Doug Jones wins historic victory over Roy Moore in Alabama, Tuesday Dec. 12, 2017: Glynn Wilson

The Big Picture – 
By Glynn Wilson –

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A fragile nation, beacon to the world, is on the verge of cracking like a giant arctic ice sheet splitting in half due to warming seas.

Meanwhile the lack of informed political leadership in America keeps us distracted by the high school beer drinking habits and sexcapades of a privileged northeastern white male who wants a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court so bad that he will abandon all decorum to put on a show for a reality star president.

Long gone is the character, class and eloquence of our first African American president, who was ignored by a third of the population because of the color of his face.

As lame and bad as he was, we look back almost fondly on another president, George W. Bush, who looks like a Rhodes Scholar next to Donald J. Trump.

The odd coalition of rednecks, weirdos and misfits who would follow Trump over a cliff don’t want a United States of America. They want a race and sex war and a disabled federal government, and that’s what they are getting out of the White House.

Where are average, normal, working Americans who are not fond of the far right or left to turn for a voice of reason in these Crazytown, dark times?

It may seem like an odd thing to say since Alabama is mostly known for winning football teams and opposition to civil rights. But out of the muck and grime of hard core political rhetoric, almost as dramatic as the rise of the first homo sapien out of the mud and algae in Africa, a star was born last year when a mainstream, moderate Democrat in Birmingham saw what was going on in Washington and decided to toss his hat into a ring that had eluded him for a couple of decades of throw-back conservatism.

Running for office is a different thing than trying to govern as a public servant. Most people who manage to win an election just go along with the crowd and become partisan hacks, saying whatever it takes to win reelection, over and over again.

But since being sworn in as a United States Senator early this year, Doug Jones has trodden a different path, taken a different road. It remains to be seen whether he can last in this bitterly divided Washington from a state known for its racist conservatism. His middle-of-the-road path has not seemed to please too many people on either side of the aisle. He is being pummeled on social media from the right and the left.

I don’t know if it will do any good or not, but if there is anything we can do to help hit the pause button and get people to watch a different kind of speech and video, I hope people will take a few minutes away from the screaming match to watch and listen to what Senator Jones said on the floor as the confirmation process for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh ground on to what seemed like a foregone conclusion even before the allegations of sexual assault surfaced.

Senator Jones had called repeatedly for a complete disclosure of Judge Kavanaugh’s record, a full and fair investigation of the sexual assault allegations, and a postponement of the vote to gather the relevant facts.

Senator Doug Jones Calls for FBI Investigation in Sexual Assault Allegations Against Trump Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh

In his remarks Friday night on the Senate floor, he repeated those points in eloquent fashion, expressing serious concerns about the process, disappointment that he could not secure a meeting with Judge Kavanaugh following the initial Judiciary Committee hearing and highlighted the courage of women who have felt compelled to come forward to share their own stories of assault.

In what may be viewed as a lone cry in the wilderness, he called for the Senate and all Americans to set aside the bitter partisanship that has poisoned our politics and set our nation on this collision course. He urged us to find those things that unite us, to let go of this partisan animosity, and to focus on “opportunity.”

If there is a reasonable bone in your body, watch and listen to this powerful address.

Whether he wins reelection in 2020 or not, the classy performance of Doug Jones in the Senate has shown that his election was warranted.

Imagine if you can a speech by Roy Moore on the Senate floor in these times. Really, stop shouting and making mad comments on Facebook and think about it.

Moore has weighed into this debate from his farm not far from the Gadsden Mall and sided with another man who has been accused of sexually assaulting teenagers. Really?

I don’t care how conservative you are, how Christian you claim to be, Roy Moore in Washington would have been a total embarrassment to everyone in my native state and a disaster for the country.

We need the leadership of Doug Jones in the Senate and in this country.

If the people of Alabama will not accept him, maybe the people in much of America will. In less than one year in office, he is already being mentioned as a possible candidate for president or vice president in 2020.

Think about that. Nick Saban excellence in Alabama politics. Lose that at your peril, Alabama. Once again, you have a wheel in the ditch, like Neil Young sang so long ago.

Senator Doug Jones greets a young supporter at a victory party in Birmingham, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018: Glynn Wilson

Senator Doug Jones and his wife Louise pose for pictures with supporters in Birmingham at a victory party on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018: Glynn Wilson

Senator Doug Jones and his wife Louise take the stage in Birmingham at a victory party to thank supporters, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018: Glynn Wilson

U.S. Senator Doug Jones of Alabama talking to a member of his staff in his office in the Russel Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.: Glynn Wilson

U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones rides with organized labor in the Veterans Day Parade in Mobile, Alabama, Friday Nov. 10, 2017: Photo by Glynn Wilson