Posted on 10/11/2004 11:11:38 AM PDT by SJackson
We only can hope the Illinois Republican party can recover from this fall's election.
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.
Ouch. I wintered in Illinois once. Once.
"When RINOs attack"
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???)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NICELY SAID!!! And here I was just going to call Keyes a dipstick instead.
<<< sheepishly grins >>>
I got a warning on another thread (and no, I didn't post inflammatory graphics or call anyone names).
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.
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.
Could it be that both Rinos and Dimwits want Obama to win?
Keyes was always going to be Keyes. The Republican party in Illinois knew this and that is exactly why they selected him.
Obama was to the north in Wisconsin this weekend helping Russ Feingold in what could be a close race.
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