Posted on 03/07/2008 11:58:49 PM PST by Kurt Evans
Presidential candidate Alan Keyes may be leaving the GOP. In a conference call last night, Keyes is said to have told supporters that staying in the Republican Party would be "an occasion of sin" and he's ready to bolt. Keyes ... reportedly wants no part in selecting the "type of deodorant we need to make a stinking candidate acceptable to conservatives." A Keyes supporter confirms to Radar that the former Reagan administration official "stated in the conference call that he could no longer remain in the Republican Party."
As for what's next, a third party bid seems like a good bet. Keyes hinted at the possibility on a radio program in January, and an e-mail sent out by the campaign after last night's conference call ... included a link for supporters who "want to vote for Alan as your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice on the Constitution Party presidential poll." A Keyes message board commenter who claims to have been on the conference call last night said regarding the possibility of a Constitution Party run that, "Alan asked us to pray about it." ...
The republic is dead... but it can be resurrected... only if we stay in the GOP and dont bolt for the dead-end non-answer of 3rd party irrelevence.
“Too many on the right are asserting that McCain winning the Presidency would be better for the republic than if a democrat wins.”
Yes, McCain will definitely be better for America than Obama and here is a few reasons why:
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/0B8E4DB8-5B0C-459F-97EA-D7B542A78235.htm
John McCain believes taxes should be low, simple, and fair and has a track record of commitment to these principles.
Cut Taxes On The Middle Class
* Cut Taxes For Middle Class Families: Hard-working American families need lower taxes. John McCain will permanently repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) — a tax that will be paid nearly exclusively by 25 million middle class families. John McCain will repeal this onerous tax, saving middle class families nearly $60 billion in a single year. Under McCain’s plan, a middle class family with children set to pay the AMT will save an average of over $2,700 — a real tax cut for working families.
Pro-Growth Tax Policy
* Keep Tax Rates Low: Entrepreneurs are at the heart of American innovation, growth and prosperity. Entrepreneurs create the ultimate job security — a new, better opportunity if your current job goes away. Entrepreneurs should not be taxed into submission. John McCain will fight the Democrats’ crippling plans for a tax increase in 2011. Left to their devices, Democrats will impose a massive $100 billion tax hike, almost $700 per taxpayer every year.
* Make It Harder To Raise Taxes: John McCain believes it should require a 3/5 majority vote in Congress to raise taxes.
* Cut The Corporate Tax Rate From 35 To 25 Percent. A lower corporate tax rate is essential to U.S. competitiveness. America was once a low-tax business environment, but as our trade partners lowered their rates, America failed to keep pace, leaving us with the second-highest rate among the world’s advanced economies.
* Reward Saving, Investment and Risk-Taking: Low taxes on dividends and capital gains promote saving, channel investment dollars to innovative, high-value uses and not wasteful financial planning. John McCain will keep the current rates on dividends and capital gains and fight anti-growth efforts by Democrats.
* Allow First-Year Deduction, Or “Expensing”, Of Equipment And Technology Investments. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.
Pro-Innovation Tax Cuts
* Ban Internet Taxes: John McCain believes we must make a farsighted, robust, and fervent commitment to innovation and new technologies to sustain our global competitiveness, meet our national security challenges, achieve less costly and more effective health care, reduce dangerous dependence on foreign sources of oil, and raise the quality of education in the United States. John McCain has been a leader in keeping the Internet free of taxes. As President, he will seek a permanent ban on taxes that threaten this engine of economic growth and prosperity.
* Ban New Cell Phone Taxes: John McCain understands that the same people that would tax e-mail will tax every text message — and even 911 calls. John McCain will prohibit new cellular telephone taxes.
* Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D. This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the United States, and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions.
Retirement Tax Cut
* Lower Medicare Premiums: Seniors face a growing threat from higher Medicare premiums that tax away their Social Security and retirement savings. John McCain has proposed comprehensive, pro-market health care and Medicare reforms to reduce health care costs and control increases in premiums — while delivering high-quality health care.
REFORMING WASHINGTON TO REGAIN THE TRUST OF TAXPAYERS
Wasteful spending in Washington has gone from irresponsible to indefensible. Right now, even the government reports that one-fifth of programs are receiving failing marks. John McCain will restore the trust that Americans have lost in their government spending their hard earned money wisely. (John McCain’s detailed government reform plan may be found here.)
Eliminating Wasteful Spending
* Stop Earmarks, Pork-Barrel Spending, And Waste: John McCain will veto every pork-laden spending bill and make their authors famous. As President, he will seek the line-item veto to reduce waste and eliminate earmarks that have led to corruption. Earmarks restrict America’s ability to address genuine national priorities and interfere with fair, competitive markets.
* Leadership, Courage And Choices: Reduced spending means making choices. John McCain will provide the courageous leadership necessary to control spending, including:
o Eliminate broken government programs. The federal government itself admits that 1 in 5 programs do not perform.
o Reform our civil service system to promote accountability and good performance in our federal workforce.
o Eliminate earmarks, wasteful subsidies, and pork-barrel spending.
o Reform procurement programs and cut wasteful spending in defense and non-defense programs.
Budgetary Reform To Give Tax Cuts A Fair Chance
* Congress Has Unfairly Stacked The Deck To Spend More And Raise Taxes.
o If a spending program is on the books, budgets assume that it is on the books forever — and continues to grow — even if the law says it expires.
o If low taxes are on the books, budgets don’t assume that they last forever. When they expire, those taxes are automatically raised.
o John McCain will reform budgeting to treat equally spending and taxes and to stop damaging tax hikes.
Reforming Entitlement Programs For The 21st Century
* Reform Social Security: John McCain will fight to save the future of Social Security and believes that we may meet our obligations to the retirees of today and the future without raising taxes. John McCain supports supplementing the current Social Security system with personal accounts — but not as a substitute for addressing benefit promises that cannot be kept. John McCain will reach across the aisle, but if the Democrats do not act, he will. No problem is in more need of honesty than the looming financial challenges of entitlement programs. Americans have the right to know the truth and John McCain will not leave office without fixing the problems that threatens our future prosperity and power.
* Control Medicare Growth: The growth of spending on Medicare threatens our fiscal future. John McCain has proposed comprehensive health care reforms that will reduce the growth in Medicare spending, protect seniors against rising Medicare premium payments, and preserve the advancements in medical science central to providing quality care.
Trade and Displaced Workers
* Lower Barriers to Trade: John McCain believes that globalization is an opportunity for American workers today and in the future. Ninety-five percent of the world’s customers lie outside our borders and we need to be at the table when the rules for access to those markets are written. To do so, the U.S. should engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce barriers to trade, level the global playing field and build effective enforcement of global trading rules.
* Competitive American Workers: John McCain understands that globalization will not automatically benefit every American. We must prepare the next generation of workers by making American education worthy of the promise we make to our children and ourselves. We must be a nation committed to competitiveness and opportunity. We must fight for the ability of all students to have access to any school of demonstrated excellence. We must place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children.
Wonderful news! There might actually be a conservative in the race.
Now, the fun part for conservative FReepers starts. If Amb. Keyes actually does jump ship and run on the CP ticket, watching the GOP apologists will prove highly entertaining.
“However will the Republican party get along without them.”
I find it fascinating how the GOP seems to think that it can win elections by continually lopping off pieces it’s base.
“My biggest concern is having votes pulled away from our Repub nominee.”
Our? There are a plenty of conservatives on this website who are neither supporters of Sen. McCain, nor members of the GOP.
I’m delighted to see that there might actually be a choice on the ballot.
“If these people really cared about advancing the agenda we all want, they’d go to work in the only viable conservative party—the Republican party. We would be so much stronger.”
The Republican party is a conservative party? Neither viable nor conservative is more the reality.
I think conservatives have a clear choice; continue to put time and resources into a formerly conservative political party that will continue to delight in stabbing us in the back, or work to develop something better. I don’t know if the CP is it, but I doubt that it could be worse than the GOP.
“our Repub nominee”
You must be so proud.
“The republic is dead... but it can be resurrected... only if we stay in the GOP and don’t bolt for the dead-end non-answer of 3rd party irrelevence.”
Ya just gotta believe in the GOP. Ya just gotta believe. Don’t look behind that curtain, folks. Ya just gotta believe.
More should follow his lead.
You probably ought to post this on Democratic Underground or Daily Kos, that's who it applies to.
The sheer irony of this is that it was another Keyes defeat in 2004 (one of more than one can count on one hand) that brought about this Obamanaia that so enthralls the gullible American people. Most (2/3 in most polls) do agree with Keyes on one point: GWB has failed.
I read once that James Carville does not allow the name “Ralph Nader” spoken in his presence.
McC in KY and Cornyn in TX could both be vulnerable mostly because the 2008 voters are so incensed at GWB that they are bound and determined to go Democrat from the outhouse to the White House.
GWB’s endorsement of McPain helps the Democrat.
Are they happy with their choices? Around here they aren’t.
Keyes just seems like an angry guy.
Decent idea — Wrong candidate.
Another point: most conservatives must not have voted in the 2008 primaries, for the totals for conservative candidates was quite meager at all times. I think the conservatives have given up and have reconciled themselves to Obamamania.
Sadly, it’d be good riddance. And he’s got the staggering ego to be content being the Right’s Ralph Nader. As long as he’s in the spotlight.
A better idea would be to wait until after the election to see how solid the Democrats’ control of Congress will be. If not overwhelming, a third party loke the Constitution Party could conceivably put 5 to 7 Reps and 1 or 2 Senators in office in 2010 and act as a spoiler. Hopefully, then BOTH parties would have to give conservatives something to get their agenda passed.
It’s a mistake for a third party to focus on the POTUS - the deck is stacked there. Focus on upsetting the applecart in Congress!
Keyes didn't kill the Republican Party in Illinois, he just encased it in a stainless-steel alloy and buried it 1000ft under the ground in an unused salt mine.
I think a majority of conservatives will vote for McPain, but the numbers turning out may be too small to stop Obama. I don’t know if HRC can turn things around for herself, but we shall soon see. Discouraged conservatives are too dense to understand that down-ballot candidates will suffer when they “stay home”.
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