Roy’s rock may be gone from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building, but Moore’s future is still very much in the air.
He’s still under suspension from the Alabama Inquiry Commission for defying a federal court order on his religious display. The state’s Court of the Judiciary will soon consider Moore’s actions and determine the appropriate punishment, which could include removing Moore from his position on the state Supreme Court.
With such a precarious future, Moore is apparently considering other career opportunities. Unfortunately, rumor has it he sees one of his options as a run for the U.S. Senate.
The AP is reporting that “speculation is rampant” in Alabama that if he is removed from office by the Court of the Judiciary, Moore would consider challenging Republican Sen. Richard Shelby next year.
Shelby, to be sure, is a popular figure in Alabama. Despite being a former Democrat, Shelby is very conservative and has been expected to cruise to an easy victory for a fourth term. In fact, considering that no high-profile Democrats have even hinted at running against him, Shelby has probably been preparing to run unopposed.
Shelby may be popular, but Moore is a martyred cult-hero. Shelby has Republican fans in Alabama, but Moore has a rabid following with the Taliban-wing of the GOP nationwide.
Usually, party loyalty would diminish the chances that Shelby would face a primary challenge. Moore is a life-long Republican, but he isn’t feeling a lot of fidelity with the GOP these days.
It was, after all, Moore’s Republican brethren who turned on him last week by deciding to support the rule of law instead of his crusade. Everyone from Gov. Bob Riley, to Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, to his eight colleagues on the state Supreme Court, had a choice. They may have agreed, to varying degrees, that the state could legally promote religion, but once Moore started to hold himself above the law, the bolted.
And Moore apparently is a little irritated about it.
Late last week, for example, Moore began whining about his fellow Republican state officials for siding with the law instead of him, saying, “I was saddened and dismayed that state officials were so anxious to follow the dictates of an unlawful order and move the monument into a hallway 50 feet away to hide its contents, to hide the truth.”
Moore went on to chide Pryor on CNN yesterday, saying that it is he, and not Pryor, who is “upholding the law.”
With Moore’s blessing, many of his cult members are targeting Riley and Pryor with fairly intense criticism. Some are even calling on them to resign for their failure to fully back Moore, as evidenced by 150 of Moore’s minions marching to Pryor’s office last week shouting “Resign now!”
“I would never vote for any of these people ever again,” said Robert Reed, pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Coden. “I hope they are never again able to hold any office.”
Keep in mind that Riley and Pryor are Christian Republicans in Alabama, long-time allies of the religious right, and ideologically opposed to the principle of church-state separation. But if they don’t stand with Moore, then they’re not good enough for the theocrats.
So does all this mean Moore might challenge Shelby in the GOP primary? I think part of it depends on whether or not he gets removed from his current office. All indications are he sees his position as the chief justice of the state Supreme Court as his ideal job. If his punishment does not include a removal from office, he’d probably keep his job for the time being and let Shelby keep his Senate seat.
I don’t think Moore wants to run for the Senate anyway. Shelby isn’t his enemy, Riley and Pryor are. With this in mind, it’s far more likely that Moore would consider running for governor in 2006. Riley’s popularity has suffered due to his plan to revamp the state’s tax structure and the GOP establishment in the state has already turned on him.
Moore wouldn’t really be happy in the Senate, and I think he realizes this. He’d be one of 100, have limited power, and have to live in Washington. Being governor of Alabama, however, would be far more appealing. He’d be the chief executive of a state, have broad governing power, and get to stay in Birmingham.
Besides, there are a lot of state buildings in Alabama, and he’s got some redecorating he’d like to do.