Regarding the Roy Moore controversy, the circumstances and motivations around the accuser's allegations should be impeachable no matter who the accused is, an d if the alleged crime or grievance is of sexual nature, it is no different than any other set of circumstances. The fact that these accusations popped up in the heat of an election season is relevant. The fact that WaPo appears to contradict itself by claiming that all 4 alleged victims knew nothing of each other and yet somehow managed to find them all through one of them is relevant.
The circumstances around one of the accused leads credence to the high likelihood that politics played at least a part in in this accusation at this time. I urge you to read up about this individual, the one who is a mother of a troubled son, and judge for yourself. The court of public opinion should be no different than the court of law in judging all relevant factors before making a determination as to the guilt or innocence of the individual. I find Roy Moore a highly dislikable character, and I deplore the fact that he has been drafted to run, much less the fact that he was chosen over the eminently more qualified Mo Brooks by the people of Alabama as their nominee. I think it is indicative of very poor judgment on many people's part. However, none of the issues I have with him are a crime. To the extent that he is being accused of a crime of sexual nature, his comments about homosexuals, his actions as a judge, and everything else you could very reasonably criticize is completely irrelevant.
However, precisely because this candidate is so troubled by so many OTHER real, proven character issues it is very easy to pile on to him and make people who are already prone to dislike him believe that he is guilty of every accusation simple because he is an unpleasant man of low character in other respects. And we have seen it done before by REpublicans and Democrats alike to each other, as well as to their own last year, and on previous occasions. For that reason, I tend to be MORE skeptical of such accusations with unlikable, icky, annoying people like Moore than with popular seemingly pleasant actors or less controversial politicians. And I think no politician should EVER be forced to step down on the basis of allegation by one or even several people with a 40-year old history with no other apparent evidence and no admission from the politician himself. IF Moore were to admit to such actions or if information emerges showing these allegations to be true, I'll be the first to agree that his place is likely in prison rather than in the Senate. (Let's not kid ourselves: this is not about impropriety, adultery, fornication, or other personal flaws in judgment. Moore is being accused of a sex crimes against minors. If proven to be true, he should have a criminal investigation launched against him, never mind the end of his campaign).
If we let every allegation sprung up against a controversial politician in the middle of the election be grounds for immediate withdrawal, soon enough we will have no one to run at all, because beyond any doubt, the tactic of smearing reputations, however damaged by other factors through sheer fabrications that play into other popular controversies of the day, will become universal.
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