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I had forgotten that Jim Oberweis implied in 2004 that Alan Keyes was “a god.”

GOPer Jim Oberweis likened Keyes to a “god” when Keyes officially announced his entrance into the Senate race over the weekend. “I was asked in the last week or so what I think it would be like to run against a god …” Oberweis said. “Why don’t you ask [Democratic Senate candidate Barack] Obama, ’cause he’s gonna find out.'’

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 3:52 pm

Comments

I liked Keyes too, although I doubt if I’d liken him to a god. Unfortunately, Topinka and her minions set him up to lose. He was from out of state, and he came across as being too far to the right, which hurt him, Illinois being the mecca of liberalism that it is. I still have to decide who I’ll vote for in the primary. So far I don’t have a really good idea about that. Whoever I vote for in the primary will most likely lose, and the guy that wins the primary will lose the general to Blago. At least when Blago does win, no one can blame me.

Comment by John Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:01 pm
God for the ignorant and terminally clueless.

Comment by Anon Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:04 pm
John - Make up your mind.. Now Topinka is recruiting candidates that are too conservative when she is too liberal… Your boy Rauchy recruited Keyes and Obie one referred to him as a ‘God’. LOL You cant have it both ways. You sound like a guy whos cup is always half-empty.

Comment by Tony Soprano Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:11 pm
And I thought communism was ‘the god that failed.’

Comment by So-Called "Austin Mayor" Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:28 pm
Isn’t it obvious? Topinka is a liberal, so she recruited a guy who was too conservative to win in Illinois, therefore allowing Obama to run virtually uncontested. And Obama as you may recall, is a liberal. Had Topinka picked a candidate who was closer to the center, Obama may have had a tougher go of it. But by picking Keyes, she assured that Obama would cruise to an easy victory.

Comment by John Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:34 pm
Wow, according to John, it’s JBT who’s got divine powers. She can bend the state GOP to her will!

(Actually, I don’t know if I’d call that particular power “divine.” Nor is it a “superpower.” It’s far lamer, more akin to the hilariously unimpressive powers possessed by the characters in the movie Mystery Men, such as the ability to become invisible only when no one is watching, or amazing dexterity with an ordinary shovel.)

Comment by insider Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:48 pm
I just heard that Oberweis and Brady had a debate, and one was for abortion and lax on illegal immigration, and one was not. Does anyone know who is the one opposed to those things?

Comment by John Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 4:57 pm
Rich:

Oberweis “implied.” The speaker implies, the listener infers.

I’m implying this is further evidence Oberweis is not dealing with a full deck, you may infer from that that I believe he will lose.

Comment by gpd Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 5:05 pm
I’m not sure Oberweis was that far off in his remark. Alan Keyes pretended to be God, or at least His Messenger. And everybody involved knew what he was intending to do long before he rented his apartment in Calumet City. As I recall, didn’t the White House nix Oberweis?

Maybe Dan Proft and Bill Pascoe could inform the debate about which GOP gov candidate is most to blame? And they can each take a bite of the blame sandwich being passed around the GOP lunch.

Did too.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 5:12 pm
John - Great point. The goal is to pick a candidate close to the central. You are learning my friend!!

Comment by Tony Soprano Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 5:43 pm
Rich,

I have seen the past few days that you seem to be going on the attack against Oberweis more than the others. Yes, you did say he won the debate, however, you’ve done a whole lot more destroying than you have helping.

Do you have something against Oberweis? Or are you just hoping to increase your reader base and have more people attack Oberweis?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 6:56 pm
Its hard to keep Oberweiss’s personality straight. Did he say that before or after he called his base the Taliban?

Comment by GOPJay Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 7:10 pm
Anyone who thinks “Poor Nice Guy Jimmy Oberweis” is getting picked on should read the trash-talking being spouted by Roeser’s Goon Squad on the FTN affiliated sites. They have done everything but call Topinka the Whore of Babylon, and I can believe that is on tap for next week.

Despite all the preachy moralism, Oberweis has NOT agreed to the Code of Conduct proposed by McKenna, while Topinka and Brady both did. It is now obvious why Jim’s agreement is absent - Oberweis and Roeser intend to take the Low Road, all the way to March. Some “Governor.”

Comment by Bubs Friday, Jan 27, 06 @ 7:29 pm
I think Oberweis was actually referring to the fact that Keyes was a well known candidate with a lot of experience, a political “god” if you will. In the beginning, if you all can remember, Keyes was the Republican party’s “saving light” for any chance to beat Obama. He obviously didn’t come through on that at all but many of the Republicans were trying to help promote Keyes in any way they could.

Oberweis went out there and promoted Keyes despite the fact that the Republican party had just slapped him the face by not choosing him as the nominee after coming in 2nd in the primary. I give credit to Oberweis for doing all he could to help Keyes in that uncomfortable situation.

Comment by Redfish Saturday, Jan 28, 06 @ 9:55 am
With all of the bashing going on of Judy, Oberweiss,etc., I haven’t heard many negatives of a serious nature (or at all for that matter) of Bill Brady. I really don’t know much about him other than he seemed to come off rather well and polished in the Naperville, Illinois debates last Wednesday. Could he be the candidate that the rest of us moderately conservative GOPers are looking for? Like Goldilocks in the Three Bears, I feel Judy is too liberal/panders too much, Oberweis might be too conservative/radical when it suits his situation, and Brady might be the candidate that seems just right which is somewhere in the middle of the other two. Does that make sense for anybody else out there? Am I misreading Brady? Like I say, I know very little about him. I would have voted for Rauschenberger if he had stayed in the race. I am an Eisenhower/Reagan kind of GOP guy. I don’t want to come across as a zealot like looney Alan Keyes nor do I want to be a spineless whimp and pander to those who I feel the need for others to love me so I don’t feel comfortable with Judy. What’s your thoughts Rich? Who is “just right”?

Comment by Beowulf Saturday, Jan 28, 06 @ 11:45 am
Beowulf, who’s “just right” is the question. Who’s just right to beat Blagojevich(which everyone seems to want)? Can Judy pull the party together to go against Blagojevich? Can Oberweis stand toe to toe with Blagojevich in a debate of in-depth public policy issues? Brady can as a main stream conservative has friends though out the party and can pull us all together. Senator Brady knows the issues and can go toe to toe with Blagojevich and win, for the future of the party and the the state.

Comment by Anon Saturday, Jan 28, 06 @ 9:03 pm
Actually, Oberweis has refused to sign the code because it does not include a provision to remove Bob Kjellander from office. Quite a few county chairmen are refusing to sign as well.

Comment by Jeff Saturday, Jan 28, 06 @ 11:30 pm
Perhaps he ment Zod http://www.zod2008.com/

Comment by OneMan Sunday, Jan 29, 06 @ 1:14 pm