November 15, 2017 01:43 PM UTC

Poll: Will They Really Expel Roy Moore?

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver Post’s editorial board lavished undeserved praise on Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado yesterday, excessively lauding Gardner’s belated call for the U.S. Senate to expel Alabama’s Roy Moore if he survives the sexual molestation scandal currently waylaying his campaign and wins:

We’re pleased to see Colorado’s junior senator, Cory Gardner, use his prominence among Senate Republicans to present a clear, moral argument against the accused child molester. Those inflamed by the politics of the scandal should consider his wisdom. As head of the Republican’s Senate campaign arm, Gardner announced last week the group would cease fundraising efforts for Moore’s Senate bid and said that if allegations of molestation were true, Moore should drop out of the race. This week Gardner stood with multiple accusers and argued that if Moore refuses to step aside and goes on to win in the special election next month, the Senate should expel him.

Always tripping over themselves to shield Sen. Gardner from criticism, the Post completely glosses over the politically toxic delay between last week’s “if true” deflection of the story by Gardner and his harder line taken this week. That initial response, echoed by many other Republicans, was roundly condemned as inadequate–and it was that condemnation which forced Republicans like Gardner to take a stronger position.

Not really what you’d call a profile in courage.

With that said, the real problem with this overly-generous editorial may not be evident until after Roy Moore wins the Alabama Senate race. It’s a matter of record that Sen. Gardner called for Donald Trump to pull out of the presidential race in October of 2016, after the Access Hollywood recordings of Trump bragging about committing sexual assault became public. But when Trump emerged victorious on Election Day, Gardner ditched his supposed convictions and embraced the President-elect with his trademark smile.

A poll follows–is there any reason to believe it’ll be different this time?

And why is that exactly?