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A few weeks ago, news broke that Emily Moreno, the ex-wife of Ohio congressman Max Miller, had accused him of several shocking acts of abuse, both toward her—those included scalding her with hot water and holding a gun to her head—and toward the couple’s baby daughter, whose collarbone was allegedly fractured by Miller. For weeks now, journalists, Democrats, and plenty of American voters have been pushing powerful Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno to say something—anything—in defense of his daughter and granddaughter. For weeks, Bernie Moreno stayed silent, even as Miller went on a crusade of character assassination against Emily Moreno, saying she was mentally ill with untreated bipolar disorder.

Finally, in a Sunday night tweet, the elder Moreno spoke out, writing, “Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.” He continued: “He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”

Moreno went on to say that Miller should withdraw from his current congressional race: “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”

It’s good that Moreno has finally come to the defense of his own daughter and granddaughter after weeks of silence and dithering, given how easy it was to interpret his lack of comment as support for Miller’s campaign. But it’s reasonable to ask: What took him so long? And given that the deadline for Miller to pull out of the race is Wednesday, where are all the other Republicans—especially those who called on Democrats to force Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to resign—in demanding that Miller step aside?

Traditionalist conservatives, those who push a nuclear-family model with a male head of household and a female carer for home and the children, make women a clear pledge: Acquiesce to your husband’s authority and you will be protected and provided for; your children will be as well. The Miller-Moreno saga is a textbook example of how this........

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