Normal people would talk about farm policy almost exclusively. To Keyes credit he did mention it, but,
Keyes devoted much of his speech to criticizing abortion and gay marriage. He praised Illinois farmers for valuing family and morality and urged the crowd to speak out against policies that could “represent the collapse both of our system of freedom and of our civilization.”
Keyes promised to seek a seat on the Senate Agriculture committee if he is elected.
Yeah, because that’s just what the Ag committee needs–riders on abortion and gay marriage.
And, umm, Obama defended free trade against Keyes
Keyes, the Republican nominee, said the United States should move away from negotiating multinational trade agreements, arguing the country can cut better deals by bargaining one-on-one and imposing tariffs on countries that undercut American farmers with cheap products.
“Why is it in American economics that you say ‘tariffs’ and everybody thinks you cursed,” Keyes said. “We need to make sure we get a fair deal.”
He also called for complete elimination of the inheritance taxes, as well as the income tax.
But Democrat Obama said Keyes’ ideas could lead to trade wars that would harm farmers, who are always looking for new markets willing to buy American crops. He said the United State should continue to work with the World Trade Organization and pursue deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, but the country must be more aggressive about protecting American interests.
Perhaps explaining this unexpected development. I bet he votes for Kohn.