McConnell floats Sessions as write-in candidate in Alabama. Your thoughts

[ProudModerate2]

What are your thoughts ?
Can Sessions win, with Moore officially saying he is "dropping out" ?
Can Sessions win, with Moore stubbornly staying in the race, and splitting the GOP ticket ?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[SteveRogers]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

[Bismarck]

I'd support any republican that isn't Roy Moore. Sessions is to the right of me but I don't think he is as evil as the media portrays him.

[Fuzzy Bear]

It would depend somewhat on how Alabama's laws roll regarding counting write-in votes.

Most Southern election laws are left over from the days when the Democratic Primary was tantamount to election.  Those laws were written to prevent "sore losers" from running as Independents, and that includes write-ins.  In Florida, you have to qualify to be a write-in, otherwise your votes won't count.

For example, would a vote for "Jeff Sessions" count?  Would one have to call him "John Jefferson Sessions" or Jefferson Sessions?  Would the votes for Jefferson Sessions and the votes for Jeff Sessions be counted, but as for separate candidates? 

Alaskans re-elected Lisa Murkowski as a write-in, after being stuck with Joe Miller, and Miller had nowhere near the problems Moore has now.  It could work, but it could also be sabotaged by existing laws.  Sessions has nothing to lose, however, and I don't think he'd have to quit if he doesn't campaign.

[Sirius_]

I'm still Doug Jones all the way.

[GeorgiaModerate]

A real write-in campaign by any semi-plausible Republican will almost certainly elect Jones. 

[Fuzzy Bear]

Republicans who are actually revulsed by Moore will either stay home or vote for Jones. 

This issue is at the level to where if you view it as bad as it gets, you won't chance a write-in; you'll vote to stop Moore.  On a toxic scale, Moore isn't quite David Duke, but he's a whole lot worse than Joe Miller. 

No one likes being had.  I've been had by Roy Moore; he's a hypocrite with a lot of gall, the more I think about it.  Jones is a reasonable enough Democrat, but this is a situation where I might actually vote for Maxine Waters (a disgusting piece of garbage herself) over Moore.  Waters wouldn't get re-elected, and Waters, vile and contemptible as she may be, is what she is.  Moore isn't what he is; he's "Morality for thee.  My own rules for me."  America would be a better place if folks did as Roy Moore said.  It's what it is because folks do as Roy Moore does.  And that's live to fulfill their own lusts, whatever those lusts are, regardless of consequences.  THAT is something we have enough of at all levels of government.

[OneJ]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

It's almost like Trump appointed Sessions to be the AG just so that someone else like Strange could be appointed to the Senate so that he's weak enough to lose to someone like Moore so that Moore's allegations get uncovered to the public so that it gives Sessions a chance run a write-in campaign that is guaranteed to win so that Sessions won't have to drag Trump down so often. It's all starting to come to me now...

[TheSaint250]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

It's almost like Trump appointed Sessions to be the AG just so that someone else like Strange could be appointed to the so that he's weak enough to lose to someone like Moore so that Moore's allegations get uncovered to the public so that it gives Sessions a chance run a write-in campaign that is guaranteed to win so that Sessions won't have to drag Trump down so often. It's all starting to come to me now...

That's way too complex for Trump.

Or for anyone in his administration for that matter.

[IceSpear]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

It's almost like Trump appointed Sessions to be the AG just so that someone else like Strange could be appointed to the so that he's weak enough to lose to someone like Moore so that Moore's allegations get uncovered to the public so that it gives Sessions a chance run a write-in campaign that is guaranteed to win so that Sessions won't have to drag Trump down so often. It's all starting to come to me now...

That Trump, master of 8D chess. Where does Manafort fall in this genius plot?

[GeorgiaModerate]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

It's almost like Trump appointed Sessions to be the AG just so that someone else like Strange could be appointed to the so that he's weak enough to lose to someone like Moore so that Moore's allegations get uncovered to the public so that it gives Sessions a chance run a write-in campaign that is guaranteed to win so that Sessions won't have to drag Trump down so often. It's all starting to come to me now...

This actually reads like something you'd see on FreeRepublic.

[Indy Texas]

I'd support any republican that isn't Roy Moore. Sessions is to the right of me but I don't think he is as evil as the media portrays him.

He has lied under oath repeatedly to Congress.

[Ban my account ffs!]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

It's almost like Trump appointed Sessions to be the AG just so that someone else like Strange could be appointed to the Senate so that he's weak enough to lose to someone like Moore so that Moore's allegations get uncovered to the public so that it gives Sessions a chance run a write-in campaign that is guaranteed to win so that Sessions won't have to drag Trump down so often. It's all starting to come to me now...

OneJ, you are a genius.  You figured it out.

[Tintrlvr]

It would depend somewhat on how Alabama's laws roll regarding counting write-in votes.

Most Southern election laws are left over from the days when the Democratic Primary was tantamount to election.  Those laws were written to prevent "sore losers" from running as Independents, and that includes write-ins.  In Florida, you have to qualify to be a write-in, otherwise your votes won't count.

For example, would a vote for "Jeff Sessions" count?  Would one have to call him "John Jefferson Sessions" or Jefferson Sessions?  Would the votes for Jefferson Sessions and the votes for Jeff Sessions be counted, but as for separate candidates?  

Alaskans re-elected Lisa Murkowski as a write-in, after being stuck with Joe Miller, and Miller had nowhere near the problems Moore has now.  It could work, but it could also be sabotaged by existing laws.  Sessions has nothing to lose, however, and I don't think he'd have to quit if he doesn't campaign.

The Alaska situation was quite different because Murkowski was acceptable to most Alaskan Democrats, and so she got the votes of a large portion of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, while Miller still won a majority of Republicans.

In Alabama, the Democrats have a core of about 38% of the vote that is completely immovable, certainly not by Jeff Sessions or Luther Strange, so there isn't going to be a collapse in Jones's vote in favor of a write-in candidate. Also, Moore continues to have his loyalists worth at least 20-25% of the vote (though Sessions might be able to get that to the lower end of the spectrum) against another Republican. Which means a write-in candidate would both need to reduce Jones to the Democratic core and also reduce Moore to Moore's core supporters in order to narrowly edge Jones. Which would be hard enough if running as a candidate actually on the ballot but seems basically impossible when running as a write-in.

[Nyvin]

A write in campaign wouldn't work.  They'd just end up dividing the Republican vote enough for Jones to win.    The African Americans in Alabama will not be voting for Jeff Sessions or Roy Moore no matter what happens.

[Indy Texas]

It would depend somewhat on how Alabama's laws roll regarding counting write-in votes.

Most Southern election laws are left over from the days when the Democratic Primary was tantamount to election.  Those laws were written to prevent "sore losers" from running as Independents, and that includes write-ins.  In Florida, you have to qualify to be a write-in, otherwise your votes won't count.

For example, would a vote for "Jeff Sessions" count?  Would one have to call him "John Jefferson Sessions" or Jefferson Sessions?  Would the votes for Jefferson Sessions and the votes for Jeff Sessions be counted, but as for separate candidates? 

Alaskans re-elected Lisa Murkowski as a write-in, after being stuck with Joe Miller, and Miller had nowhere near the problems Moore has now.  It could work, but it could also be sabotaged by existing laws.  Sessions has nothing to lose, however, and I don't think he'd have to quit if he doesn't campaign.

His name is Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III, so attempting to vote for "John Jefferson Sessions" probably wouldn't be helpful.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

A convenient way for Trump to get rid of his Sessions problem.

It's almost like Trump appointed Sessions to be the AG just so that someone else like Strange could be appointed to the so that he's weak enough to lose to someone like Moore so that Moore's allegations get uncovered to the public so that it gives Sessions a chance run a write-in campaign that is guaranteed to win so that Sessions won't have to drag Trump down so often. It's all starting to come to me now...

That Trump, master of 8D chess. Where does Manafort fall in this genius plot?

With tinfoil hat firmly on my head, and tongue planted in cheek:

He's going to testify that he was working for Hillary's State Dept to manipulate Ukrainian elections.

[diptheriadan]

Love it. If one Republican can't beat Doug Jones, surely two will!