Rachel Maddow dared Republicans to put their money where their mouths are on Monday, telling them if they really want to take a bold stand against GOP candidate Roy Moore, they should start holding Senate hearings “tomorrow” to determine if he “meets the ethical standards required of a United States Senator.”
Maddow said it’s one thing for GOP leaders to pledge to kick him out of the Senate if he wins the Alabama special election next month, but if they want to keep that promise, they have to start planning right away.
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Rachel #Maddow Dares GOP To Hold Senate Hearings ‘Tomorrow’ On Roy Moore Allegations pic.twitter.com/YoOZujJf6c
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— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) November 14, 2017
Maddow said:
If they wanted to solve their Roy Moore problem, the Republicans in the Senate could whip those votes and then publicly promise that an expulsion will happen. So they can threaten it, they can promise it, but if they wanted to be even more brave, if they really wanted to solve their problem, if they really wanted to get rid of the threat of Roy Moore actually becoming a sitting U.S. Senator, they could move not just from a threat to a promise but from a promise to a plan. There is no reason why the Senate could not start holding hearings tomorrow on the credibility of the allegations against Roy Moore and the question of whether or not he as a Senate candidate meets the ethical standards required of a United States senator. Â
As Maddow noted, it’s a step in the right direction for Republicans to oppose Moore, who is facing a growing number of sexual assault allegations. But it’s not even close to enough, especially in the event that Moore ends up limping past the finish line.
Despite the controversy, the race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is still a dead heat. According to RealClearPolitics, Moore still holds a two-point edge over Jones. With a month to go before the election, it’s possible that Moore will be able to win back some of the support he’s lost over the past week and beat his Democratic opponent in the dark red state.
All the Republicans standing up against Moore today need to prepare for the still-probable scenario that he will win the election next month. If he does, they need to have a plan in place to remove him from office the moment he shows up in Washington.
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.
