The Keyes Mistake

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 7 Comments

The larger problem the Illinois GOP is not facing is that Keyes hurts them downballot. While he might turnout some hardcore conservatives, he’s absolutely toxic to moderate Republicans. While voters who always turnout will show up at the polls, with the top of the ticket hobbled in Illinois with an unpopular President in the State of Illinois and now a loon in the Senate race, many occasional voters who lean Republican won’t show up. First they won’t be able to stomach the man and voting for Obama may not be in the cards for them. Second, people like to vote for a winner and it will be abundantly clear that he will be tanking by the day of the election, perhaps in a historic sized defeat.

Madigan sums it up nicely

House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Illinois Democratic chairman, said the Keyes campaign will be “a big benefit to Democrats because every time he opens his mouth, he says something that will drive people away from him and to the Democrats.”

Less Than Two Weeks and The Act is Wearing Thin

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 1 Comment

Eric Krol’s story suggests where the campaign is headed–into satire as the press tires of a loon:

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Alan Keyes used his first major public speech Wednesday to say gay people are sinners, those who would allow women to have abortions in cases of rape or incest lack integrity and his opponent is like a socialist for supporting big government.

In other words, just another day on the campaign trail for Keyes, whom the state GOP brought in from Maryland 10 days ago to take on Democratic Senate nominee Barack Obama of Hyde Park.

You’ll notice some are trying to blame the media treatment of Keyes on some sort of magical effect the Obama folks have on the media. This ignores the more logical conclusion that the press tires of loons pretty quickly. That people expect Keyes to be taken seriously is a cynical joke on the people of Illinois. He isn’t doing anything different than he has done in all of his public pronouncements in four other campaigns and in his role as a commentator. He makes obnoxious and offensive pronouncements and then calls anyone who disagrees with him stupid, evil or a name caller while he is claiming to have taken the high road. The only difficult part to figure out about Alan Keyes is whether he is aware of his act or if he is so self-deluded that he thinks he is a serious person.

Cheeky Sun-Times Editorial

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 3 Comments

On the smelly toad:

That’s not going to win Keyes a lot of friends around here, even if it is a genuine attempt to clear the air. Outsiders need to understand that only Chicagoans can make derogatory remarks about the mayor. We know he’s not perfect. But when we look around the country we don’t see any outsider doing any better. Even the prestigious, but far away, British magazine the Economist recently called Daley America’s best mayor.

The Republicans seem to think we need some kind of outside trusteeship here. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald couldn’t find a lawyer he considered competent (or honest?) enough in our whole state to make U.S. attorney.

If they keep this up, it’s going to hurt our self-esteem.

You could get a complex.

Raising the question, is Alan Keyes suggesting the Mayor is a smelly toad?

Roeser Swallowing Hard

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 2 Comments

From the Sun-Times a hysterical account of Keyes and Jack Roeser ‘discussing’ reparations:

On Wednesday, Keyes ridiculed the fuss over his position, saying it is simply a tax break, something “Republicans and my conservative brethren” don’t object to when applied to a “wealthy corporation.”

Conservative activist Jack Roeser met with Keyes for what Roeser called “a long argument and an intense one” over the issue before the speech. A Barrington businessman, Roeser said he still is not sold on Keyes’ reparations proposal, but still plans to support him anyway. “I will tell my friends that this is a good man, and we should support him.”

Zorn Compares the Federal Version of BAIPA to the State Version

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 No Comments

Not surprisingly, they are different in key respects.

Now, that Alan’s raison d’etre is gone, will he be sticking around? Or is it not about principle?

Zorn archives the Stanek-Zorn exchange for posterity

The General Is Unhappy

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 No Comments

With Rauschenberger and Syverson

Good God, what where you thinking when you dialed his number!

We need to convince him to pull out of the race. He’s obviously not going to do it on his own, so we’re going to need to create a scandal. It has to be big and that means sex–the media eats that stuff up.

No time for private investigators. You have to do it yourselves–you broke it; you fix it. I’m thinking of a three way at a Cubs game. As for staging, the photos would look best with Sen. Syverson taking him from behind and Sen. Rauschenberger going down on him, but I guess that part is really up to you.

Once he’s out of the race, we convince Ted Nugent to run.

We’re depending on you to turn this thing around. Don’t disappoint us.

go read the whole thing….and the comments…

Who Doesn’t Like a Good Trainwreck?

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 No Comments

From Berkowitz

If Keyes is to have a chance of winning, or even climbing into the 40 % vote range, [A much more mainstream, but less dynamic and very underfunded Republican Senate Candidate Jim Durkin, got 38% of the vote in 2002 against senior U. S. Senator Dick Durbin], he will need to do many more such speeches and engage in many more such conversations that adopt today?s style. Some of Keyes financial supporters, such as conservative Family Tax Network leader Jack Roeser, have been trying to persuade Senate Candidate Alan Keyes to focus a bit more on selling, and perhaps even a bit of a softer-sell. We?ll see if Ambassador Keyes wants to do that and if he can adopt a more diplomatic style.

Now connect this to the next bit:

Keyes, with only six days notice to City Club members and others, came pretty close to matching Senator Durbin, closing with 60 voicemail reservations last night and this morning. As Keyes? mentor and former boss, President Reagan, said in a different context, ?Not bad, not bad, not bad at all.?

Who wouldn’t want to see him go crazy live? With, you know, lots of folks to pull him off of you if he goes totally nuts.

As for conservatives like Roeser trying to tone down his routine–why would he start now? I mean, do you remember the Keyes eruptions in 2000 and 1996? You wanted him, you got him. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Alan Keyes: Postmodernist

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 No Comments

Via the Truth About Keyes

Keyes on namecalling

He said voters can see through Obama’s record and discover that he is beyond liberal, socialist or communist. He called Obama a hardline Marxist. In reference to accusations that he’s ultra-conservative, Keyes said, “That’s just
name-calling.”

Chillinois Says: Most Ironic Keyes Quote Ever

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 No Comments

I say until tomorrow.

“I think it’s wise to know when to shut up.” – Alan Keyes during a media interview in a downtown Wheaton Metra station.

This was in reference to the following:

During Keyes’ remarks, one of the sign-waving supporters called Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for the Senate seat, a “puppet” of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.

Given his eruptions on O’Hare, I think we can safely say that he’ll be saying something about Daley pretty soon. The challenge will be to get either to actually answer a question instead of going off on a non-sequitur.

From my inbox:

August 15th.

BLITZER: If you lose, will you come back to Maryland, or stay in Illinois?

KEYES: Well, I think we’re going to be forming ties here. And the ties that are forged in the heat of an important battle of community deeply confirm the community of heart and principle that’s involved–and I’m sure our hearts will follow those principles which are working with the people in this state in order to achieve the outcome

“…thus Alan Keyes joins the Richard M. Daley school of non-sequitur responses. ”

Perhaps Alan can discuss taking his pants off for us. I mean, forget the debates between Obama and Keyes, I want to see debates between Daley and Keyes. No one will know what the hell either of them is talkinb about.

Onward Christian Soldier

ArchPundit August 19, 2004 No Comments

Chillinois does wonders with the Leader announcement that the staff is heading over to the Keyes campaign.