Judge Roy Moore cannot accept that he lost the race to become Alabama senator to Democrat Doug Jones.
Eight days after his loss, he has not conceded the race.
He appears to be the sorest and most deluded of losers.
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Having attacked LGBT people for years, and used homophobia as part of his campaign, now in the ashes of self-denial surrounding his defeat he has turned to homophobia again to stoke his supporters.
On his Facebook page today, Moore, or a member or members of his staff, posted an interview with Carson Jones, Doug Jones’ gay son, conducted by The Advocate (a post that appeared to have been later removed).
Unless Roy Moore has suddenly become an LGBT advocate, and is celebrating his own electoral defeat at the hands of Jones (let us know Roy! we’ll send a rainbow flag over!), and celebrating the presence of Carson as a happy, out gay man, there is only one reason that Moore linked to the interview on his page: to signal that Doug Jones has a gay son, and generate as much poison as he can from that from his supporters.
This seems a reasonable extrapolation; on the day of the election itself CNN’s Jake Tapper gleaned from Moore’s spokesman, after all, that he “probably” believes homosexuality should be illegal.
“I am obviously thrilled with my dad’s victory,” Carson told the LGBT publication. “We have been overwhelmed by the support of so many people that made this happen. Alabama made a really big statement that unity wins out. I couldn’t be prouder of him or my home state!”
He “couldn’t be prouder” of his father, he added, and confirmed he was gay.
Jones’ Instagram is a fairly adorable compendium of his life, featuring pictures from his zookeeping day job, and having fun out and about on Denver’s gay scene, and with friends and family. His love and pride for his father is clear. Truly positive family values are on vivid display.
What is telling that Moore simply posting the interview with The Advocate without comment shows that he is too cowardly to now voice his homophobia toward Carson Jones direct. He used to be so proud of opining that LGBT people were the root of so many evils, not least the allegations of sexual abuse that helped sink his campaign.
Instead, creepily when it came to Carson Jones, he lets his homophobia flow by inference.
Not only is Moore a bigot, he is one too frightened to now voice his homophobia. Still intent on expressing it, however, he posts an interview given by his opponent’s gay son, and sits back, rubbing his hands waiting for the LGBT-haters to come to his online party.
So, did this masterstroke work? Did Moore’s followers go for the anti-gay cherry as presented?
Not exactly.
People pointed out that Moore was hardly in a position to criticize anyone’s children. His son Caleb has been arrested nine times.
“Hey Roy,” one person wrote, “instead of casting your stones at other people's sons, maybe you should try to get help for your own, before he gets arrested for the TENTH time. It doesn’t get more cynical and nasty than attacking someone else’s kid just because you lost an election. Jerk.”
One person responding to the post writes: “I supported you during the campaign. I defended you in discussions with friends and family. But I have to tell you, this is a cheap shot. It is unbecoming of a senatorial candidate to attack the family of your political opponent in my opinion. Just concede and go away. The Alabama GOP will just have to nominate a better candidate for 2020.”
Some of Moore’s desired audience was totally on board with attacking gay people. In full, and unedited, there was this correspondent: “Well the way I see it if god wanted us to be with men on men and women on women and black with white he would have put us on earth that way guess what we are not that way it was Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve so with that said don’t push it on me I get sick and tried of hearing this crap. Just like Obama and the dem’s always trying to push it on us letting men go to girls bathroom just because one day they wake up and say o today I am a woman but to some that is ok well not by me it is not ok I don’t stand for it.”
But even some Moore supporters were having none of Moore’s poison: “The Senate seat was stolen, we ALL know that. Judge Moore should have won, but who cares if Jones has a gay son? You can be sure God loves him as much as any of the rest of us. Let's not be hypocritical people.”
Elsewhere, it was eye-rolls all round for Moore. Perhaps the most galling for him were thanks from people for posting what they saw as such a positive, uplifting interview. “Congratulations to Doug Jones on his win and good on Carson for being thrilled for his Dad,” wrote one person. “Sounds like they have a great relationship. What a happy story, thanks for posting.”
Update: The Facebook post seems to have been deleted as of 12:45 p.m. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Roy Moore campaign to ask about the genesis of the post and its apparent removal.
