The Note: Alabama Senate race, a journey into the politically bizarre

FAN Editor

The TAKE with Rick Klein

The Alabama Senate race has been a journey into political bizarro world, where some voters feel a man facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with women when they were in their teens is still better than a Democrat, the GOP candidate reportedly said slavery might have been around during better times, and the president himself wants to upend the political class.

The tour guide for this trip is President Donald Trump, who has put himself in the center of the action going into Tuesday’s election.

Roy Moore is the guy we need to pass our ‘Make America Great Again‘ agenda,” the president said in a robocall for Moore released over the weekend.

This Senate race with a deeply flawed GOP nominee is now a referendum on both Trump and Trumpism. That remains the case even if a win for Republicans might be worse than a loss.

The president’s calculation is that winning begets winning, that it’s worth the grief for an extra vote, and that he would probably get blamed for a loss anyway.

He might be right about all of that and might cap it all with a victory.

But for a party still grappling with its identity, the GOP may yet be uncomfortable with where the president is taking it.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

In a lot of ways, the Senate race has become a gut check for Alabama voters, a question of just how much they can stomach.

Republicans loyal to Moore have decided they can handle quite a lot.

Rev. Tom Brown, the pastor at Roy Moore’s local church, defended the judge to the press Sunday, backing him even if all the allegations against him about sexual misconduct with teenage girls were true.

(But he does not think they are).

The pastor’s reason? A Democrat who supports lawful abortion is just too much to swallow.

Republican Senator Richard Shelby found a compromise that could settle his stomach: a Republican write-in.

Talking to Democrats, it is clear they drew a line in the sand too.

Yes, they say, it would be great to flip a seat and get one more vote on Capitol Hill.

Yes, a lot of them can rally off something that they like in the Democratic candidate Doug Jones’ background.

But it is more than that. There is a drive, desperation in their voices too. They are fed up.

They cannot stand the embarrassment of their state sending Moore to the Senate. They cannot handle what they fear others around the country will think of them.

One professor in Alabama told ABC News she planned to spend the next two days worrying. With tears in her eyes, she said she needed the country to see that Alabamans were “kind” and “good.”

THE TIP with Alexander Mallin

Following President Donald Trump‘s decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he will not meet with Vice President Mike Pence during his upcoming visit to the region.

A spokesperson for Pence responded to the snub with a statement.

“It’s unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region, but the Administration remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan.”

Pence will be visiting the Middle East later this month. He is expected to travel to Israel and Egypt.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with. And I think we heard from them prior to the election.” — Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, when asked about the women who have accused President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.

NEED TO READ

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.

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