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And Now, A Word From Mark Kirk

Now Batting, Number 42, Mark...Mark...Kirk...Kirk...

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  September 13th, 2010 at 09:00 PM  | 

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Via Ed Morrissey, who looks at the landscape and implications in Illinois, Mark Kirk is explicitly campaigning as the 42nd vote against the Democrats in the lame duck session in December – which he probably needs to do because in Illinois, for reasons not worth rehashing here, there’s actually a second line on the ballot in which Roland Burris is running for re-election just for that one month (and also because Kirk is still running well behind the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee and needs to give people a reason to get excited about him):

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  • futurerep

    As a resident of Mark Kirk’s Congressional District, and a Republican who has met Congressman Kirk many times, I urge all Illinois voters to vote for Congressman Kirk. He will be a true fiscal conservative in the Senate.

    • http://www.libertytreehugger.com reverelth

      how a “true fiscal conservative” votes for Cap and Trade…ever?

      But at least Kirk is calling himself the 42nd vote against Democrats in the lame duck session, and Mike Castle is stuck in the “Nuts and Sluts” gear.

      http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2010/09/nuts-and-sluts-in-delaware.html

    • cbc80

      …when I talked to his staff yesterday. That’s exactly what they said “He will be a true fiscal conservative in the Senate.”…I said no true fiscal conservative would have voted for cap and tax. They had no answer for me on that.

      They told me he voted for it cause it was good for his district. He’s now reassessed…and feels that it isn’t good for the state though,

      pretty lame answer. But i guess it’s the best they can come up with.

      I’m going to hold my nose…and vote for him. Ande bring my family to the polls too. We’ll see how it goes if he wins.

  • futurerep

    Congressman Kirk made one bad vote. He’s far better than having progressive Alexi Giannoulias in the Senate. Look at Kirk’s voting record on a whole, not just that one foolish vote.

    • eburke

      and Republican in the general, so I want Kirk to win this thing because he’s better than the alternative.

      But to say that he’s made ‘one foolish vote’ is just divorced from reality. You don’t get to be one of the 5 most liberal Republicans in the House on the basis of ‘one foolish vote.’

      To try to sell him to conservatives with illogic like that ain’t gonna work. Better to admit that he’s a moderate/liberal Republican but he’s better than the Dem than to sell him as something he’s not.

  • http://online.logcabin.org/about/ suzieQ

    And his support of cap-and-trade is just the beginning. For me it is his positions on life.
    http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Mark_Kirk_Abortion.htm

    Voted NO on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions.
    Voted NO on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime.
    Voted NO on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes.

    And saving the worst for last:
    Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record.

    Sorry, if NARAL supports you, then I don’t.

    • eburke

      are now him and the dude with the last name I can’t spell who has a D after his name.

      That’s it.

      If we want a better choice next time, we need to run better candidates. But the future ain’t now so who do you want to be the next senator from Illinois?

      It’s gonna be one of those two. I’ll take the R (and a bucket of clothespins for $200, Alex)

      • Dan McLaughlin

        previously held by Barack Obama and Joe Biden, with Kirk and the Delaware race. Naturally, those are not gonna be great places to run a conservative.

      • cookcountyconservative

        but I’m struggling with this vote too – on this issue in particular. There is nothing I want more than Harry Reid gone. I’ve put aside the cap & tax vote, but this one is make-or-break for a lot of us. It’s a moral issue, so many may just not vote at all in this race. I’ve been working my district, (IL-3 even Lipinksi (D) knows enough where to stand on this issue here) and that’s what I hear back from both R’s and D’s.

        Also – he had a lot of help from the NRSC to shove-out any viable competition to him in the primary,

        • eburke

          Scott Brown is the only pro-choice candidate I’ve ever contributed to in my life.

          Ever!!!!

          But he was still better than Martha Coakley. In case you’ve missed the umpteen dozen posts I’ve made assailing Mike Castle, I’m not a fan of his either. I hope Christine O’Donnell wins tomorrow and one of the biggest reasons is because I am absolutely disgusted with the way the Republican Establishment engaged in a scorched earth policy against her because they had nothing else because Castle is even to the left of Kirk.

          But if Castle should win tomorrow, the choice will be between him and an even worse choice, believe it or not. So, I will suck it up and support the guy (which in my case means not saying anything negative about the guy from now until Nov. 2;)
          It means that if I lived in DE I would find a bottle of Jack Daniels, chug it, go vote for the guy, and, when my hangover wore off, immediately set about getting inside the DE GOP as a precinct committeman and changing the establishment douchebags that reside inside of it and making sure Castle has a less ‘challenged’ challenger in 2014.

          But the bottom line is that in both cases, as bad as the choices are on the Republican side, they’re even worse on the Dem side. It would be one thing if Alex and Chris were pro-life Dems (if such creatures existed) and you could salve your conscience by voting for them. But even though Kirk & Castle have horrible records on life, the Dem is just as bad in those areas and worse in others.

          So, suck it up…vote for Kirk…and on November 3rd, become part of the IL GOP as a precinct committeeman, encourage a butt-load of your friends to do the same, and primary his sorry, liberal butt in 2016.

          It can be done. Ask Bob Bennett and Lisa Murkowski.

          • timchgo9

            CCC, I get it, I am a conservative as well, I live in Cook County, I am not a big fan of Mark Kirk.. I will vote for him because Alexi Giannoulias would be a disaster for this state.

            He is an “Obama boy” and will do whatever the President wants. Yeah, Kirk is horrible on pro-life issues… but he is a fiscal conservative and that is what we need right now. Staying home and encouraging your friends to do the same does NOTHING to stop Alexi from winning, and having him help further the President’s agenda. I will vote for Mark Kirk, he is far, far better than the alternative. So, CCC, please, get out and vote for Mark Kirk. We need him.

          • irishfreedomfighter

            Is far more pro-life than Mark Kirk is. Brown supports parental notification, is agaisnt partial-birth abortion, and is agianst any federal funding for abortion. Mark Kirk has a 100% rating from the NARAL? Really? Patrick Leahy might be more pro-life than he is, and that’s just disgusting.

            Also, in a less related topic, Scott Brown was known as the most anti-gay marriage politician in Massachusetts during his tenure. Where is Kirk on marriage?

          • eburke

            w/relationship to Brown; doesn’t matter where Kirk is in relationship w/Patrick Leahy.

            No matter how much it may suck, the choice when you get up on November 2 will still be between Mark Kirk and Alex howeveryouspellhislastname.

            Period.

            One is bad. The other is awful.

            Your choice.

    • MF

      Think of it as voting *against* Alexi G., who is about as bad and corrupt as can be. As someone else said, there are only two plausible choices, so vote the anti-Alexi. Then your conscience can rest easier.

  • cookcountyconservative

    there are many reasons he is running well behind Brady. His cap & tax vote and his pro-choice stance, just to name a couple, is what I’m hearing from people in my precinct. He should be running away with this, given his opponent and the atmosphere, both here and across the country. Conservatives are not excited about him – not in my district anyway. He’ll probably pull it off though.

  • cbc80

    Talked to two different staffers. I told them he escaped the wrath of the Tea Party movement because the Illinois primary was way back on Feb 2nd. Before it really picked up steam. Even Mark Levin wasn’t promoting Tea Party candidates back then.

    He kept railing on Kirk but wouldn’t support the Tea Party candidate on his radio show.

    I told Kirk’s staffers I (and my family) will be voting for him. But if he doesn’t follow conservative principles. Illinois Tea Partiers will be out in force to give him the Prinary boot 6 years from now.

    They politely listened to me. I personally think they’ve (he’s) got the message…

    • Dan McLaughlin

      but it?s possible, unlike Castle, who is what he is. I?m pretty sure Kirk will want to run for re-election if he wins, as you note.

    • Oz

      Those are the kinds of calls that we need to send to all of the winning Republicans.

  • rdelbov

    Ithe land of LIncoln to vote for Kirk. In a dark blue state it would stealing a seat to elect a GOP senator.

    Yes we need a 42nd senator in Nov, I might add those are great reasons to also elect Castle-Raese and whoever comes up agains Gilligal in NY. There are four seats that will get new senators after the elections are certified. Gilligal could keep her seat if she wins but WV-DE-IL all get new senators.

    I will add kudos to Ken Buck in CO who suggested that Senator Bennet give up his interim seat if he loses. Through a quirk in CO law Bennet-an interim senator-keeps his seat until 01-03-2011 even if he loses. So he gets to continue to cast more votes as unelected senator even after a new senator is elected.

  • jmadisonfan

    shortly after his vote for crap ‘n tax last summer letting him know how disappointed I was and letting him know that I would never cast a vote for him in a statewide election. True to my word, I voted for one of his conservative opponents in the Republican Senate primary earlier this year. The biggest problem with Kirk is not just his known positions on issues, it’s the unknowns. The local Republican organization had a booth at our local Labor Day festival and so I went over and started talking to them. I asked them about my congresswoman’s position on several issues, and they was given satisfactory answers to each. I then I asked about Kirk’s position on repealing Obamacare. They could not give me an answer . . . one of the women told me that “Mark does his own thing” and the others nodded in agreement. They did not appear to me to be enthusiasticsupporters of Kirk. Back in March he told Americans for Prosperity that he would vote against crap ‘n tax if given the opportunity in the Senate. Well which is it Mark??? All that said, and as much as I dislike KIrk, there is no way in heck I will cast a vote for a guy with a D behind his name. Especially Giannoulias, who by all appearances seems to be as crooked and plugged in to the corrupt, socialist political structure in this state I call home. I think I’m going to need a stiff drink (or two, or four. . . ) after casting my vote in November.

  • fideist

    It seems to me that the Castle supporters are using that as one of the reasons to not vote for O’Donnell.

    A win by Kirk discounts that argument to vote for Castle.

    Residents of Delaware — vote for O’Donnell, this resident of Illinois predicts Kirk will win.

  • steelers6
    Support Michael Labno Conservative Libertarian for US Senate

    Unlike Mark Kirk who has promoted the Left wing agenda on Gun Control F Ratings from the NRA and GOA and has pushed with Mike Castle the Semi auto ban. A 100% rating by NARAL and a near 0 rating from Pro Life groups, he also voted for the bailouts. He’s been 50/50 on illegal immigration. He has also ticked off many conservatives by embellishing his military record.

    Kirk, considered a moderate gay ally for his backing of a federal hate crimes law that includes sexual orientation and gender identity and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that would outlaw workplace LGBT discrimination, won the group’s backing over an openly gay Democratic candidate in 2004.

    On Thursday, the Naval Reserve officer voted against attaching to the defense budget an amendment that would repeal the gay ban.

    The following day, Kirk voted in favor of the $700 billion defense bill, which included the repeal amendment, one of the few House Republicans to do so.

    Michael Labno is pro gun, pro life, sound money, cut the size of Government candidate. h ttp://www.labno4senate.com/

    Mark Kirk will be on TV cutting deals with Dems and undermining conservative positions, NO Thanks We have enough of those.

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
  • Martin Knight

    And that’s in addition to 2006 and 2008.

    Nice.

    BTW: Go Kirk!

    • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack
      • Martin Knight

        Conservatives need to unite behind one candidate – Steele cannot stay on and we can’t allow the DC crowd to get one of their own in there.

        Getting one of ours in the top-dog position there will certainly ensure that it permeates through.

        I think I’m going to write something up about it. Soon.

        • jasonhsv

          If Christine O’Donnell is not elected to the US Senate, then why not her for RNC chair?

          • Martin Knight

            Wait … are you actually being serious?

          • jasonhsv

            I’m not serious. But all the O’Donnell backers should ask themselves if she should be RNC chair. And then if a Republican takes the White House in 2012, what Cabinet position should she have?

            She’s being promoted so intensely, by so many big names, so she must be manifestly capable of the office she seeks.

        • Mary Beth

          I’m a big fan of Ken Blackwell!

        • eburke
        • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

          explain, briefly, the rules by which the RNC chairman is elected by the RNC delegates, who are elected by the State committee delegates, who are elected by the precinct committeemen.

          Thanks!

          CW

          Please help GOTV!

          • Martin Knight

            Either way, I repeat, as the principal driving force behind the party we conservatives need to unite behind one guy.

            That’s probably the only way we would get their attention on this – if we don’t speak in one voice, they get to pick who they want and call it a compromise.

        • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack

          We had toe-to-toe slugfest in Delaware and it would have been a political classic, if we’d had a decent ref. I hope Mr. Steele hasn’t saved the Dems about 5 seats with the repulsive pig-wrestling match that ensued while he stood idle.

  • Illinicon

    as the dems had him kicked offed because he would syphon enough votes away from Alexi to give the special election to Kirk even if Alexi won the general. Burris recently filed a briefing with SCOTUS to have the special election nullified.

  • glen_forrest

    Mark Kirk is a RINO – Republican in name only. His voting record leaves a lot to be desired. Once again we are left with a choice between Frick and Frack. They want us to vote for the Republican because “he is not as bad as the other guy.” When are we going to get to vote for a good candidate and not the lesser of two evils? If Kirk is a Republican, then I am joining the Tea Party. If the Republicans want my vote they can run a Pro-Life candidate.

    • mriggio

      Don’t you really mean ‘mob banker’ and ‘Navy reservist’? If you’d like to be able to vote for a ‘good’ candidate, look into becoming a PC and participating in the primary process, that’s where these battles are fought. And since he won the primary, yes, Kirk is the Republican candidate. Go ahead and join the tea party if you can find that line on the ballot; otherwise, pipe down and vote against the Democrat.

      Cheers!

      • glen_forrest

        While I was never a PC, I did run for public office three times and was elected three times. I quit politics because I discovered that most politicians and Americans had moved away from judging actions and decisions as good or evil. I now spend my spare time working in Moral Philosophy trying to teach people that selfishness, permissiveness and the pro-choice attitude is what is causing most of our social problems and now causing our political problems.

        I cannot vote for a pro-choice/pro-death candidate.

  • tex41lb

    I read the blogs on Redstate and know I am a minnow in a sea of whales when it comes to skill in analyzing difficult choices. Reading in the depths of the writing of Eric, Dan, Moe and Vassar helps sort out and identify the basis for taking a position beyond one of shear anger and frustration in being faced with weak conservative candidates or whole cloth progressives.

    Like so many races this fall, California governor falls into the Rino group. My hard choice is between a Rino for Governor, or a hard core progressive who may also be a little nuts.

    My position till now was to vote for the nut as his radical programs would help push conservative programs forward in the future. Whereas Whitman will just nudge us closer to financial failure allowing the growing cancer of our anti-business tax death climate to fester beyond recovery.

    The bottom line, Redstate is bringing into focus core issues, is giving structure to chaos and is in aggregate providing the foundation for a rational decision.

    Dan’s extensive diary earlier today on Redstate on Mike Castle and his thoughts here have helped me refocus on the reality of dealing with the candidate at hand and not decide wholly on the issues of the moment.

    Whitman like Castle is a nudge forward and certain conservative vote on many issues. Moonbeam Brown has to be worse. One can only hope the positives offset the negatives in choosing the Rino.