Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Not even his supporters Trust Mark Kirk

You can't trust Mark Kirk. Even the right-wing conservative Club for Growth doesn't trust Kirk:

Now the Club for Growth, the powerful, well-funded conservative group, is ripping into Kirk for his sudden indecision, and making it clear that they expect him to live up to his promise.

“He said that he’s going to do this,” Club for Growth spokesman Mike Connolly just said by phone. “We expect him to live up to his pledge.”

Kirk has signed on to the Club’s repeal pledge, which states: “I hereby pledge to the people of my state to sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010, and replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government.”

“He’s made a promise to the people of Illinois,” Connolly continued. Asked if failing to follow through could cost Kirk the Club’s support in a general election, Connolly said: “We’ll have to see.”

The Club's concern comes after Mark Kirk "repeatedly" refused to say "whether he wants the legislation repealed."

Mark Kirk is campaigning for Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat with a Beltway Insider strategy. He doesn't talk to Illinois voters, or local media, although he continues to take calls (and get covered) by the New York Times and Washington Post. But they don't ask him tough questions (like would he really -- REALLY? -- follow through with his pledge to repeal universal coverage, or ending denial for pre-existing conditions, or the practice of recission and lifetime limits on health coverage.

Instead, Mark Kirk dodges questions by Illinois voters and local media.

Apparently, because Kirk believes he can. Kirk's strategy in this campaign has been to attack Alexi Giannoulias for whatever he can think of. Broadway Bank followed the advice of the Federal Reserve and U.S. Attorney General's office with regards to enticing members of organized crime into disclosure and participation in the (above ground) economy? Mark Kirk won't tell you that numerous mobsters have been convicted and sent to prison (eg, Al Capone) because of the disclosure statements they gave to bankers -- because that would make his personal attacks on Alexi seem, well, ridiculous.

Nor will Mark Kirk tell you if he really means it when he promises to take away health care insurance from kids, young adults and older Americans.

The question we should ask ourselves is this: if Mark Kirk's most adament supporters can't trust him, why should we?

The dilemma Illinois voters face in contemplating their vote for U.S. Senate is this: Mark Kirk has never demonstrated any type of political courage during his service in Congress. He didn't stand up George Bush or Donald Rumsfeld when they were making decisions to invade Iraq based on the greatest intelligence failure in my lifetime. He's never stood up to the conservative Republican leadership on a whipped vote (without their permission) since he's been in the U.S. House. And now he can't stand up and admit that he's taken a controversial decision, one that isn't supported by the electorate here in Illinois or stand up to the right wing conservative Club for Growth when they are demanding that Kirk stick to his pledge.

You just can't trust Mark Kirk. He's never given us reason to trust him, and now his supporters are starting to recognize Kirk's lack of fortitude. There's no reason for Illinois to send him to the Senate. These tough times demand someone who can help bring the country forward, out of the abyss into which George Bush has driven us...

5 comments:

Anonymous,  8:30 AM  

As Ronald Reagan was fond of stating to Jimmy Carter: "There you go again!"

"You can't trust Mark Kirk" cry conservatives who wanted someone else. "You can't trust Mark Kirk" cry Democrats who want someone else.

So they should all vote for someone they can "trust." Someone they can "trust" will vote exactly like Roland Burris has been voting since being appointed to the U.S. Senate seat by Democrats who blocked all calls for special elections as being "too costly."

That person's name is Alexi Giannoulias.

Louis G. Atsaves

bored now 9:56 PM  

i agree, louis. we can trust alexi giannoulias. this recent flip-flop by mark kirk demonstrates kirk's lack of political fortitude. he takes the easy position (repeal it!) in what he assumed to be a closed fund-raiser, but backs off the moment there's any resistance. it's pretty clear that mark kirk isn't prepared for the 21st century, where virtually every cell phone has recording capability and people think nothing of whipping out their phones to record something interesting. i don't think kirk ever thought his private comments to a group of supporters would be made public.

just more proof that kirk is out of touch.

alexi giannoulias, otoh, stood up against the most powerful force in illinois politics -- and won. that's not just courage, that's strength. mark kirk should be more like alexi giannoulias if he wants to be in the u.s. senate someday. but, for 2010, we don't have to wait for kirk to develop a backbone. we can vote for alexi this year -- no need to wait for kirk to grow a pair and became more like alexi. and that's what i expect illinois to do: vote for the candidate with courage, the candidate who didn't back down in the face of enormous resistance, the candidate who has taken on powerful opponents and won...

Anonymous,  11:39 AM  

Clearly you and I are defining "trust" differently.

Louis G. Atsaves

bored now 3:24 PM  

trust:
–noun
1.
reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
2.
confident expectation of something; hope.
4.
a person on whom or thing on which one relies

the definition clearly reinforces my point. alexi giannoulias has proven his independence and his ability to stand up against the most powerful elements of the democratic party. we can *trust* him. mark kirk can't even keep his word for two weeks.

but we can both agree that kirk will be a highly paid beltway lobbyist next year, forever leaving behind a state he barely recognizes...

Yellow Dog Democrat 1:07 PM  

Mark Kirk flip-flops:

1. Gun control.
2. Global warming.
3. Sarah Palin.
4. Abortion rights.
5. Health care reform.

What's the old saying? "Fool me five times..."

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