The GOP, and the nation, narrowly dodged a bullet last night after accused pedophile Roy Moore lost to senator-elect Doug Jones in Alabama. Thankfully, Moore will not have a national platform from which to heave his unconstitutional, bigoted refuse.

But a Republican loss in Alabama, of all places, following the party’s miserable performance in Virginia last month, should send a clear warning to party leadership: continue to appease President Donald Trump’s populist, nationalist movement at your peril.

Though the GOP will now be spared the worst potential consequences of Moore’s candidacy, his nomination and loss say much about the state of the party. Moore’s nomination was evidence that the election of an admitted sex abuser to the White House last year was not an anomaly, but a ruinous trend for the GOP.

Moore was defeated by “a coalition of the decent,” a term Republican strategist Steve Schmidt coined after Ed Gillespie lost his Virginia gubernatorial race last month following a nativist, fear-infused campaign. This coalition is comprised of principled Republicans, independents and Democrats; with two significant wins under the coalition's belt already, GOP leaders should understand that an urgent course correction is needed.

Most right-wing thought leaders have long stressed the importance of traditional values. But, in a shameful unveiling of their indecency, some now suggest that depraved figures like Trump, Stephen Bannon, and Moore represent the country’s best interests.