Posted on 08/07/2004 7:24:44 PM PDT by Graybeard58
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - At one point during last week's Republican leadership gathering in Chicago, the debate over conservative activist Alan Keyes grew so contentious that journalists standing outside the closed doors heard - and reported - the shouting.
The Illinois Republican State Central Committee later barred reporters from the entire floor where they were meeting to choose their party's new candidate for the U.S. Senate.
But with Keyes' candidacy likely to become official Sunday, it will be much tougher for Republican leaders to hide the internal strife in their divided party.
On Wednesday night the committee formally asked Keyes - a former United Nations ambassador and two-time presidential candidate who has never lived in Illinois - to run against Democratic candidate Barack Obama for Illinois' open Senate seat. All indications are that Keyes will accept, kicking off his campaign Sunday at a Chicago-area rally.
Keyes will replace Jack Ryan, whom Republicans nominated in the primaries for the Senate. Ryan bowed out of the race last month amid embarrassing sexual allegations.
While Keyes' candidacy solves one problem for the GOP, it generates another: His far-right views on most major issues will, once again, highlight the deep fissure in the Illinois GOP between moderates - like former Govs. Jim Edgar and James Thompson - and the more conservative wing, which has been trying for years to move the party rightward.
"The state party is divided in the same way the national party is divided. The difference in Illinois is that the more moderate branch tends to run the board," noted political scientist John S. Jackson of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. "The hard-right decided they wanted this ... but it will magnify the fault lines" with moderates.
Shouts and silence
The first rumblings of that fault line were heard through the cl
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
Same metaphor. Again, there's no "Bush is evil" in there. I'll stipulate that his choice of phrase is a poor one, but if you continue to claim he said Bush is evil, you're misrepresenting his actual words.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why so many people try so desperately to parse and spin their way out of this.
It is OBVIOUS what he meant.
Why deny it?
They were probably struck by the word "evil" and attached it to Bush directly. Heck, people are shocked when Bush refers to terrorists as evil, or when Reagan refers to the USSR as evil. It was a poorly-chosen phrase given the subject - I'll admit that. But the written quote doesn't bear out the fact that Keyes said "Bush is evil", as Howlin is claiming.
lol
You're eligible alright...
Flattering? No.
But I also wouldn't claim that the person is saying I literally tried to kill them. It's a metaphor.
And you're just as vacuous as ever.
Do you even know where he made that speech?
I don't believe anyone is saying that he claims Bush is literally a bullet, or a killer. I think the point is that he has said some extremely unflattering things about President Bush, and the reader is left with the impression that Alan Keyes - to put it mildly - does not seem to think the President is a good or honest man.
At least he didn't seem to at the time he made the speeches and wrote the articles we are discussing.
If we can agree on that much, we're good.
Looks to be in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Keyes has no place in the GOP because he is not a team player. Long after Dubya won the primaries in 2000 Keyes continued to campaign. He did his best to elect Gore. Keyes only cares about himself and his opinion. He is not a servant of the people. He is your MASTER. If he is ever elected to a position of power( Thank God that has never happened!) and your opinion ever differers from Keyes's you will be the first against the wall. The far right fringe has no justification calling anyone else sheep.
Or do really nice people sit around plotting evil?
Is it ME?
Agreed.
and the reader is left with the impression that Alan Keyes - to put it mildly - does not seem to think the President is a good or honest man.
I don't know about good or honest. He may think the president is "well-intentioned but somewhat lacking" for all I know. It would certainly appear that with regard to stem cell research your impression is accurate, however.
It was at an award dinner for Jim Robinson.
There were a LOT of Freepers there; they didn't misunderstand; these are Freepers well versed in politics.
No, it's not you.
Nor would I think very kindly of you if you referred to me as "the bullet that killed me."
Oh yeah? Thanks for the info - I didn't realize that.
Based upon the quotes posted here by sinkspur, I'd have to say it was used in the metaphorical sense. Perhaps these folks heard "evil" and directly attached it to Bush, when in fact it was not used in that sense.
Understandable, given the poor choice of phrase on Keyes' part. "Evil" isn't a word to be tossed about lightly.
What he DID say was that Bush sat down to figure out how much evil he could get away with.
Well, that's SO much better, isn't it? I wonder how any of these people would feel if someone said that THEY sat down and tried to figure out how much evil they could get away with?
Bah. I will support Keyes as long as he doesn't start in on attacking President Bush. If he does that (and I will say it is my opinion he will not be able to resist the temptation)I will do everything I can do to drive him from public life.
This is a very close election, and if Keyes starts down the racism path (which I have heard him do) or the "Bush isn't a good president" path (which I have also heard him do) he will draw the attention of the national media. This could cost us critical votes in swing states.
I will be watching the Illinois race carefully. I hope that Dr. Keyes has learned a bit about politics and who is REALLY trying to see how much evil he can get away with: his name is John Forbes Kerry.
I say this is a decision where somebody sat down to figure out how much evil they could get away with
Excellent post.
Thank you. That's the only point I was trying to make. Certainly Keyes chose his words very foolishly - there can be no disputing that.
I will support Keyes as long as he doesn't start in on attacking President Bush...This is a very close election, and if Keyes starts down the racism path (which I have heard him do) or the "Bush isn't a good president" path (which I have also heard him do) he will draw the attention of the national media. This could cost us critical votes in swing states.
Agreed. Keyes needs to attend to his own race, and offer words of support or no words whatsoever with regard to the Presidential election.
Former GOP presidential candidate Alan Keyes took some Republicans by surprise Saturday by criticizing President Bush's decision to allow limited stem cell research. Keyes said Bush betrayed conservatives by supporting a policy based on politics.
"I cannot support leadership that sits in the backroom trying to figure out how much harm can be done without opposition," he said before almost 400 people at Hyatt Regency DFW hotel. Keyes was keynote speaker at a luncheon as part of a three-day "boot camp for conservatives," sponsored by the National Federation of Republican Assemblies and the Leadership Institute.
Bush announced Aug. 9 that he supports federal funding for medical research on embryonic stem cells, a move that some scientists believe could cure a host of diseases. But the research will be limited to 60 lines of existing stem cells. Bush said his decision puts him at the crossroads between protecting and enhancing human life.
Keyes said Bush's decision was more damaging than anything that Bill Clinton, often called the villain of the right, could have done. "The evil that you know, the evil that inspires you to fight again is not the worst evil," Keyes said.
"The worst evil creeps behind your lines and dominates your leadership."
Keyes said Bush has opened himself up to criticism from abortion-rights supporters. "They will come back and say it's hypocritical to not support abortion but to support stem cell research," he said.
Keyes received two standing ovations during his remarks, but a representative of the assemblies distanced his group from the speech. At least one audience member followed Keyes outside to express displeasure with his comments about the president. "He accused Bush of being evil," said Chuck Lutz, president of the Tarrant County Republican Assembly.
There is room to interpret the remark both ways. I submit that given that Keyes - who isn't know for giving up an issue he has set his mind to - has not continued to call Bush evil, that it is more likely that he was saying that the compromise or line of thinking which led to Bush's decision was evil. Opinions will vary.
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