Leader Looper Fun

From the inbox–I can’t keep up with all of the threads over there:

“…although it seems to be lost on many of my fellow conservatives, he is making us all look nuts. You can be pro-life without comparing women who get one to terrorists. You can be pro-Second Amendment without sounding like you want to have everyone walking through the streets armed with machine guns. You can be anti-gay marriage without referring to the Vice President’s daughter as a “selfish hedonist.” And you can hope to empower black Americans without calling for reparations, regardless of the form you want them to be in.

More

“…I have never, in my life, used the phrase “right-wing extremist” to describe anyone. I have always found it to be a cute little tool used by the left to try to paint mainstream conservatives like President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Jeb Bush, Bill Frist, Jack Ryan, etc. as out of the mainstream. However, if they ever do want a true definition of an intolerant, right-wing extremist, Alan Keyes is that man.”

The e-mailer pretty much nails it:

This thread is a great expression of why it’s conservatives who should be hopping mad at Keyes. Agree with conservatives or not, they have genuine aspirations that deserve an honest, clearheaded assessment by voters. For liberals, Keyes is a joke and, as you said, a gift. For Republicans, he’s an outrage and a disservice.

I believe OneMan has something to say on this topic too….

Some Helpful Supporters For Keyes

There’s Tom Coburn running for Senate in Oklahoma. He was the sole Congressman to support Keyes run for the Presidency in 2000.

The Good Dr. Coburn has suggested that his election is a battle of good vs. evil

“This isn’t political jihad, this is an election.” – Democratic congressman and senate candidate Brad Carson responding to Rep. Tom Coburn’s remark that the senate race in Oklahoma represents “the battle of good and evil.”

Ann Coulter has joined in the Alan Keyes fan Club:

“God bless Alan Keyes!” Coulter said after the event. “I’m buying popcorn and videotaping the debates!”

I personally thank God for Alan Keyes, but hey.

And Phyllis Schlalfly brings her understanding of reality into question yet again:

The event was led by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly of Missouri, and speakers included nationally syndicated conservative columnist Ann Coulter. But it was Schlafly’s introduction of Keyes that drew some of the biggest applause of the day, as she presented “the man who is going to save the Republican Party and the pro-life movement in the state of Illinois.”

BTW, just because I like to point it out, Phyllis’ son Roger has a blog. It’s a hoot.

BTW, The Illinois Party Leaders Are Weak

Keyes wasn’t happy angering the Vice President, he decided to use it as a way to criticize Illinois Republican Party Leaders for not pushing a Gay Marriage ban as Missouri just passed. You know, because they have a majority and everything and he’s going to help that condition out a whole lot.

At this point one can offer one other possibility than Alan Keyes just being a loose cannon, and that is that once he sticks his foot in his mouth he just continues to say outrageous things so no one can pin him down on the previous outrageous things. I mean, we haven’t heard anything about automatic weapons and his actual position have we?

How far down is the problem:

Illinois Treasurer and state GOP Chairwoman Judy Baar Topinka – a moderate whose strained relations with Keyes are no secret among Illinois Republicans – sharply criticized his remarks. And even conservatives like state Sen.
Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, bristled.

“Those comments are not appropriate,” Brady said from the floor of the convention late Wednesday. “It’s not up to us to judge individuals, it’s up to us to make public policy.”

Brady ran against retiring 15th District Congressman Tom Ewing’s son in the Republican primary. Ultimately Tim Johnson won the primary and eeked out a victory against Mike Kelleher who was then redistricted out by less than a block. Brady and Ewing formed a mutual suicide pact which lost the race against Johnson, of whom the best that can be said is he often didn’t fall down at appearances. Brady and Ewing essentially had supporters try and out Bible Study the others supporters. One could pick up the Pantagraph and find 3-5 letters a day towards the primary in which members of each candidate’s church wrote about what fine Christians each were and that is why you should vote for them often inferring their candidate attended more often than others with such details as the frequency of Bible Study classes.

So when you lose Brady on an issue like this–you got a problem.

Democrats, liberals, socialists in general

Berkowitz has a threefer up. Starting with his wondering about Mark Kirk’s non-embracement of Keyes. Jeff wonders why Kirk isn’t thinking about the future, but the real problem is that embracing Keyes is as problematic if he wants a future. And of course, strong conservatives aren’t going to vote for him anyway.

More on Daley and Wal-Mart.

And Keyes talks about the evils in the title not bothering to actually identify any socialists.

Two Vallas Notes

Chillinois passes along Sunday’s story that Vallas isn’t leaving Philly. Normally, I’d ignore that as a sort of denial, but keeping options open, but the DJWinfo has more.

On the Republicans I think it is interesting that we have two of the fab 5 Conservative Senators seemingly being mentioned for the run with Patrick O’Malley pretty much announced and Steve Rauschenberger also having noises made. The question is if they’d run against each other and that seems unlikely that Rauschenberger might challenge him unless he has some sort of significant conservative support. And of course, some still insist that Peter Fitzgerald might run.

If Rauschenberger run and O’Malley is in, then we probably see Judy in as well as potentially Bob Schillerstrom bring a four way primary that has all sorts of cross-cutting cleavages and The Blagorgeous looking like he’ll get a free ride in the primary.

Perhaps the Convention was a Bit Too Much Stress

From the Hotline’s Last Call that is open for the convention:

“You people are trying to say that I said the Cheney daughter is a selfish hedonist. That’s just a lie” — Alan Keyes, on saying “Of course she is” (AP).

I haven’t found the story filed yet, but oh my.

Okay, story up on the web

It’s actually worse when you add the next sentence:

“You people are trying to say that I said the Cheney daughter is a selfish hedonist. That’s just a lie,” Keyes said. “I made an argument and left others to follow the argument.”

“Of course she is”

“Replied Keyes: “Dick Cheney may or many not like to hear the truth, but it can be spoken.””

He was also asked if the RNC folks told him to zip it:
“When asked if anyone from the GOP had asked him to stop talking about Mary Cheney, Keyes replied, “Of course not. Of course not.”

Generally, they are used to people who would figure they really screwed the pooch and shut up instead of prolonging the story uncomfortably in the news.