Keyes in Illinois?
 

From a blog



This entry by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, as related by The New York Times ...

"I spent five weeks trying to find good people," said Mr. Hastert, who said he approached state legislators and the former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka and Gary Fencik, an Ivy Leaguer who was a hard-hitting safety. "I got down into last week interviewing a 70-year-old guy who was a great farm broadcaster in Illinois," Mr. Hastert said. "He decided because of his health problems he couldn't do it. You know, we were down — we needed to find somebody to run, somebody who wanted to run. And, you know, Alan Keyes wants to run, and I hope he's a good candidate."

Despite the ringing endorsement, Keyes would never run in Illinois would he? That would be imitating Hilary Clinton!

""I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it.""

::flip-flopping sound::

"I must leave the land of my forefathers [i.e., Maryland] in order to defend the land of my spirit, of my conscience and my heart -- and I believe that that land is Illinois."

http://www.cellar.org/images/newsmilies/eyebrow.gif

The Dems have no right to bitch about this b/c of Hillary. And maybe the GOP will FINALLY leave the Clintons alone.

Everyone has the right to bitch - but the Dems (and others) probably wouldn't be bitching if Keyes hadn't said what he did. Integrity and all that...

Integrity is dead...at least in politics.

Keyes doesn't have much of a chance to win anyway, as I see it...Obama is practically unstoppable at this point.

Well, the Christian Forums people seem to think he'll be President, Syc. ;)

keyes doesn't stand a chance. i attended a few of his events years ago when i still lived in illinois. you had the check the crowd for a pulse by the time he was done speaking. Obama is going to win in a landslide because he hasn't had anyone to campaign against. he has been able to tout his good qualities without anyone to engage him with the traditional mudslinging. the diehard R's will vote for keyes, but virtually everyone else will go for Obama for name recognition/respectability reasons. the DNC speaking role didn't hurt, either.

I was going to vote for Keys.....then I remembered that I'm a no-good rotten, gun toting hillbilly racist bastard and wouldnt think of voting for a black man.

Or was it that I am in Pa and he's running in ILL?

If he runs here, I'll vote for him, hell, I'll volunteer for his campaign staff. Not holding my breath though.

If you hurry, you can have a memento of Keyes campaign. :rolleyes:

not for me thanks, i'm saving up to by a bandage that is guaranteed to have been used on one of kerry's purple heart injuries.

I feel really, really sorry for anyone within range of TV stations in Illinois. Alan Keyes is best experienced in small, eyedropper-sized doses, and they're about to get drenched for months by no fault of their own.

Unless Obama sodomizes handcuffed orphans at midfield of the Bears' home opener, he'll win by 20 points -- and even _then_ he'd probably win by 10, given the alternative.

you know what? these might be the only political debates of our generation worth watching. both strong candidates, both excellent speakers, and both very articulate at expressing not just their opinions, but their argument for why their opinion is correct. Any neither one scared of his own positions: Obama is proudly liberal, Keyes proudly conservative.

Anyone in Illy wanna tape them for me?

-sm

:biglaugha BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :biglaugha

Keyes is a strong candidate?

:biglaugha BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :biglaugha

This is my favorite post so far of the new millennium.

I knew that Keyes had been chosen to run, but missed most, if not all of the pre-press.

If I am following things correctly, however ... is it not the case that he was chosen to run, rather than choosing to run in a state he is not from, as is the case of the junior senator from NY?

As much as I would like to see him win, we know he wont.

Obama is a strong, smart, smooth, likable guy. Keyes just isn't that polished.

It's not as if Keyes got a letter in the mail, slapped his forehead and said "OH SHIT! I've been DRAFTED! Now I HAVE to move to Illinois and run for the Senate there."

He was _approached_ by the Illinois GOP and invited to run. He knew that the only reason he got the invitation was that (a) Ryan couldn't keep his pecker under control, (b) a local non-politician FOOTBALL COACH turned them down, and (c) well, er, they couldn't find anyone else from Illinois who wanted to run. Ringing endorsement, that. With all that in mind, he _chose_ to accept their invitation and run in a state he is not from, much like a certain junior senator whom he swore he wouldn't imitate.

At least Hillary won her party's primary, where the Dems of NY could've tossed her out if they'd been sufficiently offended by her presence.

The backroom conversation probably went something like this:
ILL GOP: "Hey, Alan, we need _somebody_ to run against Obama. You're still black, right?"
KEYES: "Last time I checked, yes."
ILL GOP: "We'll slide a bunch of money your way if you'll come over here and sling mud for a couple of months. We all know you won't win, but that's never bothered you before. Whaddya say -- a little public humiliation, but you get a national stage on which to bray about abortion politics for months on end, you get to smear a young up-and-coming Democrat, and you get to go back home in November?"
KEYES: "...It's a go. Bring Fritos."