Dear Alabama: You Don't Have To Choose Between Roy Moore and Doug Jones
The Libertarian Party's write-in longshot, Ron Bishop, is also in the race. Bonus: a baker's dozen non-pedo reasons to dislike Roy Moore.
Tomorrow's political news will be dominated by the special election in Alabama for the vacated Senate seat left when Jeff Sessions became President Donald Trump's attorney general.
Will Judge Roy Moore, the Republican, be elected despite multiple, credible charges that he was a perv who got banned from a shopping mall for cruising teenage girls? Or will the contest be won by Doug Jones, the Democrat, a political novice who is counting on the black vote despite having next to no rapport with that group?
Alabama, it sucks to be you! There is at least one other alternative, though, who has gotten little-to-no coverage. That would be Ron Bishop, who is running a write-in campaign as a Libertarian Party candidate. He's even more of a novice than Doug Jones, saying, "I haven't spent a life in politics nor in the public eye." And he's much less of a creep than Roy Moore. Just check out his campaign statement on civil rights:
Libertarians value the right of all to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.
To this end, I believe we should:
Protect freedom of religion, association, speech, press, and assembly.
Reverse the militarization of law-enforcement agencies.
Reform asset-forfeiture laws.
Restore Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Restore voting and gun rights for those convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
Fight against federal overreach and government spying programs.
Restrict law-enforcement use of general surveillance technologies.
Protect internet freedom & privacy.I support the LGBT community in their struggle for equality. The government needs to get out of our bedrooms and our pocketbooks.
Check out the rest of his platform here. It's good libertarian stuff, from abortion (he says the state should butt out) to immigration (he's for increasing legal pathways and against walls) to fighting terrorism ("the wrong path is the steady erosion of constitutional rights in the name of patriotism and security").
Alabamians are famously annoyed at outsiders telling what they should do and who they should vote for. Fair enough. But in a race between a moralistic Republican with pronounced theocratic tendencies and a Democrat about whom even his own party couldn't care less, it's good to have a third choice, isn't it?
And for those limited-government types who don't necessarily believe the women accusing Roy Moore of assault and other awful behavior, here is a baker's dozen of reasons to find him contemptible. That case comes courtesy of Andrew Heaton and Sarah Rose Siskind, in the most recent episode of Mostly Weekly. Take a look:
Go here for the complete list of reasons, but here's a sampling:
- He taught a class discouraging women from running for office.
- He's referred to people as "reds and yellows".
- He thinks the accusations of pedophilia are pushed by homosexuals and socialists.
- Accepted money from a Neo-nazi group.
- Said gay marriage was worse than slavery.
- Wouldn't rule out death penalty for gays.
- Wants to rescind free trade agreements.
- He's anti-immigrant.
- Believes Barack Obama wasn't born in America.
- Believes 9/11 is God's punishment for legalizing sodomy and abortion.
