Alan Keyes Leaving GOP? : Dispatches from the Creation Wars

ScienceBlogs Book Club: Inside the Outbreaks

Profile

Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

Search

Other Information

Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb

Ed Brayton is a participant in the Center for Independent Media New Journalism Program. However, all of the statements, opinions, policies, and views expressed on this site are solely Ed Brayton's. This web site is not a production of the Center, and the Center does not support or endorse any of the contents on this site.

Ed's Audio and Video

Declaring Independence podcast feed

YearlyKos 2007

Video of speech on Dover and the Future of the Anti-Evolution Movement

Audio of Greg Raymer Interview

E-mail Policy

Any and all emails that I receive may be reprinted, in part or in full, on this blog with attribution. If this is not acceptable to you, do not send me e-mail - especially if you're going to end up being embarrassed when it's printed publicly for all to see.

My Ecosystem Details

« Hutcherson Tries to Intimidate Librarian | Main | More FBI Abuse of National Security Letters »

Alan Keyes Leaving GOP?

Posted on: March 15, 2008 9:23 AM, by Ed Brayton

Alan Keyes is considering leaving the Republican party and declaring himself a candidate for president for the openly theocratic and horribly misnamed Constitution Party. John Lofton says he's gonna do it, and he apparently held a conference call with his supporters - both of them - and asked them to pray about the decision. Those involved in the call think this is all but imminent. I just hope he stays in the public eye. No one brings the crazy quite so amusingly as Alan Keyes.

Comments

I hear that Jesse Ventura is also thinking of running. Perhaps they could team up and become the new Constitution Party dream team.

Posted by: yoshi | March 15, 2008 10:18 AM

Hopefully he will peel off a few nutbag votes from McCain.

Posted by: Rob | March 15, 2008 11:39 AM

Oh, I hope he'll run. I know several Republican voters who really belong with him.

Posted by: decrepitoldfool | March 15, 2008 12:05 PM

The Constitution Party is a front group for the Chalcedon Foundation, right? I seem to remember hearing that somewhere.

Posted by: Wes | March 15, 2008 12:19 PM

yoshi:

I could be wrong, but I always got the impression of Jesse Ventura as being distinctly non-religious.

Still doesn't say anything about the absurdity of the name of the "Constitution" Party -- they certainly aren't the strict constructionists they seem to want to claim they are by any stretch of the imagination.

Posted by: Brian X | March 15, 2008 1:05 PM

A spoiler candidate for the Republican crazy faction? Oh, be still my heart.

Posted by: BruceH | March 15, 2008 1:08 PM

The Constitution Party, formerly the U.S. Taxpayers Party, is an openly theocratic party with ties to the militia movement. They are already on the ballot in a dozen or so states, but would have to petition their way on to the rest. Some other far right parties have talked merger and endorsed their candidate in the past.

In 2004 they flirted with Roy Moore as a candidate. He was the Alabama judge who lost his job over his desire to plant a giant Ten Commandments monument in the lobby of the court house and defy the Supreme Court's order to remove it. They have also courted Pat Buchanan. Keyes would be the biggest name they have ever captured.

Posted by: John McKay | March 15, 2008 1:14 PM

Re Brian X

Mr. Ventura would be very much a poor fit for this party as he is an admitted agnostic, and in fact if rather libertarian in his outlook.

Posted by: SLC | March 15, 2008 1:25 PM

"Since you are Keys about his associations...when are you going to talk about Obamas associations with the American hating pastor of his?"

Even if we agree that Obama's pastor is particularly odious (I don't, I think he rules), Obama hasn't publicly endorsed his positions as Alan Keyes has for the theocratic whackjobs.

Posted by: Tyler DiPietro | March 15, 2008 2:38 PM

"Better deal with it early on, or get Swift Boated."

*yawn*

A dreamer. Let us leave him.

Posted by: Rob | March 15, 2008 2:47 PM

Wes wrote:

The Constitution Party is a front group for the Chalcedon Foundation, right? I seem to remember hearing that somewhere.

No, that's silly. I'm sure there's some overlap between them, since the Constitution Party has a clearly theocratic agenda. But one is not a front group for the other.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | March 15, 2008 2:56 PM

I am of course amused by the fact that people like our new friend Swift Boat Fan fail to grasp that this is all part of Hussein's grand scheme for world domination.

LA-LE-LU-LE-LO, LA-LE-LU-LE-LO...

Posted by: Tyler DiPietro | March 15, 2008 3:12 PM

Wes wrote:

The Constitution Party is a front group for the Chalcedon Foundation, right? I seem to remember hearing that somewhere.

No, that's silly. I'm sure there's some overlap between them, since the Constitution Party has a clearly theocratic agenda. But one is not a front group for the other.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | March 15, 2008 2:56 PM

I must have heard wrong then. I'd thought I'd read somewhere that the Constitution Party was to the Chalcedon Foundation as, say, the Natural Law Party is to the Transcendental Meditation movement (ie, more of a promotional tool than a serious party). But I can't remember where I read that, and whoever wrote it must have been exaggerating. My bad.

Posted by: Wes | March 15, 2008 3:36 PM

Alan Keyes running for President? Awesome!!1!!1!one!!

It would be great to put him and Ralph Nader onto some kind of reality TV show. Do you think "The Biggest Loser" is taken yet?

Posted by: carlsonjok | March 15, 2008 3:39 PM

Somehow not surprising. But I think Ron Paul's basically got a guaranteed nomination from the Constitution Party if he chooses to run.

Posted by: Coin | March 15, 2008 4:38 PM

I don't know about the Constitution Party being a promotional front for the Chalcedon Foundation. R.J. Rushdoony was a guest speaker at a party convention back when it was called the US Taxpayers Party. Regardless of any formal connection between Chalcedon and the Constitution Party, just the thought of having Rushdoony as speaker is enough for me.

Posted by: Bill in NC | March 15, 2008 5:16 PM

Keyes marches lockstep to the GOP platform - making him the true heir apparent to Ronald Reagan. Its a mystery why he did not do well in the GOP primaries.

Apparently there is something about him the nuts don't like - just can't quite figure it out.......

Posted by: shrike | March 15, 2008 6:12 PM

Swift Boat Fan, what "associations" does Obama, who has said he does not agree with his pastor's anti-American remarks-something you conveniently forgot to mention- have with the latter (yes, the very fact that Wright is Obama's pastor is an "association," but you used the plural form of that word). While John Hagee and Rod Parsley aren't John McCain's ministers, he still eagerly sought out their endorsements, while the equivalent did not occur at all with Obama and Jeremiah Wright. One of Hagee's televised sermons was titled "America: the Portrait of Paganism." Parsley, in his book Silent No More, wrote that America is in a state of "spiritual desperation." Neither of these remarks exactly ring out with pro-American sentiment, and neither of them have been criticized by McCain.

Posted by: daniel rotter | March 15, 2008 7:27 PM

I gotta agree with shrike. I feel sorry for Alan Keyes. When you're a minority and a bigot, you can't have all that many friends.

Posted by: Brandon | March 15, 2008 11:03 PM

Just a reminder the mindless Republicans in my state of Illinois abandoned Mr Keyes in droves when our completely inept state party brought him in to run against Mr Obama, who won in a landslide.

Frankly from some of the posts here, I would think some of you might make good company for Mr Keyes and his loopy intolerance. Ignorance is ignorance on the left or the right. It obviously exists in droves.

Posted by: zeke | March 16, 2008 12:50 AM

"Better deal with it early on, or get Swift Boated."

Can't we have both?

Posted by: I know | March 16, 2008 1:04 AM

I had a roommate that was into Alan Keyes. He had bumper stickers on the walls, so I looked him up. Scary. Made it hard to sleep in the same room with a veritable theocrat.

Posted by: Inoculated Mind | March 16, 2008 1:18 AM

Well I can say is that the Constitution Party's loss is the Republican Party's gain.

Posted by: James K | March 16, 2008 1:34 AM

horribly misnamed Constitution Party.

Why so? It sounds lime you would need a strong constitution to be a member.

Posted by: Bob O'H | March 16, 2008 7:49 AM

They didn't say which Constitution.
I'm sure they would be more than happy to write a new one, Now With More JESUS!

Posted by: Ick of the East | March 16, 2008 10:06 AM

Smug scoffers. If you used only a particle of your intelligence to research facts instead of relying on what the almighty television biased talking heads TELL you, you might actually be able to make an informed decision.

This nation was built on Godly principles and was greatly successful when we adhered to them. Too many in America, especially our leaders, have turned away from God and instead are selfish, greedy, dishonest, corrupt, licentious, lazy and into power, leisure, entertainment, pornography, gambling, racism, biggotry, abortion, etc. God's ways aren't restrictive. They are, in fact, liberating. There are none so enslaved as those who are driven by their passions and burdened with guilt.

We have never been perfect, but there was a time when we had deeper respect for each other, putting others and country first. When we could count on society to uphold our own values, and the people actually had a say in government.

That's my definition of conservative. Conserve America. Neither political party is interested in America. Their both only interested in power and controlling the people.

There's only one presidential candidate who, if given a chance, could restore America to its good people. Alan Keyes. I dare you to look into Alan Keyes and have a heart-to-heart with yourself and God. www.alankeyes.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUbUBTlmAiA

Posted by: Katrinka Yobotz | March 16, 2008 8:26 PM

Katrinka Yobotz wrote:

Too many in America, especially our leaders, have turned away from God and instead are selfish, greedy, dishonest, corrupt, licentious, lazy and into power, leisure, entertainment, pornography, gambling, racism, biggotry, abortion, etc.

Okay, let's take a look at some of these in relation to Alan Keyes. In 2000, he declared that he "deeply resented" the "death of federalism" represented by Hillary Clinton going to New York, where she did not live, to run for the Senate. Yet in 2004, he moved to Illinois, a state he did not live in, to run for the Senate against Obama. I'd say that qualifies as dishonest and "into power." He was so into power that he didn't care that his doing so completely contradicted his previous position and turned him into a liar.

How about bigoted? I'd say throwing one's own daughter out when she comes out as a lesbian qualifies, wouldn't you?

Posted by: Ed Brayton | March 16, 2008 8:47 PM

Wow, since when did colonial Massachusetts have computers?

Posted by: Brandon | March 16, 2008 9:35 PM

We have never been perfect, but there was a time when we had deeper respect for each other, putting others and country first. When we could count on society to uphold our own values, and the people actually had a say in government.

Maybe you ought to try actually reading the Bible some day...

Ecclesiastes 7:10
Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"
For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Posted by: Wes | March 16, 2008 10:24 PM

If I had to vote for a wingnut, I would vote for Keyes. Because

A) He has no chance of winning. The shame that comes with the feeling that you are responsible for this is eliminated.
B) If one would vote for a candidate with no chance of winning, why not the one who was in Borat?

Posted by: Skwee | March 16, 2008 10:54 PM

In the context of a post advocating that people vote for Alan Keyes to be President of the United States of America, Ms. Yobotz frets that "too many Americans" are "into power." So being the president carries no "power" behind it? Whatever.

She also writes that "neither political party is interested in America." First of all, there are more than two political parties in this country. Also, as recently as 2004, Alan Keyes ran as a Republican in a U.S. Senate race. By her own logic then, just four years ago, her preferred choice to be the U.S. President ran on the ticket of a "political party" that is not "interested in America."

There's something called self-awarness, Ms. Yobotz. You should try looking into it sometime.

Posted by: daniel rotter | March 17, 2008 12:40 AM

I hope Mr. Keyes decides to go ahead and run. The last time he went up against Barack Obama, he netted a hilarious 27% of the vote. Besides, without him, the GOP will have to rely on their other black guy.

Do you really expect to find Christian compassion and forgiveness with this guy, Ms. Yobotz? The man disowned his own daughter when she came out. Even Dick Cheney isn't that much of a bastard.

Oh, and making sure that people have a say in government, Ms. Yobotz? He wants to take away your right to vote for senators. http://www.ubersite.com/m/41646

Posted by: Master Mahan | March 17, 2008 4:33 AM

A very obvious troll wrote:

I've made an informed decision. Keyes is a loonball, and
I didn't need "television biased talking heads" to make that decision: I read his quotes.

Any other stupid statements you'd like to make?

Posted by: Chris Krolczyk | March 20, 2008 8:30 PM