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Charles Barkley to Alabamians ahead of Roy Moore vote: 'We've got to stop looking like idiots'

Charles Barkley is on the campaign trail to elect Doug Jones and keep Roy Moore out of the U.S. Senate. (AP)
Charles Barkley is on the campaign trail to elect Doug Jones and keep Roy Moore out of the U.S. Senate. (AP)

Count Charles Barkley among the masses not excited about the prospect of an accused child predator joining the United States Senate.

The always outspoken Alabama son and Auburn basketball icon took to the campaign stage and CNN on Monday night to support Democratic candidate Doug Jones and oppose the candidacy of Republican Roy Moore in Tuesday’s special election for U.S. Senate representing Alabama.

At some point, we’ve got to stop looking like idiots to the nation,” Barkley told Jones supporters at rally in Birmingham. “I love Alabama, but we’ve got to draw a line in the sand.”

His statements came on the heels of an interview with with Al.com explaining his motivation to speak out against the controversial senate candidate.

“It can’t be Roy Moore,” Barkley told Al.com. “To me it’s silliness that this guy’s trying to win.”

Moore stands accused of making sexual contact with then-14-year-old Leigh Corfman in 1979 while he was a 32-year-old district attorney in Alabama.

Since that initial report in early November, several woman have accused Moore of unwanted advances when he was in his 30s and 40s. The women’s ages ranged from 16- to 28-years old when they claimed Moore made those advances.

Moore, who is outspokenly anti-gay, is also on record for citing the era of slavery as the last time America was “great.”

While Barkley admittedly doesn’t know much about Doug Jones, the prospect of Moore being elected is enough for him to get involved.

“This is unbelievable to me,” Barkley told Al.com. “You couldn’t make it up. If somebody sent you a script, with all he’s done and said, you wouldn’t believe he could still be in the race.”

He was also critical of Alabamians supporting Moore, calling them “brainwashed.”

“All you have to do is talk about God and say you don’t like homosexuals … and abortion,” he said. “People are calling me saying, ‘Really Charles? Really?’ I’m embarrassed by it.”

In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, Barkley took Alabamians to task for listening to right-wing political activist and former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, whom he called a white separatist and is on the campaign trail for Moore.

“There’s a faction of people in the South; they’ve got all the money and all the control,” Barkley told Lemon. “They just want to keep us dumbed down and keep all the money and the power.

“What America has become is rich people screwing poor people.”

Barkley has considered multiple runs at the Alabama governor’s office both as a Republican and Democrat. He has also supported presidential candidate John Kasich and Democratic President Barack Obama.

So while it’s generally tough to pigeonhole Barkley’s political leanings, he’s left no doubt where he stands on Tuesday’s controversial election in Alabama.

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