I’d love to hear if there are any Illinois papers that endorse Keyes. I’d be shocked.
Rather than a political candidate seeking votes, Keyes comes off like a guest lecturer intent on telling typical Illinoisans they lack moral fiber and must mend their ways. After his visit with our editorial board, we were hard-pressed to imagine him serving in a deliberative body like the Senate, which requires civil discussion and give and take. He has decided to present himself as an opponent of abortion rights and “special rights” for gay people, in contrast to the average Illinoisan, who believes the government should stay out of our private lives.
The GOP gave the voters a candidate with little knowledge about the state and not much to say about the issues that are particular to Illinois. He may win some votes from anti-abortion voters, but the polls show he will be lucky to get more than a handful of votes.
We think Illinois voters should cast their votes for Barack Obama, the candidate whose views are most like theirs. And while we fully expect Obama to look for a position higher than the Senate some day, we urge him to keep as his top priority service to the people of Illinois.