It's Keyes vs. Obama

[Gentle Giant]

Oh man, I wish I could watch this unfold up close!

Source: Keyes will accept GOP nomination, run against Obama
By Ron Fournier, Associated Press, 8/6/2004 09:16

WASHINGTON (AP) Former presidential hopeful and talk-show host Alan Keyes has agreed to become Illinois Republicans' U.S. Senate candidate and will announce his intentions Sunday, a senior GOP official said Friday.

Keyes, a resident of Maryland, would face rising Democrat star Barack Obama in the race for the seat of retiring Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican. The GOP was forced to look outside Illinois for a candidate after primary winner Jack Ryan dropped out in late June amid embarrassing sex club allegations in his divorce records.

Keyes was carefully planning a high-profile introduction to Illinois voters, beginning Sunday, said the Republican official familiar with the decision. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing Keyes' wishes to make his announcement public Sunday.

The decision was first reported by the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times in their Friday editions.

Bill Pascoe, a political adviser and Keyes friend, said he could not confirm that Keyes had accepted the nomination.

''Alan is honored and gratified by the offer that's been made to him. He recognizes it's the result of very serious and deliberate discussions and believes he owes it to member of the committee, to Republicans in Illinois and in fact every voter of Illinois to consider this offer with the same measure of deliberation,'' Pascoe said.

Keyes, a two-time presidential hopeful who also ran two failed Senate campaigns from his home state of Maryland, opposes abortion and gay rights, wants to replace the income tax with a national sales tax, and calls affirmative action a ''government patronage program.''

Obama, a state senator making his first run for national office, gained prominence as a keynote speaker at last month's Democratic National Convention in Boston.

The race would be the first U.S. Senate election with two black candidates representing the major parties and almost assure Illinois would produce the fifth black senator in history.

Keyes will have to establish residency in Illinois by Election Day, according to federal law.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

I find it hard to believe that this is the best the Illinois Republican Party can come up with. Keyes almost has gadfly status.

[walto]

Almost?

[Darryl G. Thomas]

I'm trying to be positive.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

And it gets better:

Unabashed Racist Wins GOP Primary in Tenn.

1 hour, 37 minutes ago

By WOODY BAIRD, Associated Press Writer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - An unabashed racist will represent the Republican party in the November election for a congressional seat after a write-in candidate failed to derail his effort.

Photo
AP Photo



With 86 percent of the primary vote counted Thursday, write-in candidate Dennis Bertrand had just 1,554 votes compared to 7,671, or 83 percent, for James L. Hart, a believer in the discredited, phony science of eugenics.

In November, the GOP candidate will oppose Rep. John Tanner (news, bio, voting record), a Democrat who has represented the northwest Tennessee district for 15 years.

Hart, 60, vows if elected to work toward keeping "less favored races" from reproducing or immigrating to the United States. In campaign literature, Hart contends that "poverty genes" threaten to turn the United States into "one big Detroit."

"I didn't expect to win," Hart said. "I thought their network would beat my ideas."

He has run for the 8th District seat before and drawn little attention. But people began to notice this time because he was the only Republican on the ballot.

Since the deadline for getting on the ballot had passed, Bertrand, also a Republican, began a write-in campaign, saying he wanted to protect the party's honor.

"I think his beliefs are not beliefs of any party that I know of," Bertrand said Thursday night. "I knew it was going to be a really long shot, but in good conscience, I had to at least give it an attempt."

Bertrand, a financial analyst and former military officer, was on active duty with the National Guard when the deadline to get on the primary ballot passed.

Hart said he will have lots of time to campaign for the general election since he was forced Wednesday to resign from his job as a real estate salesman because of the attention he drew during the primary.

"They didn't say 'You're fired' in exactly those words, but it was pretty clear what they wanted," Hart said.

While campaigning, Hart sometimes wears a protective vest and carries a .40-caliber pistol, but he said he has run into no trouble.

"When I knock on a door and say white children deserve the same rights as everybody else, the enthusiastic response is truly amazing," he said.

If a black person opens the door, he says he simply drops off campaign literature and leaves.

[Root Doctor]

Tennessee must be very proud.

While campaigning, Hart sometimes wears a protective vest and carries a .40-caliber pistol

Well, at least you can say there is still an ounce of common sense in him.

[Ron Thorne]

Wasn't there a lot of gnashing of teeth in the Republican party when Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for a New York state senate seat? At least she and Bill bought a home, live, work and pay taxes in New York.

What a crock! Should make for interesting reading and viewing, however.

"When I knock on a door and say white children deserve the same rights as everybody else, the enthusiastic response is truly amazing," he said. - James L. Hart

Gee, I wonder what neighboorhoods this knuckle-dragger canvasses?

[Chris D]

This race won't even be close. 60-40.

[tippy]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

"When I knock on a door and say white children deserve the same rights as everybody else, the enthusiastic response is truly amazing," he said.

I have no faith in the human race at this point. Humans are God's stupidest invention.

Originally Posted by Ron

What a crock?

Is that a question?

Originally Posted by tippy

I have no faith in the human race at this point. Humans are God's stupidest invention.

Why? Because of this sick dipshit? Thats a condemnation of the entire human race?

Seems a bit shallow.

[tippy]

Well, I'm a shallow person after all.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Chris,

Which race?

Originally Posted by tippy

Well, I'm a shallow person after all.

True.

[Tanager]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Why? Because of this sick dipshit?

Because of the 7000+ sick dipshits who voted for him?

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

Chris,

Which race?

Sorry! Obama-Keyes.

[Al in NYC]

Hart contends that "poverty genes" threaten to turn the United States into "one big Detroit."

Nice...

I agree, the fact that 7,000+ people voted for this jerk really makes me wonder. But then I guess we already have ample evidence that racism, tribalism, fear, and misplaced victimization sells, and certainly not just in the U.S. (witness the Front National in France).

As for Keyes... how cynical can the Republicans get? What a joke.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Chris,

You think Keyes will get that many votes? The cat's a non-entity these days. If I were a card-carrying Republican I'd be pissed.

But they did it to themselves I guess. They should've circled the wagons around Ryan.

Originally Posted by Tanager

Because of the 7000+ sick dipshits who voted for him?

Actually, considering what state we're talking about, it doesn't surprise me at all.

[Root Doctor]

Hasn't there been a struggle in the Illinois Republican Party between the moderates and the reactionaries? Keyes is an indication that the latter may have won for now.

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

Chris,

You think Keyes will get that many votes? The cat's a non-entity these days. If I were a card-carrying Republican I'd be pissed.

But they did it to themselves I guess. They should've circled the wagons around Ryan.

I figure each party has a hard 40 percent that won't vote any other way, although Illinois is somewhat unusual in that it still has some moderate Republicans.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Chris,

Yeah, you may be right.

Anyway, I'd like to speak for the State of Maryland and thank the Illinios Republican Party for taking Keyes off of Maryland's hands.

Oh... and go Cubs!

Originally Posted by Chris D

I figure each party has a hard 40 percent that won't vote any other way

I may have agreed with that figure years ago. But because of how incredibly polarized this country has become since the 2000 election, I would say that number is probably higher now. And absolutely no less than 50%.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Keyes takes a way the race factor. Usually I subtract about 5% of a black politician's poll numbers unless he's running in a majority black district.

I know, it's cynical.

Scott, by the way, the day after I posted in the other Obama thread that Harold Ford had disappeared ( maybe eclipsed by Obama?) I read a nice blurb on him in the Wash. Post. Seems he's still highly regarded in the national press and is considered somewhat of a threat in national politics by some Republican insiders.

I still think it'll be tough to have two high profile black politicians in the national limelight. But I could be wrong, a generational thing. Younger folks may be more open-minded.

Originally Posted by DGT

Scott, by the way, the day after I posted in the other Obama thread that Harold Ford had disappeared ( maybe eclipsed by Obama?) I read a nice blurb on him in the Wash. Post. Seems he's still highly regarded in the national press and is considered somewhat of a threat in national politics by some Republican insiders.

Yeah, he was on Hannity & Colmes the other night.

Dudes a real fiesty, no bullshit type of guy.

I like him.

If he truly is as real as he comes across, he would truly be a breath of fresh air for politics in general.

[Gordon B]

I guess the Illnois GOP is worried that if they don't have a candidate with some name recognition, Republican voters will stay home and some of their House candidates will get hurt. Obama is a shoo-in as is Kerry in the state.

If I were an Illnois resident, I'd vote for Obama over Keyes.

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

They should've circled the wagons around Ryan.

Absolutely; Ryan got totally ambushed by the media in some truly despicable "journalism". But I heard he was losing badly anyway.

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

I guess the Illnois GOP is worried that if they don't have a candidate with some name recognition, Republican voters will stay home and some of their House candidates will get hurt.

I think running a black candidate was a big priority after Obama made the national news. Now that the color factor is canceled out, they probably figure they can appeal beyond their base.

[hornplayer]

Originally Posted by Chris D

Sorry! Obama-Keyes.

That's not a race, it's a JOKE! The Illinois Republicans couldn't get anyone to be a sacrificial lamb for Obama. He was already a shoo-in even when he was running against Ryan! So they're importing a Black Intellectual who is little else in the public eye. It would be funny if it weren't so typical!