Now than the man-whose-name-shall-go-unmentioned has launched a presidential campaign, my interest in Roy Moore’s future plans have increased dramatically.
To be sure, I’ve been fascinated for a while by Moore and his theocratic agenda, but now that he’s taking steps towards a White House campaign, I’ll be offering frequent updates about Moore’s progress.
The key to Moore’s future may lie with the Constitution Party, a right-wing political party which had a spot on the ballot in 41 states in the last election.
As the Wall Street Journal’s John Fund recently noted, the Constitution Party has “320,000 registered voters around the country and guaranteed ballot access in large states such as California and Pennsylvania. Its national convention won’t be held until June 22, giving Moore time to exhaust the appeal of his dismissal before the Alabama courts.”
Indeed, Moore seems well aware of the calendar and is shaping his schedule accordingly. As Hesiod noted yesterday, a quick glance at the Constitution Party’s upcoming state gatherings show Moore apparently hitting the campaign trail.
This week, for example, the Montana Constitution Party will “proudly present: An evening with Chief Justice Roy Moore.” A day later, the Constitution Party of Oregon will host a “Profiles in Courage” banquet. This year’s honoree? Roy Moore, who will also deliver a speech about his theocratic vision for America at the event.
These appearances will surely complement the outreach Moore has already done, having made appearances at gatherings of the Constitution Party of Maryland as well as the Constitution Party of Pennsylvania.
Usually, when rumored candidates start making appearances at state party gatherings, they’re laying the groundwork for a future campaign. I’m sure Montana is lovely this time of year, but I suspect Moore is visiting the state to build support, not sightseeing.
Oddly enough, some of Bush’s allies at conservative news outlets are starting to show some concerns about Moore.
The Weekly Standard’s Katherine Mangu-Ward, for example, had an item in last week’s issue throwing cold water on the very idea of a Moore campaign, reminding readers that the Constitution Party doesn’t need Moore because it already has a candidate — Michael Anthony Peroutka.
But as Slate’s Tim Noah pointed out that Mangu-Ward is missing a key fact — that the Constitution Party’s president, Jim Clymer, has described Peroutka as merely a “stand-in … for ballot-access purposes.”
For his part, Noah seems anxious to goad Moore into running and siphoning off a few far-right votes from Bush. Noting that Moore’s is “an ember than wants fanning,” Noah does his best to antagonize Moore.
They’re laughing at you, Judge. Bill Kristol, Bill Pryor, and Karl Rove are laughing at you. Bet that fair-weather-Christian of a president’s laughing at you, too. They might as well be laughing at the Ten Commandments. Are you going to just sit there and let them laugh at the Ten Commandments?
Run, Roy, run.