* Bernie interviewed US Sen. Mark Kirk…
Asked if he has considered becoming an independent, given his policy differences with some in his party, Kirk said, “In the case of Illinois, the Democratic Party is largely a party of SEIU,” which is short for Service Employees International Union.
“The SEIU is so corrupt,” he said. “The problem is the big unions are already running the state. They’ll run it just like the big unions have run Puerto Rico. … And I think it’s incumbent upon me as a leader of this community to make sure we have fiscally conservative decisions to make sure we have enough money for roads and prisons and schools. We gotta protect the people of Illinois from the fate of the people of Puerto Rico or Greece.”
* More…
Kirk also said he has been “all over the map” on who he would support for president, but returned Tuesday to saying he plans to write in former CIA director and retired U.S. Army general David Petraeus, who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information.
As for the Petraeus guilty plea, Kirk said, “My worry is that he was always seen as a potential rival to the president. I think they went too hard on him.”
In case you lost track, Kirk started out backing Trump, then went to Petraeus, then dumped him for Colin Powell and now he’s back with Petraeus.
Kirk also told Bernie he “largely” likes Gov. Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda.
- Michael Westen - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:08 am:
Is Kirk running for Governor now? Even if SEIU “runs” Illinois, that doesn’t really have a lot to do with his work in Washington.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:09 am:
Sen. Kirk,
I’d say you broke my heat with all this but I don’t even think at this point you know what you’re for, against, supporting, or fighting.
Your campaign is getting into “real mess” territory… you may be the only one who doesn’t know it.
Oswego Willy
————————————
Kev,
Yikes.
OW
- Dee Lay - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:10 am:
Kirk is unfit to serve, as is Petraeus.
Birds of a feather, I guess.
- Mama - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:14 am:
It sounds like Kirk has his hand in Rauner’s pocketbook.
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:29 am:
“[Petraeus] was always seen as a potential rival to the president. I think they went too hard on him.”
It’s tough for Kirk to distance himself from Trump without alienating Trump’s tinfoil-hat voting bloc, but Kirk’s giving it a try.
– MrJM
- CrazyHorse - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:36 am:
This election offers a lot of hold your nose choices. Duckworth is one of them.
- Earnest - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:40 am:
>problem is the big unions are already running the state
He forgot the “blame Madigan” line here.
>make sure we have enough money for roads and prisons and schools
He correctly left out human services and higher education here.
- titan - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:44 am:
Petraeus hasn’t yet filed any write-in declarations in Illinois, has he?
Without those declaration filings, attempts to write him in won’t be valid write-in votes.
- Anon - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 9:45 am:
Good luck with that. Kirk out.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 10:13 am:
That’s a pretty tortured segue to go from the possibility of declaring himself an independent directly to SEIU and unions destroying Puerto Rico.
Did he misunderstand the question?
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 10:23 am:
Go ahead, mess with the purple people. See what happens. You’re just increasing the ground game of your opponent. Purple people are the most reliable canvassers there are. Dude, you just wacked a wasp nest.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 10:34 am:
Kirk is in slow self-destruct mode. I keep having two phrases run through my head. “Stupid is as stupid does. ” and “You can’t fix stupid.”
I still prefer Kirk over Duckworth, but that is driven by my belief that we will need a counterbalance to Hillary.
- The Fool On The Hill - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 11:17 am:
At this point, he’ll throw anything against the wall to see if it will stick.
- Federalist - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 12:37 pm:
To put it mildly I have little respect for the leadership of the SEIU and I was a member of it for four years. What I saw I did not like.
- Belle - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 12:40 pm:
Even in my own head, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time on a write-in candidate but he is musing out-loud about a write-in candidate that has no chance of winning. Politically Independent or strange?
- Doug Simpson - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 1:13 pm:
“Cuckoo” - Richard M. Daley, Mayor
- Ghost - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 1:23 pm:
Kirk in a tight race sees his success in IL is to bash the Unions. Interesting get rid of votes strategy.
- Cheryl44 - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 1:46 pm:
I guess he really doesn’t want to be re-elected.
- Federalist - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 4:24 pm:
Lumping in the SEIU with all other labor unions was not very bright.
- Truthteller - Wednesday, Aug 17, 16 @ 4:47 pm:
Gidwitz was right. Thanks to Rauner GOP is stuck with two losers- Kirk and Trump.