CALL ON GOP to condemn Keyes, they were pissed RE: Belafonte/Powell

[wndycty]

Do you remember when the Belafonte basically called Colin an Uncle Tom, the GOP went crazy. If these guys have one shred of integrity (which we know they don't) they would condemn Keyes for the following comments.

-snip-
Obama says Keyes is using "inflammatory" language to compensate for what he sees as a "floundering" campaign.

On ABC's "This Week" program Keyes suggested Obama doesn't "feel the pain" of most African-Americans because his ancestors didn't suffer in slavery.

"Barack Obama and I have the same race, that is physical characteristics. We are not from the same heritage. It's about time people started to realize there is something racist about not looking at the heritage of an individual and only looking at skin color," Keyes said during the ABC interview.

"I don't know whether he was trying to make the point that on the hierarchy of victim hood that somehow he is more qualified to speak for the oppressed? That is something we'd have to explore further," Obama told ABC.
-snip-

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/081504_ns_obama-keyes.html


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[Cha]

1. I'm really even more impressed with

barack than before if that's possible.

His retorts to keyes' babbling are outstanding!

[wndycty]

3. I think this is an excellent opportunity to call the Republicans . . .

. . .on their shit. Since they were so outraged about Harry Belafonte's comments in regards to Colin Powell they should be outraged about this shit.

[mantis49]

19. I get to see Obama this afternoon

in Macomb, IL. Rarely does our small town get visits from prominent and promising pols.

[xray s]

2. I am waiting for Keyes to say he is "more black" than Obama

Imagine the quandry the racist elements of the Republican party are going through..."Well, this guy Keyes talks real pretty...but Obama is half white...oh what to do? What to do?"

[CaTeacher]

4. all he is doing is trying to get under

Obama's skin. I actually think he is probably very skilled at getting to people and making them lose their cool. Obama needs to just ignore him and stay above the fray.

There is no need to stoop to that level--we are far ahead. I would refuse to play these little head games with Keyes. Normally I may follow the links and complain--but in this case I want Keyes to get as little attention as possible. He is not going to be a threat to us--UNLESS he starts getting a lot of attention.

We all need to keep our cool--even though he is baiting us.

[Terran]

13. Staying above the fray

That shouldn't be too hard for Obama, considering that Keyes barely makes sense at all. One doesn't have to reply to that kind of idiocy, and no one expects him too.

In trying to understand what Alan Keyes is actually saying here, does anyone else find this aspect of it supremely hypocritical? Keyes is one of those Black conservatives who's always going around discounting the history of slavery and oppression as being influential on the economic standing of African-Americans--you know, "I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, why can't everyone else?" And yet he seems to be saying that it *should* somehow be taken into account where he is concerned, *at this time*, because his family is descended from slaves but Obama isn't, and therefore..what?--he's more qualified to understand what African-Americans go through? the problems they experience trying to get a foothold on the economic ladder? So, suddenly, those concepts are relevant, after all? Kind of a, um, FLIP-FLOP, eh?

[The empressof all]

Keyes is a gift

The media seems to feel compelled to cover him which just gives Obama more press. This is a good thing. Folks in Illinois know what is going on here and the Republicans have once again just dug themselves in a deeper hole.

Sit back and enjoy

[The empressof all]

5. dupe

[madrchsod]

6. we all know obama is going to win

but what are the republicans going to do after their defeat? will the moderates still control the party or will the extreme right wing take over the party? who ever got keyes in must know he has no chance against obama if ryan was polling behind obama. just what is the right trying to prove? i`m not sure if the rank and file republicans even understand where the party is headed. it will be very interesting to see if the moderates can regain controll of the party

[Bucky]

7. I still think Keyes was a brilliant stroke for the GOP

Of course they knew they were gonna lose. But by picking Keyes they can accomplish several things.

1. They have a good excuse for losing in November. "Well, our guy ran a good race, but we only lost because he's from out of state."

2. $$$. Keyes is tapped into the Scaiffe-bloodsport crowd. By dragging AK into the mix, they have a high profile red-meat candidate who can help them raise money from around the country from a Republican party that would normally ignore the single most reliable Blue State in the midwest.

3. Racial pandering, which is the Republican version of affirmative action. In future elections they think it'll matter to black voters if they can say, "Hey look, we ran one of you people back in 'aught-four. Now shouldn't you give us another chance?"

4. Scorched earth defense. Losing is not the only option if you can at least smear up the reputation of the golden child the Democrats are running. Obama's overnight presidentialness has got them spooked at they need to try and do something to dent his armor.

5. Everyone has an angle to play in intra-party politics. Conservatives know Keyes will motivate the hardright base and hope this will give them a shot at getting control of the state party. Moderates know Keyes will get clobbered and hope that the debaucle will be enough of a jolt to the party's dignity that the conservatives will be discredited, or at least go back to being the junior partners in the Republican coalition.

[wndycty]

8. Kick

:kick:

[Terran]

14. Naw, I disagree

The Pathetic Factor outweighs ALL of the things you list. The republicans look obscenely, absurdly, pathetically opportunistic by running Keyes. It's not just that he's not from Illinois; it's also that the repubs felt they HAD to choose a Black man to run against Obama; it exposes their f*cked-up racialized thinking and their essential dishonesty. Keyes will get blown out of the water and Obama will have energized the Illinois Dems in doing so. And Keyes hasn't got anything to smear Obama with anyway. His 'I'm Blacker than Obama' thing is the lamest and most ridiculous item in recent American politics.

[wndycty]

9. Kick

:kick:

[Walt Starr]

10. NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! WE WANT BUSH TO ENDORSE KEYES!!!

This race isgetting National Attention!

The best possible thing that can happen to our side is to hound Bush with this question, "Do you endorse Alan Keyes for the U.S. Senate?"

[wndycty]

11. Exactly. . .however

I think the heat needs to be turned up to show the hypocrisy.

[Walt Starr]

12. What's REALLY important is for Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar

to come out AGAINST Keyes.

If they went for Obama, Keyes might not even get double digits at the polls.

[dansolo]

16. Not supporting Keyes is enough

We don't need to have them endorse Obama, because them not endorsing Keyes is sufficient. It is actually better this way, because they can't be discredited by backing the opponent.

[kwolf68]

15. Most fun I've had in politics in 20 years

I knew when the Republicans trotted out Mike Ditka and Ted Nugent that this Senate race was going to be fun. And at first, I thought Keyes would not be as much of a stark raving lunatic that either Ditka or Nuge.

Afterall, he’s been a consummate LOSER at every campaign stop. Surely someone told him to rejoin the planet earth, take a dose of reality and campaign smarter.

What he has done has been the biggest lose cannon in recent political history. His gibberish is generally incoherent yet when you can decipher his screed it makes one do a double-take. Keyes’s commentary is so unbelievable it makes me laugh.

We all knew Barak Obama was one hell of an impressive individual In my view, we need to get the Obama/Keyes matchup on the spotlight as often as we can by virtue of showing the American people, “That is THEIR way of thinking…this is OUR way of thinking”…We do that and you can put a fork in far-right politics with a gleam of religious quackery in the eye.

Keyes is such a stupid fool he doesn’t even make me mad.

[oasis]

17. Keyes playing the "black victimhhood" card. What a flip flop.

[wndycty]

18. I think its funny. . .he is basically calling Obama an uncle Tom

:kick:

[oasis]

20. The good news is: Keyes will have no credibility left after this election.

The bad new is: We will have to endure Keyes' bullshit, whacko pontificating until Nov. 2.

[tom_paine]

21. Like asking Nazis to disavow Heydrich

Not gonna happen.

[wndycty]

22. I know they won't however. . .

. . .we need to get on record as asking for them to. It just exploits their hypocrisy.

[tom_paine]

23. Good point, but records are meaningless in Orwellian Tyrannies

such as ours, where history is rewritten afresh every morning.

Their hypocrisy knows no bounds of coursew. Ours might also, if we were protected by the Biggest Propaganda Machine & Lie Laundry in Human History.