[TitansAFC]

Kirk will be a reliable vote on things like leadership votes, filibustering, Israel, drilling, Defense, and judges.

He will be unreliable at best on Life issues, guns, and taxes. He's about a 70%-ish Republican, which is Right-Wing here in Illinois.....sadly......

He is probably, in reality, the only Republican besides Mike Ditka who could win a Senate seat here - even during a GOP tidal wave year. Not an ideal choice, but worlds better than the Socialist IL Democrats that will fight for the seat.

Most interesting is his outreach to Sarah Palin. It demonstrates yet again that numbers, votes, and actual on-the-ground influence are in direct contradiction to the talking points of the press when it comes to Sarah.

Sarah could actually benefit from this if she chose to help Kirk. It would be the first true moderate “chit” built-up for a Presidential run, without having to stoop to a Scozzafava to show the GOP’s “big tent” credentials.

As one of the original Palin-istas, I hope that he does ask for her help, and that she helps (if only after the Primaries). It just makes her bigger, and the press more terrified.

[MortMan]

I also think she should wait until after the primaries, one way or the other.

I would also hope that, should she come out and support him, that part of the price be better support of the second amendment on his part.

I’m always wary of GOPers who are “bad” on the 2A. But, this being Chicagostan, there may be no help for it (although downstate may be a different story?).

[BillyBoy]

Ummmm... guys, I hate the break the news to you, but Mark Kirk IS a Arlen Specter/Dede Scozzafava "Republican", and nowhere near as conservative as a Republican who is with us "70%" of the time such as Norm Coleman. Kirk isn't just wrong on abortion, guns, and taxes, he's been wrong on almost every major issue since 2007 (opposed the surge, supported cap n' trade, etc.) Assuming he doesn't move any further left (and that's unlikely since he's been consistently moving leftward the last year two years), the only "Republican" Senators who are worse than him are the Maine twins. He's well to the left of John McCain. According to the American Conservative Union, Kirk voted the LIBERAL position at least 60% of the time in 2008. Over a dozen card-carrying DEMOCRAT legislators in Illinois didn't vote liberal that often. I have two DEMOCRATS representing me in the legislature, funny how they don't have to vote as hard left as Kirk to "win" in the Chicago suburbs. If Kirk agrees with liberals more often than his own party, he should just be honest and run as a RAT.

Read the truth for yourself. Kirk is so bad he's not even a RINO. This guy is a pure DIABLO (Democrat In All But Label Only), and he is totally unacceptable.

Mark Kirk's "moderate" record, 2007-Present

LEFITST GROUPS
- Voted with Planned Parenthood 100% of the time
- Voted with NARAL Pro-Choice America 100% of the time
- Voted with Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 100% of the time
- Voted with National Council of La Raza 100% of the time
- Voted with the Sierra Club 96% of the time, which is more often than Obama does
- Voted with the ACLU 50% of the time
- National Education Association gave Kirk a grade of A+
- Citizens for Global Solutions gave Kirk a grade of B+

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
- Voted with Taxpayers for Common Sense 33% of the time
- Voted with The Club for Growth 19% of the time (9 / 48 votes)
- Voted with Citizens for Tax Justice 17% of the time
- Voted with The Family Research Council 12% of the time
- Voted with American Family Association 0% of the time
- Voted with GOPUSA 0% of the time
- Voted with FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) 0% of the time
- NRA gave Kirk an “F”
- Gun Owners of America gave Kirk a grade of “ F- “

 Voted NO on troop surge in Iraq. (In May 2007, when 11 republican congressmen went to the White House and told Bush that they opposed the Iraq surge, Kirk was the group’s leader.)
 Voted NO on allowing school prayer.
 Voted NO on constitutionally defining marriage as between one-man-one-woman.
 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 banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad.
 Voted NO to HJ Res. 3-Releasing Funds for Economic Stabilization Act (this act was sponsored by Republicans after the first 300 billion dollars went unaccounted for to block the remaining funds from being released without oversight)
 Voted NO on a bill that would have required hospital employees to notify ICE agents when they treat illegal aliens.

 Voted YES on Cap-n-Trade ( the ONLY Republican member of the Illinois congressional delegation that voted yes!) [HR 2454]
 Voted YES on Democrat Charlie Rangel’s 90 percent bonus tax
 Voted YES on allowing human embryonic stem cell research.
 Voted YES on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels.
 Voted YES on prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWR.
 Voted YES on Overseas Military Facilities Abortion funding
 Voted YES on Section 245 amnesty for illegal aliens in 2002
 Voted YES on H.R.2 - the Democrat's SCHIP Program-basically an expansion of welfare (includes $1 tax on cigarettes to "fund" the program)
 Voted YES on H.R. 3997-First Economic Bailout Package (this is the one that failed the first time through) and voted YES on HR-1424:Second Economic Bailout Package (this one was bigger than the first!)
 Voted YES on final passage of legislation to transfer terrorist prisoners out of Gitmo and send them to the mainland.

 Supported Nancy Pelosi's minimum wage hike that exempted businesses in her own district (Kirk excuse is that he didn't read the bill)
 Co-sponsor of the anti-family, anti-faith "Hate Crimes" bill.
 Co-sp onsored re-introducing the Equal Rights Amendment.
 Co-sponsored signing on to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 Co-sponsored H.R. 6257, gun banning legislation which would "reinstate the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act. "
 Co-sponsored Democrat bill to make "cyber bullying" a federal crime (ONLY Republican co-sponsor!)

• Mark Kirk voted to approve nearly $200 million for the Air Force to purchase three luxury aircraft for ferrying top government office and Members of Congress.
• Claims that he opposes all congressional earmarks, but he earmarked at least $5 million, each, in his limousine liberal district (the wealthiest in Illinois), for HUD, Head Start, local police departments, and commuter trains
• Only one of two Republicans NOT to co-sponsor auditing the Federal reserve.