Free Republic

llinois' Tea Party movement has not decided upon one candidate for U.S. Senate, as Illinois Review mistakenly implied Friday in the first sentence of the post "Will Co. Tea Party Alliance plans to "Stop Mark Kirk","  state Tea Party contact Denise Cattoni pointed out Saturday. "Each individual group can endorse a candidate if they so choose; however, there are almost 40 groups in the state of Illinois.  Patrick Hughes is the Will County's choice for Senate seat; however, other groups may not, or haven't made a decision yet," Cattoni wrote via email.  "As a grassroots movement, each group is entitled to make an...

Could Illinois Senate candidate Patrick Hughes be the next insurgent Republican candidate to get the backing of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)? Hughes is slated for his second meeting with DeMint on Thursday (the two also met in September), and DeMint’s Senate Conservative Fund website is currently polling visitors on whom they support in Hughes’s primary with Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). DeMint has backed former Rep. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, Marco Rubio in Florida and Chuck DeVore in California, all in the face of establishment favorites. Toomey, of course, soon assumed that mantle when Sen. Arlen Specter switch to the Democratic...

There are few organizations in the United States as steeped in tradition as the military. And one of the oldest customs is the giving of "challenge coins," privately made medallions stamped with a unit or service emblem. The ritual reportedly started during World War I, when new aviators were given coins from officers upon joining a squadron. According to one tale, a pilot was saved from execution in France after proving his identity with his coin. In a memorial ceremony this week, President Obama placed the commander in chief's coin in front of the photos of the 13 soldiers slain...

About a year ago, thousands jammed Grant Park in Chicago to celebrate Barack Obama's election to the White House, a communal civic defining moment. But those giddy days are long gone as Democrats in Illinois face the potential of losing the Senate seat President Obama once held next November. * * * Democratic Party leaders in Washington -- and the Obama White House -- failed to recruit a candidate strong enough to scare Rep. Mark Kirk -- the Republicans' best bet -- from the race. The only luck they had was the decision by Sen. Roland Burris -- appointed by...

Despite his recent request for help from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and renouncing his past support of prominent environmental legislation, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk on Wednesday denied he is moving to the right to try to coalesce support in the Feb. 2 primary election. "I think I am who I am," Kirk, a member of the Naval Reserve, told reporters after a Veterans Day ceremony at the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center in Chicago. "I am a social moderate, fiscal conservative. But this is a big race, and we are building a broad coalition, and it...

Mark Kirk is denying that he's trying to angle rightward in the run up to the GOP primary next year with his recent reaching out to Governor Sarah Palin to secure her endorsement for his candidacy. "I think I am who I am. I am a social moderate, fiscal conservative. But this is a big race and we are building a broad coalition and it will be, for a Republican candidacy, a center-right coalition, but for me, I haven't changed my views." This is, of course, rather interesting. Kirk is reaching out to conservatives by courting one of their idols...

During two heated Democratic challenges, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park was targeted by millions of dollars in TV ads painting him as a far right Republican in his north suburban district. Much of the time, it was the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee paying for and writing those ads. Kirk spent millions of dollars himself on ads to cultivate a moderate, independent brand in the 10th District. Now it seems the DCCC agrees with him. DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen said during a C-SPAN interview Sunday that Kirk is a "moderate," contradicting his own organizations efforts to paint him...

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Democrat Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias is trying to use Mark Kirk's approach of Sarah Palin for an endorsement against him. Giannoulias is attempting to use the Kirk/Palin incident as a fund raising tool. A few days ago, we reported that Mark Kirk sent a letter to Governor Sarah Palin challenging her to support his candidacy for the GOP nomination for Barack Obama's old Illinois Senate seat. It seems unlikely that Kirk will receive Palin's endorsement, though. Being far, far too liberal Kirk is hardly Palin's sort of Republican. But Giannoulias thinks that even the...

In August, I created a blog which brought attention to U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk's campaign for the U.S. Senate. The blog, titled "Republicans United Against Mark Kirk" included information regarding Kirk's voting record as a member of the U.S House of Representatives. The "No To Mark Kirk" blog referred readers to articles, letters to the editor and columns which were posted by numerous Internet sources. My intent was to shed light on this so-called Republican's position on issues which social and fiscal conservatives care deeply about. Kirk's pro-abortion, anti-Second Amendment and anti-traditional marriage views were exposed on my blog. The...

Only a few months ago, Representative Mark Kirk voted for Cap and Tax… er, I mean Cap and Trade. Conservatives and Republicans in general lit into Kirk with a vengeance. Then he started running for the Senate and at a subsequent September 5 campaign stop he reversed himself and decided he wouldn't support Cap and Trade. Kirk is not a strong pro-life supporter, he is bad on the Second Amendment, Kirk is only middling on free trade, and he has drifted back and forth on sometimes support for Obama's left-wing, big spending agenda in Washington… though he is sometimes good...

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) confirmed Wednesday that he reached out to influential Republican insider Fred Malek and sought his counsel on how to court former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s endorsement for his Senate bid. As first reported by the Washington Post, Kirk sent a memo to Malek seeking advice on how to acquire a “quick and decisive” endorsement from Palin urging Republicans to embrace Kirk as the “lead candidate” in Illinois. Kirk acknowledged the authenticity of the memo to POLITICO. The Republican’s campaign said that it has sent materials to Palin, though Kirk spokesman Eric Elk downplayed the significance of...

In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010. Conservatives and tea party activists had already set their sights on some of the GOP’s top Senate recruits — a list that includes Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida, former Rep. Rob Simmons in Connecticut and Rep. Mark Kirk in Illinois, among others. But their success in Tuesday’s upstate New York special election, where grass-roots efforts pushed GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava to drop out of the race and...

I am not a Mark Kirk fan. For me he is and always has been far too "moderate" on social issues and his now (maybe) retracted Cap and Tax vote sticks in my craw pretty badly. But Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly blog Political Animal unfairly and illicitly slammed Kirk on something he said in an interview with The News Gazette of Danville, Illinois. Benen was ticked at Kirk's answer about the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy of the U.S. Military. In an effort to show all his LGBT, or BLGT, or BLT fans… whatever they call themselves this...

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Kirk, Biggert and IL Dems vote special protections for transgenders Two Republican and all but one Democratic member of the Illinois U.S. Congressional delegation voted to make transgenders a new protected class in federal law last Thursday.  Republicans Mark Kirk and Judy Biggert, as well as Democrats Melissa Bean, Jerry Costello, Danny Davis, Bill Foster, Luis Guitierrez, Debbie Halvorson, Phil Hare, Bill Lipinski, Mike Quigley, Bobby Rush and Jan Schakowsky voted for H.R. 1913, tucked within a larger difficult-to-oppose Defense Authorization bill. Eagle Forum explained: H.R. 1913 makes a hate crime — a crime in which the...

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is taking the opposite route of most defeated presidential candidates: rather than quickly bow out of national politics, McCain is working to become a transformative force in the Republican Party, Politico reported Friday. Concerned about the GOP's direction, McCain has been recruiting and raising money for candidates who share his pragmatic center-right style. McCain has been a particularly generous advisor to Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), who he encouraged to run for Senate and threw a $500,000 fundraiser to support.

Yesterday, Rep. Mark Kirk offered a great illustration of the relationship between ACORN and SEIU. A part of that chart is worthy of a further look: The relatively unknown story of how SEIU and ACORN took their act from Illinois Southward to mess with Texas and allegedly threatened to kill one man’s business because he wouldn’t toe the union line. Most people know that unions haven’t done as well in the South as in industrialized (and economically troubled) Northern states such as Illinois and Michigan. So, in 2006 SEIU decided it would bring its brand of “justice for janitors” to...

Is ACORN a toxic organization? Illinois Congressmen Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam, along with North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry, made the case today at a press conference in Chicago. Below is a press release handed out by the office of Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL). Research reveals web of financial ties between ACORN and SEIU; SEIU Local 880 formed by ACORN, rents office from ACORN front group while another finances ACORN “election efforts”; U.S. Census recently cut ties with ACORN but partnership with SEIU remains CHICAGO – Illinois Congressmen Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam today urged the U.S. Census Bureau to...

On the heals of a congressional vote to de-fund ACORN, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is calling on the U.S. Census to sever all ties to Illinois' largest union, the Service Employees International Union, because that union, Kirk says, is too close to ACORN.

I have been fighting against the slaughter of the innocent unborn for nearly two decades. It is not a political issue, it is a moral issue. But in the world of politics there are those who will say anything to get elected. Perhaps for the first time since the birth of our nation, the American public is seeing through the political mist. The "promise them anything, but tell them whatever you think they want to hear" mantra isn't working any more. A perfect illustration of the aforementioned politics is laid out to see in Dan Proft's campaign for Illinois Governor....

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today urged President Obama to withdraw his Administration's request to provide $400,000 to Libya's Qaddafi Foundation, just weeks after they celebrated the release of a terrorist responsible for the murders of 189 Americans. Last month, when Scotland freed Abel Baset Megrahi, the only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi greeted him with a hero's welcome. Qaddafi's son, Saif, was involved in the negotiation for Megrahi's release and accompanied the terrorist back to Libya. Despite the U.S. Administration's strong condemnation of Megrahi's release, the State Department...

WASHINGTON (CBS) The Obama Administration plans to give $400,000 in funding to a Libyan charity run by the Gadhafi family, and U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) wants the grant withdrawn. The money would be divided between two foundations run by the family of Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi. A $200,000 share is set to go to the Gadhafi Development Foundation, which is run by Gadhafi's son, Saif, and another $200,000 are to go to Wa Attassimou, an organization run by Muammar Gadhafi's daughter, Aisha. Kirk says the grants should be withdrawn in light of the recent return to Libya of Pan...

It's time for the Illinois GOP to request that Mark Kirk bow out of the U.S. Senate race. U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk's bid to obtain the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Roland Burris in 2010 has, to put it mildly, got off to a rocky start. The 10th District Republican has come under fire, not only from social conservatives, but from fiscal conservatives as well. Kirk's votes on abortion, gun rights and radical environmentalism is contrary to the state and national Republican Party Platforms. Kirk was never going to receive support from pro-family Republicans,...

Mark Kirk may not be on the right side of economics, abortion, the homosexual lobby, and a host of other issues, but he is 100% right on his position that President Obama is wrong with his decision to reverse course on the European missile shield. On Thursday morning, after Obama’s announcement of the missile shield policy change Kirk came out swinging against the president saying that "History is not kind to leaders who sacrifice our Polish allies." Kirk went on: Illinois Republican Representative Mark Kirk called the president's decision a blow to Poland and an encouragement to Iran. "Iran, a...

Laurie Higgins recently found another disturbing vote cast by Representative and Senate Candidate Mark Kirk (R, IL) revealing again his penchant of voting left of center all too often. This time he's co-sponsoring a bill that will aid the homosexual lobby gain more influence in our schools. Higgins reveals that Kirk is looking to vote "yes" on H.R. 2262, The Safe Schools Improvement Act -- a so-called anti-bullying act. What could be wrong with being anti-bullying? Anyone who has been paying attention knows that anti-bullying/safe schools curricula are now the central means by which pro-homosexual propaganda is secreted into public...

On August 26th, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th District) was one of eight Republicans who voted for a bill commonly called Cap and Trade. HR2454 officially titled, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act" passed the House of Representatives, but has yet to be considered by the U.S. Senate. The legislation passed by a total of seven votes. Indeed, without the support of these eight Republicans, the Cap and Trade bill would not have passed in the House. The Republicans who voted for Cap and Trade have come under a great deal of criticism. In fact, the bill is so...

Republicans United Against Mark Kirk for US Senate, a blog to chronicle Representative Mark Kirk's record by folks not very happy with his record has been set up to argue against his candidacy. According to the opening main statement, the blog is set up to reveal Kirk's "departure from the GOP's state and national platforms." This blog is a response to US Rep. Mark Kirk's bid for the US Senate seat from Illinois. It will reveal Mark Kirk's voting record as a member of the US House of Reps. and address Kirk's departure from the GOP's state and national platforms....

Just the other day I learned U.S. Representatives Peter Roskam (6th District) and John Shimkus (19th District) are assisting the political efforts of fellow Republican House member Mark Kirk (10th District). Kirk is seeking the GOP's nomination in the 2010 primary for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Roland Burris. Both Roskam and Shimkus have taken part in the placing of automated phone calls to their constituents on behalf of Kirk. I have been following politics for nearly 20 years and, the more I see, the more disillusioned I become regarding the political process. Perhaps disillusioned is...

... A demonstration of this misguided mindset by the GOP establishment (both nationally and in Illinois) is illustrated perfectly by the rush to support the Senate candidacy of U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th District). Kirk's voting record more closely reflects that of a liberal Democrat... I have been watching the political scene for nearly 20 years and without doubt, I have never seen such a visceral reaction to a Republican candidacy--as is the case with Kirk. In fact, there are a number of web sites and blogs dedicated to exposing Mark Kirk's stand on the issues. The latest effort is...

(snip) “The people of Illinois deserve a senator who will restore honest government, strengthen our national security, fight for veterans and bring fiscal discipline to Washington,” McCain, an Arizona senator, said in a statement. “Mark Kirk has my strongest endorsement.”(snip)

Martin says McCain’s Sunday endorsement of Mark Kirk is an act of infamy that will lead to McCain’s defeat by Arizonans in 2010. “McCain is not all there,” Martin says. “Or if he is all there, there is no ‘there,’ there.’ McCain is an embarrassment to the future of the Republican Party. Perhaps it is not surprising he is in bed with Mark Kirk.” . . . . . August 29, 2009 Senator John McCain United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 via fax (202) 228-2862 Re: Endorsement of Mark Kirk Last than a year ago, I remained a loyal Republican...

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk will land the high-profile endorsement of Sen. John McCain in his early Republican bid for Senate at a suburban event on Sunday. The former GOP presidential candidate from Arizona is set to hold a news conference with Kirk in Glenview and then a fundraiser expected to bring in half a million dollars, according to Kirk's campaign office. The endorsement comes early in the GOP primary. Petitions to get on the ballot won't even be filed until November. But Kirk has locked in praise early from key Republican leaders who hope to propel the North Shore representative...

Below, release from Kirk.... McCain to Endorse Kirk at Veterans Gathering in Glenview McCain: "The people of Illinois deserve a Senator who will restore honest government, strengthen our national security, fight for veterans and bring fiscal discipline to Washington. Mark Kirk has my strongest endorsement." Who: Congressman Mark Kirk Senator John McCain When: 4:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30 Where: Glenview Park Center, Lakeview A Room 2400 Chestnut Ave. Glenview, IL What: Senator John McCain will endorse Congressman Mark Kirk for U.S. Senate at a veterans gathering in Glenview on Sunday afternoon. Kirk, an early supporter of McCain's presidential bid during...

Illinois Reps. Mark Kirk and Judy Biggert wrote in a letter Tuesday that their constituents had apparently scheduled meetings to discuss health care reform with them after receiving an Aug. 9 e-mail from BarackObama.com urging them to do so. Two Republican lawmakers complained in a letter to President Obama this week that Democratic organizers scheduled meetings between the two lawmakers and their constituents without ever notifying them. Illinois Reps. Mark Kirk and Judy Biggert wrote in a letter Tuesday that their constituents had apparently signed up for meetings to discuss health care reform with them after receiving an Aug. 9 e-mail from...

The waiting game is finally over. On July 9, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that she would run for re-election as Attorney General, and would not run for the Senate seat previously held by Barack Obama and being vacated by his placeholder successor, Roland Burris. Businessman and RFK son Chris Kennedy has chosen not to run for Senate, though he may seek the Governor’s mansion.

DAN ZANOZA, Executive Director of RFFM.org, will guest on CHAMPION NEWS TALK RADIO on Sunday, August 9th from 8 - 9 A.M. for a no-holds barred discussion on Illinois politics. Zanoza joins Jack Roeser, John Biver, Doug Ibendahl and program moderator, Cathy Santos to discuss U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk's bid for the U.S. Senate and other issues facing the Illinois GOP. The show can be streamed at: http://www.championnews.net/talk/ or http://560wind.townhall.com/ Click on the "LISTEN LIVE" link. Missed Champion News Talk Radio Shows? Simply check out the Podcast. Show Archive: http://www.championnews.net/talk/podcast.html RSS Feed: http://www.championnews.net/talk/podcast.xml To find out about CHAMPION NEWS.net, go...

Recently, I wrote a column about U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL-10th District) throwing his hat into the pool of GOP candidates seeking the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Roland Burris. I'm sure Mr. Kirk would like to hear the response to his candidacy has been overwhelmingly positive. However, for the first time in my memory, not one individual who read my piece was in support of Kirk. Indeed, the U.S. Representative from the 10th District was widely maligned by those who read the column and agreed with my thoughts concerning why Kirk should not be seeking the nomination...

He is one of the most liberal members of the United States House of Representatives. He is a staunch defender of abortion rights and he recently voted for the largest tax increase in American history--Cap and Trade. Who am I talking about? U.S. Representative Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois' 10th Congressional District. Earlier this month, Kirk threw his hat into the ring, seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Oh, and one more thing...Kirk will never win the seat currently held by Roland Burris who was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the office vacated by...

SPRINGFIELD — Senate candidate Mark Kirk says he ``got the message'' from Republicans who were outraged that he supported pollution limits that some people consider a hidden tax. Kirk said Tuesday that he has heard from plenty of people angry that he voted for ``cap-and-trade'' when the U.S. House considered the measure recently. The plan would cap the pollution that companies can release but then allow them to buy and sell permits for more emissions. Critics say cap-and-trade would drive up the cost of electricity and goods. Kirk says he can't take back his vote but he understands why people...

Given that my American Thinker blog of June 28 -- Betrayed by my Republican Congressman -- took to task my renegade 10th District congressman, Mark Steven Kirk, for his "yes" vote on the Waxman-Marky bill, I was somewhat amused when I received late in the afternoon of Thursday, July 16, an e-mail invitation to join Mark Kirk this morning at 10:30 A.M. in Kenilworth, IL, to help him launch his candidacy for statewide office. As Mark Kirk noted on my invitation: "I want you to be there as we begin a campaign to restore pride to Illinois and put our...

Mark Kirk who is scared out of his wits because of his cap and trade vote and the Negative attention that has been drawn to him will show up to talk to voters THIS SUNDAY! Calling FREEPERS in surrounding states to come out and FREEP MARK KIRK. Here are the details: Sunday at 2:30 p.m., Cong. Mark Kirk will be here at HQ to hear our concerns and answer our questions about his vote on “Cap & Trade” (a/k/a “energy tax,” a/k/a “carbon tax,” a/k/a “global warming”). He has indicated he will be available until 4:30. This is your opportunity...

Politico reports today that Mark Kirk will have the GOP nomination for the controversial Senate seat to be vacated by Roland Burris, and he'll have it uncontested. Politically speaking, I can't imagine a scenario in Illinois where Mark Kirk doesn't pick up this seat in a cakewalk.

Senate Democrats want to tax soda. House Democrats want to tax carbon and higher incomes. California Democrats want to tax everything. A half year into the Obama era and the obfuscation of Campaign 2008 is no longer necessary to the presdient or his party, and thus the left is pushing every tax it can conceive of to pay for trillions of dollars of new proposals. Republicans have begun to fight back and each week brings greater and greater clarity to the debate in D.C. The Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda cannot be disguised as anything other than a massive expansion of government that...

Contrary to a published report, Republican Rep. Mark Kirk says he's still considering a run for the U.S. Senate. Kirk spokesman Eric Elk said Friday the congressman from Chicago's northern suburbs was still looking at a possible run but that there was no timeline for an announcement. The Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Kirk had decided not to seek the seat held by Sen. Roland Burris that once belonged to President Barack Obama. The race for the seat is wide open because Burris announced Friday he won't run for a full term in 2010. A top Illinois...

Update, 4:17 p.m.: Although Kirk has already told several national Republicans today that he will not run for the Senate, there is an ongoing effort now to convince him to re-think that decision, according to several sources close to the discussions. Pressure is now being brought to bear on Andy McKenna, who, according to knowledgeable sources, had told Republicans insiders that he would not run if Kirk got into the race. Once Kirk signaled he was indeed running, however, McKenna reconsidered and made clear he would in fact stay in.

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk told several Republican leaders Wednesday he was set to run for Senate, GOP sources told the Daily Herald. Kirk of Highland Park has been debating a run for Senate or governor for months, but apparently made the final decision as Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she was backing away from a run for U.S. Senate or governor in the 2010 election. Kirk spokesman Eric Elk declined to comment Wednesday on whether or not the congressman had informed GOP brass about an intention to run for Senate. Elk issued a statement from Kirk saying, "I will...

House Democrats were surprised at the number of Republican votes they won on the razor close climate change vote, which allowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to let a few more Democrats cast their own no votes. In what Democrats are readily admitting was their toughest vote since they took back power in 2007, the eight Republican votes proved critical to letting Pelosi hand out as many free passes as she could to members who thought that it would be too difficult to selling the bill in their districts.   The climate change bill passed 219-212, by just two votes...

Excerpt: "People." It reads "People." Is an 18 year old not a "People" person? And you fell for the "gun-show loophole" libtard statement? Marky boy, we are free to buy and sell guns by and amongst ourselves as free "people" without any registration requirement. Happens all the time. This gun-show malarkey has nothing to do with gun shows - it is trying to require every gun transaction to be regulated. Get it? Are you THAT dense? In a term, Marky boy, your 2d Amendment position sucks. BTW, Marky boy, the National Rifle Association gives you a grade of F, and...

Attend our Tea Party in Northwest suburbs of Chicago July 4 at 12:30PM. Speakers, music, rally. Bring a sign. Be patriotic! Stop this Tax and Spend Goverment! Tea Party Palatine www.teapartypalatine.com

I have been venting a bit lately on the ACES and particularly in our 10th district congressman's support of which I completely disagree with. Hindsight proves that this was the one last thing that Congress could have done to stop the Obama agenda, while the senate was still up in the air. With the installation of the crackpot senator, Stuart Smalley, the demonRats now have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate and Congress is surely going to fall into a more lock-step attitude with the rest. Everything from hear on out should not have the faintest touch or smell...

June 29, 2009   Mr. GRRRRR   Re: The American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, H.R. 2454   Dear Friend:   Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), H.R. 2454.   For 2009, our top goal should be energy independence.  I support exploring for energy off our coasts, expanding nuclear power and building a natural gas pipeline across Canada to lower heating costs in the Midwest - an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy.    As a Navy veteran, I think is time to set America's policy towards defunding Middle Eastern dictatorships by cutting...