Days before the passage of President Obama's signature health care reform initiative, Rep. Mark Kirk said that, if elected as senator, he'd "lead the effort" to repeal the bill.
But just weeks later, he isn't exactly taking a leadership role on the issue.
Speaking to small-business owners in Springfield on Thursday, Kirk continued his week-long waffling on the repeal, saying that he would like to remove certain provisions of the law but refusing to say he wants a complete repeal.
The Decatur Herald & Review quoted Kirk as saying, "Well, we lost."
"Under this Congress, we do not have the votes" to repeal health care reform, he said.
The Chicago Sun-Times provided more of Kirk's Thursday remarks:
Kirk only committed to repealing new taxes that will result from the bill as well as any cuts in Medicare. He even went so far as to say there are aspects of the health-care package he supports.
"There was a sliver of good things in this bill which Republicans agreed with. In the Republican health-care bill, we put in coverage for kids up to age 26. There was agreement on that," Kirk said. He said the GOP also agreed on banning insurance firms from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
The Giannoulias campaign responded to Kirk's remarks, continuing its pursuit of the North Shore Republican on the issue. "Another day and yet another shifting explanation from Congressman Mark Kirk on his stated position to 'lead the effort' to repeal health care reform," Giannoulias spokeswoman Kathleen Strand told the Herald & Review.
Giannoulias has been pushing to make Kirk's stand on healthcare a central theme of the campaign. Yesterday, he released an April Fools-themed ad mocking Kirk for claiming to be an "independent-minded Republican" and highlighting his corporate campaign contributions. Earlier, he released another video demanding answers on health care and panning him for opposing the bill and the president. Giannoulias' campaign also made a mock Facebook page highlighting Kirk's pro-repeal stance.
The pledge to overturn the bill has put Kirk in a political bind: many of his conservative supporters have suggested they might not back him if he backs out, but continuing to fight the increasingly popular bill might hurt his chances of turning a blue seat red in a very blue state.