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The spinning begins in earnest

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* Mark Kirk has released a couple results from a new campaign poll which he says has him thumping Alexi Giannoulias in the US Senate race. From a press release…

Just hours after winning the Republican nomination in a landslide election, five-term Congressman and Navy veteran Mark Kirk today released a new survey showing his campaign out to an early double-digit lead over Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias, 47% to 35%.

The survey of 885 Illinois voters, conducted by Magellan Data and Mapping Strategies between February 1-2, 2010 with a 3.3% margin of error, showed Kirk holding a net positive favorable/unfavorable rating of +5% while Giannoulias held a net negative favorable/unfavorable rating -15%.

* An NRCC spokesman trashed Dan Seals…

“The nomination of two-time loser Dan Seals is severe blow to the Democratic establishment’s hopes to running a winning campaign in November. As a Democrat, Seals will still have to defend an unacceptably high unemployment rate, a skyrocketing deficit and an out-of-touch agenda to the voters who’ve rejected his ideas twice before.” – Tom Erickson, NRCC spokesman

* The DCCC slammed Sen. Randy Hultgren…

Republican candidate for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District State Senator Randy Hultgren’s real record of raising taxes stands in stark contrast to his hypocritical pledge to oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates. This hypocrisy was not lost on Hultgren’s primary opponent, Ethan Hastert, when he said in a radio commercial “Senator Randy Hultgren, voted for a massive $31 billion tax increase just last year…Randy Hultgren campaigns like a Springfield politician too.”

“Randy Hultgren’s hypocrisy on pledging to not raise taxes and then voting for a $31 billion dollar tax increase, shows his Springfield political tendencies of talking out of both sides of his mouth,” said Gabby Adler, Midwestern Regional Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “In these tough economic times, Illinois families need an honest Representative whose priority is helping middle class families and creating jobs, and State Senator Randy Hultgren simply does not meet this standard.”

* The DCCC also went after Bob Dold…

Republican candidate Robert Dold, who is running against Dan Seals in the 10th Congressional District of Illinois, not only wants to privatize Social Security, he wants to raise the retirement age – taking away critical benefits from Americans of all ages that they have rightly earned and deserve. Just as Washington Republicans are dusting off old failed plans from the past to privatize Social Security, Robert Dold seems to be fitting right in with these Washington Republicans who have time and again attempted to dismantle Social Security.

“Illinois families simply cannot afford to let Robert Dold take us back to the failed policies of George W. Bush that would privatize Social Security and cheat seniors who have worked hard and played by the rules out of the retirement benefits they earned,” said Gabby Adler, Midwestern Regional Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “It is only Day One of this campaign, and Robert Dold is already mimicking the very Washington Republicans who shamefully want to jeopardize Social Security when so many Americans are still reeling from their investment losses of the past two years.”

* As I told you earlier, the NRSC has a new YouTube vid slamming Giannoulias. The DSCC issued a press release…

CONGRESSMAN MARK KIRK TO KICK-OFF GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH FELLOW WASHINGTON INSIDER AND MEGA LOBBYIST HALEY BARBOUR

Kirk’s First Move After Winning Primary Is To Stand Shoulder To Shoulder With Embodiment Of GOP Establishment And Special Interests

Republican “Unity” Event To Feature Same Players That Got Country Into Economic Mess In First Place

Today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is on the offensive against Republican Senate nominee Mark Kirk for kicking off his general election campaign with fellow Washington insider and Mexico lobbyist Haley Barbour. The Republican “Unity” event comes less than 24 hours after Congressman Kirk won the Republican nomination. Now, instead of reaching out to voters he will need to win over in November, Kirk has decided to make a statement about his candidacy by instead, standing shoulder to shoulder with Barbour, who is the embodiment of the GOP establishment and of special interests, having served as Chairman of the RNC and a mega lobbyist in DC.

“Congressman Mark Kirk made a bold statement today about his general election campaign by holding his first post-primary event with a politician whose resume as a Washington insider rivals his own,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Instead of reaching out to independent voters, Kirk has decided to kick-off his campaign by standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow Washington insider and establishment Republican Haley Barbour. As if they needed a reminder, this event just shows that Illinois voters will face a stark contrast this November between a candidate who wants to take the state forward and one who wants to take the state backwards.”

Are you feeling all nice and clean? Me neither.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:33 pm

Comments

Interesting that Kirk would brag about being a five term Congressman. I had heard rumors that the national theme was “throw the bums out.”

Comment by OdysseusVL Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:38 pm
The DCCC is scared and for good reason.

In addition to Mark Kirk, I like Pete Roskam too. If Hultgren, who i predicted would win, and Dold (I predicted him as a winner as well) do what Roskam did when he beat Duckworth, they should be fine. I do think that Dold may be a little too conservative for the 10th, which would mean that on his 3rd try Seals just might pull this one off.

Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:39 pm
Wow, doesn’t take long for the D.C. guys to cut-and-paste their standard old boilerplate, which by the way, few voters or reporters take seriously.

Comment by Silly Season Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:41 pm
Thank God. The national parties have arrived to tell us the meaning of yesterday’s elections. I was worried that I’d have to think for myself.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:42 pm
oh, and i predicited Seals too.

Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:45 pm
this kirk vs Giannoulias race is going to be tasty…

Comment by Still Gettin Twisted Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:50 pm
Long way to November.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:55 pm
What next for Julie Hamos? Big blow for the Schakowsky/Creamer group.

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:56 pm
Love it, Giannoulias loans millions to the mob and Kirk is at the same breakfast with a Washington insider…what mud is the public going to actually pay attention to?

Comment by A.B, Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 2:56 pm
Barbour is currently the gov of mississippi, and is certainly someone Kirk needs to have in his corner. I think Barbour’s being a successful lobbyist pales in comparison to Alex G.’s circle of friends/business associates who engage in lucrative but questionable enterprises.

Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:01 pm
Dold ought to fight back hard on Social Security. Just today (or was it yesterday, everything’s blurring right now), news came out of Washington that Social Security will need to be bailed out because the checks going out, or greater than the receipts coming in.

The fix is either going to be more taxes or raising the retirement age. Considering that we’re living longer, I’d much rather do the second and I think most Americans would agree.

Comment by Downstate Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:02 pm
The general public won’t even pay attention to these statements until we get closer to the general. It’s only us true die-hards who have already made up our minds for this November. So, Se la vi.

Comment by 2010 Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:04 pm
DCCC can you say “Damage Control”.

Comment by JW from Springfield Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:07 pm
2010 is right, could we just take one day off? I mean we have nine months til November… I’m a die-hard and even I want a break.

Comment by UISer Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:10 pm
I like how Alexi was last night bashing the banking industry in his victory speech.

And to answer Ravenswood Right Wingers question: Hamos will probably get an appointment from Quinn

Comment by Just Observing Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:11 pm
Is Kirk using the same group that did the primary Republican Gov. poll. Looks like they got it wrong again.

Comment by (618) Democrat Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:12 pm
=The fix is either going to be more taxes or raising the retirement age. Considering that we’re living longer, I’d much rather do the second and I think most Americans would agree.=

There’s another “fix” that’s more like an overhaul. Medicare and Medicaid are higher priorities right now. I can’t imagine how bad things would be if the White House tries to look at Social Security now.

Comment by Brennan Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:13 pm
SunTimes and Politico totals match , as of now. 3:15PM 11,142 out of 11,215 precincts.

But, WLS AM 890 with Brady on now, sez 100% is in, and Brady still ahead, by 400+ votes

Comment by Peoria Joe Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:17 pm
Yeah - right now I’d put odd on Kirk to win. Giannoulais has too many targets on his back and his ties to our corrupted past political figures isn’t going to help at all.

The Democrats are going to have to dig up lot of surprising Kirk votes and spin them. They are going to have to hope to splinter GOP support somehow, or at least cast grave doubts upon Kirk.

Giannoulais is definately behind right now, and he should get comfortable being there for several months.

We all know Seals. There isn’t anything new to know either. The folks who voted for him will probably support him, but that won’t be enough right now. Dold is the new guy, and if Kirk does as well as expected, that Congressional District is going to lean towards Dold as they support Kirk.

Hultgren also gets a nice little halo to wear for a while, but Foster hasn’t worn out his welcome yet. I am interested in how much this district has taken to Foster after his liberal voting record has been exposed. His 2009 votes are going to be hard to defend.

I’ve always like Debbie Halvorson personally, but she is an odd duck in that district. She should have gotten herself entrenched with her constituents by now, and she has to be hoping that the Big Guns don’t start sending Kinzinger lot of money. Adam is an attractive candidate, so Debbie is going to have to really work this year. Her 2009 votes are also hard to defend right now. I can imagine the GOP getting all ramped up over Kinzinger and cheering him onto a win.

Haley Barbour is the governor of Mississippi who demonstrated that he knew how to lead a state struck by a hurricane, while Louisiana demonstrated total chaos. So, Barbour is no boogie man, DCCC. They’re going to have to find an unattractive governor, not a successful one.

Now, if Blagojevich did a fund raiser…hey - isn’t there lots of video of Giannoulais with Blagojevich raising funds? Uh - oh.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:26 pm
Thanks VM. Sane analysis that wasn’t written in crayon by some self-important campaign staffer like so many other posts.

Dold and Hultgren need to resist the smarter-than-everyone DC help that will be offered them. They both have sound messages that will help them against weak opponents and they should just keep it simple and work hard.

The Dems are so desperate right now that they are attacking a sitting governor (Barbour) with a blemish-free record as a way to deflect attention from Alexi’s real problems. I guess it’s a valid tactic given the weakness of the candidate they are stuck with.

Comment by E Pluribus Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:36 pm
If Brady is the nominee:

Look for a Poshard redux from the Chicago media.

God how many more months do we have to live with that???

train111

Comment by train111 Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:39 pm
Kirk was in the Navy?

Comment by JonShibleyFan Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:40 pm
Silly Season, we may not take those ads seriously, but the voting public certainly does.

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:40 pm
“Debbie Halvorson… is an odd duck in that district. She should have gotten herself entrenched with her constituents by now, and she has to be hoping that the Big Guns don’t start sending Kinzinger lot of money. Adam is an attractive candidate, so Debbie is going to have to really work this year. Her 2009 votes are also hard to defend right now. I can imagine the GOP getting all ramped up over Kinzinger and cheering him onto a win.”–VM

true.

Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:43 pm
Kirk is currently a Naval Intelligence officer who’s recently done tours of duty in combat zones like Afghanistan.

Say what you will, he went through a great deal of risk and inconvenience to protect our country.

I’ve got to give him credit for that.

He’s a pragmatic politician who’s really not that tied into ideology one way or the other.

He’ll vote what’s in his best interest at the time, and right now that involves opposing Obama’s left wing agenda.

I just wish he’d find a way to get this “closet gay” issue behind him.

Let me rephrase that……

Comment by PalosParkBob Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 3:51 pm
The fact that Barbour surfaced as gov of Miss doesn’t erase his uber-DC insider/loggyist career; so not the best T-bagger choice. Nonetheless, it will likely take God or Obama to get a Dem unity breakfast ‘tween Quinn and Hynes. But if the Repub is Brady, does it really matter?

Comment by D.P. Gumby Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 4:00 pm
I am so glad the Dems and Reps held back on the trash talking for a couple hours. Imagine the fun each party’s interns must have while assigned to writing this junk about every possible opponent and keeping it updated. Not exactly like cranking out the political process masterpiece. The Rove influence must be infectious.

Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 4:04 pm
yes, kirk has been actively requesting war zones to polish his national security credentials. i was under the impression that afghanistan was landlocked, but that didn’t stop naval reserve officer mark kirk from requesting his 2-week duty there.

you are free to admire kirk’s willingness to go to a war zone, but his minders probably aren’t thrilled. escorting a congressman, even one ostensibly in the reserves, is painful duty because they “all ask the same questions.” my wife still has a copy of the “suggested” answers that naval personnel were supposed to answer with variations for party, geography and perceived-friendliness to the military. one suspects that kirk has a copy of the answers that are to be given to him — but he still asks them anyway.

i *seriously* doubt that kirk has ever been allowed near a real combat zone, except that the bush administration labeled the entire world a combat zone, so i guess we’ve all be “in” the same combat zone that mark kirk has. but kirk is a *very* skilled politician who understands self-promotion to a phenomenal degree…

Comment by bored now Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 4:57 pm
At about four o’clock today I rceived a robo call that, without specifically mentioning Seals, basically read the entire DCCC press release trashing Dold. Who is making these horrible decisions? Who thinks pestering people with more political propaganda is a good idea ONE day after an election which has caused many of us not to answer our phones for weeks because of the candidate robo harrassment? Who thinks candidates’ messages will be heard and weighed rationally when the person at the receiving end of the phone line is about to pop a blood vessel from anger at being interrupted and bothered?

If voters are disgusted with politics and politicians this could maybe be one of the big reasons why. Give people a few months peace!!!!

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 5:11 pm
bored now, I know a lot of long time military people and every ambitious officer asks for combat duty.

That’s the way to promotion. Any military professional who doesn’t want to be in the front lines should, well, look for another line of work.

Also bear in mind that he isn’t just a VIP visitor. He’s there to do a job.

Does he get special protection? Probably.But he’s still on military missions from what I understand, and in harms way.

FYI, I understand that every branch from the Army to the Coast Guard is getting their fingers in this “Jihadist War” thing.

Say what you will, but flying on military planes performing military duties when there are hostiles beneath you who want you dead takes guts, even when you are a Congressman.

Look at it this way. Kirk felt a responsibility to serve his country over a long period of time in the military.

That puts him way ahead of Obama and Gianoullias in the Patriot Department as far as I’m concerned.

Comment by PalosParkBob Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 5:18 pm
–kirk is a *very* skilled politician who understands self-promotion to a phenomenal degree–

Yeah that was something when he and others went driving all over the state in his Ford Escape Hybrid painted with the Treasurer’s name and the Bright Start logo– and paid for by the state’s dwindling college fund. Oh, wait…..

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 5:26 pm
Look at it this way. Kirk felt a responsibility to serve his country over a long period of time in the military.

That puts him way ahead of Obama and Gianoullias in the Patriot Department as far as I’m concerned.

Like your heroes Bush & Cheney? Geez, can’t you silly republicans come up with some new talking points?

Comment by Ann T. Wingnut Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 5:53 pm
Kirk is completely wrong on every social issue. No way I’m voting for this guy. May as well vote for Alexi. Any real conservatives getting in the race?

Comment by Pro-Life 1 Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 6:27 pm
I’ve taken a Democratic ballot now 8 in a row. If the two candidates are even, I go Democratic. Maybe if they’re close, I still go Democratic. I voted for Hoffman. I’d rather vote for Blago, Burris, Elliot Spitzer before ever considering a vote for Giannoulias.

I have spoken to dozens of Democrats about this and they’ll all be voting for Kirk. He’s a decent middle of the road guy — he’s not Cheney/Limbaugh/Hannity. Yes, he served in Navy before becoming a congressman — Alexi went to Greece for a year to play hoops.

Kirk has not loaned money to Rezko, Sprios Naos, Michael Gengreco, etc. Kirk did not loot his family’s bank in order to enrich himself. And then deny it ever happened. For his only professional experience, Kirk did not lose 80 million in Bright Start and yes lie about it like Giannoulias.

I know it’s a Blue state but it’ll be light blue in 2010 because of the national waves against the Democrats. Kirk, again, is not a monster (accidently wrote mobster, freudian slip?) that appeals to middle of the road suburban men and women — the same swing vote that decides elections most of the time.

Prediction: Alexi never makes it to November. They call him the Democratic Jack Ryan. He’s that bad, he’s that toxic. You can’t call yourself a good government Democrat and ever consider voting for this guy.

Comment by DM Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 6:31 pm
@Pro-Life 1

I believe you may have gotten lost and wandered onto the wrong web site. You need to go back and re-take Astroturf 101. A real, genuine, concerned conservative would not ever vote for Alexi in this or any other galaxy. Nor would such a person ever come onto Cap Fax and ask the question of the regular commenters that you just did. So you kind of gave youself away.

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 6:48 pm
I’m enjoying the DCCC dragging out their cheap class war rhetoric, but not half as much as Ethan Hastert attacking Hultgren for a CapitOl Bill vote that his Dad trolled around Springfield lobbying for.

Ah the irony.

Comment by Bruno Behrend Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 7:35 pm
astroturf? dont quite get it. i see no difference between Alexi and Kirk. Can you tell me the difference? I came to this site after reading about it on Illinois Review. sorry if I came to the “wrong” site. Sheesh.

Comment by Pro-Life 1 Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 7:58 pm
Well, not exactly sure pro-life 1, but I don’t think Kirk supports abortions in all cases, like Alexi. Democrats in Illinois tend to support abortion in just about every case whereas Kirk isn’t that far. He has been endorsed by PersonalPAC. Maybe on social issues, they’re close.

Morally, Kirk is about 100 times better. He is ethical, not corrupt, and doesn’t lie. Well, as politicans go, he has lied less in 10 years than Alexi has the last 2 months.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Feb 3, 10 @ 8:05 pm
===
Any real conservatives getting in the race?
===

Who’s be getting into the race at this stage of the game?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 8:02 am