You want long game? It occurs to me that the real “long game” is the way the Republicans have been pushing quietly for years now to take away the 17th Amendment popular election of senators.

Because while that may not have specifically anticipated Moore vs. Jones, it would have been a guarantee that the AL-Sen seat would have stayed GOP in a situation like this one. (And probably with Big Luther instead of Moore, thus reducing the embarrassment to the national party.)

Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be enough critical mass behind the repeal-the-17th movement - but it’s a very real thing that’s out there.