The Daily - Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017

Roy Moore, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, has built a legal and political career as a conservative crusader and a man of faith. As voters head to the polls on Tuesday, those early battles may shield him from the sexual misconduct allegations that have made the race a close one. Guests: Alan Blinder, a New York Times correspondent based in Atlanta; Bill Willard, a lawyer in Gadsden, Ala. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Duration: 22m
Broadcast on: 12 Dec 2017
Audio Format: other

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This podcast is supported by the Capital One Venture X Card. Venture X offers the premium benefits you expect, like a $300 annual Capital One travel credit for less than you expect. Elevate your earn with unlimited double miles on every purchase, bringing you one step closer to your next dream destination. Plus, enjoy access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. The Capital One Venture X Card, what's in your wallet? Terms apply, lounge access is subject to change. See CapitalOne.com for details. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Barber. This is The Daily. Today, from the very beginning, Roy Moore has built a legal and political career as a conservative crusader and man of fame. It's the early battles he fought on that front that may shield him from the recent accusations in today's special election. It's Tuesday, December 12th. So over the years, Roy Moore had built up something of a reputation around town, a very quiet reputation. When I was 15 years old, I began working after school as a waitress. Mr. Roy Moore came in almost every night. But it was known to people who lived there that perhaps he had an eye for younger women. Alan Blinder has been covering Roy Moore for years. That he would look for in date women far younger than he was. He would compliment me on my looks. He would sometimes hold the ends of my long hair as I walked by him. But he never faced any significant scrutiny for it. He said, "You're just a child." And he said, "I am the District Attorney." I better walk down him. And if you tell anyone about this, no one will ever believe you. People just ignored it to be quite frank with you until this year. Decades later, in the lead-up to today's special election in Alabama, those allegations have come under intense scrutiny. But the fact that the people of Alabama may look past those claims can be traced back to a different reputation that Roy Moore was building during that time. Roy Moore's kind of a hot shot. Logger. When he's in Gadsden in the 1970s, he is provocative. He is stirring people up. He's willing to say controversial things to people. And he's not toiling an anonymity, to say the least. It was obvious he was trying to make a name for himself as kind of a crusader. Bill Willard was a lawyer in Gadsden, Alabama. In the 1970s. This first case that I had before him, I'd been appointed to represent a young lady. It was an arson case. She was accused of having burned her business in order to collect the insurance money. And immediately when he took the bench, he hung a small hand-car, plaque at the Ten Commandments up over the bench. So Roy Moore is a carpenter, if you will.

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