Posted on 08/19/2004 5:27:04 AM PDT by kattracks
His voice rising to a yell, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Alan Keyes told a bipartisan civic group Wednesday he "will not budge" from his belief that descendants of slaves should be exempted from income taxes to help heal the wounds of past discrimination and segregation.The former presidential candidate disdainfully brushed aside questions over whether his suggestion should apply to rich African Americans such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan or Oprah Winfrey.
"Do you know how many Oprah Winfreys there might have been running around in the 1930s or in the 1920s or in the 19-teens that got nowhere because the doors were shut in their face?" Keyes thundered. "If you think that because I wear a conservative label, I have forgotten that history and am not mindful of that injustice -- then I will tell you now that you are wrong."
Keyes delivered his blistering defense at a luncheon of the City Club of Chicago, scolding fellow conservatives who challenged his proposal and evoking the struggle of his African-American parents, saying they had talent and "hearts and spirit and strength and faith."
"Why didn't they get to a point where they could stand on this platform?" Keyes aked.
Vying against Democrat Barack Obama, Keyes drew heat from conservatives earlier this week when he proposed exempting descendants of slaves from income taxes for a generation or two, a view he insists "involves a traditionally Republican, conservative and market-oriented approach."
On Wednesday, Keyes ridiculed the fuss over his position, saying it is simply a tax break, something "Republicans and my conservative brethren" don't object to when applied to a "wealthy corporation."
Conservative activist Jack Roeser met with Keyes for what Roeser called "a long argument and an intense one" over the issue before the speech. A Barrington businessman, Roeser said he still is not sold on Keyes' reparations proposal, but still plans to support him anyway. "I will tell my friends that this is a good man, and we should support him."
Exactly.
So, now you're suggesting that Chicago's blacks could not think without Alan...but you're trying to attract their vote.
"Illegals" is a race?
OK, cultural pandering. I guess that's conservative and racial pandering isn't.
What you think about Alan's speaking style is an irrelevancy. Grow up.
Such arguments are akin to those who dis GW because he makes an occasional verbal gaffe.
And to vote libertarian or not vote would be a deriliction of duty on your part.
Just suck it up and say, "Okay, big deal, I disagree with the guy on one issue."
With friends like these...
Ditto. Keyes maintains support after a long, intense argument. It's a tax cut and Keyes is not a puppet.
Can we pay reparations in Confederate dollars?
The evidence of their consistent votes to stay on the RAT plantation would certainly seem to suggest that, yes.
Illinois Republicans and conservatives can always vote for "live-abortion", NRA F-rated, always-hike-your-taxes, way-to-the-left-of-Hillary-or-Kerry Obama.
Bingo!
That's their choice.
That's their choice.
A lot of people have not been presented with different options, and too bad that a lot of people just think voting republican is voting for racist white males.
Much like supporting a tax-cutting, gun-rights supporting, UN-opposing Republican whose strategy for winning the war is weekly human sacrifices to Moloch the Devourer. Hey, three out of four ain't bad!
I seem to recall that you're one of the loudest to demand absolute conformity to your ideology, even at the expense of losing elections.
I know...you were for absolute ideological purity before you were against it.
A lot of people seem to think a tax break is "paying money" to someone. They probably think their IRS refund is money the government gives them too.
Some blacks believe if you are white and your are not rich its because you were lazy. Same thing some whites believe about blacks. Interesting.
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