A moderate GOP congressman responded to Roy Moore’s victory in Alabama on Wednesday, saying the win marks a “new level of crazy” for the Republican Party.
Rep. Charlie Dent, who will be retiring when his term ends, said Moore’s history of disturbing rhetoric puts him on the same level of former KKK leader David Duke.
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GOP Congressman Says Roy Moore’s Victory In Alabama Marks ‘New Level Of Crazy’ For Republicans #inners pic.twitter.com/25nSDcM9j3
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— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) September 28, 2017
When MSNBC’s Chris Hayes asked the Republican congressman if Moore fits into the same category as David Duke, he responded:
Well, in my view, he comes very close to that. I won’t say he’s David Duke by any means. But he has made a number of statements, as you pointed out, that are very incendiary that seem to me to be very intolerant in many respects and need to be condemned. … I don’t know the man. I’ve never met the man. But, as I said, I think this … could set off a new level of crazy, in terms of the political environment at least for the Senate seats.Â
This may sound like harsh criticism from a Republican member of the House, but Moore’s long history of disturbing, tin foil hat rhetoric warrants it.
In the past, he has said that homosexuality should be criminalized, that the Sept. 11 attacks happened because America turned away from God and that the Sandy Hook shootings were “divine retribution.”
When Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison, a Muslim, was elected in 2006, Moore said he shouldn’t be allowed to serve because of his religion.
This goes without mentioning the fact that Moore – previously a judge – was removed from the bench for an ethics violation.
It is extremist crackpots like Roy Moore – and Donald Trump – who have driven moderates like Dent out of government. The Pennsylvania congressman announced earlier this month that he would be calling it quits when his term is up, citing “disorder and chaos” in the Trump era.
With Moore’s victory on Tuesday, it’s clear that the Republican Party is continuing its lurch even further to the right by embracing the most extreme elements in our politics.
Or, as Congressman Dent said on Wednesday, a “new level of crazy.”
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
