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?

[Keyes2000mt]

Question for all political experts on the Keyes campaign?

First, anyone in this thread ever ran a successful campaign for office either as a candidate or a campaign manager? Anyone?

Anyone ran a close campaign that they lost by a better than expected margin? Anybody at all?

Anyone entered a with 12 million people in it, 84 days before the election and no campaign money whatsoever and no money to run ads? Does anyone have that type of experience?

If not, then could ya'll stop it because it's just Monday Morning Quarterbacking. Keyes had the guts to come to Illinois to help the people out. He's been stabbed in the back by a bunch of RINOs and girlie men who should have known what they were getting. Next payday, I'm gonna put some more money where my mouth is and send a few bucks to the Ambassador. The rest of you could follow suit by donating to your man, Obama.

[beckett]

I don't fear reparations because I've always been entirely confident that they could never, ever be imposed. However if they could be imposed it would be legislatively, not through the courts. No court could rule that trillions of dollars from the national treasury be spent according to its exclusive ruling -- no court, not even the Supreme Court. Reparations would make the expenditures of Johnson's Great Society look like chicken feed, and to assemble the economic package required for that project took all of the power of Johnson's office in addition to his skillful armtwisting of the whole Congress. In other words, two branches of government were fully engaged.

All of which makes Keyes's demagoguery of the subject even more riling. He's running for a legislative job, meaning he wants an office in the one of the two branches of the federal government which would actually have to be involved were reparations ever to become a reality in this country, and he includes in his platform support for such legislation.

When I first heard Keyes was planning to enter this race I wrote here on FR that it would destroy his reputation. Little did I know how right I would be, because never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe he would stoop so low as to support slave reparations.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I don't believe Keyes won a nomination, so much as he had a nomination previously won by someone else handed to him. Thus it was unearned, and certainly not "won". :0)

[glorgau]

Could you explain this a bit? That is, why did they choose Keyes, as opposed to running a lesser-known, local poliitician, who still would lose but not generate this controversy?

To me, it's obvious, the state Republicans _wanted_ what is happening so that they could "prove" they are right in their estimations of what will win. It's all an internal power struggle.

Alan is just being Alan - I don't think he cares about the petty little back biting games the political insiders are playing.

[nosofar]

Remember, RINOs are to be supported by everyone, including conservative Republicans. Only RINOs can treat others, including conservative Repubs, with scorn.

It sounds like the Republican Party in Illinois is self-destructing.

[Aquinasfan]

Can't wait for tomorrow's debate. These debates will be the highlight of the political year.

[MrLiberty]

This is just my opinion, but I think that Keyes went too far with the "selfish hedonist" comment. I am not going to talk about the abortion issue because that is just way too touchy but as for the gay issue, Keyes went way too far. He openly attacked his own party's vice president's daughter and called her selfish for being homosexual. Regardless of whether being homosexual is a choice or not, people don't deserve scorn for their lifestyle choices.

I don't agree with special rights for gays like anti-discrimination legislation or hate crimes legislation but I do believe that they deserve respect as human beings and that sodomy laws should be struck down at the state level because it is immoral to police someone's consensual bedroom activities.

[MrLiberty]

I also believe that God tests us. Perhaps Keyes daughter is gay as a message to him.

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

Alan Keyes is definitely the better man in this race when compared with Abama. Keyes may not have been everyones choice but he's a lot better than that socialist Democrat and he deserves the support of republicans. I would vote for keyes if I lived in Illinois





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[SJackson]

If not, then could ya'll stop it because it's just Monday Morning Quarterbacking. Keyes had the guts to come to Illinois to help the people out. He's been stabbed in the back by a bunch of RINOs and girlie men who should have known what they were getting.

How funny, now I’m a “girlie man”, just because I think Alan Keyes, among other things, has run a divisive campaign. I’ll just repeat my post from another thread. There’s no real need to answer.

Ahh. The FR-Alan Keyes thought police arrives. Consider the possibility that I may not have noted your questions, and frankly given the in your face, bigoted approach of the Keyes supporters and campaign on this site, I just might not care. I not accusing you of that.

My first post on Keyes is here and here. I’ve noted on multiple threads I’ve noted that I will NOT vote for Obama, NOR will I vote for Keyes. I’ll either punch the R hole on the ballot, leave it blank, voter for the Libertarian, or write in Oberweis, since he got the most votes in the primary, Ryan excluded.

Since his arrival I’ve become convinced that at best he’s a thoroughly incompetent politician. He cares far more about moral pontification than presenting the issues voters care about in a coherent fashion. Democrats may be sinners (hope all those Chicago Catholics weren’t listening), gays and adulterers may be hedonists, but the fact is as a Senator from Illinois he’d have to represent all those folks. And aside from being unelectable, he won’t be able to do the job. Based on his campaign he’d be a public embarrassment to Republican legislators. And he can't represent people he and his supporters demean on an ongoing basis.

Worst case, he’s pure ego, milking this opportunity for publicity for all it’s worth.

Debasing Alan in my judgement is the campaign his campaign has run on FR. I recognize lots of folk hate Muslims, and the guy had a Muslim dad and step-Dad, providing an opening for the hate obsessed. I see the Keye’s campaigns efforts to portray Obama as a “stealth Muslim” as pure bigotry, not a political issue. Same goes for the contention that he’s United Church of Christ, thus not a “real” Christian. In a political campaign, particularly one the pretends to be running on moral issues, that smells of rot. Those folk have no business governing this nation. Alan may not be aware of the tactics, but they come from the campaign, and that’s a near disqualifer.

I’m aware that bigotry, whether religious, racial, or base on sexual conduct can win votes. But it’s proponents have to realize it can lose votes too. That’s why it’s usually focused “underground”, where they presume fellow travelers can be motivated. Consider me one of those Alan’s lost.

261 posted on 10/10/2004 9:32:52 AM CDT by SJackson (They're not Americans. They're just journalists, Col George Connell, USMC)

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Yeah, and courts would never tell states they have to allow gay marriage either. Nor will they tell state legislatures that they must increase education funding. Courts will do any darn thing they want to do, that is until the people finally do something to rein them in.

Here is what I read on some of the pro-reparations websites: As for legal strategy, Gary has proposed a breach-of-contract suit, in which a class of plaintiffs would sue the federal government for breaking its post-Civil War promise of 40 acres and a mule for each freed slave.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

ROFL !!!!

[Barlowmaker]

He's been stabbed in the back by a bunch of RINOs

Many predicted on the day Keyes skipped into the race that this is what its would turn into. The GOP establishment, Bush-Cheney, the RINOs all sabotaged the pure Dr. Keyes.

"Surprahhz, surprahhz, surprahhz".

[DrewsDad]

I think a lot of the animosity towards Keyes goes back to THIS.

[OHelix]

"I don't believe Keyes won a nomination, so much as he had a nomination previously won by someone else handed to him. Thus it was unearned, and certainly not "won". :0)"

I can certainly agree with you that "won" is arguably an inappropriate word to use in the sense that he did not "run" and win. I would hope you would agree that "won" would not be inappropriate in the sense that it was "awarded" him over anyone else. (In truth, I was unaware that he was not elected to the position any differently than anyone else.)

But I think you knew before you responded what my point was and that it had nothing to do with how he became the Republican Candidate.

[OHelix]

Thanks for the link, but all it returns is "No such file (give_legacy_article)" :o(

[unspun]

My first post on Keyes is here and here. I’ve noted on multiple threads I’ve noted that I will NOT vote for Obama, NOR will I vote for Keyes. I’ll either punch the R hole on the ballot, leave it blank, voter for the Libertarian, or write in Oberweis, since he got the most votes in the primary, Ryan excluded.

Don't support the leading conservative in the race, if you don't wish to. Jim Oberweis does, however. Also, Steve Rauschenberger. (Jack Ryan too, I assume.)

But, stand out from the conservative crowd, if you like.

[unspun]

I've sent John McIntyre an email.

[unspun]

...message....

Rest assured, Alan Keyes has already told the media that if he had a homosexual daughter, she would lovingly be told God's message about the subject (found in His Word).

[joesbucks]

There just seems to be a double standard in place - RINOs get to criticize conservatives, but 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.

I've always found it distasteful that dissent has in many quarters been snuffed out on this site. However, when it comes to Specter or some others, their races were quite close. A few votes here or thre could have had an impact. There never was and would never be a close race between Obama and Keyes. That being said, I still believe that too many people have been banned and too many post have been removed that contained factual or minimally information that needed followed up on.