web site, the acronym "SSM" refers to same-sex marriage. Also, "LGBT"
refers to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender/Transsexual community.

This topic is continued from the previous essay.

Reaction to Doug Jones' election:

Doug Mainwaring, wrote an article for Life Site News -- an Evangelical Christian web site -- titled: "Conservatives who rejoice in election of Alabama’s pro-abortion Democrat are traitors."

He said:

"What’s surprising, and even alarming, is how so-called “right-leaning” outlets are also rejoicing in the news."

He quoted David French, writing for the National Review, who said:

"Let’s plainly state the reason why Roy Moore lost tonight. Alabama conservatives took a stand. By the tens of thousands they either stayed home, voted for other candidates, or — in some instances — voted for Doug Jones.

Tonight, Alabama conservatives told Steve Bannon and, yes, Donald Trump that integrity matters. They told their party that some victories aren’t worth the cost. They declared that partisanship isn’t worth grotesque moral compromise."

Mainwaring continued:

"Moore may not have been a perfect candidate. Various allegations from women in Moore’s past (40 years ago) who claim he was sexually inappropriate with them testify to this (even though Moore has denied the allegations). ... [The voters] ... just said yes to a man who’s past actions reveal that he will do nothing to build a true culture that respects life and family in Alabama. ... Any 'conservative' rejoicing in this win has betrayed the most important values true conservatives stand for." ₁

Major factors in the election of Doug Jones:

Jim Denison made a number of points in the Denison Forum, his daily column on cultural and contemporay issues: ₂

• This was the fiftieth federal Senate special election in his lifetime. "None has been remotely as controversial as this campaign."
  
  
• Doug Jones has been actively working all his adult life for civil rights and racial conciliation. This augmented his vote from the African American community.
  
  
• Roy Moore's reputation has probably suffered because he was twice suspended from his role as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He also was recently accused of sexual impropriety by at least eight women. The latter is less infuential among white evangelical Christian voters in recent years. PPRI/Brookings polls have indicated that:
  • In 2011, only 30% of white evangelicals believed that: "... an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life. This was much lower than white mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, and NOTA's (adults not-affiliated with a religious group)
    
    
  • In 2016, this percentage has increased to 72%. This was much higher than among other religious groups and NOTAS.

The PPRI polls have also found that:

• In 2011, 64% of white evangelicals believed that: "strong religious beliefs [are] very important" in a presidential candidate.
  
  
• In 2016, this percentage has dropped to 49%.

Denison commented:

"In today’s bitterly partisan environment, we will continue to see many voters support a candidate more because of party and position than because of personal qualifications."

• Beliefs about "fake news" may have heavily influenced the outcome of the election. Exit polls indicated that:
  • 51 percent of voters said the allegations against Moore were probably or definitely true.
    
    
  • 44 percent said they were probably or definitely false.
    
    
• Several Alabama newspapers urged conservative voters to write-in their own preferred Republican candidate on the ballot instead of voting for Moore. Almost 23,000 write-in votes were cast. This compares with Jones' margin of victory which was under 21,000.

Troubling articles about voter fraud:

The Regan Was Right web site published a breaking news item:

"Alabama State Police have arrested three women in Birmingham for allowing more than 3,000 invalid votes for Doug Jones to processed through the polling station they had volunteered to operate. The State Attorney’s Division of Integrity in Elections is calling the acts of the women a 'blatant disregard for the duties of civil servants, a violation of the public trust and a 2nd-degree felony'." ₃

Fortunately, the article is fake news. There is a "Site Rating" image at the bottom of the page stating: "SATIRE: S RATED." Hopefully, everyone who reads the article will notice this.

The web site also contains an disclaimer stating very clearly that:

"Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical."

In addition, an article was published by Ladies of Liberty, which said:

"The State Election Board of Voting Integrity said early on that “more than a third” of Jones’ votes up to 11 AM looked suspicious — and with good reason. Many of them came from the small town of Bordalama, a rural community about 20 miles outside Birmingham.

According to official tallies, Roy Moore received 953 votes in the small town. Doug Jones received 5,327. If the disparity in numbers isn’t enough to give you reason to smell something fishy, the population of the town should. There are 2,256 residents there and only 1,867 registered voters. In other words, more people voted for Doug Jones than even live in Bordalama." ₃

Aside from the fact that the numbers were imaginary, there is no group called the "State Election Board of Voting Integrity" and there is no town called "Bordalama." However, Birmingham still exists, the last time I checked.

Some readers of the Ladies of Liberty's article and some other blog owners apparently did not notice the disclaimer in which they identify their articles as satire. The original article was widely published elsewhere. Unfortunately, the whole fiasco weakens Americans' trust in the voting system.

2017-DEC-28: Senator Doug Jones declared the winner:

The state canvassing board declared Doug Jones (D) the winner. He issued a statement saying:

"As I said on election night, our victory marks a new chapter for our state and the nation. I will be an independent voice and work to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get Washington back on track and fight to make our country a better place for all." ₄

The final official count has Jones with 21,924 votes (1.63%) more than Moore. This is a slight increase in the difference between the two candidates.

Moore issued a statement saying:

"I’ve had to fight not only the Democrats but also the Republican Senate Leadership Fund and over $50 million in opposition spending from the Washington establishment. I have stood for the truth about God and the Constitution for the people of Alabama."

Jones' spokesperson, Sam Coleman, said:

"This desperate attempt by Roy Moore to subvert the will of the people will not succeed. The election is over, it's time to move on." ₄

As of DEC-30, Moore still has not conceded the election.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. Doug Mainwaring, "Conservatives who rejoice in election of Alabama’s pro-abortion Democrat are traitors," Life Site News, 2017-DEC-13, at: https://www.lifesitenews.com/
2. Jim Denison, "Four factors in the Alabama Senate election," 2017-DEC-13, at: https://www.denisonforum.org/
3. Flagg Eagleton, "JUST IN: Alabama State Police Arrest 3 Poll Workers In Birmingham," ReganWasRight web site, 2017-DEC-15, at: http://reaganwasright.com/
4. Paola Chavez, "Alabama certifies Doug Jones' win over Roy Moore in Senate special election," ABC News, 2017-DEC-28, at: http://abcnews.go.com/
5. "UPDATE: ‘Thousands’ Voted For Doug Jones In Alabama Town With Population Of 2,256," Ladies of Liberty, archived at: https://archive.is/

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Copyright © 2016 & 2017 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2016-DEC-13
Latest update: 2017-DEC-31
Author: B.A. Robinson

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