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."
The only "Keyes-basher" I see is Alan Keyes.
I do see a lot of others playing the "shoot the messenger" game.
You can shoot the messenger, sure. Result? A big surprise, when the message arrives Wiley-Coyote style anyway.
Shooting the messenger only provides a temporary moment of satisfaction -- followed by a megadose of disappointment -- and surprise.
OBAMASAMA is worse than Mugabe. Obywanabeesama thinks its great to let babies die and kill them off at a rate of 3000 a day.
You have no idea of what you say.
Mugabe brutally murdered thousands too. He appointed a strongarm thug named "Hitler" to do his dirty work. If you think that microturd in ILLinois is worse than that piece of human debris, you need to get out more.
Go Keyes, crush Obamasama and the rest of the liberal scum.
Yeah, go, Keyes, go.
He's just about gone.
God only knows.
I notice you didn't deny the majority of my statement.
Nice try, though.
I'm too busy shaking my head over the people of my home state having to choose between the evil of two lessers to be planning anything like that.
JR: "Are you going to be campaigning for Obama? If so, you won't be doing it here."
And you chide him for hyperbole? It is you who compared Alan Keyes to Mugabe. Unbelievable.
You're truly lacking in perspective on this, man.
Yeah, it's getting awful deep in here lately. Definite hipwader terrirory.
The Keyesters are breaking out the "SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU" bomb. They're just warming up to it now, but you can see by the twitch at the edge of the lip and the white-knuckles on the ring that they are fully prepared to toss it.
Go ahead, jerks. Threaten people who speak the truth.
The truth hurts -- and that's a lesson you're gonna learn one way or the other.
You can shoot the messenger, but you CAN'T STOP THE MESSAGE.
Go ahead, get everyone banned who says a word of truth about this MORON Keyes.
We'll be laughing our asses off on election day when the returns come in, and shouting a virtual "We TOLD YOU SO!" to the wind.
Nice lying smear.
It's your specialty.
Don't know. I think people, especially "moderates," are more fair-minded than you give them credit for. I think they'll look at the whole picture. They might even be attracted to the fact that he's a Republican maverick on this issue. I think he can pull the Reagan Democrats.
JR: "Are you going to be campaigning for Obama? If so, you won't be doing it here."
Once again you prove Daughter's point.
Active campaigning for Obama. Sick.
It's you who is foaming at the mouth.
Until this.
So there goes your whole rant, right down the ol' drain.
Sorry 'bout that.
Once again you prove my point.
Mugabe. Sheesh.
Stop spamming the same sh!t over and over again.
You made your "point" the first time, now quit flooding a high-volume thread with the same noise over and over again.
So where's THAT message? It's being drowned out by this reparations proposal.
Keyes does not have a lot of time in this senate race and voters in Illinois don't know him. He cannot presume that everyone in Illinois who knows about his pro-life credentials will vote for him simply that reason. This reparations scheme is all they know. He's not getting his pro-life message out, and with a little over two months left, he may not be able to do so.
Theresa Heinz Kerry.
And you chide him for hyperbole? It is you who compared Alan Keyes to Mugabe. Unbelievable.
BS, cubed.
I said "KINDER-GENTLER", and he said "WORSE THAN".
Nice try with your strawman, though. Tough break that you lose.
You're truly lacking in perspective on this, man.
YOU are truly lacking in HONESTY in this, 'man".
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