We should also do this under the banner of freedom but I've chosen to use the word liberty in my posts advocating the same strategy. Freedom is the central unifying theme putting a positive aspect opposition to Barak Obama's takeover of our country. It unifies social conservatives and fiscal conservatives. It changes the negative into a positive.
I also have reservations about Alan Keyes' political judgment if not his intentions.
He's likely one of the most intelligent persons to run for POTUS in several decades. A few things I disagreed with him on over the years but overall he's a good Conservative with heavy social conservative leanings. I used to listen to him back in the mid 1990's when he had a radio show. It was also broadcast on N.E.T. a TV network Paul Weyrich started up.
He hasn't varied too much from his messages. Meaning he pretty well sticks to what he believes in. Both Bush SR and especially Bush Jr made a huge mistake not putting him in a cabinet post. He was a lot more qualified for say Secretary of State than Powell or Rice and likely would have been taken far more serious by those he dealt with. He could have also straightened out the Department of Education or Department or Department of Health and Human Services had he been given a chance.
Keyes basically got his start politically under Reagan as Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. The G.O.P. tossing him aside was not one of it's brighter moments. He had plenty to say that the party should have been listening to and he would have been perfect to deliver the messages.
And I have reservations about Gingrich's political judgement and intentions.
I read one of his books, where he declared that banks shouldn't pay taxes on interest earned. For some reason, he was claiming that rent paid on borrowed money was different than rent paid on anything else.
I forget what the title was. It was a little book that was sent to me after I donated to GOPAC or some other organization. I threw the thing out after reading the chapter that tried to declare that lending money was too holy of an enterprise to tax.
You can't believe such crap, and be as smart as Gingrich is supposed to be, without a large capacity for self-delusion. And it's self-delusion of the 'compassionate conservative' type that led us into a lot of trouble.
I haven't seen Keyes stray so far away from what he claims as core principles. Which is probably why he doesn't do well as a politician as noted in an article noted in a recent post:
In teaching legislative tactics seminars, I tell students: “Lest you think the political process is designed to exclude you, let me assure you that it is.” With few exceptions, politicians are weasels, and the few legislators with character I’ve met will never advance to higher office precisely because they are trustworthy.