"Bring out your voters, bring out your voters..."
Posted on 08/08/2004 12:01:37 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Alan Keyes is not expected to formally kick off his Republican U.S. Senate campaign against Democrat Barack Obama until this afternoon, but the former presidential candidate is already a hot ticket with the national media.
A GOP strategist said Keyes has received more than 100 requests -- everyone from Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press" to ABC-TV's George Stephanopoulos to CNN's Paula Zahn, Aaron Brown and Wolf Blitzer to Fox News' Sean Hannity to HBO's Bill Maher to WKQX-FM radio shock jock Mancow Muller.
"I'm waiting for Japanese TV to call," said the strategist, who is close to Keyes.
Obama's team insists they are not worried about the flurry of national attention Keyes is already receiving.
"You can walk over to State and Madison -- which you should tell Mr. Keyes is where north and south and east and west are divided here in the city," said Obama adviser David Axelrod. "You could walk over to State and Madison, light yourself on fire and get attention.
"This isn't about getting attention. It's not about generating heat. It's about shedding some light. So, we'll let him generate heat. We're going to continue to try to shed some light."
And that, in a nutshell, is the Obama-Keyes matchup so far.
Obama's team will portray the Maryland Republican as a fiery speaker with nothing to say and no clue about Illinois or what its people need. And with less than three months to Election Day, no money in the bank and an opponent who wowed the nation with his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, Keyes is going to kick-start his campaign by maximizing every second of free publicity he can.
"Barack Obama had his moment in the sun," the GOP strategist said.
Keyes will try to begin grabbing some of that sunshine with a rally today in northwest suburban Arlington Heights. As the Chicago Sun-Times first disclosed Thursday in an online report, Keyes has told the Republican State Central Committee that he will accept its offer to replace former GOP nominee Jack Ryan, who stepped down amid allegations he once took his wife to sex clubs.
Keyes already hit his own bump in the road Friday, when the Washington Post reported that two years ago, the State of Maryland issued a lien against Keyes and his wife for $7,481.99 in unpaid state income taxes, interest and penalties.
Acting Keyes spokesman Bill Pascoe said Maryland officials failed to update their records to reflect that Keyes had already cleared up the matter. Pascoe said Keyes had paid the taxes through his personal corporation because the income was generated from speaker's fees. Keyes only owed $152, Pascoe said, and he sent a cashier's check for that amount to Maryland on Friday.
But some GOP committee members questioned why the problem did not come up when the panel interviewed Keyes earlier in the week or when former Illinois Attorney General Tyrone Fahner screened Keyes for any potential problems.
"Mr. Keyes never talked about having liens on his personal taxes," said state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale.
Dillard, who is also DuPage County GOP chairman, pledged to campaign for Keyes, but he sounded decidedly lukewarm.
"If he's the nominee, I will do my best to sell him," Dillard said.
Dillard said he is concerned about Keyes' lack of ties to the state and conservative views that could make it difficult to bring moderate Republican women back to the party, keep Asian Americans and attract Latinos and African Americans.
"Every Keyes zealot that waltzes into my political office better leave with a George Bush and a county coroner yard sign," Dillard said. "I can't afford to not harness the power of Keyes, [even] when there are drawbacks to Ambassador Keyes."
Keyes, a former ambassador to the United Nations, received strong support in a 45-minute telephone conference call Friday with "conservative and civic leaders" from around the state, the GOP strategist said. The first pro-family leader to speak to Keyes in the call said, "I think I speak for everyone on the call when I say, No. 1, we urge you to do this, and we will all die on the hill for you. Please come to Illinois."
Republicans are optimistic that Keyes can quickly raise some start-up money from the anti-abortion and anti-gay rights activists he won over in his 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns.
"Keyes does come probably with a really potent list that he can use to raise money," said one Washington Republican strategist.
State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger (R-Elgin) said he will help Keyes raise money but does not want to serve as campaign treasurer.
"What they need is a business guy to be the treasurer, but I'm happy to be on the finance committee," Rauschenberger said. "Obviously, I'm not a prolific federal fund-raiser. I've proven that. ... I'm very happy to be involved up to my elbows. Whatever role they ask me to play, I'm willing to do."
Republicans also expect Keyes to spend a lot of time on the road.
"We want to get him on the road and get him around the state," said Stephen P. McGlynn, co-chairman of the state GOP. "I hope he spends a lot of time in southern Illinois. There is a lot of excitement down here for Alan Keyes."
Obama's consultant Axelrod said Obama has no plans to change his strategy of traveling the state seeking support. But Axelrod could not resist tossing out a slew of carpetbagger lines -- dubbing Keyes "a drive-by candidate" and "the visiting professor," questioning why Maryland should get three senators and predicting "their first strategy is to find a mailing address."
"Man, I've got two months' worth," Axelrod said, chuckling.
At least this liberal Republican is smart enough to realize that Keyes has "power" with the grass roots - and the GOP would be dumb not to harness it. Translation: The Keyes candidacy can help Bush in Lincoln's state.
Keyes and Bush will not win Illinois. Boss Daley will pull however many votes are needed from Chicago's "special districts" in order to make sure it doesn't happen.
Is illinois having a Marriage Amendment on the ballot this year? That would help Keyes enormously.
If the Daley family ever loses power after all these decades, will Republicans have a better chance in Illinois? Or would the corrupt system simply continue without them?
Ping
I'm a Republican from IL and I'm not sure what to make of this. I didn't agree when Hillary went to NY and became their senator. I'm not sure if I can make the exception for Keyes just because he's a Republican. I am considering writing in Jack Ryan's name...but then that's just throwing a vote in Obama's favor. I know several people are going to write in Ryan's name.
Democrats control the Illinois house, senate, and governorship. You can bet that there is not a marriage amendment up for vote...
Between this Daley and Dad Daley being Mayor, there was a women..can't recall her name..but she was a Democrat and not very popular. There was also Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor. He was popular but died in office. I believe the corrupt system would run on his on free will.
"Bring out your voters, bring out your voters..."
I haven't heard anything or seen in anything in the news about a marriage amendment, so I'm going with you..no amendment up for vote.
The DNC destroyed their own black candidate with the NY gubernatorial race. They upended the black representative seeking to be Minority Whip for Nancy Pelosi. So, it is a petty detail for the DNC to slash and burn a black conservative republican in a senatorial race that could make or break their bid to regain the Senate. Since CFR will be in play, the Chicago media will be the keystone to the DNC war machine.
Keyes isn't Alone!
Larry Klayman, of Judicial Watch fame is also running for the Senate as a GOP candidate in Florida!
http://www.klaymansenate.com
Can you imagine Larry Klayman AND Keyes
surrounding Hillary Clinton on the Senate Floor??
Go Klayman!!!
Go Keyes!!!
Go Away, Hillary!!!
"You can bet that there is not a marriage amendment up for vote..."
I thought all you need for a referendum was some signatures
Great pic...even the dead can vote in Illinois..no disenfranchisement here!! We allow everyone to vote!
GOP senators have played nicely too long. It's time to bare some fangs.
Regards, Ivan
Question: If the Daley family ever loses power after all these decades, will Republicans have a better chance in Illinois? Or would the corrupt system simply continue without them?
Answer: How many Republican mayors won in NYC after Boss Tweed and the Democratic Tamany Hall fell out of sight? I can count them on one hand. NYC is mostly Democrat and is corrupt. Chicago is a smaller version with the Daley Machine. So, I'd say there's a snow balls chance in hell that Chicago would become uncorrupt and non-DNC.
Maybe. But I don't think anyone but the greatest of optimists thinks either Bush or Keyes will carry Illinois.
Keyes has his own grassroots support, but very little pull among the party insiders. It's possible the Illinois Republicans are in such chaos that some real grassroots folks seized control of the state party. But the more I think about it, the more I think Keyes was brought in specifically to damage Obama.
Keyes will force Obama to debate on the grounds of abortion, gay marriage, the courts purging the 10 commandments, school choice.... basically all themes where Obama would prefer to stay silent. He'll make Obama defend liberal positions, hopefully making statements which will be dragged out against him in any future races for higher office. What's more, these are all positions where the Democratic Party is alienating the black religious community - which is essential in many places in turning out the vote for the Democratic Party.
Recall how Keyes forced John McCain into making statements which made the pro-life wing of the party abandon him in the 2000 Republican presidential primary debates. I think that's what they're looking for from Keyes here as well.
Not surprised Alan Keyes opted to run, despite the odds. What an opportunity for him to talk, something he likes to do, and does so well and voluminously.Mind you, I really do like him.
GOP senators have played nicely too long. It's time to bare some fangs.
Regards, Ivan
(Hillary sure has her own set of fangs.)
Her role as self-appointed Queen of the Senate
needs to be challenged.
And Keyes and Klayman are
THE MEN to do it!
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