Choose your adventure time! Reporter's pre-election analysis of Alabama Senate race holds up

This thread by Alex Burns, political reporter for the New York Times, was posted Monday evening, before the election of Alabama Democrat Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate. Of course, we all know now how the race turned out, but as people start pointing fingers, it’s a fine recap of the entire process from beginning to end.

Of course, there shouldn’t have been a question that a Republican could lose a Senate race in Alabama in 2017, but one did, and there were plenty of decision points that led to that result.

It took an extraordinarily unsuccessful series of choices, by Republican leaders, to make the Alabama race competitive even *before* the Moore scandal. Let’s review them in choose-your-adventure form.

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

You’re President-elect Trump. You have to choose an attorney general. Do you:
(1) Reward Jeff Sessions for loyalty, knowing it will prompt a potentially messy special election
(2) Pick one of many non-senators available to the job, at the risk of disappointing your (then-)friend

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

OK, you chose (1). Now you’re Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and you have to name a senator. Do you:
(1) Name an uncontroversial placeholder who won’t seek a full term
(2) Name a highly popular and well known politician
(3) Pick the state AG who is currently investigating you

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

You picked (3)! Great. But oh no, you had to resign in your own scandal. Now you’re the new gov, Kay Ivey. Do you:
(1) Leave the special election alone and let Luther Strange serve through 2018
(2) Move up the election to Dec. 12, 2017

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

Welp, you chose (2). Now you’re Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the race is getting messy. Do you:
(1) Stay out of it
(2) Use your super PAC to nuke Roy Moore
(3) Ignore Roy Moore, trust Luther to beat him 1 on 1, and nuke a third candidate, House hard-liner Mo Brooks

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

OK, you chose (3). Yikes. Your guy lost the primary and Roy Moore, who you hate, is the Republican nominee. Do you:
(1) Grudgingly endorse him but close your checkbook
(2) Endorse him and go all-out to beat Doug Jones
(3) Shun Moore & immediately start recruiting a 3rd candidate

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

Well, you chose (1) and things have settled down a bit. It’s Nov. 9. Do you:
(1) Take a big sip of coffee and check the website of the Washington Post.
(2) Take a HUGE sip of coffee and check the website of the Washington Post.

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this game. The point, obviously, is that if at any point, any of the other paths had been taken, Rs might never have had to worry about this election in a serious way, or find themselves painted into a corner with Roy Moore when the scandal broke.

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

However this turns out tomorrow, the election developed as a hugely unlikely event, shaped by human choices and their unintended consequences. None of it was inevitable. — 30 —

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 12, 2017

And again, we all know now how the story turns out.

@TheRickWilson @RadioFreeTom THREAD pic.twitter.com/KwmITeoOXz

— Edward Lechner (@elechner1) December 12, 2017

What's remarkable is that a year ago, we were talking about the terrible choices the Democrats made in being able to lose to Trump. (Both things are true.)

— Ben Lewis (@benelou) December 13, 2017

Yeah, it’s a great game to play substituting Hillary Clinton for Roy Moore.

Alex, your game tweet is brilliant, witty, and right on the money! My political lesson of the day! Love it!!!

— Sandy A (@SandyA85891989) December 13, 2017

This thread. Like tallying all the screwups that led to the sinking of the Titanic.

— Perfesser Getz (@nealgetz) December 12, 2017

Everything the GOP has done politically has FAILED ever since Gorsuch took his seat. The only possible explanation is that they did, indeed, make a deal with the devil and the devil is now extracting his price. I believe in the devil now that I have seen it with my own ??.

— US Citizen Barbara Banfield!?? (@BarbBanfieldRN) December 12, 2017