is it my imagination or does this not make sense?

Alan Keyes Visits Central Illinois Posted: September 24, 2004

The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate says he's focusing on the issues that matter most to voters. Keyes made his way through East Central Illinois today saying he'll won't focus on the popular issues such as creating jobs in his campaign. He says he'll focus on issues that are important to him like ending abortion and not allowing gay marriage. Friday Keyes spread his message with stops in Effingham and Charleston. Keyes told the crowd in Effingham that Central Illinois is critical to his campaign. He says if he's elected he'll represent all of the people of Illinois.

O.K. so let's get this straight: the popular issues are jobs. Yet, Keyes will represent all of Illinois, but concentrate on the issues that are important to him (and possibly him alone), that is abortion and gay marriage. So I never wrote a book review of Thomas Frank's book, What's the Matter with Kansas, but my critique is: Conservatives can continue to say: "Jobs don't matter, only abortion and gay marriage do", as long as they have people convinced that "future of the nation" depends on abortion and gay marriage. So, what I think Frank's book ignores is: how did people become convinced such things about about abortion in the first place and how do we (liberals/progressives) ever change their mind? Until then, conservatives will continue to be of the mindset that jobs don't matter, only abortion does. As I've said before, with all apologies to Howard Dean, Alan Keyes represents the "Republican wing of the Republican party."