Well, today is the big day! Roy Moore, Republican candidate for the Senate of Alabama, faces off against Democrat Doug Jones in the special election to fill Jeff Sessions’ old seat. It’s a tough choice for lots of people in Bama, because while Moore has been accused of sexual assault against girls as young as 14, Jones is guilty of being a Democrat. Polls show a dead heat.
However, when speaking at a rally last night, Roy Moore’s wife Kayla chose to address some allegations that haven’t been quite as prominent as the “sexually assaulted a 14-year-old” stuff. Instead of focusing on that bit of unpleasantness, Kayla explored some different charges: That her husband didn’t like black or Jewish people.
In doing so, she utilized a technique that has never before been seen: The “we have black friends” gambit. (Note: Because it’s the Internet, I feel compelled to explain that this is sarcasm.) Here’s what she said, per the NYTimes:
Fake news would also have you think that my husband doesn’t support the black community. Yet my husband appointed the very first black marshal to the Alabama Supreme Court, Mr. Willie James. When he first took office as chief justice many years ago, he brought with him three people from Etowah County; two were black, and one of them is here tonight. We have many friends that are black, and we also fellowship with them in church and in our home.
Beyond the cringe-inducing “friends” line, Moore makes the same mistake that many Trump supporters make—believing that the inclusion of even one African-Americans in a coalition necessarily means that the movement itself is good for black people. Like, how could Donald Trump be bad for the poor black community if Omarosa is on his White House staff?? You get the picture.
What about Jewish people? Moore had some thoughts on that front too:
Fake news would tell you that we don’t care for Jews. I tell you all this because I’ve seen it all, so I just want to set the record straight while they’re here. One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis, and we also fellowship with them.
I’m going to extend Kayla Moore a courtesy here—one that she might not deserve—and say her heart is in the right place. But apparently she’s never seen a crypto-racist defend him or herself before, because if she has, she’d know that “I have black/Jewish friends” is the ultimate shallow defense against prejudice.
Also, her husband was banned from a shopping mall.