tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post3527694828153949765..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: Moore's the pity, pt. 1Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-87275486247987657882017-12-07T21:06:35.396-05:002017-12-07T21:06:35.396-05:00Good point. Some (many?) voters identify with cand...Good point. Some (many?) voters identify with candidates they vote for. They feel that reflects on them, which make them defensive. They feel the need, not merely to defend their vote, but to defend their candidate. The vouch for the candidate's character. That's very precarious in this case.<br /><br />It would be wiser to reframe the issue and defend the vote for policy reasons. And it would be wiser to view him as a temporary placeholder, to be replaced as soon as possible. But for many voters, that approach seems to be too abstract or cynical.<br /><br />Of course, someone might accept that framework but will oppose his candidacy. But I think that's how the issue should be cast. Support or oppose his candidacy on this terms (i.e. comparative policies, balance of power). stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-30327816254053899202017-12-07T20:41:05.050-05:002017-12-07T20:41:05.050-05:00Even though I see Gagnon's point about Moore&#...Even though I see Gagnon's point about Moore's actions being in the past, what I find most problematic is that, on the assumption that he did those things, he's behaving like a demagogue in lying about them and rallying his base on the basis of those lies. Assume for the sake of the argument (as Gagnon seems willing to do) that those two sets of serious allegations against Moore are true. Then Moore is *right now* slandering the women involved by calling *them* slanderers. By saying falsely, knowingly, that they are bearing false witness against him as part of a left-wing plot, he's bearing false witness against them. And he's whipping up his base of supporters by garnering their sympathy for him as a victim of false allegations. That's certainly not repenting for the past actions, and that's also not the kind of behavior I want from a politician towards his supporters. That makes him a cynical, untrustworthy, deceptive, manipulative person running for public office *right now*, not many years ago. It amounts to a creepy relationship with his base of supporters--as though it's fine to lie to them and keep them all indignant on his behalf (poor, slandered fellow) and whip up their anger against his (truthful) accusers, all for the sake of the greater good of getting himself a Senate seat. That isn't old news. That's today's news. It would be totally different if he admitted what he had done and were truly sorry.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.com