Keyes says game plan is controversy

[barb162]

Keyes says game plan is controversy

By Rick Pearson
Tribune political reporter
Published September 14, 2004

Declaring that his campaign strategy is dependent on controversy, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes told the state's top GOP donors at a recent closed-door meeting that he plans to make "inflammatory" comments "every day, every week" until the election, according to several sources at the session.

The sources said Keyes explained that his campaign has been unfolding according to plan and likened it to a war in which lighting the "match" of controversy was needed to ignite grass-roots voters.

"This is a war we're in," one source recounted Keyes as saying. "The way you win wars is that you start fires that will consume the enemy."

Keyes' comments came during a 40-minute address to about 20 leading Republican fundraisers and donors Thursday at the posh Chicago Club. The sources asked not to be identified to prevent additional pre-election controversy within an already divided GOP.
.snip.

Tribune staff reporter Liam Ford contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

[LoZoccolo]

1. Consuming the enemy.

What's it gone from being like 60-40 to like 70-30 so far? Sounds like he's consuming the Republican Party.

[LisaM]

2. Can't he make it every hour, every minute

then go out on the campaign trail with *?

[mopinko]

3. i read this article and thought

ok, trib, this is on the front page of your paper. it mentions that he is doing this to get the free media. so, is anyone on your editorial board thinking- well, maybe we shouldn't give it to him. hello?!?!

[barb162]

4. you have a good point and those damn trolls

I think every paper has a hard time with Keyes, because he comes off so odd that he is almost like a religious zealot circus act but at the same time he is a candidate for US Senate. The fact the reporters got this story shows some top GOP people in that room don't care too much about his strategy or him or his chances for winning. He's gotta watch out for all kinds of trolls under the bridges.