Here we go again
Wednesday, Oct 26, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mark Kirk originally backed Donald Trump for president, then said he’d write in David Petraeus, then said he’d write in Colin Powell, then went back to Petraeus, and now he appears to be backing away from Petraeus again…
Kirk, who is struggling in his Senate race against Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth, said months ago that he planned to write in former CIA Director David Petraeus for president. But in an interview with a Chicago radio station on Wednesday, he refused to confirm whether that was still his plan.
“I said that largely out of total frustration,” Kirk said. “The joke I’ve seen going around is, ‘If you had a rowboat and it sprung a leak with Hillary and Trump in it and it sank, who would win?’”
Asked if that means he doesn’t have a candidate he’s planning to vote for, the Republican senator replied, “I don’t at this point. Pretty frustrated by the choice that we have now.”
This is all completely silly and useless, by the way. Write-in votes don’t count unless the candidate is registered. So, he’s flip-flopping all over the place about something that means absolutely nothing.
Listen to the entire WBEZ interview by clicking here.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:18 pm:
Kev,
Thirteen more day. Just thirteen more days.
Hang in there, bud.
OW
- hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:20 pm:
Wonder if he’s now afraid to say Petraeus just in case he gives an endorsement for Hillary just like Colin Powell has? LOL.
- State Engineer - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:22 pm:
How is this so hard? There is a list of registered write in candidates pick one go with it. Say Evan McMullin and save time.
- Big Joe - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:22 pm:
That’s Kirk for you. Always good for a funny, shake your head quote. I don’t know if he will remember to vote for himself.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:23 pm:
If you had a US Senate race with Kirk and Duckworth in it, and both candidates sprang a leak, who would sink to the bottom first? At this point, Kirk’s boat seems to be sinking a little slower than Duckworth’s, and no one is throwing him a life preserver.
- Secret Square - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:24 pm:
“If you had a rowboat and it sprung a leak with Hillary and Trump in it and it sank, who would win?”
The punchline is, of course, “the voters.”
- cover - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:27 pm:
He might as well have said he was voting for Limberbutt McCubbins, a write-in vote for a cat does as much good as one for Gen. Petraeus.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:27 pm:
Kirk needs to retire.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:27 pm:
It is like Senator Iselin not remembering exactly how many communists are in the department of defense. Can we just pick something easy? Say Ronald Reagan. Or how about John Heinz? Who cares if they’re dead? Nobody on a write-in is gonna win.
- illini97 - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:31 pm:
Why not say Joe Maddon and grab some popular coat tails. It’s equally irrelevant.
- Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:35 pm:
“completely silly and useless” is Kirk’s slogan these days
- AlfondoGonz - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:51 pm:
Just write yourself in, Senator.
- Finger Nails on Chalkboard - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:51 pm:
I am so sick of the two major party candidates making the US Senate race a referendum on Trump.
Address the issues please!
- Rabid - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:52 pm:
Total frustration have you tried skype at the Philippines
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 3:54 pm:
Captain Kangaroo will be the next write in for our illustrious Senator
- Earnest - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:01 pm:
No biggie. It’s not like there are every any problems that leave you with no great options to vote on in the US Senate. It’s an unnecessary leadership skill in government.
- Cleveland Fan - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:02 pm:
Maybe he should join the vote-Jill-Stein-to-help-Rauner-in-2018 movement.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:06 pm:
===Captain Kangaroo will be the next write in for our illustrious Senator===
Well, at least he had executive experience, being the Captain and all.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:12 pm:
Either Trump or Clinton will be elected president.
It’s inconceivable to me that grown-ups truly can’t make a choice between those two very different outcomes, can’t make up their minds as to which choice is significantly better (or worse).
You can’t make that choice, but you should be entrusted to make tough choices in Congress or the statehouse? That’s ridiculous.
- Groucho - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:24 pm:
I agree with Anonymous. Make a choice between the options you have.
- lake county - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:52 pm:
As painful as this is, at least this months long process has showed us some of what is in Kirk’s head.
Meanwhile, Rep. Bob Dold (IL-10) has a memorized two sentence line and still won’t tell us who he is voting for.
- downstater - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 4:56 pm:
Well, I’m a Republican and I don’t have a candidate for US Senate. So, I’ll just vote for the true war hero: Tammy Duckworth. Mostly just to stick it to Kirk.
- Sue - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 5:00 pm:
In light of his past contributions all of this is plain sad. Kirk’s most important contribution to Illinois would have been to allow someone else who easily could have beat the next worst person running. Now we will be stuck with Duckworth who will readily sign off on whatever Schumer and Clinton ask for
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 5:09 pm:
November 8th, Kirk will be out of his electoral misery.
- JackD - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 5:20 pm:
Not having a punch line is not necessarily a sign of brain injury.
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 5:54 pm:
‘If you had a rowboat and it sprung a leak with Hillary and Trump in it and it sank, who would win?’
The Aristocrats?
– MrJM
- Sue - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 5:57 pm:
Mister JM- who would win? America
- TaxesBuyCivilization - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 9:57 pm:
It’s really disappointing that a United States Senator can’t be mature enough to be upfront about who he is voting for.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Oct 26, 16 @ 10:55 pm:
I realize that this whole write-in dog and pony show is out of control now and is likely not recoverable. But there is no reason Kirk or anyone of any party ever should be forced to publicly say who they are voting for, for any office no matter who they are or what they do for a living. Secret ballot and all that. Kirk should have just said that months ago. Or he should have said “I am not voting for Hillary Clinton and beyond that I have nothing to add.” Good grief, people. A single vote by an individual is not going to change the election or change the outcome of the electoral college. Kirk staff has not handled it well, but anybody who stands back must see how ridiculous this continuing focus by the media is in the first place.
- Rabid - Thursday, Oct 27, 16 @ 7:01 am:
Would you vote for a politician that don’t support their party and has a secret?