ALAN KEYES, MR. RADIOACTIVE

Realclearpolitics.com ^ | 10-11-04

[SJackson]

Monday, October 11 2004
ALAN KEYES, MR. RADIOACTIVE: Just how bad is Alan Keyes doing in the Illinois Senate race? Let's just say it's hard to imagine him doing any worse. In the three latest polls taken during the past week, Keyes is drawing between 20-24% of the vote while Obama is pushing close to 70%.

To be fair, this was never really about Alan Keyes beating Barack Obama. The minute Jack Ryan dropped out of the race the GOP strategy shifted from winning to trying to field a credible challenger who could do two things: 1) keep Obama occupied and 2) run strong throughout the state to protect down-ballot Republicans from getting swamped. Keyes is failing miserably at both.

Today's Washington Post reports that Obama is so unconcerned with the threat being posed by Alan Keyes that he's now touring the country raising money and campaigning on behalf of John Kerry and other Democrats:

In the past week, Obama has mailed checks totaling $260,000 to Senate candidates in 13 states, including $53,000 to the do-or-die campaign of Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.). He donated $100,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and $150,000 to party organizations in key states, including Florida, Wisconsin and Colorado.

Carrying his verbal assault on President Bush beyond state lines, Obama will fly to Los Angeles this week for a Democratic fundraiser and address rallies in Colorado and Nevada for John F. Kerry. In a close presidential race where turnout could prove decisive, Obama said in an interview that he is talking with Kerry advisers about where he can be most effective in the campaign's final days.

"Turnout is huge," Obama said after a Saturday morning rally in the hard-fought presidential battleground of Wisconsin. "If there are selective things that we can do that can be helpful, then we want to do them. The Kerry people are still making determinations as to what states remain in play. Safe to say we will probably have a couple more travel days this month."

Back in Illinois, Keyes is operating in complete isolation. He's alienated almost all of the Republican party operatives throughout the state, starting with his wild-eyed rhetoric about Barack Obama's pro-abortion stance (the "slaveholders'" position, similar to a terrorist, etc) and his attack on Dick Cheney's gay daughter (Keyes called Mary Cheney a "selfish hedonist").

Many members of the Illinois delegation, including the Chairperson of the Party, Judy Baar Topinka, condemned Keyes remarks as "idiotic" and called on him to apologize. (To make matters worse, rumors have been swirling about the sexual preference of Keyes' own daughter for a couple of weeks now. Keyes has refused to comment)

This is how bad it has become: the other night at a GOP fund raising dinner Keyes caused a stir by showing up unannounced - but more importantly, I was told, uninvited. At the dinner a sitting member Congress, speaking semi-privately to the guests at one of the tables, jokingly referred to Keyes as a "lunatic." Everyone at the table laughed and shook their heads in agreement.

The damage Keyes is doing to the GOP in Illinois, however, is no laughing matter. He will be lucky to win 25% of the vote in November and he's become not only a drag on the ballot for Republicans but a weapon for Democrats.

I'll give you a quick example. Beth Coulson is the State Senator from my district. She's a moderate Republican in a moderate to left-leaning district and always a top target of the Democrats. Here's a copy of the latest flier from the Illinois Democratic Party:

Keyes may very well cost Beth Coulson her seat, and perhaps a few others as well. And on November 3rd Alan Keyes will be sitting comfortably on a plane back to Maryland and the Illinois GOP will be in a bigger hole than they were in before Keyes arrived to help dig.

MOTHER TERESA: Can't resist this blurb on Teresa Heinz Kerry from Friday's Tucson Citizen:

In the middle of her [Heinz Kerry's] speech, Bush supporters chimed in with a chant of "four more years." Kerry supporters countered with "four more weeks."

Heinz Kerry told the Bush supporters, "I respect your positions, but you must have manners."

Adele Conover, 54, a science writer and Kerry supporter who had backed Howard Dean, described Heinz Kerry's talk as "sensational."

"She treated them like they were children," she said of how Heinz Kerry talked to the Bush supporters.

Those Bush supporters are just so uncouth, aren't they Teresa?

[mountaineer]

We only can hope the Illinois Republican party can recover from this fall's election.

[Artemis Webb]

I have hammered Keyes many times. I've never had a problem with the Mods. I think it is both the point of view that one approaches it with and what ELSE is said in the posting that gets people in trouble.

As an example there was a thread dealing with the Keyes/Obama race some weeks ago. A Freeper placed a pic of Obama next to one of a young Osama Bin Laden (minus beard) in an effort show the "resemblance". The mods pulled it as they should have. I don't like Obama. I don't want Obama to win. But to compare him to Satan (Bin Laden) is more than a little over the top.

There are no legitimate Freepers out there who are pulling for Obama. But a legitimate criticism of Keyes campaign style is hardly off limits in anybodies mind, Mods included I am sure.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Ouch. I wintered in Illinois once. Once.

[Doohickey]

"When RINOs attack"

[Chad Fairbanks]

There are no legitimate Freepers out there who are pulling for Obama. But a legitimate criticism of Keyes campaign style is hardly off limits in anybodies mind, Mods included I am sure.

Oh, to be that naive again. Such innocence.

(Don't you know that any legitimate criticism of Keyes, or anything related to Keyes means that you are an Obama-supporting babby-killer???)

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Kerry is at least as liberal as Keyes is conservative. More so really. The difference is that Kerry will lie and Keyes will not.

It is interesting how easily people are pressured to shame an individual for certain views. The phenomenon is actually a good thing, though it is being twisted and misused in this case. (Stigma: something liberals give lip-service to trying to eliminate, all the while they use and abuse it. Truth be told, it is how social interaction works. You couldn't get rid of it if you wanted to.)

Republicans who know the media is liberal and will lie and twist the facts, nevertheless get sucked into the falsehoods anyway. The Keyes campaign has been a classic example of that. The media says Keyes attacked Mary Cheney and you believe it. Later, when the truth comes out, it's too late. Damage has already been done. A few short years ago, the social shame and stigma would be Mary's to bear. Not that anyone would be unkind to her necessarily, but the social disapproval would be clear. Now, the social structure of stigma and shame for certain unacceptable opinions or behaviors has not changed one iota. It has just been displaced. Shame on Keyes for being negative at all about homosexuality. But no shame on Mary for her behavior. That's the tragedy this reveals.

[SJackson]

He is polling under 25% because, even though he knew he would be facing an adversarial press and a passive party organization, he spoke incautiously and focused on the wrong things. He could have polled over 40% even with his handicaps - but he just did a bad job.

You're right, he's run a horrible campaign and deserves the credit all to himself. I think whether this was forseeable by those who slated him is a legitimate, though insider, issue.

[NJ_gent]

"when a RINO is on the ballot, like Specter here in PA, conservatives are expected to support someone they find distasteful for the good of the party. That is all I trying to say."

I don't at all disagree with you on that point. That being said, this isn't about Specter vs Toomey for office, it's more like Howard Dean doing a continuous scream for the past several weeks and dragging the entire party down with him. While I agree that Specter isn't the ideal candidate from a conservative perspective, he's certainly not sabotaging the campaigns of everyone around him, including the President.

[kingu]

I hope that someone does some good exit polling on election day, it would be most helpful to find out if people voted for Keyes because he was a Republican, wasn't Obama, or because they agreed with his campaign.

My guess is that the voting numbers will be higher than people expect, and 2/3rds will respond that they voted for Keyes because of his values.

If, however, that doesn't happen, then it bodes bad for social conservatives in the party. And to be honest, that outright scares me.

[Taliesan]

He always does a bad job. He does not yet understand that running for office entails getting more votes than your opponent. He still thinks the public is waiting in their chains for his chiseled tablets.

[OHelix]

I don't understand what the dynamic is, but there is SOMETHING that is motivating a small LOUD group to visiously demonize Keyes, and repeat all of the talking dem talking points from within the Republican party, as well as here on FR. When it's pointed out then they often acuse those pointing it out as being "Keyes Cool-Aid Drinkers".

I don't understand it. It is not logical to demonize your own candidate after he's won the nomination, and support the opposition by hitting your candidate from both sides. There has to be an alterior motivation and I don't know what it is. I think at least SOME of it comes from the log-cabin republicans.

But it's always the same small group who get on just about every Keyes thread and begin aggressively shouting down anyone who supports the man... and VICIOUSLY, too.

[SJackson]

If, however, that doesn't happen, then it bodes bad for social conservatives in the party. And to be honest, that outright scares me.

I don't think so. If it's a blowout, I think it'll be viewed as an aberration due to his pontificating political style, not as a failure of conservative candidates. And I think he'll do much better than the polls in the mid 20s. Though he may cost Republican's some votes, I just don't think that many top line Republican voters will split their tickets.

[Artemis Webb]

"He always does a bad job. He does not yet understand that running for office entails getting more votes than your opponent. He still thinks the public is waiting in their chains for his chiseled tablets.

NICELY SAID!!! And here I was just going to call Keyes a dipstick instead.

[Artemis Webb]

"But it's always the same small group who get on just about every Keyes thread and begin aggressively shouting down anyone who supports the man... and VICIOUSLY, too."

<<< sheepishly grins >>>

[Doohickey]

I got a warning on another thread (and no, I didn't post inflammatory graphics or call anyone names).

[GovernmentShrinker]

This should be a lesson to the Republican Party. And a well-deserved lesson, IMO. Too bad some good Republican candidates are likely to pay the price, along with citizens who would like to be represented by those good Republican candidates.

How lovely that the self-absorbed Keyes has enabled his popular opponent to spend time touring the country raising money and votes for Kerry/Edwards < /s> And I'll just double over laughing if he's managed to piss off his daughter enough to get her to come out of the closet.

[Chad Fairbanks]

What? Keyes won the nomination? I must have missed him in the primary then. My bad.

I will now apologize for anything I may have mentioned related to Keyes doing and saying stupid things.

[freekitty]

Could it be that both Rinos and Dimwits want Obama to win?

[glorgau]

Keyes was always going to be Keyes. The Republican party in Illinois knew this and that is exactly why they selected him.

[SJackson]

How lovely that the self-absorbed Keyes has enabled his popular opponent to spend time touring the country raising money and votes for Kerry/Edwards < /s> And I'll just double over laughing if he's managed to piss off his daughter enough to get her to come out of the closet.

Obama was to the north in Wisconsin this weekend helping Russ Feingold in what could be a close race.