135 Comments - 47th Ward - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:04 pm: Kirk has said a lot of dumb things in his career, but I can’t help but wonder if the stroke has made things worse. It’s like he’s lost whatever self-restraint he once had, and any idle thought bursts out of his mouth in the most inappropriate way and at the most inopportune time. If he’s not more careful, he’s going to talk his way out of office. - truecolors - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:04 pm: He gone! - Jay Cutler's mustache - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:06 pm: There’s a big part of that quote not listed above: “That’s what we’d say on the South Side.” Couple that with the foot in mouth moment about driving quick through that neighborhood and the Senator now has a real problem on his hands. - Ghost - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:07 pm: So how is it that people keep getting caught by hot mic’s…. You Would think the prior umpteen people to be caught would be warning for the rest….. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:08 pm: I don’t think Kirk could find his way to the South Side with a map (or even GPS). That remark was even dumber than his comment about Graham. - West Side the Best Side - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:08 pm: He added: “That’s what we’d say on the South Side.” Who is “We” and do “We” say that on the North Shore too? - walker - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:09 pm: Who would think that was witty? Living in a bubble. Not alone. - PMcP - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:10 pm: Welp, congratulations Senator Duckworth on your win. - Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:11 pm: I’m sorry - or is it sorry not sorry?! - but I chuckled when I read this. Mark Kirk is a middle-aged, whitebread male. What he said is bascially a Dave Chappelle type of skit from about a decade ago. People are too damn wound up. - Wensicia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:14 pm: I don’t think the North Shore has a South Side. - JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:16 pm: Houston, we have a problem. - JoanP - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:16 pm: Sorry, Anonymous@3:08 p.m. was me. Somehow I got signed out of all the sites on which I generally stay signed in. - JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:16 pm: maybe he was talking about gardening issues. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:17 pm: Artl has his hands full. This is not helping Kevin. - Georg Sande - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:18 pm: No one seems the least bit interested in the truth of Sen. Kirk’s comments. Doesn’t the truth matter anymore?! After all, Sen. Graham is a gentleman without a steady woman companion. Focus people, please. (snark alert) - Decatur gal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:18 pm: Rude, racist, and stupid. - Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:19 pm: I meant to say, when the Hostess factory closed down a few years ago, he was a bro without a Ho-Ho. - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:20 pm: He meant South Side of Lake County. You know, Highland Park. Geez. Ho? What was he trying to do, establish his gangsta street cred in the Senate Appropriations Committee? How stupid and embarrassing. The only thing to do is a full, self-flagellation, “I’m an idiot” apology, and right now, or all those women and black voters he’s been scrupulously courting over the years might give him the heave-ho next year. - A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:21 pm: Having spent a little time with Kirk over the years on the trail, he was always kind of a stiff shirt kind of guy. It’s hard for me to imagine he came up with this rhyme on his own. It’s a tad too witty for the guy I remember. Kooky; yes. Fatal; no. Not even the southside part, which was even goofier. Old adage; every mic is live. And everyone within 500 yards has bionic ears. - Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:23 pm: Oh my god, the “South side” part is hilarious. - Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:30 pm: It’s good to see Kirk picking up slang when he isn’t rounding people up in witch hunts. - lake county democrat - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:30 pm: Kirk meant the south side of Lake County. - a drop in - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:31 pm: So Kirk is going full Bullworth? - Amalia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:31 pm: well, after “bros before hos” in 2008 and no one of true consequence doing anything about that, I’m not convinced that anyone will care, though they should. there is only one thing that will smash the ceiling, and we all know what that is. - Toffee - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:33 pm: == Rude, racist, and stupid. == Sexist, too, and juvenile. It sounds like something you’d hear from the mouth of an 18-year-old. - lake county democrat - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:33 pm: On the other hand, if any of the GOP candidates needed some free press, it’s Graham. - Amalia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:35 pm: hope this comment made the deadline for tonight’s Daily Show. Stewart is so very interested in all things Lindsey Graham. - Slippin' Jimmy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:39 pm: Welp, there goes my vision of the solemnity of the US Senate-POOF….. - MrJM - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:42 pm: Kirk’s a jerk and soon to be out of work. That’s what we say on the south side… – MrJM - Downstate - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:43 pm: I hosted Senator Kirk for an event in my community. I raised funds for him. I worked for him. I voted for him. Senator Kirk - you’ve not lived up the expectations of your campaign. It’s time for you to go. - Any Mouse - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:46 pm: From one old, well off, white guy to another: Never try to mimic ethnic-american english. It never works, and you always sound like an ass. - Amalia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:51 pm: let’s see, man running against a female candidate and he decides to cash in the sexist card. head. desk. - Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:51 pm: And the Democratic primary just doubled in size. The best thing going for Kirk at the moment. - A bro - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:53 pm: With respect for women like that, I’m surprised Kirk has a ho himself. Oh, yeah, had* - Nick Danger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:53 pm: sticking fork in…..almost done. - A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:53 pm: And now, for your “Trading Places” quote of the day…. Good one Mark. Why, thank you Mortimer. Just waiting for Jamie Lee Curtis to fall in love with Lindsey Graham. It all works out in the end. - Commander Norton - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:54 pm: I don’t have a problem with what he said about Sen. Graham, who seems to be very comfortable in his own skin and with his single status. Having worked around politicians for years, I know they rib each other all the time, it’s rarely taken seriously and, yes, there’s a definite adolescent, locker-room flavor to the humor. I’d be very surprised if Sen. Graham were actually offended. What’s much more troubling is the South Side reference. Sen. Kirk has no more right than I do to use “we” when referring to the South Side, and this isn’t the first time he’s shown that he’s way too comfortable stereotyping races and neighborhoods. And let’s not lose track of the fact that he’s an elected official who’s supposed to be representing those South Siders. A joke that might be worth an eye roll if told by Joe Blow is really a problem when told by someone whose position dictates that he get beyond stereotypes and learn about the folks he represents. - Willie Stark - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:56 pm: Hey, reporters! Ask Governor Rauner what he makes of his main man Mark’s comment. Does he condemn it? Does he think Kirk owes his constituents, all of them, but especially those on the South Side, an apology for being offensive and embarrassing our state? What does he think it says about us that a United States senator in the year 2015 would think something like that was humorous or worth uttering? Does it raise any doubts for him about Kirk’s fitness for office? - Soccermom - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:58 pm: Okay, a guy — that was funny. The South Side thing takes it to another level, I’m afraid. This is most unbecoming. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:58 pm: Maybe he just stuttered and didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence A bro without a ho(use-wife) A bro without a ho(me maker) A bro without a ho(pe of winning the nomination) - William j Kelly - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:59 pm: Look on the bright side at least he didn’t say, ‘he’s a bro with no bro’ - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:59 pm: Don’t care for Kirk, but to me this is PC gone ape…. If he was doing a self-parody, it would surprise me. If he was actually trying to be ‘hip’, THAT would be more cause for dumping him. We are being strangled by the ‘Tut-Tut’ police. Loosen up over the stuff like this. Check yourself for hypocrisies before you pile up on somebody else. - Outsider - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:00 pm: Just another southside wanna be…. - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:00 pm: WS, no reason to drag Rauner into this. It’s Kirk’s deal. Besides, Rauner says enough goofy things on his own. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:00 pm: The outrage, gasps, and pearl clutching are the only embarrassments here. - Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:04 pm: He’ll just be a white boy lookin’ for a place to do his thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epnqisvSCwo - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:04 pm: It’s not pearl clutching or “tut-tut” run amok when Kirk has to apologize. You’re welcome. - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:07 pm: – pearl-clutching– Does that go with “I gotcher politically correct rightcheerrrrr?” Whine all you want, he’s a U.S. Senator, not a contestant on Def Comedy Jam. He knows the deal. - Guzzlepot - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:08 pm: I LOL’d when I read the article. Kirk is becoming the GOP version of Diamond Joe Biden. - Cheryl44 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:09 pm: No wonder his wife left him. - Soccermom - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:09 pm: The issue is not whether Senator Graham was offended. The issue is whether it is appropriate for a Senator to refer to women as “ho’s”, and whether it is offensive to African-Americans when a Senator uses this expression and then explains “That’s what we’d say on the South Side.” I would add, incidentally, that Soccerchild once inquired: “Mom, what does ‘politically incorrect’ mean?” I replied: “It means that someone is about to say something racist, and you’re supposed to pretend that it’s funny.” - Downstate - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:13 pm: OW at 4:04 - You are absolutely correct. He is a sitting US Senator in an upcoming tough race. This is a boneheaded mistake that even a rookie wouldn’t make. - A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:17 pm: To update #2. Those are the worst kind of apologies. Do it right or just shut up. - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:18 pm: To the update, Kirk missed the boat on his apology. “The Senator was joking with a colleague….” Huh? Who cares? “…. and immediately apologized to anyone who was offended.” Huh, again. Who? Not your constituents, you didn’t. - Gerson - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:18 pm: I agree that the South Side reference in his phrase was the worst part. The guy just repeatedly shows, at best, ignorance in his public comments, if not a malicious tendency toward the dog whistle. His “private” comments clearly demonstrate the same tendencies. Michelle Obama was talking about people like Mark Kirk in her King High School graduation speech. - Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:20 pm: My problem isn’t that it’s “offensive”. My problem is it’s ridiculous. It’s better to be a jerk than a joke. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:22 pm: ===Senator Kirk was joking with his colleague and immediately apologized to anyone offended by his remark.=== “anyone offended” = “yeah, whatever, you don’t get it.” How about… “I did say it, It was wrong, and wrong saying it. I’m sorry.” Pearly advice. - nixit71 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:23 pm: Maybe Kirk was explaining the minimum qualifications to work at Prestige Worldwide. - Ghostbusters - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:24 pm: @ Rich Goldberg: next time you’re looking for something to label sexist, it would be this. - Casual Observer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:25 pm: I’m curious what Dick Durbin has to say about this. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:25 pm: All of these people who are outraged make me want to vote for Kirk. I do not plan on voting for him. I do not like him or his politics but to be outraged by a stupid joke, this is sad. If the media hyped this up, it is more likely that I will vote for him out of being offended at the offense industry. Give it a rest people. I am an independent and find it sad how both Democrats and Republicans try to get someone not on the issues but some off handed comment. I look at the issues and vote accordingly. If things quiet down, I will not vote for him. I will vote in the Democratic Primary for Duckworth’s challenger. However, if people are still manufacturing outrage, I will hold my nose and vote for Kirk in the fall. The outrage industry and the thought police are a bigger danger to this country. - A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:27 pm: Soc-Mom, thanks for the brief wink . I live for those. Whenever a guy who isn’t very naturally funny, flat tires ensue. Compounding it with the southside part was a second flat tire. For my own part, it’s hard to think of many Senators who were really funny “on purpose”. Alan Simpson comes to mind. I guess my point is that we’ve gotten so sensitive with this stuff that any toe stub becomes breaking news. Kirk, while never my favorite Senator, has probably exhibited more compassion than most and is hardly loved on the hard right. He didn’t say it for public consumption, so it wasn’t deliberate. Just dumb. We’re all capable of that. Even me. I can even offer you references on that, right here close. lol - A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:29 pm: === Casual Observer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:25 pm: I’m curious what Dick Durbin has to say about this.==== ….on second thought; Too easy. Nevermind. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:34 pm: Oh - Anonymous - ===If the media hyped this up, it is more likely that I will vote for him out of being offended at the offense industry.=== So, the bad ole media is going to “make” you vote for a guy calling women what he did, and made it about the South Side too? Aw, are you the smartest in the room. lol - Anonymiss - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:38 pm: >and immediately apologized to anyone offended by his remark. Senator/staff: if you were sincere, you’d apologize for being inappropriate and offensive, not sorry that (some) people were offended by it. Get him, Tammy. - Bedbug - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:39 pm: I wonder if Sen. Kirk will opine next on what they call Denny Hastert on the South Side? - Bedbug - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:41 pm: Or Tammy Duckworth for that matter… - orzo - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:42 pm: For years, it has been accepted that the use of “ho” and “b—-” as a synonym for a woman is sexist, crude, and demeaning, and the hip hop culture has been frequently criticized for using these expressions in music. Now a United States Senator refers to a female companion as a “ho” and it’s supposed to be funny. - Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:44 pm: Who are the “thought police” exactly? Kirk isn’t gonna get thrown in jail for this. He said what he said, people are criticizing him for it. That’s the way “free speech” is supposed to work. - orzo - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:45 pm: Bedbug, I believe they will be calling her Senator Duckworth on the South Side and everywhere else. - bluegrass boy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:45 pm: worm - Juvenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:45 pm: === immediately apologized to anyone offended by his remark. === classic non-apology. According to Wikipedia, the non-apology apology is “a statement that has the form of an apology but does not express the expected contrition,” and is most often delivered when a person refuses to back down from an offensive statement, instead apologizing for, say, hurting the aggrieved party’s feelings. For instance, if you were outraged that I took the easy hack route and cited Wikipedia in a professional news website, I would say: Eh, sorry you were offended by it, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, I apologize to all who feel hurt by my laziness, etc. Notice Kirk is actually defending his right to tell the joke and places blame on those who were offended. Like they shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on his comments during a public hearing. - Muscular - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:46 pm: It is highly disappointing that Kirk has taken for granted his position as a Senator. The most important aim for conservatives next year is to have at least 60 Republican members of the Senate. If Kirk cannot be reelected, this goal gets harder. Is Kirk really committed to the national goals of republicans and conservatives? I wonder what Andrea Zopp has to say about this. - Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:46 pm: ==However, if people are still manufacturing outrage, I will hold my nose and vote for Kirk in the fall.== So, you don’t like the guy, but you’ll vote for him based not on what he does, not on what his challenger does, but on what “people” do? - Gooner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:49 pm: This is the kind of thing that wouldn’t impact most Republicans but might be a major problem for Kirk. Kirk at one time was considered a moderate and had some support among Dems. Making a weird comment, followed by the racist (and yeah, stating that people on the south side speak that way is racist) comment is the type of thing that is going to tear apart that image. It may be time for the GOP to be looking at serious primary options. - Bedbug - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:49 pm: I typed in Lindsay Graham here (http://joel.net/EBONICS/translator) and all I got was “Lindsay Graham in the hood”…Mark needs to get his a&% down to Chiraq post haste. - stoney - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:50 pm: In the first six months of 2015, Illinois scores the disgraced politician hat trick. - Macbeth - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:52 pm: Kirk, Rauner — they all feel the same way. Kirk just said it, Rauner does it. - Duke Silver's Saxophone - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:00 pm: Not a wise remark on Kirk’s part. A shame Graham won’t show well enough to earn Secret Service protection. They’ve proved capable at handling bachelors’ lack of company. - nc guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:06 pm: -Hey reporters! Ask Governor Rauner…- Umm, the Governor is not taking reporter’s questions this term. (snark) To the post: A US Senator has got to have a clue as to statements that may be offensive, to any or all of his or her constituents. And then, not say them. Better yet, not think them. - Wensicia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:07 pm: ==apologized to anyone offended by his remark== I suppose those not offended got the humor? - Cheryl44 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:17 pm: Thanks for the non-apology, Senator. - Come on man! - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:24 pm: This is his Binders Full of Women moment - Excessively Rabid - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:30 pm: Doesn’t change my (low) opinion of Kirk. Just somebody please give me a better choice. Not any more impressed with the alternatives on the horizon. - kissfan - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:40 pm: Much to do about nothing. - AC - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:46 pm: A one off comment shouldn’t end a political career, but it shouldn’t be swept away, characterized as unnecessary political correctness or the like. He deserves a hefty amount of criticism for his remarks, even though I don’t think he committed the unpardonable sin, unless this is part of a pattern of behavior and speech. If it is, he is done, and he’d better home there aren’t lost quotes, or worse lost recordings, any out there. - siriusly - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:47 pm: It’s the lack of awareness and the repeated odd comments that make me question him, not the comment itself. This isn’t the first odd thing he has said - and it won’t be the last. The theme of the campaign will be “what will Mark Kirk say next” and he will gladly oblige. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:53 pm: Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:34 pm: Starter then you Willy - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:53 pm: Smarter - Kooky in Kalifornia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:55 pm: Another double standard for wealthy or well placed. He should be shamed out of the Senate. Not to mention that he denied people healthcare when he was entitled to life saving, career saving care after what for ordinary men would have changed him forever to be a crusader for universal care. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:56 pm: - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:34 pm: It is people like you with you fake outrage and holier then thou attitude that YES would make me vote for him. The attacks on words and not actions is sad. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:58 pm: - Anonymous -, I apologize to anyone offended. lol - Kooky in Kalifornia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:02 pm: Another double standard is Hastert. Why is no one discussing his crimes against students 35+ years sgo? Hastert the extortion victim? Pull-ease! Over reach by the government? Really? How about a plea deal for the victim/extortionist to put this sick slime bucket away. There is a Hinsdale teacher that got 32 years a few years ago for allegedly similar crimes. Oh and the obstruction of justice superintendent that covered things up for years goes Scott-free and gets a 200000$ pension. Wealthy and well placed! - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:02 pm: - Anonymous - “… people like you… ” Hmm. “… people like you… ” People. Like. You. I don’t think you’re helping. - Anon221 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:05 pm: If you listen to the audio, he didn’t just say it once. Reminds me of roll call in a middle school classroom. Surely there are more serious matters to attend to Senator Kirk than talking in “class”. - Cheswick - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:13 pm: Rib jabbing, snide little sex jokes between elected officials are a little breathtaking right now, in light of the recent revelations about Dennis Hastert. Because everybody is wondering what the heck else is going on in the Capitol. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:24 pm: Exemplifies the culture of the good ole boy network - Sunshine - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:25 pm: Seems pretty tame. Lot of to-do about nothing I think…. - Cheswick - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:32 pm: Anonymous, are you sure you aren’t referring to the little boy network? When it comes to the Illinois Republican Party it is a little boy / old man network! - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:37 pm: – manufactured outrage– So you’re good with ho? You know it’s slang for whore, and is intended in its usage to be derogatory to women, as in, they’re all prostitutes, correct? How about skank, slut, trick, many more…. all good? Would you have to “manufacture outrage” if ho were directed at your mother, wife, sister, daughter? And you realize, don’t you, that Kirk is the United States Senator from Illinois? They are not terms of affection or respect. - Willie Stark - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:41 pm: Wordslinger, with respect, pols get asked to comment on things other pols say all of the time. Sometimes appropriately, other times not. But since BVR and MK have such a mutual admiration society and support/donor network, there’s a nexus. Further, the casual racism is noxious and the state’s elected leader and de facto party leader ought to condemn the “quip” on his own accord without reporter prompting, as it comes from one of our U.S. senators in the year 2015, not some dumb schmo no one ever heard of before in 1966. Racism continues to badly hurt us all and moments like this are a chance to send the message it won’t be tolerated (at least for those who actually care and don’t just see South Siders as a means to an end at election time). But, anyway, there’s no great danger any reporter will ask BVR or he’ll even be available to take their questions. - Cheswick - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:44 pm: Cheswick - @ 6:32 pm, please get a different handle. You’re not me. I am me. I am Cheswick. Thanks. - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:55 pm: This episode might shed some light on Richard Goldberg’s recent confusion, as he came up with Kirk. Goldberg thinks questioning the funding source of a female state employee’s salary is a “sexist smear,” while his old boss thinks calling women hos is “joking with his colleague.” - Rich Miller - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 7:26 pm: What Wordslinger said. If he called your daughter a “ho” you’d just laugh it off, I suppose? Moron. - Wensicia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 7:54 pm: Don Imus lost his MSNBC gig for using the term “hoes” in a derogatory fashion. What should a U.S. Senator expect concerning his comment? - Pot calling kettle - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:17 pm: ==Seems pretty tame. Lot of to-do about nothing I think….== If you are wondering why people are so up-in-arms and offended by this, it would seem to be a reflection of what Mark Kirk actually thinks. If it is such a reflection, it indicates he is: 1) sexist, 2) racist, and 3) in the words of Holden Caufield & Gov Rauner “a phony,” all three of which are bad in a reelection campaign. - vibes - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:25 pm: Didn’t Lindsey Graham ask Caitlyn Jenner to be first lady? - William Jennings Bryan - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:26 pm: It was just a phraseology error. What he was really saying was his brother in Congress had trouble working in his garden last week since he liked a hoe. - Gooner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:33 pm: “ho” really isn’t the worst part. The worst part is his suggestion that all black people (come on, we all know that “south side” is northshore-ese for black) speak in that manner. At this point, I almost hope he’s acting this way because of the stroke. If there is no medical excuse and he was always this way, it is just appalling. - Shoe Searer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:35 pm: ==If he called your daughter a “ho” you’d just laugh it off, I suppose?== That you equate what Kirk said in the slightest with a specific, personal attack on someone’s daughter…and you’re the one name-calling? OK Rich. - Shoe Searer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:39 pm: ==It’s not pearl clutching or “tut-tut” run amok when Kirk has to apologize. You’re welcome.== This is great. The fainting couch warriors have created this whole world where someone HAS to apologize for a meaningless joke, because can’t miss out on a good mob action. Then when Kirk apologizes per their silly rules, they think their world is validated as they believe Kirk, upon Serious Reflection of his own accord, decided he made a serious transgression and sought forgiveness. Unreal. - Gooner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:43 pm: SS, he didn’t apologize. It was a fake “to those who I offended” apologies. If you are going to suggest that black people are all walking around calling people “ho”, you need to do a bit better than that. By the way, SS’s comments show a recent trend on the right of excusing literally everything done by a Republican. Duggar? Hastert? Now Kirk? The new right wing tactic seems to be “never apologize, never explain.” So much for their prior views on individual responsibility. - Shawshank Red - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:47 pm: I wonder what this will do to Kirk’s campaign contributions from the rank-and-file. Kirk could easily become the bro with no dough. - PoolGuy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:50 pm: Shoe Searer, this was a US Senator with a hot mic during a live Senate committee hearing making comments regarding women and Chicago “south siders”. it wasn’t Eminem in a recording studio hanging out with his friends. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:52 pm: ===Then when Kirk apologizes per their silly rules, they think their world is validated as they believe Kirk, upon Serious Reflection of his own accord, decided he made a serious transgression and sought forgiveness.=== Hmm. “…immediately apologized to anyone offended by his remark.”. “anyone offended” is not an apology. Please learn. - William Jennings Bryan - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:54 pm: Duggar Hastert Kirk. A new kind of assassin. A self character assassin. - The obvious - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:13 pm: Lesson number one: no funny jokes by public officials that offend anyone or no one. Lesson number two: Certainly no jokes that offend any nonwhite people. - Gooner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:15 pm: The obvious, Are you suggesting this was a funny joke? If so, congratulations! You are one of the few 8 years old reading CapFax. - Shoe Searer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:20 pm: ==“anyone offended” is not an apology. Please learn.== You said it’s not pearl clutching when he has to apologize. Kirk “has to apologize” not because anyone was actually harmed, but rather because we live in this inane alt-world now where the right apologizes or the left feasts until someone’s life is ruined. The fact that we’re now onto a sub-category of this of whether he made a fake apology or not…of course we are. The left needs complete and utter prostration for one’s sins. Only then can one receive supervision and be allowed to resume most normal daily activities. - Wensicia - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:23 pm: - Shoe Searer - Bite me. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:25 pm: - Shoe Searer -, You should be pleased then; Kirk offended women, made it racial, then made a fake apology, and you get to have Kirk be a victim of his own remarks because of the faked apology. I’m not on your lawn either… - Shoe Searer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:30 pm: ==Shoe Searer, this was a US Senator with a hot mic during a live Senate committee hearing making comments regarding women and Chicago “south siders”.== I actually can get on board with some frustration over this being uttered during a committee hearing. He has an important job, take it a bit more seriously. Save the jokes for the walk back to the office. As to the Serious Injustice towards women and south siders…I can’t even anymore. You guys won. You set the rules and got the kill. Don’t let us get in the way of the feast. - Gooner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:42 pm: Sure Shoe. Just like with Duggar and Huckabee and Hastert, Kirk is just a poor victim. Thank you for enlightening us all. - Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:47 pm: SS, congratulations, you got to exercise your victim hood pretty good there cousin. Which requires, of course, willfully missing the point. Kirk doesnt have to apologize for anything. No one can make him do so, despite the hysterical dystopia youve conjured up Illinois offers a range of ethnicities, religions and races to which he can apply his funny bone, if he so wishes. But he will apologize, regardless, because it is in his political interest to do so. He’s a politician, savvy? It’s a game of addition. He will do it for himself, and no one else. - CG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:57 pm: If you actually listen to the audio, it does not appear that he says “South Side” at all. You hear him say one word with an S that sounds muffled. The Washington Post said that the word was likely “street.” There would be no way from the audio to surmise that he was saying “South Side.” - Shoe Searer - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:01 pm: ==Just like with Duggar and Huckabee and Hastert, Kirk is just a poor victim.== You equate them. Not I. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:11 pm: So, it’s… “That’s what we say in the street”…? That may change the whole thing, except for that bro and ho thingy… - rilt - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:21 pm: He insulted every First Lady - modest proposal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:36 pm: Looks like Kirk is positioning himself to replace Joe Biden… - A. Nonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:39 pm: Seems like the M. Kirk & Co. sockpuppet brigade is out in force defending the indefensible. Where is the audio of Kirk’s non-apology? Or are we just supposed to take his PR team’s word for it? What’s next? Is Kirk going to lie about his military record? Oops. He already did that too. —– Tammy needs to remember Kirk’s 2010 campaign theme: say the same sentence about your opponent to every reporter question. Reporter: “What do you think of the weather?” Duckworth: “Mark Kirk’s history of racist, sexist remarks and his lies about his military resume have no place in today’s political climate.” See how easy that is. - John Boch - Friday, Jun 12, 15 @ 12:01 am: Well, buh bye Marky-poo. What a schlep. Will someone decent *please* run against him in the primary? John - William Jennings Bryan - Friday, Jun 12, 15 @ 12:22 am: I thought all military officers had to take classes on sensitivity and harassment issues. You would think it would have had an impact. - Shoe Searer - Friday, Jun 12, 15 @ 12:22 am: ==Seems like the M. Kirk & Co. sockpuppet brigade is out in force defending the indefensible.== I can’t speak for others in the Brigade, but unfortunately I have to admit I’m not a Kirk guy. Never has received my vote, and likely never will. And from what I’ve seen over the years, I don’t find him particularly likeable either. This all, for me, has nothing to do with Kirk. - VanillaMan - Friday, Jun 12, 15 @ 6:57 am: I don’t care what was said at this point, nor about whom it was said - what I care about is a US Senator running for reelection after a massive stroke making citizens wonder if he is capable of doing his job. I am not convinced that he can. - crazybleedingheart - Friday, Jun 12, 15 @ 5:30 pm: ===- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:30 pm: It’s good to see Kirk picking up slang when he isn’t rounding people up in witch hunts. === ==- Jay Cutler’s mustache - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:06 pm: There’s a big part of that quote not listed above: “That’s what we’d say on the South Side.” Couple that with the foot in mouth moment about driving quick through that neighborhood and the Senator now has a real problem on his hands.== Yeah, could’ve been worse, he could’ve blurted the whole mixtape at once. “As we say on the South Side, I’m just a bro with no ho, but even I know that if we don’t want to become Detroit, we’d better stop driving fast through that neighborhood and arrest 18,000 black men.” Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.