Free Republic

Mark Kirk's 2008 NRA Grade: F. "True enemy of gun owners’ r... on Twitpic

(Washington, DC) – Log Cabin Republicans announces six endorsements for the U.S. House and Senate. The organization endorses the following candidates for re-election: Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representatives Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Christopher Shays (R-CT). “We’re proud to endorse these six lawmakers for re-election,” said Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon. “They’re strong allies and they have excellent records on issues of basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans. They have stood with us. We are proud to stand with them during the upcoming campaign. We look forward to...

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk is the favorite in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, and for very good reason. He has been an extraordinarily effective representative of the independent-minded 10th Congressional District for a decade. His track record shows he has conservative principles and he has the instincts to succeed in Washington, no matter which party is in control. Kirk is all about fiscal responsibility. He wants to reduce the national debt, balance the budget and stop the disgraceful practice of earmarking billions of taxpayer dollars for politicians' pet projects. He's a committed free trade advocate. He's attentive to the...

Ever since Mark Kirk announced his campaign seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois currently held by Roland Burris there have been many "rumors" regarding Kirk's sexual preferences. Indeed, these "rumors" have been around for years concerning Mark Kirk, but they have been dismissed because of Kirk's relatively low political profile. Journalistically, it would have been irresponsible of me to go with the story for a number of reasons. Some have asked me why I did not address the allegations Kirk was possibly a homosexual and, for any honest journalist, the answer should be obvious. My...

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...

Hughes Says Kirk Appeal to Palin a “Desperate Move” (HINSDALE, IL) – A new Wilson Research analysis of polling data from the U.S. Senate campaigns of Mark Kirk and Patrick Hughes, respectively, indicates bad news for the Kirk campaign. This comes on the heels of news from Kirk’s Senate campaign that he is seeking the endorsement of former Gov. Sarah Palin. "I believe Mark Kirk, who has consistently supported President Obama's legislative agenda, including cap and trade legislation, is quickly realizing that Republican Primary voters do not share his extreme views. In a desperate attempt to prove otherwise, he is...

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...

After pumping more than $1 million into an upstate New York House race to elect the Conservative Party’s Doug Hoffman, the Club for Growth is on the hunt again. Chris Chocola, president of the conservative political action committee, made it clear the PAC is looking for more GOP targets who don’t embrace the Club’s limited-government approach. Priority No. 1 is likely to be the Senate contest in Florida, where Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who embraced President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, is being challenged by former State House Speaker Marco Rubio. . . . . . Beyond Florida, other establishment Republicans...

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...

Kirk slams Bright Start, but not Giannoulias For weeks, Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Alexi Giannoulias have tried to play over the heads of their opponents in the Feb. 2 primary election for the U.S. Senate, attacking each other rather than engaging the opponents within their own parties.But at a downtown Chicago news conference today, Kirk addressed a controversy involving Giannoulias’ stewardship as state treasurer of the Bright Start college savings program—and appeared to take Giannoulias’ side. [This is an excert from the original article. To see the article in its entirity, click the link the source page]

NEWS | POLITICS Michael Steele Withdraws Support for Mark Kirk's Senate Bid Kirk's changing positions on a "cap and trade" environmental bill are inspiring angry boos from some fellow Republicans Copyright Associated Press / NBC Chicago First Published: Sep 24, 2009 1:48 PM CD By ANDREW GREINER Updated 3:54 PM CDT, Thu, Sep 24, 2009 Michael Steele has been responsible for some monumental gaffes since he took the reins of the Republican National Committee. Perhaps he’s trying to avoid another error by supporting a flip-flopper. The RNC Chairman has reportedly withdrawn his sole endorsement for Illinois Representative Mark Kirk...

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,...

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...

Joliet, Illinois (CNN) – Organizers of the Tea Party Express bus tour arriving in Washington later this week planned their route to go though Democratic congressional districts they consider vulnerable. "What we did was take a map of the United States and then we went head and pin pointed the members of congress that merited our attention and then we looked at those that might be politically vulnerable," said Joe Wierzbicki, a strategist with the conservative PAC Our Country Deserves Better, who are organizing the cross country Tea Party Express tour. Topping the group's target list in the Senate is...

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....

... 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...

Is Michael Steele violating a major RNC rule to help Mark Kirk? Posted: August 27, 2009 By Doug Ibendahl The Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Michael Steele was a guest Tuesday morning on the Don Wade & Roma radio show on WLS 890 AM.  Friends told me about the interview so I listened to the Podcast. I was immediately reminded why I stopped listening to Don & Roma several years ago - after once having been a loyal listener. Tuesday's show was another pollyannaish lovefest with a mind-numbing amount of empty chatter. (Of course keep in mind WLS...

Sen. John McCain has endorsed Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk (R-10th) in his run for the U.S. Senate.