Why Alan Keyes Doesn't Impress Me Anymore
Many conservatives are enamored of Alan Keyes. It's understandable why -- he's an articulate, passionate black conservative. I used to be very impressed with him myself, since I voted for him in the 1996 Presidential primary.
Since then, I've gradually become less impressed with Keyes. He seems to be more a "talker" than a "doer". More and more, he reminds me of his counterparts on the left.
I used to listen to his radio show. I liked him, at first. He was a strong voice for social conservatism. Then it got to where I found him too strident and censorious. My views didn't change, and I still agreed with him. But his tone changed, and not for the better.
Then there's the whole "carpetbagging" thing, with his running against Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate race. I didn't like it when Hillary Clinton did it in New York, so why should I approve of it when Keyes does the same thing in Illinois?
The final straw: he has come out for reparations. He used to be opposed to them. This tells me that he's just pandering. I used to think Keyes was above that sort of thing.
I know this is heresy for a social conservative like me, and I know I'll probably get some flack for saying this, but Alan Keyes is very, very overrated.
I didn't like when Hilary did that in NY either - - I thought it completely wrong. Didn't the female Dole do the same in NC? Anyway - - him supporting reparations is indeed pandering. He wants all those inner city votes and he knows that is one way to get people to look at his "agenda".