In 2011, Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore stated in an interview on a conspiracy-driven radio show that getting rid of constitutional amendments after the 10th Amendment would 'eliminate many problems' in the structure of the US government. Moore appeared on the program twice during 2011.
Alabama's special election for Senate, in which Moore faces Democrat Doug Jones, takes place Tuesday. Moore's controversial views on a variety of subjects, including homosexuality, Islam, and evolution, came into sharper focus in these final days of the campaign. Moore also dealt with multiple accusations from women who say that he sexually assaulted or pursued relationships with them as teenagers when he was in his 30s. Moore denied all allegations.
Moore also faced criticism for comments he made in September at a campaign rally. When asked by a black member of the audience when he thought the last time America was great, Moore answered, "I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another. Our families were strong, our country had a direction."
Moore made his recently revealed comments about constitutional amendments in a June 2011 appearance on the "Aroostook Watchmen" show. The program features conspiracy theories such as the US government is illegitimate, the September 11, 2001, attacks, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook, the Boston bombing, and other mass shootings and terrorist attacks are false flag attacks committed by the government as well as pushing the false claim that former President Barack Obama is not a US citizen.
In the same June episode, Moore invoked Adolf Hitler in a discussion about Obama's birth certificate. In a May 2011 episode, Moore told the two radio hosts, who have repeatedly rejected the official explanation for the 9/11 attacks, that he would be open to hearings looking into "what really happened" on that day.
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In Moore's June appearance, one of the hosts says he would like to see an amendment that would void all the amendments after the Tenth. Those amendments include freeing the slaves, voting rights and civil rights.
"That would eliminate many problems," Moore replied. "You know people don't understand how some of these amendments have completely tried to wreck the form of government that our forefathers intended."
In an ironic twist, Moore cited the 17th Amendment, which calls for the direct election of senators by voters rather than appointment by state legislatures, as one he found particularly troublesome.
The host agreed with Moore, before bringing attention to the 14th Amendment, passed during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, which guaranteed citizenship and equal rights and protection to former slaves.
"People also don't understand, and being from the South I bet you get it, the 14th Amendment was only approved at the point of the gun," the host said.
"Yeah, it had very serious problems with its approval by the states," Moore replied. "The danger in the 14th Amendment, which was to restrict, it has been a restriction on the states using the first Ten Amendments by and through the 14th Amendment."
