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."
Anyway, I don't think he had much of a chance before this imbroglio. It remains to be seen if this will help or hurt him. Fortunately, I live in Indiana...safe Republican territory.
GFYS.
Are what?
You sound like a lawyer. ; )
LOL
So.....until Keyes antered the race.....we had the IL Senate seat wrapped up???????
Right......
You're spending a little too much time thinking who I might F, aren't you, McGreevy?
BTW, be nice.
Let's work on regaining you a little proportion, eh?
Infanticide: Keyes opposes, Obama favors
Abortion on demand: Keyes opposes, Obama favors
Fighting and winning the war on terror: Keyes favors, Obama opposes
Strong American military and foreign policy: Keyes supports, Obama opposes
Constitutionalist judges: Keyes favors, Obama opposes
Private property rights: Keyes favors, Obama opposes
Radical enviro doctrine: Keyes opposes, Obama supports
Tax increases: Keyes opposes, Obama favors
Spending increases: Keyes opposes, Obama favors
Fundamental tax reform: Keyes favors, Obama opposes
Tax cuts for blacks: Keyes favors, Obama opposes
Tax cuts for whites: Keyes favors, Obama opposes
John Kerry: Keyes opposes, Obama supports
George W. Bush: Keyes supports, Obama opposes
Get a grip, man.
Don't overlook the possibility that he's just been kidding about all this reparations stuff. This proposal is so bizarre (particularly coming from him) that I think he might be able to get away with saying that it was all just a joke. ;-)
In case you didn't notice, Robert, the choice is between a proven conservative and a proven marxist.
Your false dichotomy just isn't going to fly.
glad you pointed out that senate control issue.
alan may have just learned that actions have consequences and words mean things...
and his words and actions on this, may put more liberal judges in power than we ever dreamed... and killed the more conservative appointments we were hoping for.
more gay marriage
more abortionists
more socialist policies "legislated from the bench"
way to go alan.
throw away the white votes and the senate...
to give tax breaks to relatives.
yeah, what a conservative.
this is what happens when we allow 'wannabe' religious socialists to run as 'conservative republicans'.
they are not conservatives in many respects... and this time, it may cost us.
But not the end of the world UNLESS this affects other races. We did not control Illinois to begin with did we?
But if this redistribution scheme gets legs, the american press will beat Bush and other republicans to death with it... and a lot worse than what we are seeing here.
this is sunday school compared to what the press WANTS to do with this. Republicans in Il are walking. That is news. The press will accuse alan of flip flopping. and fiscal conservatives with racism, for not wanting to pay taxes in a proposed race based tax initiative forwarded by alan keyes.
not pretty.
not good.
Alan needs to do some "further clarifying" for us... aka, backtracking REAL fast.
Spin, spin, spin...
I am not so Dim as to abandon him and help Obama win
If our voters actually care about the long list of issues you cited, they will look past his comments on this and pull the lever for him anyway. If they don't, it probably means they didn't care too much about the other issues to begin with.
Wouldn't this be a wonderful world if we could all sound like singers? ;-)
Depends on the singer! ; )
Aren't there many who are already exempt from paying income taxes due to the current system?
this tax proposal pretty much puts alan out of the mainstream conservative category.
redistribution is marxist.
Which means my question, though not a viable choice in this election, is a pretty accurate dichotomy for what we are seeing here, and you answered it fully by avoiding the truth. You would vote for chavez over say spectre...
I got it.
you don't care about any principle but one... alan's alleged stance on social issues, primarily abortion. and it's okay to be that way, but it is NOT conservatism. It may even be the more "Christian" way to vote. Though I don't think so.
I have voted conservative republicans ALL my life.
NOT ONCE for anybody but an "R".
Have you?
This thing by alan is wrong.
You know it.
You better believe the RNC knows it.
And the fiscal conservatives in the midwest know it too.
Way to go alan!
Do you really think Alan losing this senate seat by driving away the fiscons, is going to save babies? save marriages? stop immorality? help us get more conservative judges on the bench?
It was a big risk and a bigger failure to propose this thing.
I think a simple backtrack on this reparations thing would help. I know it would with me. Don't you?
If they don't, it probably means ALAN didn't care too much about the other issues to begin with.
imho...
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