The most famous Senate race in history was the 1858 contest between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in Illinois. The debates between those two men were legendary and they centered on race and slavery. So how interesting that the same state will hold the first Senate race between two Harvard educated blacks.
Obama is the future star of the Democrats and the politics in Illinois is such that I think Keyes is a big underdog. Still, Keyes is the best conservative debater in the country and this battle will be watched by the entire country. The uniqueness of the race will bring language and positions that candidates have been afraid to touch in the past.
Republican Alan Keyes ripped into Democratic rival Barack Obama's views on abortion Monday, calling them "the slaveholder's position," as the U.S. Senate race roared back to life in Illinois.
"I would still be picking cotton if the country's moral principles had not been shaped by the Declaration of Independence," Keyes said. He said Obama "has broken and rejected those principles-- he has taken the slaveholder's position."
Obama, who has been basking in national celebrity since delivering the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, suggested Keyes is outside the moderate mainstream of state Republicans.
Asked specifically about the phrase "slaveholder's position," Obama said Keyes "should look to members of his own party to see if that's appropriate if he's going to use that kind of language."
Keyes bold statement is what makes him an interesting candidate to watch. He's not shy.
But I think Obama's calm reaction is even more interesting. Obama's call for Keyes to "look to members of his own party" is eerily like asking Keyes to check with his masters for permission to be himself.
Obama would have enjoyed facing Ryan where the race subject was in his hip pocket to be used by him and him alone. Now he's got to remind Keyes that Republicans are not allowed to use slavery allusions too. So much good that will do him.
OTHER THOUGHTS - Jonah Goldberg has a different take on Keyes attempt in Illinois.
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