Did you know who Alan Keyes was before this debate?

[SonicInfinity]

Honestly, I had heard ZERO mention of him before this debate. I saw him in there and was like, "who's that?!"

[jumpyg1258]

John Cox is also running in this race. Theres quite a few people on the Republican ticket that usually do not get invited to the debates.

[Paulitician]

Duh. We has in the first PBS debate and he was also included in the Values Voters debate.

[Bradley in DC]

Univision lists 20 Republicans running:

http://www.univision.com/content/channel.jhtml?secid=4381

[osofaux]

I'd heard of him but had never seen him before this debate. All I can say about him is... Yikes.

[SonicInfinity]

Univision lists 20 Republicans running:

http://www.univision.com/content/channel.jhtml?secid=4381

GOOD GRIEF. Half of those I've never even seen before.

[Luther]

He ran for U.S. Senate against Barack Obama in 2004 and managed to get about 15 percent of the vote.

[garyallen59]

Keyes was the "genuine chocolate face" from Borat

[JimDude]

John Cox is also running in this race. Theres quite a few people on the Republican ticket that usually do not get invited to the debates.


John Cox dropped out

[Benaiah]

I was going to vote for Alan Keys in the 2000 primary. But it was already decided that Bush was the victor by the time it came to my state.

[mpython77]

I personally thought he dropped out....... surprise surprise

[Paul4Prez]

He received 14% of the vote in Iowa in 2000, and finished third. It would have been a travesty for them not to invite him to a debate in Iowa.

[jlink7]

I actually feel sorry for the guy... he did have some decent points last night and I feel that the moderator was clearly avoiding him entirely on many questions. I don't blame him for "busting the time limit" when it was his turn because he so rarely got to speak.

[fluoridatedbrainsoup]

Alan Keyes stumps for Ron Paul at 7:48 in the video at this link - it's intense: http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=211549

[BMyers]

I was going to vote for Alan Keys in the 2000 primary. But it was already decided that Bush was the victor by the time it came to my state.

Supported him in 2000 as well.

-Bill

[hellah10]

i supported keyes in 2000... i think he is a legit politician... i have no beef with him, but i was not happy that he cut off dr. paul yesterday.

he's well educated and has alot of experience in diplomacy

[AisA1787]

I thought Keyes was very well spoken, made a lot of great points, and was honest. However, I'm afraid that some of his talk about religion and morals, and how it's critical to the republic, fell on deaf ears or was dismissed as simple preaching. George Washington held many of the same beliefs, and stated them publicly.


"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

-George Washington, 1796 Farewell Address

It's a shame that people like Huckabee use religion as a justification for dictatorship, and it turns a lot of people off to the religious history of our country.

[hawks4ronpaul]

I knew of Keyes in the 1990s.

The 1996 GOP primary had

Keyes (somewhat libertarian/Constitutionalist),

Steve Forbes (flat tax), and

Phil Gramm (PhD Economics, wrote "Laissez-Faire and the Optimum Quantity of Money." Economic Inquiry 12 (March 1974), deficit hawk who co-authored balance budget acts that made the '90s "balanced budgets" possible)

but the party chose the "tax collector for the welfare state," Bob Dole.

http://hawks4ronpaul.blogspot.com/

[Dave Pedersen]

He sure is an articulate prima donna. Too bad he is so full of himself.

[jumpyg1258]

John Cox dropped out

Awww "Mr. Vote For Me Cause Im A Corporate CEO" droped out? Shucks. But seriously that what his whole campaign was centered on, that he was a CEO and that made him qualified to be president.

As far as Alan Keyes, hes a joke plain and simple. He tells us to run our lives like how God wanted but yet has disowned his own daughter. Hes for a Christian Theocracy, not a Democratic-Republic.

[acstichter]

There's a video from this year in which Keyes busts on Ron Paul's foreign policy. Keyes is a big war hawk and want to take it to the Middle East in a big way.

[Todd]

Yes.
His views are pretty good, but he is preachy and comes across as always.... "Acting!...Thank Yaw".

[dvictr]

Univision lists 20 Republicans running:

http://www.univision.com/content/channel.jhtml?secid=4381

great our main source is a spanish language website

[Shooterman]

He ran for U.S. Senate against Barack Obama in 2004 and managed to get about 15 percent of the vote.

He also ran in the 2000 PUB Primaries before Baby Bush got the nomination. He is really a very sharp and intelligent person. He, however, should not have been in that debate.

[Shooterman]

I was going to vote for Alan Keys in the 2000 primary. But it was already decided that Bush was the victor by the time it came to my state.

As it turned out, more is the pity.

[Omnis]

I learned how crazy Alan Keyes was at the ValuesVoters debate.

[Primbs]

Keyes got 14% in Iowa in 2000 against Bush. He is probably going to pull votes away from somebody.

[ConstitutionGal]

Keyes got 14% in Iowa in 2000 against Bush. He is probably going to pull votes away from somebody.

Hopefully, Huck and Fred :D

[Ridiculous]

I thought Keyes was very well spoken


I find it funny that people say he is so well spoken about educated black men. You never hear anyone say he is so well spoken about a white dude.

Chris Rock on white folk and Colin Powell: "... he speaks so well. He's so well spoken. He speaks so well. 'Speaks so well' is not a compliment!!! 'Speaks so well' is something you say about retarded people who can talk!"

[idiom]

Actually most of the white guys stutter and have limited vocabs.

After Bush, being well spoken is a requirement. Maybe its the only requirement they think Alan Keyes meets.

[abruzz0]

Haha. I've known about Alan Keyes 10 times longer than Ron Paul. I thought Alan was tremendous in the debate, in a comedic sort of way. He had no real business up there, but at least he didn't talk like dead weight. It provided some entertainment. Hell, Alan and Ron Paul are the only ones who talk like they're human.

[noztnac]

Alan Keyes belonged in that debate more that any of the candidates except for Ron Paul. I don't always agree with him but he is principled and honest. That's more than I can say for the rest of them.

John Cox is also a great guy. Unfortunately our system requires more than being an honest person with a respect for the constitution. Actually, in the case of Romney, Thompson, Giuliani, and Huckabee it simply requires something altogether different i.e. money and a willingness to cave in to the system.

[Eleutheros]

The first time I heard of Alan Keyes was in a Youtube parody video called "Condilicious" when this "actor" portraying Alan Keyes raps:

Lis-ten up yall, 'cause Con-di's pissed
She's ti-red of you I-raq pes-si-mists

To this day, every time I hear Alan Keyes name, that rap always comes to mind.

[Johncjackson]

I was going to vote for Alan Keys in the 2000 primary. But it was already decided that Bush was the victor by the time it came to my state.

Same here. I no longer agree with a lot of his views, but he was the small govt, anti-IRS candidate in 2000. He also easily won every debate against GWB.

In fact, 2000 primary was when it really hit me that debate performance doesn't matter that much. Bush was the chosen one and could barely hold his own in the debates. Keyes was excellent and got 0 coverage. He was considered "fringe" in 2000 for the same reasons RP is now. Though I think perhaps Keyes has earned the label more since then.

[FireofLiberty]

Keyes kicked his daughter, Maya, out for being a lesbian and cut her off. Yet, every chance he gets, he shills about "family values" and the "erosion of the family unit" or whatever.

[Kingfisher]

Keyes is probably closer to R.P. in Values than any of the rest

[Alex]

I knew the name Alan Keyes as the guy who lost to Obama in the Senate race. First time I actually saw him was the PBS Debate

[jwbowman]

I saw him put the smack down on Alan Dershowitz several years ago in a debate that pitted Religion (championed by Keyes) against Atheism (championed by Dershowitz -- right before he put his human rights legal activities on hold to be the first to champion the use of torture).

[Oliver]

I saw him in two debates - the last one was "Des Something"
and the other one was on PBS some months ago...

[user]

Tancredo, Buchanan, and now Keyes. It's still incredible to me that there are RP supporters who also like those people.

[Politicallore]

I voted no, but by accident.
He played a big role in the 2000 election
He really is a great debater

[Alex Libman]

Keyes was doing the same thing in 2000. I wasn't following politics back then, but I've watched Michael Moore's "The Awful Truth" (not a fan of Moore anymore!) and Alan Keyes was the only GOP candidate who agreed to do Moore's mosh pit thing (http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2000-01-28)! I guess that's why he got his 15 minutes of fame and a very brief show on MSNBC, "Alan Keyes is... Making Sense"... LOL!

[Ogren]

He also ran in the 2000 PUB Primaries before Baby Bush got the nomination. He is really a very sharp and intelligent person. He, however, should not have been in that debate.

Thats absurd. He has a right to voice his opinions just like any other candidate on that stage. Alot of his views make more sense than most of the candidate running anyways.

[MadTheologian]

I've met Keyes a few years ago at a pro-life dinner in Fort Wayne. Quite good, and I even have a pic of him and me.

I'm still pro-life...but oh! how much more I've changed since then!

[Revolution9]

Honestly, I had heard ZERO mention of him before this debate. I saw him in there and was like, "who's that?!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16YGYVEuWRs&mode=related&search

Keyes in a former incarnation..

HTH
Randy