Keyes To Leave GOP, Seek Constitution Party Nomination

Pro-lifers dissatisfied with McCain may have an alternative: Alan Keyes, running under the banner of the Constitution Party.

In an email today, Illinois Constitution Party Chairman Randy Stufflebeam writes:

On April 15, Dr. Alan Keyes will be announcing that he is severing all ties with the Republican Party and joining the Constitution Party!!

According to Tom Hoefling, Dr. Keyes’ Political Director, there will be a live internet and media event at which Dr. Keyes will not only be making the announcement, but will also share the reasons behind his decision to leave and join the Constitution Party.

In October of last year, during the National Committee meeting that was held there, Dr. Keyes and his entourage stopped by to talk with us. I had the opportunity to sit next to Dr. Keyes as he was invited to speak to the Executive Committee during lunch. It was then that Dr. Keyes mentioned that if the Republican Party showed its true colors and nominated a person who did not represent the values that the Republicans once held, he would leave the party and join the Constitution Party.

I asked the pointed and poignant question, “Why wait? Why not do it now?” His response was that while he was certain what the Republican Party would do, he was not waiting for himself, but he was waiting so that other Republicans would see without doubt the Republican Party was no longer the party that it once was and be able to bring them along when he came. (Obviously, that evidence came in the wake of the certain nomination of John McCain.)

Admittedly, I was skeptical and remained so until tonight when I was on the Alan Keyes Conference call. Even without the official announcement of joining the Constitution Party, Alan Keyes’ staff and supporters are organizing to help the Constitution Party build quickly and get ballot access, especially in the exceptionally hard states such as Illinois and Texas. To put it mildly, I was pretty excited to hear what I heard tonight. [Emphasis added.]

Like other parties, the Constitution Party is not perfect, but it is arguably the only pro-life political party left in America. It claims to be the nation's "third-largest political party".

If this happens, it will mean that McCain has even more incentive than before to make a positive appeal (which he has not yet done) to social conservatives. I wonder if he will?

Some Republican conservatives, however, are taking this as an insult, and advise the CP not to go with Keyes:

While it's perfectly understandable to be frustrated with the GOP nationally and statewide, be forewarned that your hopes to ever establish a credible conservative-principled party will be seriously damaged if you jump on this bandwagon. Please do not make a mockery of solid moral beliefs and political ideology by encouraging Keyes' ludicrous effort at any level.

If anyone of substance could reason with the former ambassador, he or she should have tried to convince him to stay out of the Republican presidential primary and most certainly would do his or her best to squelch yet another national political embarrassment.

Keyes, at the very least, chose the wrong date to unveil his GOP defection and his latest insult to those who once promoted him. Keyes' big announcement should have been planned for two weeks earlier. April 1st would have been much more appropriate. [Emphasis added.]