How much is the GOP willing to sacrifice? (opinion)
Roy Moore
(CNN) This Tuesday  the GOP faces a defining moment. With Donald Trump in the White House and the possibility of  Roy Moore  in the Senate  the nation is watching closely to see whether the GOP is becoming the party of the GOB -- the good old boys.
While some Senate elections are just about the politics of a state   Moore 's victory would leave a huge imprint on the way that voters perceive the Republican Party for years to come. It could easily affect the 2018 and 2020 elections.
He has no respect for the separation between church and state.  Moore  was removed as chief justice when  he  refused to dismantle the Ten Commandments monument  he  had installed in the Alabama Judicial Building. Like President Trump   he  was one of the birthers who falsely claimed that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States  and thus his presidency was illegitimate.
In 2006   Moore  responded to the election of Keith Ellison  the first Muslim-American elected to Congress  by stating that Ellison shouldn't be able to take his seat.
During his campaign   Moore  has referred to Native Americans and Asian-Americans as "reds and yellows." And when an African-American at a rally asked when America was "great "  Moore  responded : "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."
 Moore  even said that 9/11 might have happened because Americans were not religious enough; God was unhappy that "we legitimize sodomy" and "legitimize abortion."
With Trump as President and  Moore  as a senator  Democrats would have a strong case to make about the GOP jumping deep into the world of identity politics: defining itself through one caricature version of the identity of the white  male  non-college educated voter.
It will become harder for members of the GOP to argue that the party is best suited to lead a nation that has become more pluralistic  more diverse and culturally liberal than ever before. If the Republicans want any moral high ground on cultural questions  it will be much more difficult to claim it with  Moore  as one of the faces of the party.
And it looks as though  Moore  is very much in the race despite everything that we have learned. Democratic competitor Doug Jones has only a slim lead over  Moore .
Why is it that  Moore  might pull this off? Why would the Republican Party be taking this kind of risk? It is easy to blame Jones for running a lackluster campaign  but  in fact  he has offered the kind of candidacy and campaign that political analysts have been calling for. He is a white male  a centrist concerned about a strong middle-class economy  a gun-toting Democrat  and at the same time someone with impeccable credentials on civil rights -- as a US attorney  he successfully prosecuted Ku Klux Klan members for a church bombing in 1963.
JUST WATCHED How will Alabama vote in  Moore  vs. Jones race? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH How will Alabama vote in  Moore  vs. Jones race? 04:44
Though many prominent Republicans have denounced  Moore 's candidacy -- Sen. Jeff Flake even sent a check to the Jones campaign -- key parts of the Republican Party have fallen behind him. This is essential to why victory is possible. Most importantly  President Trump has now endorsed  Moore  . "Go get 'em  Roy!" he reportedly said at the end of their phone conversation on Monday morning.
Trump  who said he would not campaign for  Moore   held a rally in Florida -- less than 30 miles from the Alabama border -- on Friday. "The future of the country cannot afford to lose a seat in the very  very close United States Senate " Trump said during the rally. "We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda. So get out and vote for  Roy Moore ."
Last Monday  the Republican National Committee rejoined Moore's campaign to move  him  toward victory after cutting ties with  him  because of the sexual assault accusations. Stephen Bannon  the executive chairman of Breitbart News  who now must be considered a power broker in the party as a result of his work on Trump's campaign and in his administration  has aggressively campaigned for  Moore  as one of his "anti-establishment" candidates.
The fact is that large portions of the Republican leadership are now comfortable with someone like  Moore  standing within their tent. It is fallacious to paint  him  as an outsider  since this campaign proves that the Republican Party has changed and there is sufficient room for these kinds of extremist elements to be welcomed into its ranks.
It is not surprising that the  Moore  campaign continues to remind voters  in its advertisements  about  Moore 's strong opposition to abortion -- a key issue for conservatives. The appeal to voters is that all his "peccadillos " as they seem to dismiss them as being  are forgivable if they allow Republicans to retain the seat. As Ron Brownstein has perceptively argued  a  Moore  victory would come down to  his  retaining the support of white women who have no college education and who will hold their noses and vote for  Moore  despite  his  record with women.
(CNN) This Tuesday  the GOP faces a defining moment. With Donald Trump in the White House and the possibility of  Roy Moore  in the Senate  the nation is watching closely to see whether the GOP is becoming the party of the GOB -- the good old boys.
While some Senate elections are just about the politics of a state   [TGT] 's victory would leave a huge imprint on the way that voters perceive the Republican Party for years to come. It could easily affect the 2018 and 2020 elections.
He has no respect for the separation between church and state.  [TGT]was removed as chief justice when  [TGT]  refused to dismantle the Ten Commandments monument  [TGT]  had installed in the Alabama Judicial Building. Like President Trump   he  was one of the birthers who falsely claimed that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States  and thus his presidency was illegitimate.
In 2006   [TGT]responded to the election of Keith Ellison  the first Muslim-American elected to Congress  by stating that Ellison shouldn't be able to take his seat.
During [TGT]has referred to Native Americans and Asian-Americans as "reds and yellows." And when an African-American at a rally asked when America was "great "  Moore  responded : "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."
 [TGT]even said that 9/11 might have happened because Americans were not religious enough; God was unhappy that "we legitimize sodomy" and "legitimize abortion."
With Trump as President and  Moore  as a senator  Democrats would have a strong case to make about the GOP jumping deep into the world of identity politics: defining itself through one caricature version of the identity of the white  male  non-college educated voter.
It will become harder for members of the GOP to argue that the party is best suited to lead a nation that has become more pluralistic  more diverse and culturally liberal than ever before. If the Republicans want any moral high ground on cultural questions  it will be much more difficult to claim it with  [TGT]as one of the faces of the party.
And it looks as though  [TGT]is very much in the race despite everything that we have learned. Democratic competitor Doug Jones has only a slim lead over [TGT] .
Why is it that  [TGT]might pull this off? Why would the Republican Party be taking this kind of risk? It is easy to blame Jones for running a lackluster campaign  but  in fact  he has offered the kind of candidacy and campaign that political analysts have been calling for. He is a white male  a centrist concerned about a strong middle-class economy  a gun-toting Democrat  and at the same time someone with impeccable credentials on civil rights -- as a US attorney  he successfully prosecuted Ku Klux Klan members for a church bombing in 1963.
JUST WATCHED How will Alabama vote in [TGT]vs. Jones race? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH How will Alabama vote in [TGT]vs. Jones race? 04:44
Though many prominent Republicans have denounced  Moore 's candidacy -- Sen. Jeff Flake even sent a check to the Jones campaign -- key parts of the Republican Party have fallen behind him. This is essential to why victory is possible. Most importantly  President Trump has now endorsed  [TGT]. "Go get [TGT]  Roy!" [TGT] reportedly said at the end of their phone conversation on Monday morning.
Trump  who said he would not campaign for  [TGT]held a rally in Florida -- less than 30 miles from the Alabama border -- on Friday. "The future of the country cannot afford to lose a seat in the very  very close United States Senate " Trump said during the rally. "We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda. So get out and vote for [TGT] ."
Last Monday  the Republican National Committee rejoined [TGT]'s campaign to move  [TGT]  toward victory after cutting ties with  [TGT]  because of the sexual assault accusations. Stephen Bannon  the executive chairman of Breitbart News  who now must be considered a power broker in the party as a result of [TGT] work on Trump's campaign and in [TGT] administration  has aggressively campaigned for  Moore  as one of [TGT] "anti-establishment" candidates.
The fact is that large portions of the Republican leadership are now comfortable with someone like  [TGT]standing within their tent. It is fallacious to paint  [TGT]  as an outsider  since this campaign proves that the Republican Party has changed and there is sufficient room for these kinds of extremist elements to be welcomed into its ranks.
It is not surprising that [TGT] continues to remind voters  in [TGT] advertisements  about  [TGT] 's strong opposition to abortion -- a key issue for conservatives. The appeal to voters is that all his "peccadillos " as they seem to dismiss them as being  are forgivable if they allow Republicans to retain the seat. As Ron Brownstein has perceptively argued  a  [TGT] would come down to  [TGT]  retaining the support of white women who have no college education and who will hold their noses and vote for  [TGT]despite  [TGT]  record with women.