It’s true that in 2017, Moore is an extreme outlier on some of these issues. But the old-school Christian right frequently has had a tendency to emphasize remoralizing American culture over the religious freedoms of its supporters. And plenty of grassroots pro-life and pro-family advocates supported Moore in his Alabama Senate campaign.
At a time when more of the country shared their basic moral values, that was workable even if problematic. In an era when they don’t, it is not even practical.
It becomes even worse when the political champions of social conservatives don’t live up to the values they want to impose on everyone else. It is unlikely Moore would have come up short in Alabama — he only lost by 1.5 points — if he hadn’t been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers when he was a single man in his 30s.
