A Retrospective Political Litmus Test

...From which the Left in exempt.

By Porter

A dutifully ignored element of the Roy Moore story is America’s changing customs of courtship. As you may know, we habitually project today’s mores backwards, and hold our predecessors strictly accountable to them. It’s a remarkably dishonest cultural tic that someone should eventually write a piece about.

Pertinent to this topic was a conversation I had with an old friend I’ll call Mike following the Roy Moore revelations. As boys, Mike and I occasionally played at his grandparents’ sprawling farmhouse, with he being one of some multitude of grandchildren that marriage ultimately produced. While talking the other day Mike described how his grandfather first approached his future father-in-law seeking permission to court the woman who would eventually become his wife. His grandfather was 32 at the time. His grandmother was 17. Her father said yes. A 50+ year marriage was the result. So was Mike’s grandfather a predator? Was his great grandfather a pimp?

If the answers are yes, then the old age homes are bursting with malice. That’s because the median age of women at first marriage was 20.6 as late as 1970. I understand math is a less precise discipline to liberals than raysis, though that figure suggests that half of all marriages in America involved a teenaged bride within most adults’ lifetimes. Does anyone think some number of these completely common unions didn’t involve men in their early 30s? Were all those people child molesters like Roy Moore and Jerry Seinfeld?

Like every WaPo reporter, I know nothing of Roy Moore’s sexual pursuits. Though the left’s replacement pursuits are quite a bit more clear. Thus I tend to side with populist conservatives, even when they are being attacked by the media organs who hate me. If the age 14 accusation were confirmed that would change. But it’s likely that stealing an election is the only salve his accusers seek.