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News :: Elections & Legislation |
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Keyes to Run in Illinois Against Obama |
Current rating: 0 |
by nytimes via gehrig
(No verified email address) |
08 Aug 2004
Modified: 05:44:44 PM |
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Well, now we know the answer to the trivia question, "Who did Barack Obama defeat to become the second African American Senator from Illinois?" |
Keyes to Run in Illinois Against Obama
By CARL HULSE
Illinois Republicans got their new Senate candidate today as the former presidential hopeful Alan Keyes of Maryland said he was willing to relocate to run against the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama. But Mr. Keyes was obviously not the first choice of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, a powerful figure in Illinois Republican circles.
Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" to promote his new book, Mr. Hastert described his extensive efforts to find a replacement for the winner of the Republican primary, Jack Ryan, who decided to step aside in June after some embarrassing assertions by his ex-wife in their divorce file.
"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."
But Tim Russert pressed Mr. Hastert by saying it appeared that Illinois Republicans had gone out and recruited an out-of-state black candidate to oppose Mr. Obama, who is also black.
"I tell you what," Mr. Hastert. "I was out of town when it happened."
Copyright 2004Â The New York Times Company
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Re: Keyes to Run in Illinois Against Obama |
by sun-times via gehrig
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
08 Aug 2004
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Excerpt from the Sun-Times article:
Obama's consultant Axelrod said Obama has no plans to change his strategy of traveling the state seeking support. But Axelrod could not resist tossing out a slew of carpetbagger lines -- dubbing Keyes "a drive-by candidate" and "the visiting professor," questioning why Maryland should get three senators and predicting "their first strategy is to find a mailing address."
"Man, I've got two months' worth," Axelrod said, chuckling.
Copyright 2004, Digital Chicago Inc.
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Re: Keyes to Run in Illinois Against Obama |
by JK
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
08 Aug 2004
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This race will still turn out to be a blowout for Obama. I honestly don't care too much that Keyes is an interloper from Maryland, not only because Democratic politicians such as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Robert F. Kennedy have changed addresses to successfully run for Senate in New York, but also because Keyes clearly would not have considered a run for Senate in Illinois had Jack Ryan's political career not been ruined by sex allegations.
Regardless of his oratorical skills, Keyes will still serve as the GOP's punching bag in November, barring some scandal in Obama's own ranks. Obama himself is an excellent speaker, so Keyes holds no real edge in oratory. Keyes's tired "tax-and-spend" mantra won't get far beyond mobliizing the Republicans who would have already, and regardless, voted for a Republican candidate. Such a tag as "evidence" of one's "liberalism" has long lost any meaning or significance, so Keyes needs to show that he can actually speak to the issues and problems that citizens of Illinois specifically face. I don't see him doing that effectively, especially in so short a time. Nor do I think that Keyes will successfully challenge Obama's primary themes of unity, opportunity, and equality. Obama skillfully used his speech at the Democratic Convention to skillfully advance broad rhetorical themes that the GOP had often appropriated for themselves, indicating that it will be tougher than ever for Keyes or any other right-wing candidate to dictate the themes and topics in this year's election.
It won't be pretty on November 2, and my guess is Obama by over 12%. Late entries, especially at this level, rarely fare well. Ask Rick Lazio, who filled in for Rudy Guiliani and got pummeled by Clinton. And he was from New York. |
