Rachel Maddow Floats Drag Queen as Alabama Governor

Rachel Maddow thinks the next leader of Alabama might as well have a wig, and not the powdered, Parliamentary variety.

The MSNBC host praised the activism of Ambrosia Starling, a native of the Southern state who has become a thorn in the side of Roy Moore, the state's chief justice who was suspended and charged with ethics violations for defying the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage.

Moore, speaking about complaints filed against him, had called Starling, one of his chief critics, a "known transvestite" with a "mental disorder." He expressed incredulity that "that person can violate and has violated a court order and is bringing complaints against the chief justice."

"I'm crazy for democracy!" responded Starling, whose quote from a local news outlet was read with glee by Maddow. "Every bully always picks on the weakest kid in the room, and he thought that was going to be the drag queen. A lot of people make that mistake."

In the Monday segment, Maddow noted that Alabama's top three positions -- governor, speaker of the house, and chief justice -- were embroiled in either controversy or scandal, with the possibility that all three could become vacant.

"Alabama is falling apart," Maddow said. "As far as I'm concerned," she added, "Ambrosia Starling could have her pick of the three."