Is American politics at a moral crossroad?
On the same day that Democratic Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan announced his retirement amid sexual harassment claims, the Republican National Committee restored its financial support for Roy Moore’s Senate campaign in Alabama.
As you’ll see in the story below, many of Mr. Moore’s supporters face a moral trade-off: Vote for an avowed Christian who says he’ll help stop abortions or turn away a man accused of child molestation?
If elected by Alabama voters, some leading Republicans have called for Moore to face a Senate ethics investigation. But if found culpable, would Moore really be expelled from the Senate?
For America’s Founding Fathers, moral offenses weren’t proscribed as grounds for expulsion. The Constitution does have a “disorderly behavior” while in office clause that can get a lawmaker booted with a two-thirds majority vote. The Supreme Court has also ruled that “each House shall be the judge of the ... qualifications of its Members,” but the Constitution says those qualifications are limited to age, citizenship, and residency, reports Politico. There’s nothing about ethics.
In America, voters are responsible for the quality of their government's leadership – and their moral standards.
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