Posted on 08/08/2004 4:12:01 PM PDT by Chi-townChief
GOP turns serious race into a sideshow
Sunday, August 8, 2004
The state's Republican Party apparatus not only badly fumbled its replacing of Jack Ryan on the U.S. Senate ballot but it made a laughing stock of itself in the process.
It is almost inconceivable to us that the GOP leaders could not have found a viable candidate from our own state before instead turning to Maryland talk show host and ultra-conservative spokesman Alan Keyes to run in Ryan's place.
We should know today whether Keyes has taken the bait. No matter; the state GOP has managed to turn what should be a serious contest for a serious office into a circus sideshow.
Keyes has never lived in Illinois, has no visible political or personal ties to the state, surely has little knowledge of our unique problems and issues, is completely out of the mainstream of Illinois public opinion. Indeed, as an arch-conservative with strong right-wing views on national issues, he is not even in the mainstream of Illinois Republican politics.
As he prepares to face Democratic state Sen. Barack Obama in a pivotal race for control of the U.S. Senate, Keyes will have to begin with an introduction of himself to Illinois voters. For those curious to know who he is, a brief resume:
An African-American, Alan Keyes is the son of an Army sergeant, studied at Cornell and has a Ph.D. in government affairs from Harvard, served as an ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council during the Reagan administration and as assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs.
Impressive credentials, certainly. And no question, Keyes is highly educated, very articulate, a man of strong beliefs and convictions. But those beliefs include eliminating the federal income tax, prohibiting abortion procedures of any kind under any conditions, radically reducing government, dumping Social Security as we know it, fully supporting the right to bear arms. On his talk show, his frequent rants express opinions similar to those of Rush Limbaugh and other Far Right spokespersons.
In a recent op-ed piece he criticized Californians for electing Arnold Schwarzenegger, comparing the moderate wing of the Republican Party to the AIDS virus that "fools the cell (in the body) into thinking it is a defender against infection, all the while silently reprogramming that same cell to work for the death of the man."
Is this the body of opinion Illinois Republican voters want espoused on their behalf in the debate with Obama on state and national issues? Could not the party's leadership find someone — anyone — from our state to appeal to those voters and the undecided? What of those candidates who ran behind Ryan in March — those like Jim Oberweis of Aurora — still willing to run in the wake of Ryan's forced withdrawal? Were none of those, nor other would-be Illinois Republican candidates such as former Senate candidate John Cox, more deserving of consideration?
Keyes has run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Maryland twice, in 1988 and again in 1992. Twice he also ran for the GOP nomination for president of the United States. In all four of his forays into electoral politics he has garnered only fringe support.
Is a four-time loser from the East the best state GOP leaders could do? Shame on them. In the end, this process turned out to be nothing more than a farce.
GOP chooses Keyes; is this 'The Simpsons,' or what?
Sunday, August 8, 2004
1. What did former Illinois secretary of state Paul Powell say he could "smell a-cookin'"?
2. Name three former Illinois governors indicted on criminal charges.
3. True or false? The mascot of the University of Illinois is "the barfing freshman," who shows graphic signs of being violently ill after having too much to drink.
4. What is the Illinois state bird?
Listen closely. Do you hear it? That persistent drumbeat, getting louder all the time?
It's the groundswell of support for Alan Keyes' run for United States Senator from the state of Illinois.
Of course you don't hear it. Because it's not just not there.
It's hard to tell when the process of picking a Republican Senate candidate became an episode of "The Simpsons."
We were all shocked when Jack Ryan was outed as a patron of kinky sex clubs. We shook our heads when venerable members of the state's Republican establishment said they chose not to run against the meteoric Democrat Barack Obama. We had a lot of fun when "Da Coach," Mike Ditka, briefly toyed with the idea of bringing his white-hot personal style to Capitol Hill.
Now, we can see that the state's Republican party has officially lost its mind. Watching the party of Lincoln these days, I can't help but think of Homer Simpson, the brilliantly hapless cartoon hero who cluelessly moves from one misadventure to another.
There is nobody currently living in Illinois suited to run against Obama? Nobody? Of all the respected Republican politicians across this state, and all the wealthy businessmen and women? Not one?
In turning to Keyes, a Maryland resident with absolutely no connections to this state, the GOP leaders show an uncanny resemblance to the dimwitted characters on "The Simpsons." You can count on them to make the wrong decision every single time.
I've offered a little quiz for anyone wishing to run for statewide office in Illinois.
It's just basic stuff for those of us who consider this state our home.
Most of us who live here in the Midwest do so for a reason. More often than not, I am extremely fond — and proud — of where I live, and where I have chosen to raise my family. This is a no-nonsense type of place, filled with people who work hard and take the important things — families, schools, friends — very seriously.
It is something of an insult to think that a person from the East Coast — someone who genuinely won't have much of a clue about my silly quiz items — deserves my vote.
5. Direction-wise, what is most significant about the Chicago River?
6. Give the correct pronunciation of these Illinois towns: Cairo, Vienna, Marseilles.
7. Who are "the pride and joy of Illinois"?
8. When you visit Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, what is the shiniest thing you'll see?
Say what you will about Barack Obama — and much right-wing firepower will be unleashed against him in the next three months — we know this much.
He already has a substantial presence in Illinois and is working hard to represent a 350-mile long state that includes vast differences in cultures and lifestyles.
Beyond that, Obama is already well-known in our own South Suburbs. Before the April primary, I checked the Obama campaign Web site one time and found he had made numerous appearances in our part of the world.
Our middle-class suburbs are proudly and robustly diverse; Obama, one of the stars of the recently concluded Democratic convention, is smart enough to know that if he has a "base," this is it.
It wasn't by accident that Obama celebrated his 43rd birthday in Matteson the other night.
I have read that U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Yorkville resident, was one of the big Keyes backers when the Republican State Central Committee met last week to pick a Senate candidate.
To me, that means that Hastert is a fan of conservative talk radio, which is where Keyes made his reputation.
Which is likely to come back to haunt the Republicans when Obama wins by 20 percentage points this fall.
Doesn't Hastert — or the other Republican bigshots — know that only 10 percent or 15 percent of the population ever listens to right-wing radio? Most of us know nothing about Alan Keyes because we have chosen not to listen to his radio rants.
My familiarity with Keyes comes from listening to the Republican presidential debates before the New Hampshire primary in 2000. (A confession: I would schedule dogwalking time so that I could listen to the six or seven GOP hopefuls — including Keyes, John McCain and George W. Bush — go at each other over National Public Radio.)
With Keyes, I learned, it is all moral outrage, all the time.
Keyes has staked out far-right positions against the income tax and Medicare. But his bread and butter is railing against abortion and gay rights, as well as affirmative action and the more prominent excesses of popular culture.
If Keyes decides to run against Obama — my guess is he is too much of an egotist not to run — we will be hearing plenty about how homosexuals are such a big threat to the United States.
And I am sure that some people will buy his message, because some people always will.
Most of us, though, are smart enough to know an out-of-state con job when we see one.
Quiz answers: 1. "The meat," which referred to political boodle. 2. Otto Kerner, William Stratton, George Ryan. 3. False. The beloved (to some) Chief Illiniwek is the mascot. 4. The cardinal. 5. It flows backward, away from Lake Michigan. 6. "Kay-ro," "Vy-enna," "Mar-sails." 7. The beloved Chicago Bears. 8. The nose on Honest Abe's statue.
Tom Houlihan may be e-mailed at thoulihan@starnewspapers.com. Or you may call him at (708) 802-8820.
At least Keyes has an American name.
Obama is their golden boy. They need to defend him from any real challenges.
This is good. They wouldn't be this upset if he didn't have them worried
They didnt call it the Simpsons when their gal Hillary went to New York.
Is this a metaphor, too?
;-)
This could be far worse than we thought.
I bet you they had to make hundreds of copies with all the foam coming from thier mouths just to make sure they had a couple of dry copies.
Reminds me of Hillary running for senator in NY, but of course these issues didn't apply in her case. Editorial outrage is reserved for conservatives.
However, I doubt Dennis Hastert is that skillful in the powers of persuasion. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this candidacy will not be harmful to the president.
The Chicago Tribune did the damage by taking out a legitimate candidate in Ryan. He was going to lose, but why not let the people decide?
The fact that you share the liberal media's distress over Keyes' conservatism simply confirms what I said about you months ago - - you're a liberal. You may be pro-Iraq-war, but that doesn't make somebody a conservative; Kerry and Edwards also claim to be for the war. On domestic issues, it seems, you're a liberal, and you can't stand the unqualified Reagan conservatism that alan keyes unapologetically professes. Thanks for exposing yourself. ! Have a nice evening.
Hillary Clinton owned a house in New York from September, 1999.
She also ran in a primary.
Let's at least try to keep our side honest.
'#####Impressive credentials, certainly. And no question, Keyes is highly educated, very articulate, a man of strong beliefs and convictions. But those beliefs include eliminating the federal income tax, prohibiting abortion procedures of any kind under any conditions, radically reducing government, dumping Social Security as we know it, fully supporting the right to bear arms. On his talk show, his frequent rants express opinions similar to those of Rush Limbaugh and other Far Right spokespersons."#####
Ha! Another objective report. I wonder who this writer votes for?
Yep. The GOP has given up on Illinois. They're going through the motions.
It can't help.
I think that the best way for him to address the issue would be to say that it was fair of him to criticize Hillary for doing it and it is fair for the Democrats to now criticize him for doing it. Whether or not it should disqualify him from serving is up to the voters of Illinois to decide, just as whether or not it should have disqualified Hillary was for the voters of New York to decide. Meanwhile, he is going to discuss all of the other issues and hopes that the Democrats will do so as well.
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