Appearing before a Republican audience in the Chicago suburbs Friday, Rep. Mark Kirk, the GOP nominee for Senate, sought to rally the partisan crowd with language about President Obama that may not sit well with some Illinois voters.
“We are on the way to making this guy a one-termer,” Kirk said of Obama at a Republican dinner in Winnetka, according to audio obtained by POLITICO. The congressman was speaking in the context of how, with a Republican president, the GOP may be able to repeal healthcare legislation before much it goes into effect.
Aside from calling the president “this guy,” Kirk’s prediction of an Obama re-election defeat in 2012 puts him out of step with how most residents of the state feel about their own president.
“This guy?” “One-termer?” Dumb — even if the context of the remark was that a Republican president might be able to repeal Obama care and other things before they’re in effect long.
Rasmussen’s latest poll had Obama with a 56 percent job approval rating - far above where Rasmussen has the rest of the country.
And it’s not just Kirk’s language, it’s what he was saying. Repealing the healthcare legislation before it’s enacted is fine with the base, but just over half of Illinoisans told Rasmussen recently that they support the plan. Again, well above support levels Rasmussen reports for the rest of the nation.
* Both US Senate candidates issued press releases in the past twelve hours or so. From Alexi Giannoulias…
“We saw [yesterday] yet another disturbing sign that we have a long, hard road ahead of us when it comes to our economic recovery. People are really hurting right now, and with Illinois’ unemployment rate above 12 percent, we can’t afford to look to the broken economic policies of the past. It’s clear that we need a fresh voice in the Senate who will work for Illinois’ families and support policies that will create new, good jobs and help our businesses grow. I’m the only candidate in this race to put forward a comprehensive economic plan that would create jobs and get our economy growing again.”
Kirk…
The Kirk for Senate campaign today urged Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias to answer questions regarding a $1.2 million loan made to Nick Giannis, the Giannoulias campaign supporter arrested last week on bank fraud charges. The campaign also renewed its 12-day old request that Giannoulias and Broadway Bank release all documents related to loans and credit extended to organized crime figure Michael “Jaws” Giorango.
That’s pretty much how this campaign is gonna go.
…Adding… From the Giannoulias campaign…
“I was disappointed in Republican Congressman Mark Kirk’s disrespectful remarks referring to our commander-in-chief as ‘this guy’ and gleefully admitting he is working with Republicans to obstruct meaningful reform. He should apologize and get to work immediately with our President to tackle the enormous challenges we face. Illinois voters have a clear choice in this campaign: while President Obama and I will fight hard to move this country forward, Mark Kirk is just another typical Washington insider who would clearly rather stand with the corporate special interests and obstruct progress than get things done.”
* AIP endorses Joe Bell of Illinois for the United States Senate: America’s Independent Party affiliates, in Illinois and across America, enthusiastically endorse the 2010 candidacy of Independent Joe Bell for the United States Senate from the great State of Illinois!
