Roy Moore's incredible 'even though we had slavery' quote
Story highlights
- Roy Moore was asked when he thought America was great
- He said it was "when our families were united -- even though we had slavery"
(CNN)Most
of the national coverage of Roy Moore's effort to upset the
establishment in his bid for Senate in Alabama has been viewed through
the lens of the sexual abuse allegations against him -- but there are a
slew of other reasons why Republicans were uneasy with his candidacy
before those revelations were known.
For instance, his praise for the time during which slavery existed in the US.
Comments
from Moore that praised the era of US history that included slavery
because, according to Moore, families were stronger, are getting new
scrutiny in the final days of his campaign.
Here's the full passage, from the Los Angeles Times, back in September:
At
Moore's Florence rally, the former judge outlined all the wrongs he
sees in Washington and "spiritual wickedness in high places." He warned
of "the awful calamity of abortion and sodomy and perverse behavior and
murders and shootings and road rage" as "a punishment inflicted upon us
for our presumptuous sins."
In
response to a question from one of the only African Americans in the
audience — who asked when Moore thought America was last "great" --
Moore acknowledged the nation's history of racial divisions, but said:
"I think it was great at the time when families were united — even
though we had slavery — they cared for one another.... Our families were
strong, our country had a direction."
At
the same event, Moore referred to Native Americans and Asian Americans
as "reds and yellows," and earlier this year he suggested the September
11 terrorist attacks were divine punishment.
The
quote did not receive much attention at the time, but gained notice on
social media Thursday night. A message left by CNN with Moore's campaign
Friday morning was not immediately returned.
Leave
aside the biblical condemnation at the top and the 'reds and yellows'
slur at the bottom and you're left with the middle part, which seems to
pine for an era of this country that included slavery, a stain on the
country that will never be washed away.
But
Moore can apparently get beyond the slavery part since, according to
him, families were strong and people cared for one another.
It
says something about Moore, who is known for saying insensitive and
aggressive things aimed at racial and ethnic groups and gays and
lesbians, that he could say something this incredible and not have it
gain much notice. In the intervening months, he was accused of making
advances against a number of teenagers when he was in his 30s. He denies
the accusations, but that storyline of accused molestation has
dominated national coverage of the Alabama race.
The slavery quote, which is stunning, was originally published in the midst of the report by Lisa Mascaro from September 21
-- "In Alabama, the heart of Trump country, many think he's backing the
wrong candidate in Senate race" -- before the Republican primary in
the race, when President Donald Trump campaigned for Moore's opponent,
appointed Sen. Luther Strange.
Most
Republicans in Washington have struggled with how to deal with Moore,
particularly in light of the allegations. While he was condemned after
the allegations by people like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,
it's also clear that McConnell will seat Moore if he wins next Tuesday,
and rely on his vote to help them pass tax reform. The slavery comments
should further complicate things for them.
But it's likely to cause no complication for Trump, who reaffirmed his support for Moore in a tweet Friday morning.
"LAST
thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat
in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already." The President tweeted.
"The Pelosi/Schumer Puppet Jones would vote against us 100% of the
time. He's bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military. VOTE
ROY MOORE!"
While he reluctantly
backed appointed Strange in the primary, Trump has since endorsed Moore
and accepted his denials of the abuse allegations. Trump is headed to
nearby Florida for a rally Friday that will hit Mobile, Alabama, media
markets.
A day later, Trump is set
to attend the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, a trip
that has already caused tension because of Trump's own past belligerence
on racial tensions. His appearance caused a boycott by two top
African-American congressmen.
Democratic
Reps. John Lewis and Bennie G. Thompson said Thursday in a statement
that people should wait until after Trump's appearance to visit the
museum.
"President Trump's
attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people
portrayed in this civil rights museum," the two congressmen said. "The
struggles represented in this museum exemplify the truth of what really
happened in Mississippi. President Trump's disparaging comments about
women, the disabled, immigrants and National Football League players
disrespect the efforts of Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Medgar Evers,
Robert Clark, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and
countless others who have given their all for Mississippi to be a better
place."
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