49 Comments - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:53 am: Cole’s sentence is a wee bit odd in that it contains two independent non sequiturs to the same question. Really, nine grand a year? That’s a lot of savings to burn through. He was on Fox News in the Morning last week and did pretty well. When he was questioned about a stimulus package for Illinois small businesses, he said the state could provide one by paying its bills within a reasonable time. - OurMagician - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:56 am: Alexi may want to watch where he throws the words “reckless financial policies” considering he’s the sitting treasurer of a state 12 billion in debt…. - Rob_N - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:58 am: OurMagician, when did the State Treasurer magically come up with the power to do the Governor’s and Legislature’s job of setting the budget? - 10th Indy - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:01 am: Some bright start parents might consider Alexi’s policies reckless - Gracie - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:06 am: I met Kirkpatrick at an event a week or so ago. He is very impressive and his qualifications for the treasurer slot seem pretty strong. The numbers he’s supposed to post this week are good- has anyone else met him or have an opinion? He looks to be a legit contender. - WOW - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:12 am: $1 million of the cash raised by Franks come from himself and family. Now that is truly someone in touch with the unemployment and day to day financial problems the citizens of this state are going through. - just sayin - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:15 am: Brad Cole is clearly not being straight. He couldn’t possibly have “saved every dollar I’ve ever made.” First of all, he’s not very old. And second of all, he’s had the $9,000 a yr part time job of mayor for years. Unless George Ryan paid him a fortune years ago, he couldn’t possibly be living on 9 grand plus savings, especially given his reputation for socializing on the Carbondale college scene. He’s got to have some other source of cash flow, he just doesn’t want to say. - been there - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:18 am: does roger keats still live in kenilworth? that does make him look pretty elitist. on the other hand, he was responsible, pretty much by himself, for the system that now elects judges from subcircuits in their own neighborhoods. - I'm just saying - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:21 am: Note to the Cook County GOP, we know that Todd is fatally damaged, and I dont’ see him getting out of the primary……. however, the rule is, it takes somebody to beat somebody, Roger Keats is not that somebody Thanks…… - shore - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:21 am: alexi is a fool to think that kind of kirk=bush, alexi=obama rhetoric alone will get him to office. Gash and seals both tried it and both failed because kirk has known for 10 years that he would face that and so has become highly skilled at the fine art of turning his campaigns into questions of integrity and independence. Alexi will need to dig deeper. - George Burns - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:34 am: @gracie: I read the Crain’s piece, and I am interested in what this Kirkpatrick guy can bring to the table. Look, if history repeats itself, we will have another inexperienced person at the wheel in the Treasurer’s office, unless someone who actually has experience in investing and growing other people’s money steps in. All I know is that my family lost when bad choices were made by the current Treasurer in the Bright Start program, and in a time when we are all feeling the crunch we need the right person driving the car. - shore - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:45 am: Kirkpatrick was my camp counselor at northwestern although being a 3 year starter at the only major conference d-1 mens hoops team never to make the ncaa tournament isn’t a resume winner. Alexi will have to do better than kirk=bush, alexi=obama therefore alexi should be senator. Gash and seals tried the same thing and both failed. Kirk optimizes thucydides view that the weak do what they must and for 10 years he’s successfully beat efforts to nationalize his races. Illinois voted for obama 1 point more than his district so if that’s all Alexi has he will lose. - shore - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:02 pm: my commentsare getting caught in spam. rich, i hope im not banned. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:05 pm: Yep. Akismet got ‘em again, Shore. Not sure why. They are now unspammed. - steve schnorf - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:12 pm: Brad Cole is a good guy. It’s not easy to beat a Simon in a liberal Southern Illinois town. He may or may not win, but he will be a good candidate and a big part of the Illinois Republican scene going forward. By the way, note that unlike most of you I actually know Cole, and I sign my name to what I say about him. - Anonymous - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:32 pm: Cole has money saved from the lawsuit against the state when he was fired by Blago. He was awarded several hundred thousand dollars in back pay. - VanillaMan - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:38 pm: Where do I begin? What a bunch of weak sentences… “If Mark Kirk and I are the respective nominees of our parties, then voters will have a clear choice: go backwards to the reckless Bush-Cheney fiscal policies Kirk supported that cost this state hundreds of thousands of jobs and created the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, or move forward to fundamentally change our economy and create the next generation of good jobs here in Illinois. No one wants to go backwards, and no one believes that any candidate would even suggest it. 2010 is about Obama, not about Bush. A very silly statement that makes Giannoulais look silly as well. Sadly unoriginal and considering how the entire US Senate US House and Presidency is ran by his Party, a very weak claim entirely. “I believe in fair trade, an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, and tax cuts for middle-class families. He forgot apple pie, Mom and the saluting the US Flag. It is so embarrassing to even read this. Exactly why should any candidate need to say this? Mark Kirk takes the opposite view. Oh, that why! Giannoulais wants to claim that Kirk doesn’t support those things! LOL! No one is going to believe that. It is a ridiculous overstatement. Amateur. He voted to give tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, but against cracking down on China’s unfair trade practices. He voted for a massive bailout of the biggest banks in the country, but against raising the minimum wage. Mark Kirk voted against middle-class tax cuts by opposing President Obama’s economic recovery plan, but supported George W. Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest. Finally, a few concrete statements, this should have been his approach from the opening sentence. We want to hear facts, not spin, dummy. It’s a simple choice between the failed past or a promising future – a clear choice between the right course and the wrong one.” No, but this is a simple political statement coming from a simple minded political team. Geez, any high schooler could pen that statement. It is better to say nothing than this because Giannoulais is failing to totally appreciate the cynicism that awaits 2010 candidates. Voters will not be satisfied with what passed for political rhetoric four years ago. He has to speak with more facts, stop the grandstanding, and stop the ridiculous comparisons because voters will not buy it. Giannoulais sounds like he lives in a coccoon, unaware of the melt-down Illinoisans have been suffering under. While we wait for a stimulus to deliver, watch job loss on a scale unimaginable, we are losing faith in the Obama administration. Giannoulais has to offer something else than what worked two years ago. Promises and hack attacks are tough to pull off without sounding shallow and silly. As we panic over the daily news, Giannoulais needs to sell himself in a far more sincere and sober manner than this regurgitated nonsense. - Gracie - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:40 pm: George Burns- I could not agree with you more. Bright Start was a mistake that will hurt when the campaigns start to heat up. That was a big error on the current office’s watch. - VanillaMan - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:46 pm: Scarey weird “With Mark Kirk’s entrance, the stage is now set to begin the Illinois Republican Party’s next phase. For a while now, the Illinois GOP has been experiencing a grueling metamorphosis. As the standard bearer for the inspiring LIFT principles, this election cycle will be pivotal in shaping the direction of the Illinois GOP,” Wallace said. “In this cycle, the IL GOP’s base will show that from the top of the ticket down they want a new crop of principled Republicans who will challenge the status quo.” Frankly, I have no clue what this guy is talking about, and even franker - don’t care who the Illinois GOP is nominating. All I know is if the GOP comes up with a viable nominee, I will know when they open their mouth and start campaigning. “For far too long the rank and file of the party has been relegated to the back of the bus while the party lords steered us away from enduring traditional governing principles. We saw we were headed towards party deterioration and those at the wheel ignored our concerns. The party adopted a conservative platform, only to nominate people who vote contrary to that platform.” Wow! Another big, ‘I could care less’ comment. If this guy wants to be nominated, he ought to figure out how to do it without making claims no one cares about except him. You don’t crap into your lunch bag and then expect steak tartar. - Brennan - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:12 pm: Alexi sounds like he’s running against Kirk in the 10th IL Congressional district. - Team America - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:15 pm: —-”relegated to the back of the bus”—- Oh, come on, Dr. Wallace. You didn’t really put that in your press release, did you? And the campaign has hardly gotten started. At least you didn’t call the “party lords” the “party plantation overseers.” I would appreciate it if you and all other politicians would PLEASE leave race out of politics for a change. - mark Team - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:27 pm: you heard minutes ago that mark kirk will be running for seante but alexi giannouilas is better than kirk alexi giannouilas will beat kirk and will win the Gerneal Eleciton and become the new UNited Seantor from Illonis - mark Team - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:32 pm: paul froehilach nice gernally why did you made fun of him talking about he is a embaled state rep wow - siriusly - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:32 pm: I’m pretty sure Kirk is 49. Not 39. Like it matters, except for factual accuracy. The Senate race is going to be fun to watch. I would love to watch Cherlye Jackson and Alexi Gianooulis beat the crap out of each other about who is connected to dirtier people. The GOP can fret all they want about Kirk, but I consider it all hot air because they don’t have any good challengers to him. If I were Proft, Dillard, Brady, Burkett, etc. I would seriously re-consider running for Senate instead of one of those other very crowded races. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:33 pm: mark Team, are you in kindergarten? Your comments are unreadable. Please don’t post again until you learn how to spell. Thanks. - shore - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:42 pm: FYI for cocky democrats last time you elected a democrat president you lost both clinton’s governors mansion in arkansas for only the 3rd time since 1873 and gore’s senate seat in tennessee. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_Arkansas - corvax - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:58 pm: LOL! yeah, mark Team, you’re not exactly helping out Alexi here - Concerned Observer (on vacay) - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:59 pm: Steve, I don’t sign my name, but I do know Cole pretty well, and you’re spot on. - Southern Illinois Voter - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 2:33 pm: Brad Cole is an intelligent, straight-talking candidate, & his candidacy is welcomed. The State of IL would be darn lucky to get him as Lt. Gov. - E Pluribus - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 3:53 pm: Eric Wallace???? Good God! Aside from the furthest right-wing, theocratic, neanderthal fringe of the GOP no one could possibly care about this guy. No credentials, no money, no hope. Just another dupe for extremist Republicans who demand only religious zealots on their ballots. How many times do we have to teach this history lesson? Jim Edgar gets a right-wing primary (from the puppet-master pimp behind Eric Wallace no less) in 1994. The right-winger gets 25% against a sitting governor. Oh my! A quarter of the party is against Edgar! Except Edgar went on to win overwhelmingly in November. A weak opponent and a strong GOP year helped, but the vitriol aimed at Edgar, just like that aimed at Kirk, comes from a very small wing of the party that has never been able to persuade a significant number of even conservative Republicans to cut off thier noses and vote Democrat in a general election. Bozo the Clown could get a quarter of the GOP primary vote in the senate race just because Kirk is a moderate. There is no emperical evidence that this translates into a loss in November. Most conservatives may register disaffection with Kirk in the primary, but will vote for a pro-defense, anti-tax, anti-spending, pro-tort reform, anti-socialized medicine moderate before they will support any of the Dems in November. - NathanArr - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 3:59 pm: “With Mark Kirk’s entrance, the stage is now set to begin the Illinois Republican Party’s next phase.” Is Mark Kirk what we should expect the “new” republican party to look like? A person who endorsed the idea of profiling Arab Men?(Chicago Tribune, 11/28/05; Chicago Tribune, 12/5/05; Chicago Sun-Times, 12/15/05], Whose idea of immigration reform is sending condoms to Mexico? [Reuters, 6/22/07][Congressional Record, 6/21/07, H6884] Kirk may have been able to win the 10th by attacking immigrants but the he will find it impossible to do for statewide office. Polls show that over 85% of Americans wants a workable solution to our broken immigration system. Does condoms and racial profiling sound like a solution to you? It won’t in November either. - E Pluribus - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:06 pm: Nate, good luck with that. The 10th district is one of the few places (outside the 4th) where there may be sympathy for illegals, especially from the limousine liberals. You are nuts if you think your open border notions have any meaningful support among the broader public. Go right ahead and bash Kirk for being mean to illegals, heck, his campaign might even pay you to do it. - Will County Woman - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:11 pm: hopefully jesse jackson jr. who has seemingly fallen off the face of the earth since late december, will get on board and be among the first black congressmen to support alexi. I trust that jackson would not be bitter and begrudge alexi support. IL GOP, Mark Kirk will win the senate seat and will trounce alexi. all the money in the world will not help alexi. he’s barely been a treasurer, and few successes to speak of, so he has very little credibility with the electorate. In other words, alexi, we are not impressed or interested. beyond that, he has nowhere near the understanding of federal issues in comparison to kirk’s extensive knowledge and grasp of federal issue. Now IL GOP, just unite and you conservatives keep quiet. just simle when you’re winning. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:14 pm: ===one of the few places (outside the 4th) where there may be sympathy for illegals=== You don’t know Cook County too well. - NathanArr - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:22 pm: @E Pluribus It may surprise you to know that there are immigrants and children of immigrants who vote (in fact quite a few). To them and much of the general public the idea of profiling Muslim males or sending condoms to Mexico doesn’t sound like a solution - in fact in sounds a lot like the simplistic scapegoating that Republicans have engaged in for so long. Put more simply, Latinos care about immigration reform. Can Kirk win without the Latino Vote? If the answer is no, then this ‘moderate’ will have to change his extreme stance on immigration. - Team America - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:28 pm: NathanArr, Kirk has made outreach to the Latino community a key part of his congressional campaigns, and it will no doubt a central focus of the Senate race as well. He may have addressed the issue today when he made his Senate announcement, but as he was speaking in Spanish for a few minutes directly to the many Latinos who attended in support of Kirk, I couldn’t tell (don’t speak it, though I wish I’d taken Spanish instead of French all those years). - NathanArr - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:42 pm: Team America, What is going to be more important to Latino voters, that Mark Kirk can speak Spanish or his stance against family reunifications? Speaking Spanish does not equal outreach to the Latino community. Here’s a video of some “outreach” Kirk did in the 10th. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJP5F2RCY54&feature=player_embedded The kitchen table conversation in the tens of thousands of mixed status households across IL may take place in Spanish but it won’t be about wither Kirk can speak it, it will be about what real solutions can he bring to the table. - Team America - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:47 pm: NathanArr, immigration reform is one thing, but simply saying Kirk is “against family reunifications” is just a recycled and pejorative Dem talking point. You’ll have to do a lot better than that. - E Pluribus - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 5:00 pm: Rich, I’ve live in Cook County a lot longer than you have, but that is not important. Opposition to increased immigration and illegals may not be “right” and is too often tinged with outright racism, but there is no evidence that shows big numerical support for the casue of illegals and more immigration. My point is that Nate’s position is not politically popular and hostility to Kirk from pro-immigrant groups is just as likely to help him as hurt, (especially when trying to make nice with the right). Outside of Democrat-allied groups (who see political benefits in more immigration and amnesty), the general public seems a little hostile. Or did the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill die a miserable death becasue it was so darn popular? Yes, many hispanics want to see comprehensive immigration reform, but there are also some who don’t want to see wholesale increases in immigration. And there are a whole lot of non-hispanics (many of immigrant stock) who are passionately opposed to more immigration. I never said these people were right, so lighten up. - Will County Woman - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 5:09 pm: maybe kirk can just coast by with saying that he opposes illegal immigration because it hurts the illegal immigrant. they are easily exploitable at home and here, and he should just point out the horrific and graphic fate that many illegals face especially in trying to cross the border. by putting his opposition in humanitarian terms/concerns he may be able to bypass a lot of criticism. - NathanArr - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 5:22 pm: Agreeing to Disagree on immigration just isn’t good enough. Immigration is one of the top three issues that the Senate has on its plate. Just ask Harry Reid. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060503453.html) Kirk dosn’t offer any real solutions. Instead he only has condoms and racial profiling - that and proven ineffective deportation only tactics. Try selling the cost of deporting 12 million people to that fiscally conservative base of his. Americas realize that the immigration system is broken and they want it fixed - that is a fact. Here are some more numbers to back it up if you would like them: http://americasvoiceonline.org/pages/polling - shore - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 5:28 pm: nathanarr, you are a political operative. Normal people don’t use house votes or remember the arab/condom comments. If Democrats lose this seat or have to sweat it you wonder if that heat will come back and smack Lisa Madigan in the face. I’ve never believed the hype on her and running away from fixing the state and leaving democrats in the lurch for senate and gov has to be a dissapointment for rank and file dems not to mention the white house. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 5:39 pm: c’mon, shore. Calling somebody a political operative to denigrate them? Here? Of all places? And by all people? - NathanArr - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 5:52 pm: @shore I know political memory is short but political operative? I certainly remember the Arab comments and the Condoms. I think both were rather memorable. I was one of the few hundred people outside the Chicago club who thought that he was going to announce a few months ago - it appears that others remembered as well. - 10th Indy - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 6:02 pm: Here’s Kirk’s message courtesy of Lynn Stiefel at Pioneer Press: “I will be a moderate on the divisive social issues but a fiscal conservative,” Kirk said of his political philosophy. “But at heart, (I am) a guy who would be totally dedicated to restoring the image of Illinois and ethics and integrity in government.” It’s the right message. If he stays on it, and he can - he wins. - phil - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 7:29 pm: Rich, I am dissapointed that your objective blog reported Kirk’s kick-off today, not by quoting anything said by Kirk but by reporting on his opponents’ responses. From the Politico (hate ot be beat by those knuckleheads in DC): KENILWORTH—Five-term North Shore Rep. Mark Kirk formally announced his bid for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate today, billing himself as an independent who wants to lead others who are “not afraid to stand alone” against the corruption that has infiltrated Illinois politics. Standing in front of his late father’s north suburban home, Kirk said his record as a moderate on social issues shows he is “not an ideologue or party partisan.” “In recent years, Illinois fell into misrule, first by a corrupt Republican and then an even more corrupt Democrat,” Kirk said, citing imprisoned former GOP Gov. George Ryan and ousted former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is facing trial on federal corruption charges. “These tragedies were followed by the appointment of Roland Burris to represent the 12 million citizens of Illinois in the United States Senate,” he said. “But the coming election offers an opportunity to correct our course and set a very high standard for our state and her citizens.”… —Also, he spoke to the various cultures: One sign that Mark Kirk’s campaign will be a shade different than many of the other Republican nominees for Senate? In his kickoff speech, he took time to recognize the varying ethnic communities across the state – including some shout-outs in Korean, Armenian and Spanish. He also made note of his strong record on Israel as he courts the state’s significant Jewish vote. Kirk has long enjoyed crossover support from many Jewish Democratic voters in his suburban Chicago district. Here’s the excerpt from the speech: Now, our campaign will look like my campaigns for Congress: many colors – unified under Red, White and Blue. A mi amigos Latinos – hacemos la programa abuelita, oportunidades a leer par ninos en ingles y apoyo al gobierno Mexicano contra las carteles. To our Korean community – anianseo and kamsamnida – we will fight to unite divided families. To the African-American community – my sincere thanks to a leader I admire greatly — Rev. John I. Caples of Jesus Name Apostolic Church. Together we have been saving one “smartie” child at a time at his program in Waukegan – a model we will bring to the State of Illinois. To our Armenian supporters – the only word I know is ast-vats — but we will say something very clearly in English: a genocide happened in 1915. To our Assyrian friends – we will never stop fighting for the embattled Christian community on the Nineveh Plain. And to supporters of America’s strongest friend in the Middle East – Israel’s greatest ally in Washington will be Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois. - scoot - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 9:44 pm: Very pathetic by the Giannoulias camp…very desperate as well. To go w/ Bush?? Hmm…let’s see Alexi hasn’t won an office on his own yet, it’s been Obama coattails. Since being Rod Blagojevich’s Treasurer he watched the state go bankrupt & corruption hit an all time high, while he did nothing. He lost 85$ mill on his watch w/ the bright star savings plan, then spent $26K on an SUV to talk about bright star. Not to mention his role in Broadway Bank. He’s just arrogant w/ money and is lucky Lisa (whom Obama preferred tp run over him for the Senate) is staying in the AG office. It’s also interesting to see him go on the attack of the Republican before it’s even official….that means the Alexi camp knows it’s in trouble. - scoot - Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 9:53 pm: I almost forgot to mention the night & day difference between Kirk & Alexi on foreign policy!!! WOW! - the ball - Tuesday, Jul 21, 09 @ 10:24 am: IF YOU THINK I AM A KINDGRATEN I AM GOING TO BE IN 5TH GRADE YOU STUPID RICH MILLER Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.