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."
there IS no double standard. bush is president. alan is nothing.
So, Bush's RACE BASED idea RIGHT because he's president, but Keyes' RACE BASED idea makes him a marxist because he's not president. Frankly, you're getting you ass whipped in this debate. Spare yourself.
no dipster...
the house of ELECTED republicans,
the senate of ELECTED depublicans,
the president an ELECTED republican.
all made those laws what they are.
alan is in NONE of those bodies.
He has abandoned the party's cheifest of the fiscal principles with his reparations proposals.
the republican leadership does not believe our president has... because they are the very ones who passed the very items you cited into law. By definition, BUSH obeyed his constuency as much as possible and they did likewise.
Alan does not play well with others.
His followers might say because he is so principled.
But as a result:
Alan has never passed nothing.
as of yet.
all hat no cattle alan.
after he does. we can talk further about your concerns over equal vs. double standards.
until then, bait somebody else.
until then, bait somebody else.
until then, bait somebody else.
Now, about that race based stuff you support. DOUBLE STANDARD.
So that makes Bush's race based ideas good, but Keyes' race based ideas are Marxist? You are UNUSUALLY dim.
Then why do you keep posting to me???
I guess it was lost in the fact that you didn't say anything. So what's new?
Mexican hispanics are a culture and Pres. Bush is pandering to them with his amnesty proposal. And I thank you again for pointing out that fact.
That's pretty much an insult to those parents, and grandparents who struggled in life and made sacrifices so their children and grandchildren could have a better future. Keyes racial pandering is a shameful attempt to further divide blacks and whites, and perpetuate the "minority" syndrome of being less in stature as opposed to numbers. Poverty among modern-day blacks isn't the result of slavery, but the lack of education, job skills and training, and, for some, their unwillingness to do better.
Does Keyes advocate reparations to other minorities such as the white working poor whose struggle to survive is just the same as those of poor blacks? Should we also pay reparations whether through cash or tax-breaks to other so-called minority groups whose ancestors have suffered hardships? Should we give the land back to the Indians and California back to Mexico?
The truth is, the majority of blacks are middle class and economically successful. This is something Keyes should remind his audience instead of perpetuating the reparation myth as the solution to social evils, and fingering all whites as culpable for slavery.
Outstanding post, Victoria. Thanks for the ping.
That is all well and good but if you blacks off the tax rolls you will need a lot of new amnestied Hispanics to take up the slack. I am never surprised at pandering by politicians but I do resent like hell all of the Keysters that are defending Keyes that have called Bush a socialist when Keyes is promoting the most socialistic concept in our history.
What amnesty proposal?
Where is it?
I see Keyes pandering to blacks all over the news with this self-serving (he gets tax exempt status as well) reparation scheme, but I don't see any talk of this pandering by Bush that you seem to think is going on.
35% of illegals crossing the U.S./Mexican border who were interviewed know about it. W can call it whatever he wants but amnesty is what it amounts to and everybody (except you) knows it. That means one of two things. Either W is too stupid to forsee the consequences of announcing his proposal or he intended for it to spur a huge influx of new aliens.
Where is this supposed amnesty?
Twenty-five percent of Americans believe that Michael Moore's Fahreinheit 9/11 is a documentary.
It doesn't make it the truth, does it?
Good post.
Interesting how this thread is has become about President Bush.
Listen to the first hour of Michael Medved's show on the KRLA site if you have a chance. He pulled not a single punch.
Hi EV. Keyes will lose this election even if he gets 100% of the black vote. The major item of interest now is whether Keyes can carry the self identified Republican vote. Keyes will get under 30% of the vote. That's my prediction.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.