* Press release…

Today, as Republican Mark Kirk refuses to criticize Donald Trump for his racist comments about Latino & Muslim Judges, the Democratic Party of Illinois is launching a new website to highlight the similarly offensive rhetoric employed by Kirk and Trump. The website, www.TrumporKirk.com, will be accompanied by a digital advertising campaign. It presents viewers with a series of ridiculous comments and quizzes them on whether they were said by Mark Kirk or Donald Trump.

“Republican Mark Kirk and his endorsed presidential candidate Donald Trump share a habit of making offensive comments and embracing fringe conspiracy theories. One endorsed discriminating against Muslims and accused President Obama of having a U.S. Senator indicted out of political retribution. The other says Latino and Muslim judges are incapable of objective decision making. Examining their rhetoric, it’s clear that Republicans Mark Kirk and Donald Trump are two peas in a pod. No wonder Kirk said he’d ‘certainly support’ Donald Trump and offered to serve as Trump’s ’steady conservative hand,’” said Democratic Party of Illinois spokesperson Sean Savett.

Yesterday, Democratic Senate nominee Tammy Duckworth delivered a forceful speech condemning Trump’s racist comments about Judge Curiel and Kirk’s refusal to disavow them.

Examples of the quotes featured on the website include:

“She’s as good-looking as a super model, but with a business education.”

“He’s going to have a rotating first lady … he’s a bro with no ho.”

“Tens of thousands of people are gonna lose their lives because of Barack Hussein Obama.”

“The little rich girl is having a temper tantrum. It is ironic that an heiress with no record of service to her country would attack me.”

“She has yet to lift her manicured little pinkie for our national security.”

I took the test and only got half of them right, mainly because [click here to see the reason so I don’t spoil your own quiz experience].

Oops.

* OK, now on to the other “controversy” mentioned above. Here’s the Tribune…

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth on Monday accused Republican Sen. Mark Kirk and others of being “complicit” in Donald Trump’s campaign of “hate and division” and said they deserve “to be judged harshly” for failing to publicly rebuke the presumptive GOP presidential nominee over comments about the judiciary.

Speaking to a West Loop gathering of the national pro-Democratic women’s group EMILY’s List, the two-term congresswoman from Hoffman Estates warned the first-term Republican senator that “silence is betrayal” when it comes to failing to take a stand against Trump’s criticism of federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel.

The problem here is that the Republicans are in a major trick bag. The moment they denounce Trump, they look like fools because they’re immediately asked if they still support him.

* For instance…

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) had harsh words Tuesday for Donald Trump‘s comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel, calling out the presumptive GOP nominee for racist comments while simultaneously reaffirming that his endorsement of Trump stands.

Kirk needs a better answer than Ryan. We’ll see soon enough if he comes up with one.

…Adding… Forgot to note that I received this postcard in the mail…

       

33 Comments - Ahoy! - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:48 am: –The problem here is that the Republicans are in a major trick bag. – Yes, yes they are. Trump has put Republican’s in a no-win situation, especially in Illinois. Kirk is in an especially hard place. - The Captain - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:49 am: When is this race going to be about anything that voters care about? Everything in this race so far has been about the campaigns trying to make inside baseball the issue. - Reality Check - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:49 am: I got 63%. Kirk has said a lot more obnoxious stuff than I knew, especially the racist remarks against Muslims. Wow. - plutocrat03 - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:57 am: Dangerous gambit. Does that mean that when the national Dems say or do something goofy or perhaps injurious to Illinois, the State Dems have to get in line immediately and start disavowing? - Mongo - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:59 am: 63% too, and jeez was I surprised by some of the Senator Kirk quotes. This is depressing, and I lean left. If I leaned right I’d be up a creek without a paddle. - John Reynolds - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:59 am: Well the 3rd in command in the U.S. said that the titular Leader of the Republican Party’s comment “fit the textbook definition of racism”. Isnt that special? @the captain: This is an issue that should concern all Americans. - Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:59 am: 75%, not bad, I guess. But I hadn’t realized the extent of Kirk’s racism. - Federalist - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 10:59 am: Trump is going to sink Kirk who actually has an outside chance of defeating a very flawed candidate in Duckworth- even in a blue state. Trump and his big mouth will sink a lot of Republicans if he does not get his act together. Who knows, perhaps Trump is right about Curiel. Perhaps he is biased. Nothing wrong with stating this when you back it up with evidence such as organizations he has belonged to, causes he supported and above all his judicial record. But that is not Trumps style, he just blasts away and looks like a fool in doing so. Kirk should immediately demand that Trump back up his statement and if he does not really lambast him. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:06 am: –Dangerous gambit. Does that mean that when the national Dems say or do something goofy or perhaps injurious to Illinois, the State Dems have to get in line immediately and start disavowing?– LOL, yeah, really “dangerous” to try to tie Kirk to Trump. Such a potential downside. I’m sure Dems will take your advice and ignore the leader of the national GOP and the racist things he says. Speaker Ryan deplores racist comments but endorses the racist who makes them for president. And he’s the alleged brains of that outfit these days. - Albany Park Patriot - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:06 am: Both Mark Kirk and Rauner should be held accountable for the person at the top of their ticket. They have done little to stop him or denounce this garbage publicly. - downstater - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:07 am: Mark Kirk deserves to lose big. He stands for nothing, will pander to anyone and serves only himself. He is hated downstate for his liberal positions and has done nothing to help any GOP organization in the state over his term in the senate. Good riddance. And he’s going to lose to a really bad candidate. - illini - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:07 am: Rich, I didn’t do any better than you and for probably the same reason. And I didn’t look at your reasoning and rationale. - John Reynolds - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:15 am: Its not just the fact that the presumptive Republican nominee has made these comments (and I support his right to say them, I also think its wrong too). To make matters worse he said if elected he’s going to look into it and/or do something about it. Really? Kirk needs to make up his mind. Either he endorses him or he doesnt. When does it stop? - Biography - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:30 am: Trump will not sink Kirk. Kirk has already sunk Kirk. See Treasurer Tom Cross for information on how that works. - Federalist - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:32 am: “Kirk needs to make up his mind. Either he endorses him or he doesn’t” A very good point and applicable to all candidates at all times. - slow down - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:35 am: Kirk has made a career portraying himself as a moderate and now while he’s locked in a tough reelection battle, his support of Trump completely undermines this argument. And with good reason, you can’t call yourself a moderate when you support a man who is openly racist, misogynistic and xenophobic. - Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:41 am: ==you can’t call yourself a moderate when you support a man who is openly racist, misogynistic and xenophobic.== Well, Donald Trump will certainly try to portray himself a moderate while supporting Kirk - Annonin' - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:45 am: Remember this is the guy who earned the label CommandoMakeItUp before Trump. It is clear both BigBrain Rauner and the Commando own Trump and all the trash he drags around. Only guy to escape this human landfill is Jim Edgar. - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:47 am: I clocked in at 81%. Trump and Kirk are two peas in one wacky pod. - cover - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:55 am: I voted straight Kirk, just to see how bad it was, and got 75%. “Oof” seems to be the right reaction. - Cook County Commoner - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:56 am: I appreciate the work Sen. Kirk has done for veterans, especially with Lovell Federal Health Care Center in N. Chicago, starting back in his days as a Representative. But his stroke and D. Trump may prove too much this time around. - Biography - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 11:57 am: I clocked in at only 44%. A lot of those Kirk quotes were heretofore, not widely disseminated (save for e.g. “Bro with No Ho.) They will surely be now, but how much it damages him remains to be seen. He is as good as gone due to his voting record and attitude, not statements questionable to some voters. Measure the drapes, Tammy. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 12:04 pm: Who would want to endorse and stand next to a guy who said all of those racist and misogynistic things? Certainly not the presumptive GOP nominee for President. It’s time for Donald Trump to disavow Mark Kirk once and for all. - Reality Check - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 12:06 pm: Bill Kristol: “Official position of the leadership of the Republican Party: Trump is an inexcusable bigot, and Trump must be our next president.” https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/740222565990473728 - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 12:11 pm: 47th Ward wins the week. - Biography - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 12:21 pm: Maybe the month. - Ghost - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 12:27 pm: does the Duckworth trial thing poll well? seems kind of meh to me. - John Reynolds - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 12:28 pm: @federalist: And if you endorse him, you endorse all of him. You support the President of the United States of America looking into whether a *mexican* judge can be fair. And at this moment in time, the Speaker of the House supports a massive expansion of the Federal Government and its powers. Must be the New Conservative, like the New Math. Huh? - Federalist - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 1:16 pm: @Reynolds, What is your point? - Federalist - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 2:27 pm: @downstate Illinois You state that Curiel is a member of La Raza (and unlike some I have a strong tendency to agree with yo about that organization). However is this confirmed? And I don’t mean just from right wing web sites. The sources(s) you used and how credible are they? Thanks. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 2:29 pm: The La Raza allegation is another lie http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-latinos-idUSKCN0YS2BV - Federalist - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 3:14 pm: I have tried to do some research on the Trump- Curiel matter. I can find no evidence that Curiel is a person member of LaRaza. It seems a little more complicated than either side will admit. However, The Chicano/Latino Bar Association of California has The San Diego La Raza Lawyers Curiel is a member) as one of the chapters and The National Council of La Raza is listed as one of their affiliates. http://larazalawyers.net/id3.html So everybody can make their own call. If I am wrong on this seemingly very complicated issue please tell me how the above information I provided is incorrect. If I am right then it is interesting to see a lack of reporting of this in our national news coverage. - ABC - Tuesday, Jun 7, 16 @ 6:06 pm: I got 81%. But I probably would have scored a lot lower if I hadn’t read the comments here first. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.