Posted on 04/13/2008 8:26:43 PM PDT by Kurt Evans
Former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes has chosen April 15 to make a major announcement of his intentions, following indications he has broken with the GOP.
A life-long Republican who has increasingly cited the party's failure to match conservative rhetoric with actual performance in the political arena, Keyes said he will reveal his reasons for departing the GOP at a press conference scheduled for 8:30 pm ET, at the Best Western Genetti Inn in Hazleton, PA.
The event will be video-streamed live at Keyes' website, www.AlanKeyes.com.
Keyes added that he is looking to the Constitution Party as a possible home for his future efforts in politics, including a potential run for president in the 2008 general election.
"No other 'third party' is as well-established as the Constitution Party," said Keyes. "They've been around since 1992, and have built a significant grassroots presence among patriotic, Constitution-minded citizens — with a registered membership of over 350,000. Conservatives have a home in the CP that they can find nowhere else, given the decline in the Republican Party's credibility as a voice and vehicle for conservatism."
Regarding his potential third-party candidacy for president in the fall, Keyes said, "I believe people deserve a choice. They certainly deserve a conservative choice — something neither John McCain, Hillary Clinton, nor Barack Obama can offer voters. All they can offer is empty promises based on liberal track records."
Symbolic of Keyes' break with the Republican Party is a caricature of the GOP logo — upside down — on the front page of his website.
The Constitution Party will hold its nominating convention April 23-26 in Kansas City.
According to Dan Smeriglio, a Keyes supporter who is helping to arrange the event, the former Reagan administration diplomat chose to make his announcement in Hazleton because of the town's strong stance on illegal immigration.
"I understand a good portion of his speech next week will center on illegal immigration," Smeriglio said. Smeriglio and a group he represents, Voice of the People USA, have been vocal in opposing illegal immigration since Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta introduced the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in 2006 — thrusting Hazleton into national prominence in the movement to stem illegal immigration.
Keyes — who has a Ph.D. in government from Harvard and wrote his dissertation on constitutional theory — served as Reagan's Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, as well as Ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, where he represented U.S. interests in the UN General Assembly.
Thanks Eternal. I used to run a list several years ago, back when I was on here every day for hours on end. It can be a chore if you let it. Again thanks.
It’s not a meaningless gesture to break from the GOP. They still call and mail me anyway. I’m not going back unless they stop acting like democrats which will be never.
I’m definitely on board.
And thanks for the Helen Valois article.
I agree w/you once again, guenevere.
“Every one of the speakers at that conference was a cut above each of the three current front-runners for the presidency (better put — they were on a completely higher, non-intersecting plane)”
“on a completely higher, non-intersecting plane.”
Very well put!
What more can be said?
Dr. Keyes is the real deal.
STE=Q
if a tree falls in the forest but no one is there....well you get the idea
Doing what many conservatives feel like doing, and as some will, including this one.
Gotta get this off my chest first:
McCain IS a true American, and I would shun anyone unwilling to stipulate that or to infer otherwise. I would even concede that socialist Hitlery is a true American, but I’m not so willing to say the same about Marxist SnObama.
/annoyed
I’ve stated here at FR several times during the last couple months that the conditions that were present in 1970 for Buckley’s Senate win are quite similar to this environment - that what was needed was a good conservative candidate who had good name recognition. However, I have been unable to think of an appropriate person, and yes, I did consider Keyes. (I supported him in ‘00, and have been on his mailing lists since.) Unfortunately, his IL loss really hurt him for this, I’m afraid, in my opinion. I might be wrong, but I think it was fatal for this purpose. I really wish I knew someone who would work, but I simply can’t. We really would need a “perfect” candidate - someone with presence, with name recognition or at least who would be immediately known, with consistent values and strong unblemished record of leadership - probably a governor or industry leader.
Two reasons contribute to the difficulty with a “conservative” run this year:
1. America really can not afford to lose the WoT, and this is going to make it extremely difficult for most conservatives to vote for someone other than McCain, _unless_ that “other” has a legitimate probability to win. Several other years, given these two candidates, this would not be the case, and it wouldn’t be quite as important that Conservatives field a “perfect” candidate with great name recognition and stage presence. However, this year, McCain’s strong stances supporting Bush on this most important conservative issue really blunts the strength of a third-party run from the right. I’m not sure that its even possible for there to be such an issue of power in any Senate race, and there certainly wasn’t in 1970. The presidency is different.
2. I know it is fashionable among super-conservatives to say McCain is simply a Demodog with “R” behind his name. However, most others who are willing to look at the actual issues, rather than the red-bait issues where McCain goes against the wishes of conservatives (including me) recognize that simply isn’t true. There is a vast difference between the positions of Hitlery/SnObama and McCain on a large number of issues. He really IS more “moderate” than “liberal”. Of course that’s why I don’t really like him, nor do you, but it’s lying to say there’s no difference. (Buckley was far different from the nearly indistinguishable D & R in ‘70.) I don’t think sufficient numbers might be willing to dilute the power of their vote to support a chancy third party run, especially given #1.
I’ll keep an open mind about this, and keep an eye on whether Keyes can get any traction, and would assist a viable candidacy, but I just don’t see that is going to be able to happen with Keyes this year. I’ll be surprised if he could poll more than 1% by mid-summer. Ironically, the stronger McCain gets, the more likely a conservative could pull this off. It is certainly true that the Dems are trying to help strengthen McCain sufficiently to make it more possible. It is unfortunately (and strangely) true that in a 3-way, a Hitlery steal would yield more Keyes support than if the three were McCain/ Keyes/ SnObama.
Long post... hope it satisfies you.
As a longtime Keyster, I’m glad that such a principled conservative constitutionalist will be available to vote for in November.
The Republican Party has turned on people like us. It doesn’t want us around, ecept on the first Tuesday in November. Remember former RNC chair Ed Gillespie telling the Manchester Union-Leader that there was no place for limited-government people or views in the GOP? He basically told us to get out, yet too many of our folks insist on hanging around.
Well, you have to earn my vote, and I see nothing that Juan McVain has done that merits it. So I’ll voate for an actual, real conservative, the candidate who most reflects my own views. It looks like that’s Dr. Keyes.
Keyes knows more about running a country than McCain, and Keyes has a stronger backbone. If this country ends up in a crisis, Keyes is the one who would bring us through it, not McCain, who flips his position as easily as a pancake can be flipped.
::laughing:: Sorry! McCain has lost the votes already. People are leaving the party. People are also tired of being bullied into voting for someone who is the "lesser of 2 evils" just so the "party" doesn't suffer. The "party" doesn't give a rip about the people it is supposed to represent. If they did, they would hold to the platform and planks. Instead, they have become the termites themselves, eating away at it and destroying it. Conservatives are fed up with all of it.
I don't think that's what I intimated, but I would like to see him as Ambassador to the UN again. Securing conservative appointments as opposed to sitting out would preclude some serious mischief that will happen should McCain still win beholden thereafter only to a "moderate" leftist agenda.
My point is that much of what a McCain administration would accomplish without conservatives in it would be irreversible. Best to exact a price for conservative support in advance in the way of appointed positions than to pretend we could undo the consequences later.
I love what Alan Keyes says far more than what he does. Supporting him will get us nothing, especially if by doing so it opens the floodgates to amnesty and citizenship for illegals.
floodgates are already open, who do you think will close them? who has the KEYES?
You write:
“McCain IS a true American, and I would shun anyone unwilling to stipulate that or to infer otherwise. I would even concede that socialist Hitlery is a true American, but I’m not so willing to say the same about Marxist SnObama.”
Well, I’m not happy with McCain — and I’m sure you know the drill.
However, I strongly agree, Obama is in a class all by himself.
Even Hitlery seems benign next to Obama!
His association with rev. Wright’s black liberation theology...
>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990117/posts<
... and his most recent statements confirm, that he is the most un-American candidate for President in our history.
>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001084/posts<
Keeping him from becoming President is my #1 priority.
At the same time I would like to see Dr. Keyes as our next President.
You write:
“We really would need a ‘perfect’ candidate - someone with presence, with name recognition or at least who would be immediately known, with consistent values and strong unblemished record of leadership”
Except for “name recognition” I think the above describes Dr. Keyes well!
Why is that so hard to remedy?
Would not all the conservative talk shows have to support him?
He is, after all, the conservative Rush and others ALL claim to be... right?
You further write:
“I’ll keep an open mind about this, and keep an eye on whether Keyes can get any traction, and would assist a viable candidacy”
I think that would be fair enough.
At least one should give Dr. Keyes a chance before closing the door on his candidacy.
You also say:
“Ironically, the stronger McCain gets, the more likely a conservative could pull this off.”
Hmmmm!
That’s VERY interesting!
Thanks for your post!
STE=Q
bttt
Hi EV - “Keyes” has been my most-used seach term on FR since he announced his candidacy this year - your pings are welcome. It was a hard but clear choice to switch my party affiliation to Constitution Party soon after I heard that Alan would seek the Constitution Party nomination. I’ve been active already in getting the Constitution Party petition drive started here in Maryland. We need 10,000 validatable signatures by early August to enable our candidates to have lines on the ballot. And if we can get the petition in soon enough, we can have a candidate on the ballot in the expected special election to elect a replacement for Rep. Wynn, who is in a hurry to start a new phase of his life after losing in recent Democratic primary. I think there’s a very nice synergy in Wynn’s district (MD-4, which is my district, BTW) that could make this race a real plus to Constitution Party candidates across the nation, including Alan. Maryland has seen significant electricity price rise this year. With McCain, Clinton/Obama, and presumably the Greens and Nader all in lockstep on CO2 alarmism, the direct pocketbook aspect of the climate policy issue, not to mention the individual and national sovereignty aspects, might really have a chance to break the Democratic Party’s long lock on this district.
You’re doing yoeman’s work, Steve. God bless you.
“::laughing:: Sorry! McCain has lost the votes already. People are leaving the party. People are also tired of being bullied into voting for someone who is the “lesser of 2 evils” just so the “party” doesn’t suffer. The “party” doesn’t give a rip about the people it is supposed to represent. If they did, they would hold to the platform and planks. Instead, they have become the termites themselves, eating away at it and destroying it. Conservatives are fed up with all of it. “
Well you settle for Hussein Obama then. Screw this country if it feels good to you.
McCain wasn’t my choice either but I am not going to f#$^ the country even more just because I am not happy about it.
We are all given a freewill. I am choosing to not be bullied or dictated to any longer by a party that no longer represents me or my values and ethics. If you choose to stay with the party and the party choice, for it IS the party choice and not really the choice of the people, so be it. You, too have a freewill. What will you do with it?
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