I do no justice to his words, nor the way he wove several ideas together. He is the Republican candidate in IL, and to not support him is the same as supporting Obama.
Debating this back and forth will not change anyone's mind, especially those who do not live and vote in IL.
This may bring out people (the religious right) who wouldn't vote in the election, and they will in turn vote for Bush. Will it matter? Not with the electoral college, but it will help the popular vote, and this is one less thing for the Left to rag about.
In addition, this will make Obama spend more time and money in IL rather than helping Kerry.
As an IL resident, I see little to argue about. We had 15 FReepers attend the rally, which was great. The GOP has gained a new activist in the local organization because of Keyes, which is a win for the state GOP.
Here's what he said:
: First, as I will talk to you about, because I actually have a clear, and serious objection in principle to the notion that people of national reputation have the right to go around this country, cherry-picking the states as platforms for their ambition. I do. I have said it repeatedly; it’s not a good thing to be done.
Sorry I've never bought into that all or nothing balderdash. Not supporting an illegitimate candidate who shouldn't even be running in the first place is not the same thing as supporting his opposition. It's encouraging him to reverse his mistake and campaign for a legitimate candidate.
This may cause people that respect why the founders put a residency clause in the Constitution to stay home who would have voted in the election, and they will in turn not vote for Bush. Will it matter? Maybe.
And since Keyes is gonna get cremated I really don't see this keeping Obama at home. He can travel around campaigning for Kerry and other Dem Senators and all it shows is that when elected, if the people he campaigns for are also elected, he'll be a very well connected junior Senator that already has a powerful coalition and will be able to get things done for Illinois.
How many activists did they lose because of Keyes?