Well, I think it's as foolish for anyone to expect perfection from a political figure as it is for a political figure to attempt to project an aura of perfection.
We all have to occasionally pay a price for things we've done or said in the past. I've always admired people who can pay that price cheerfully and who can, if they feel that what they did or said in the past was a mistake, acknowledge the error and try to rectify it. ;-)
I think you nailed it when you said he personalizes things. He says very unkind things about good people, and he is far from gracious - and many people, whether they agree with him in substance or not - don't like that.
I have noticed the same sort of personalization from some of his strongest supporters here. Maybe that's a coincidence, but it seems more likely that people who are drawn to Keyes' style are people who see no problem with it - because maybe they're that way, too.