Posted on 08/06/2004 2:57:01 AM PDT by kattracks
CHICAGO - Former presidential hopeful and talk-show host Alan Keyes (news - web sites) has agreed to become Illinois Republicans' U.S. Senate candidate, according to a newspaper report.Keyes planned to announce his decision to accept the GOP nomination at a public launch on Sunday, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times reported in Friday editions, citing unnamed Republican sources.
Bill Pascoe, a political adviser and Keyes friend, said Thursday he could not confirm that Keyes had accepted the nomination. "He thinks he owes it to them to take the time to deliberate," Pascoe said.
The committee asked Keyes to make the run late Wednesday after spending weeks searching for a replacement for primary winner Jack Ryan.
Keyes would face Barack Obama in the race for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (news, bio, voting record), a Republican. Obama, a state senator making his first run for national office, gained prominence as a keynote speaker at last month's Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Keyes, a two-time presidential hopeful who also ran two failed U.S. Senate campaigns from his home state of Maryland, opposes abortion and gay rights, wants to replace the income tax with a national sales tax and calls affirmative action a "government patronage program."
The race would be the first U.S. Senate election with two black candidates representing the major parties and almost assure Illinois would produce the fifth black senator in history.
Keyes will have to establish residency in Illinois by Election Day, according to federal law.
It's clear that Topinka the vaunted IL GOP chair' was backing Democrat voter, Democrat contributor, sexual harasser, Andrea Barthwell.
Here's some of the story of what was going on behind the scenes the last few days:
http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=18292
http://www.illinoisleader.com/columnists/columnistsview.asp?c=18267
I'm amazed at the amount of flack that Jim Thompson received from conservative Republicans in Illinois.
When you stop to think about it, he was a treasure compared to some of the nitwits that succeeded him in office.
Ahem... Big Jim was the liberal GOP boss that paved the way for the others. He remains a controller behind the scenes.
As I stated on another thread on this subject:
"All Free Republic lovers of liberty should be thrilled when an articulate person steeped in an understanding of America's Constitutional republic and the philosophy expressed in the Declaration of Independence gets a chance to be heard by hundreds of thousands of people.
"Let's not quibble about the win/lose question right now. Hadn't the election already been virtually conceded to Obama when Ryan dropped out? If so, let's just be glad that a controversial, outspoken advocate for liberty has a chance to be heard. Who knows, some future young leader may be influenced by the reasoned arguments Keyes will use to rebut the Liberal Left politics of the Democrats.
"Every voice for the Founders' philosophy is needed right now. Keyes, by education and by talent and devotion to the Constitution, needs to be heard. Let him have the pulpit! Give him the vote. Fresh air and sunshine are needed--and the young rising star of the Liberal Left may learn some new debating skills, and a thing or two about America's founding philosophy too."
Alan Keyes is a 21st Century man who holds deeply to the philosophy of Washington, the Adamses, Madison, Jefferson, and all the other geniuses who made the 'miracle of America' come into being. Not only does his Harvard education in constitutional government qualify him for expounding on that philosophy, but he has a Creator-endowed intellect and ability to articulate principles that few others possess. More power to the Illinois GOP for its courage in putting him opposite Obama in the debate arena!!
Maybe I'm just too far removed-in time and geographic location-to have a good feel for him, but he always struck me as being a reasonable guy, at least in comparison to the incompetents that followed in his wake.
However, I guess there's a history there that I'm glossing over.
Serial killers tend to be unpopular with a lot of people, too. There is, of course, no evidence to support the notion that Keyes is a serial killer. That's a silly assertion. Just as I see absolutely no evidence that he is a prophet. I believe that's a silly assertion as well.
Look, Keyes couldn't even win his own darn state. Why on Earth should we believe he could win another, with the carpetbagger label hung around his neck?
I believe in many of the things he believes. I like the guy. But I think this goofy Illinois thing is about two things and two things only:
1) feeding the ego of Alan Keyes, and
2) the absolute incompetence of the Illinois State Republican Party to field a candidate who's actually from Illinois.
I am so glad to see this. He would make a great Senator. And if he doesn't win, I at least believe his debates and public discourse will go along way in helping turn the tide in the black community.
That is not true. I have a good friend Brenda Verner who is black and is well known and respected in the black conservative community. Keyes will preach to the choir there.
The "Other " black community has no respect for Keyes but she says white folks do not know that!
Keyes has a huge white following but a tiny black following.
Speaker of the House Hastert after first coming out in support of Keyes had
already begun to backstab him. Hastert stated that Keyes was probably
too conservative for Illinois and that his time would spent helping other
candidates. Keyes needs to tell the Illinois Republicans to jump in the lake.
Thought I will support if he runs or does not run.
The real problem is not that Keyes is too conservative for the Illinois
or the United States Senate but that Hastert is too corrupt to be the Speaker
of the House! Hastert has been and is a disgrace to his office. Hastert
is the "show me the money" Speaker.
TOLD YOU SO GUYS!!!...Chicagolady
too conservative for Illinois and that his time would spent helping other candidate
Please take your lying and trolling elsewhere.
Moyers didn't explain how his own not having a problem with BeastWoman's baggery didn't create cognitive dissonance with his sniping at Keyes.
Tell me again why this is a good thing, other than the debates, I think it's silly.
GOP moderates lukewarm on Keyes choice
ILLINOIS: Ryan's replacement for Senate candidate doesn't live Illinois, viewed as very conservative.
BY MAURA KELLY LANNAN
Associated Press Writer
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, August 6, 2004 12:28 AM CDT
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CHICAGO (AP) -- U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert offered a lukewarm endorsement of Alan Keyes on Thursday, as other moderate Republican leaders questioned whether Keyes' ultraconservative views would play well in Illinois if he became the party's U.S. Senate candidate.
State GOP leaders asked Keyes, who doesn't even live in Illinois, to make the run late Wednesday after spending weeks searching for a replacement for primary winner Jack Ryan.
Hastert compared the selection process to having a football team ready to hit the field and discovering the running back can't play.
"I spent the last four weeks interviewing people who actually ran in the primary, people who had good name recognition, even Mike Ditka, and tried to find somebody to take that spot. But either old age, bad health or not enough money kept those people" from agreeing, Hastert said during a taping of WBBM's "At Issue."
The House speaker said he would support whomever the party chose to go up against Democratic powerhouse Barack Obama, but he said his focus would be on helping Republicans win House seats in other states.
Ok Dane, do you live in Illinois? I have supported Keyes for years and am active in the Chicago chapter.
BUT YOU would rather name call than check out your facts.
I spent Tuesday downtown at the Union League Club from 11 am until 7 pm with other folks to wait on a candidate.
You have no idea who I am but take things personally like I am attacking you. Grow up. If you are unaware of what is going on in Illinois, the Republican party rented out the club and wanted all the Republican voters thrown out of the club. Our Republican committee has been held hostage by RINO's who want nothing more to have Keyes to lose. Wake up!!!
I am not your oposition!! Alot of the Republicans in leadership in Illinois are your enemies.
Get your facts straight BEFORE YOU NAME CALL!!!
See above!
Same thing in Texas. The Bush/Rockefeller Wing took over the State GOP in 1987 and has had a death grip on it ever since. They shut down the conservatives after they tried to embarrass U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison a few years ago, even deny her a convention seat at the national convention, because she supported NARAL and NOW on the abortion issue.
Then the whip came down, and George W. began exterminating all conservatives holding statewide or legislature posts. He ran RiNO's in state school board races against incumbent conservatives who were fighting the NEA and its Texas orc-horde. Now our state lege is up to its neck in RiNO's, including a governor who's hiding in the closet with the Austin American-Statesman holding a story over his head and (no doubt) using it to extort policy concessions for the Gay Mafia in closed-door meetings with him.
In Houston, the Bush family got behind Orlando Sanchez, who was mocked in the Hispanic community as their Cuban pool boy, and let him lead the GOP to defeat twice in the fourth-largest city in the United States. The former chairman of the Texas Democratic Party is now the mayor of Houston.
Are you saying then that the Illinois GOP leadership has a) written off the election and b) deliberately cast about for a conservative to take the fall?
1. Was Jack Ryan the victim of a dirty trick? Or of a timely revelation of a character flaw? (I personally think the latter, but your'e up there, so you tell me.)
2. If it was a dirty trick, who was behind it? If not, never mind.
3. If the Illinois GOP decided on a conservative fall guy, who called Keyes's name? Was it someone in the national GOP? Someone like George W. Bush, the great Conservative-Terminator?
Why not? What is so wonderful about Obama that he can't be beat by anyone?
But since Obama was born and raised in Hawaii --- can he really get by with that? Besides that would insult Hillary who did that in NY --- and you don't insult Hillary if you want a future in the democrat party.
Judy "Judas" Bar Topinka is the Chairman of the central committee. She already came out and told everyone how wonderful Barak Obama is. She has endorsed Democrats many time.
Some say if Keyes fails it will prove her point because she is a liberal.
Jack Ryan fell because of his own stupidity! He was not truthful.
There is a nobody on the Central Comittee................................................
State Sen. Dave Syverson was an influential contact with Keyes, and Board of Tax Appeals member Maureen Murphy also weighed in on the election. PER TOM ROESER CHICAGO SUNTIMES Aug 7th 2004
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