[Southflanknorthpawsis]

A wise person can hold fast to his/her convictions but still remain pleasant. Controlling a temper and an ego in the thick of a battle may be difficult, but necessary if one looks for respect from many.

If Keyes were simply a pundit or private person, his words would not be so critical.

He could avoid ceding a single element of his beliefs and still remain more likeable.

I believe he prides himself in his belittling and condescension. Consequently, he will never be elected, IMO.

Because of what I see as flaws that could be overcome with reasonable effort, I question whether or not Keyes wants the victory or just the benefits of the chase.

[k2blader]

He could avoid ceding a single element of his beliefs and still remain more likeable.

Wouldn't the only way to do that be strictly avoiding talking about things that certain people find unlikeable? I'm not sure that's realistic.

I believe he prides himself in his belittling and condescension.

This is probably the argument from the anti-Keyes side I understand the least. I don't see Keyes as being condescending--I see him as being unswerving in stating what he believes, especially on moral issues. I think people who get defensive about this are probably allowing their emotions (pride, guilt, resentment, envy, whatnot) to get in the way of objectively reading/hearing what he has to say.