Mark Kirk Slammed By Giannoulias, Democrats After Entering Senate Race

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk announced his candidacy for President Obama's former Senate seat Monday and Democrats wasted little time challenging the man considered the best-- and perhaps only-- Republican capable of winning the seat in 2010.

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, a Democratic candidate, sought to tie Kirk to the "Bush-Cheney" past while casting himself as the Obama-era future in a statement issued hours before Kirk formally announced.

Giannoulias' statement:

"If Mark Kirk and I are the respective nominees of our parties, then voters will have a clear choice: go backwards to the reckless Bush-Cheney fiscal policies Kirk supported that cost this state hundreds of thousands of jobs and created the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, or move forward to fundamentally change our economy and create the next generation of good jobs here in Illinois.

"I believe in fair trade, an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, and tax cuts for middle-class families. Mark Kirk takes the opposite view. He voted to give tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, but against cracking down on China's unfair trade practices. He voted for a massive bailout of the biggest banks in the country, but against raising the minimum wage. Mark Kirk voted against middle-class tax cuts by opposing President Obama's economic recovery plan, but supported George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest. It's a simple choice between the failed past or a promising future - a clear choice between the right course and the wrong one."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee tried to dent Kirk's reputation as a moderate Republican in a web ad released Monday:

Kirk is also taking heat from members of his own party, though their gripes will likely do little to bolster the DSCC's claim that Kirk is no moderate.

Kirk was one of eight Republicans who voted for the Democratic-sponsored climate change legislation. The move spurred a backlash among national Republicans-- "Wanted" posters were circulated online targeting Kirk and the other GOP votes-- and on Sunday Kirk was called to task by a local Republican group.

At an "accountability session" with Wheeling Township Republicans, Kirk was forced to explain his vote to a hostile crowd, former State Rep. Penny Pullen wrote on the conservative site Illinois Review:

Most of the comments and questions were respectful, but disappointment, sense of betrayal and outright anger was apparent. Though the Congressman cited his many calls to c.e.o.'s as experts, he found in Sunday's audience a surprising number of bona fide experts among his own citizen-constituents -- including two physicists who discounted human contribution to "global warming" (on the 65-degree July day!) and a local village trustee who owns a trucking firm and reminded the Congressman of the economic pressure the Cap & Trade measure would put on those in his industry and the horror with which they greeted his vote. Others had researched his voting record and refuted some of his claims pertaining to his positions on related issues. A high/low point came when a citizen rose, told him he'd always been "her man" and then informed him she would do everything she could to defeat his next candidacy.

(via Capitol Fax)

Kirk's is aiming to counter that criticism by painting himself as a fiscal hawk and corruption antidote.

Comments

[vamosrapidamente]

12:52 PM on 07/22/2009

Once we finally get rid of the tainted Burris from the senate, Illinois needs a strong senate voice. I think we must take a moment to address that exact question; how exactly can a US senator clean the State of Illinois? The answer is not a simple one.

The solution is complex, long, and will require commitment­s by both parties and throughout the entangled web of bureaucrac­y. To take the first step, we need a leader is focused on solving the problem; simply listening to Mark Kirk's speech as he announced that he would be running for senate, all of Illinois now should know that cleaning up Illinois is one of his top priorities­. He has shown from his past voting in the House that he has set up incentives for those who stay clean and harsh punishment­s such as eliminatin­g pensions for the corrupt leaders. But being a senator and a leader will only enhance Kirk's ability to allow him to have more power over seeking out the bad apples, destroying them, and in their place planting the seeds for a new government­al system, one that puts a premium on honesty and integrity.

Mark Kirk’s voting record speaks for itself.

Republican Positions and Votes by Congressma­n Mark Kirk in the 111th Congress:
Obama Budget-Rep­ublican
Card Check-Repu­blican
$787B Stimulus-R­epublican
$410B Omnibus-Re­publican
Earmarks-R­epublican
Cap & Trade-Demo­cratic
Gov't Health Care-Repub­lican
Illegal Amnesty-Re­publican
Border Wall-Repub­lican
Keep Gitmo-Repu­blican
Afghan timetable-­Republican
Balanced Budget-Rep­ublican

[lagumbo]

10:50 AM on 07/22/2009

Let this maron get a job in china, we don't need him in any government position in the U S. He should be charged with treason.

[Bude]

07:56 AM on 07/22/2009

Kirk is for whatever will get him elected.

[mamala4]

07:23 AM on 07/22/2009

a fiscal hawk you claim to be? How can that be when you voted for Bush 99% of the time? Can't have it both ways Mr. Kirk.

[BushBites]

08:42 PM on 07/21/2009

Two physicists­!

I can find two physicists who believe Bin Laden is sending messages to them through their dental fillings.

In fact, it may be the same two physicists­.

[stav506]

09:50 AM on 07/22/2009

It is.

[LizDexic]

04:36 PM on 07/21/2009

I'd also like to add that one week before he proposed the draconian Twenty Years for Selling Kush legislatio­n, his wife of a dozen or more years filed for divorce.
I'm guessing she's a pot smoker.

[LizDexic]

04:33 PM on 07/21/2009

THAT's not all that's wrong with Mark Kirk.

For one, he's an ex-CIA agent who likes to cover up that fact. (His bio just states he was in the navy.)

AND his wacky proposal to make the selling of "kush" marijuanna carry a twenty year
sentence regardless a person's record, or lack thereof...­.when the entire
country is moving in the opposite direction towards legalizati­on....is just plain ignorant.

The Bushies POURED money into his house race against Dan Seals or he never would
have beaten such a fine candidate who was very much like Barack Obama (a progressiv­e
African American with an ivy league education.­)

I'm disappoint­ed that Jan Schakowsky is not running against him.

[Personall­y, *I* don't think that an ex member of our secret police should have any hand
at all in making our laws.]

[westreal]

01:35 PM on 07/21/2009

Very good commercial­.

[babyboomerorig]

12:11 AM on 07/21/2009

His constituan­ts need to be reminded that Kirk was the Rep. in China who told the Chinese Government not to trust the United States financiall­y.

This is not a moderate Republican­.

[Bude]

09:19 AM on 07/21/2009

Enough said.

[VOTER]

11:13 PM on 07/20/2009

Kirk's real friends are from outside of the state.
They're other Republican­s and Mark funds their campaigns.

If you didn't vote for Bush/Chene­y or did and regret it, there is
no way you can vote for Kirk.

[ebgill]

10:13 PM on 07/20/2009

I've been following his votes and writing about Kirk for years. He's no moderate. As for ending corruption­, he was knee deep in the sales pitch to get us into Iraq. Lying to get us into a war, how is that not criminal?