GOP wooing Keyes to take on Obama

[Walt Starr]

GOP wooing Keyes to take on Obama
August 3, 2004

BY SCOTT FORNEK Political Reporter

Barack Obama might get a race, after all.

Former GOP presidential candidate Alan Keyes told Illinois Republicans Monday that he is ''open to the idea'' of taking on the Democrat in the U.S. Senate race -- a move that would pit two eloquent, nationally known African Americans against one another.

''It would be a classic race of conservative vs. liberal,'' said state Sen. Dave Syverson, a member of the panel looking for a candidate to go up against Obama. ''It would put this race on the map in this country -- just for excitement.''

<snip>

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-sen03.html

[Bluzmann57]

1. Isn't Keyes from California?

Thought he was, but obviously, I guess I'm wrong. It doesn't really matter though. Obama will probably win big no matter who the Illinois gop runs against him.

[Walt Starr]

2. Washington D.C. n/t

[lil-petunia]

6. He resides in merrymaryland

And July 27 was the date he had to gain Illinois residency, if I read that correctly.

don't forget, the last time that Keyes made a big splash, he was complaining about Hillary running for senator in a state where she just moved - he claimed it was the destruction of federalism as we know it.

Alan, have you a mirror handy, perchance?

[tcfrogs]

8. I did hear that Illinois election law says

all he has to do is move here by election day to be eligible to be on the ballot.

[jakefrep]

3. DL Hughley said once on Jay Leno...

that Keyes was "too conservative for white people."

[ieoeja]

4. O' Brother, Where Art Thou?

I burst out laughing when I first saw this in the paper. It immediately brought to mind the governor's idiot son in the movie O' Brother, Where Art Thou? saying, "we oughta get ourselves a little fella even tinier than their little fella".

The GOP message to black voters: "why does it bother you so much that we don't understand you and aren't the least bit interested in understanding you?"

[JimT]

7. me too

I had the same exact reaction. Its nice to start off the day with a good laugh.

[Kire]

5. Illinois GOP Asks Keyes to Run for Senate

Illinois GOP Asks Keyes to Run for Senate

By MAURA KELLY LANNAN, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO - Illinois Republican leaders asked two-time presidential hopeful Alan Keyes (news - web sites) on Wednesday to be their Senate candidate, but like a string of previous possibilities, Keyes said he needed a few days to think about it.


Keyes told a news conference Wednesday night that he would make an announcement by Sunday.


"If I do step forward to pick up that challenge, I will be laying a lot on the line in terms of what I have tried to do in this country," he said.


It's been a laborious six-week search as Republicans have sought a candidate willing to tackle the daunting task of taking on Democratic rising star Barack Obama in the Senate race.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040805/ap_on_el_se/illinois_senate_25

[lil-petunia]

9. he announced to his friends that he will do it

Sunday will be a formal affair, black tie, money bags, laughter and pissing upstream into a windstorm.

[mopinko]

10. good one

har har

[Eman]

11. Joke

Keyes is a joke. His 2000 quote about pretending to represent voters from another state says it all. The Bean-Crane race is the only Federal race in Illinois worth watching.