You asked roamer_1 to prove that Keyes beat Obama in the debates. The proof of that is well established.
To address the other matter of "destroying" Obama in the election: I assert that no one could have beat him, given his unfair advantage. The media gave him "rock star" status early on. The man then rode that wave to the White House--despite being a lowly state senator just five short years ago.
This is obvious to everyone.
I disagree completely. Any Reagan Conservative would have given him a run, and probably would have won handily. Had the Moderates in the Republican party ceded control to the Reaganites before the election, there may well have been coattails too.