'We Need Alan Keyes for President' Website Launched
Aims to inspire grassroots support for moral conservative leader
PHILADELPHIA, June 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- An organization calling itself "We Need Alan Keyes for President" has launched a website to press the former Reagan administration diplomat to enter the field of Republican presidential contenders.
According to a statement at the website -- AlanKeyes.com -- the organization's purpose is to "determine and rally support for a presidential candidacy by Dr. Keyes."
The statement adds, "We Need Alan Keyes for President, Inc., is a political action committee . . . not managed by Alan Keyes."
The effort is spearheaded by several individuals at RenewAmerica, a grassroots organization affiliated with Keyes.
Stephen Stone, president of RenewAmerica, said, "At this point, Alan has not indicated that he will run. In fact, he has said that he would run only if enough people at the grassroots come forward to say they want him to run. Our job is to give them a chance to do so."
Added RenewAmerica's legal counsel Steven Voigt, chief of staff to the draft Keyes movement: "Alan believes that the American people, themselves, are the key to restoring the values that are essential to the future of our nation. He has therefore stressed that it's ultimately up to grassroots Americans to decide who they want in the arena. If enough moral conservatives want him, he's indicated he will run."
"The bottom line," continued Stone, "is that a lot of people are waiting for a moral conservative leader to stand forth and represent them, and to date, no one appears to be doing so. This is not to question the integrity or credentials of several fine individuals -- mainly among the so-called 'second tier' GOP hopefuls. But moral conservatives appear to see no outstanding leader among the current candidates who energizes and inspires them."
Keyes served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations under President Ronald Reagan. Previous to that, he served as Reagan's ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He spent 11 years in the U.S. State Department, before being drafted to run for the U.S. Senate from Maryland in 1988. At a fundraising event for Keyes, President Reagan said the diplomat "reflects the values and bedrock principles of this great nation." Keyes also won the Maryland GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate from Maryland in 1992, defeating a primary field of 13 candidates.
Ambassador Keyes ran for president in 1996 and 2000, on a pro-life, pro-family, tax-reform plank. In 2004, he responded to a call from pro-life conservatives in the Illinois Republican Party to challenge Barack Obama for an open Senate seat, replacing Jack Ryan, who dropped out three months before the election.
In recent years, Stone said, "Keyes has stood fast in support of moral conservatives who were battling to defend traditional marriage in Massachusetts, save Terri Schiavo from judicial murder in Florida, restore protection for the unborn in South Dakota, and stop the abuse of federal judicial power against Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama."
"Keyes has also made countless appearances before moral conservative groups, championing the work of crisis pregnancy centers, encouraging the role in politics of Christian believers, and calling for the establishment of secure U.S. borders," added Voigt. "He has ceaselessly advanced the need to give top priority to restoring America's moral principles -- by observing the Constitution's protection for the life of our posterity in the womb, and by restoring respect for the procreational family, based on the union, by marriage, of one man and one woman."
Keyes also writes columns that appear at WorldNetDaily.com and RenewAmerica.us.
