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Kirk goes up with first TV ad of the season

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* GOP Congressman Mark Kirk has a new TV ad airing on cable and some network stations. It’s an intro piece. Rate it…

Script…

I’m Mark Kirk, the independent-minded Republican for US Senate.

I’m a 20 year Naval intelligence officer, and served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I’m known as a budget hawk on spending.

I helped stopped the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere”

And voted to cut taxes 40 times.

Newspapers call me “independent” and “effective” because of my record on stem cells, protecting Lake Michigan, and more.

I’ll work to stop wasteful spending in Washington and end the corruption in Illinois.

I’m Mark Kirk and I approved this message.

I’ve also posted the Kirk campaign’s fact sheet. Click here to read it.

…Adding… I’m told the cable buy is $103,000.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:34 am

Comments

An independent-minded Republican who’s independent. Did he mention that he’s independent?

After playing footsie with Sarah before the primary, here comes the run to the center.

It’s a no-brainer winner for a spot.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:39 am
I would encourage Kirk to continue with his RINO messages.

Comment by Deep South Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:43 am
here we go again another rep. claiming to be what he thinks the voters want. just another fake

Comment by ibelive Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:48 am
People, silly little drive-bys are gonna be deleted after this. Try to stick to the topic at hand. I’m not interested in your goofy bumper sticker slogans.

Also, this whole RINO thing is beyond goofy. Kirk’s not a Republican? Could’ve fooled me.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:50 am
Solid and serious - a good contrast to the reckless Alexi stories in the news.

Comment by 10th Indy Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:56 am
Pretty straight-forward spot. Not bad, but not great either. I was expecting better. “B”

Comment by Amuzing Myself Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 7:57 am
Looks good - wonder if Alexi is raising any money to counter.

Comment by Harry Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:05 am
not bad, a “safe” ad that, as mentioned above, contrasts with the recent negative headlines on Alexi.

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:08 am
I think Kirk IS a Republican…however, many of my find friends on the extreme right often call him a RINO….same with Scott Brown. I just offer up the RINO comment to illustrate the divisions in the GOP, deep divisions that may well lead to third party candidates in some places…but maybe not Illinois.

BTW, I’ll try to behave in the future.

Comment by Deep South Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:16 am
The RINO stuff is bull. 8/10 top members of congress for wasteful spending are prolife republicans with american conservative union ratings of well over 80 -Kirk’s is 42 or something. Google thad cochran. Southern congressional republicans would get high ratings from conservatives here because they are pro-life. You look at their record on spending and its about what you get from liberals. Kirk is actually a fiscal conservative even though he’s technically entitled to more pork because of how much money our wealthy district sends to d.c. The far right is dellusional. We’re still waiting on the pat hughes miracle. NOT.

great ad, solid substance and sets up a great narrative of clean kirk against dirty alexi.

Comment by shore Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:29 am
I can’t stand the guy, but I have to admit that it is a pretty good first ad. It definitely plays to suburban voters who in the past have voted for Democrats. Alexi is going to have to respond by pointing out Kirk’s right wing reality. If Alexi can’t do so, the election is over. Kirk as a moderate wins.

Comment by Skeeter Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:32 am
The problem with Kirk’s messaging so far, like this ad, is that it is all and always standard DC talking points. It seems disjointed.

“Budget Hawk”?

“Bridge to Nowhere”?

Really?

Comment by ok Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:36 am
What’s bad for alexi is that the 10th is the most democratic area of any in the suburbs and outside of evanston/the city. the voters that kirk has to win are to the right of him (see dupage county) and those people won’t be voting for an ethnic chicago politician this year with ties to failed banks, not after blago.

Also this is the first time I’ve seen Mark Kirk include the word republican in an ad, ever and this goes back 10 years. He didn’t use the word republican in 06 or 08 on his website or tv ads or mail and in 02 and 04 he had lackluster challengers.

This shows confidence in the party brand and is also a great sign of weakness for alexi.

Comment by shore Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:49 am
It’s a great ad. Keeps him in the center but hits on the hot-button fiscal issues and begins to frame the debate around fiscal issues.

How can Alexi possibly enter into the debate on fiscal responsibility after bright start and broadway. Alexi has big problems and his hope is going lie on turnout–not issues.

Comment by Easy Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 8:51 am
Good, clean ad that doesn’t need gimmicks, but just begins the mantra that Kirk needs to own- he’s an independent legislator. He has the newspaper love to support that claim and may have it again in the fall.

Kirk really is the type of Republican that suburban and moderate voters can support and that is what this ad highlights… and what should scare Alexi.

A- because it is the right message to win.

Comment by Sub Man Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 9:11 am
He’s wasting his money. $103,000 on cable isn’t enough to do much. Either spend enough money to make a difference or save it for when it matters. It’s a nice ad but I don’t think this is going to make camp Alexi sweat much, team Kirk still hasn’t shown that it’s ready for the big leagues.

Comment by Screwball Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 9:22 am
Good ad. He defines himself instead of letting his opponent define him. Him speaking throughout the ad brings out his best qualities, the ability to connect with voters one on one.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 9:30 am
The ad is good and does the job. Maybe a B+ on it’s face. What makes it an ‘A’ is the fact that he’s defining himself as Alexi is reeling in the media. Kirk now has two ad campaigns going on. The free negative campaign against Alexi and this ad buy defining himself here. Alexi will have a tough time raising money at this point so he’ll have to choose between re-habilitating himself or attacking Kirk. I doubt if he has the funds to do both well. And the media certainly aren’t going to go attacking Kirk for him.

Down-staters certainly won’t vote for Alexi and will be energized to vote for Brady. DuPage will pull the trigger for the R, and even though DuPage is getting more purple, Kirk is perfect for the folks in, say, Naperville. And since he’s well-liked in Lake County/NorthShore, there’s no way Alexi will be eating into that total very much.

Comment by ABCBoy Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 9:43 am
Kirk may be known as a budget hawk, but he actually isn’t one. He ensured that the federal government spent at least $5 million, each, in his district, for Metra, HUD, Headstart, and locla police departments. If he supported lower spending, he wouldn’t have done that.

Comment by Conservative Veteran Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 10:11 am
Great ad, a true moderate who can easily peel away independents and some democrats from Alexi’s should-be coalition.

Comment by CityRepublican Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 10:29 am
Kirk is a virtual unknown outside his Congressional District. In spite of this he holds his own in evry poll conducted. My guess is that the more voters see and hear him the more thier going to like him.

Comment by Roz Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 10:40 am
He looks mature, normal and safe like the kind of candidate we used to elect and forget about. That is the right approach for a year when voters want everything back to normal and safe.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 10:44 am
Good ad, and as Louis said it’s getting “definition” started (though I do agree re: need in future to keep what might be considered “DC talking points” in Illinois more hushed.

The part that’s perfect, though, is the timing.

Well done. 9/10

Comment by The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 11:36 am
Ditto on what V-Man said, too.

Comment by The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 11:41 am
I hope Mark’s true colors are exposed in the campaign, like how he boasted in 2002 that as a naval intelligence officer, he had seen the data and knew there were WMDs in Iraq, when a lot of us were already calling BS on it. Or how he is a pro-choicer except when the vote is actually going to count for something. Or how he is a fiscal conservative, hammering away on penny ante earmarks that add up to a few days worth of our presence in Iraq, that he was so gung ho about, or Medicare Part D, the generous ongoing taxpayer gift to big pharma. Or how he dismisses Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem as a “zoning issue.”

Comment by Dr Kilovolt Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 2:41 pm
>“He’ll draw you a chart graphing how and when he believes the Democrat-sponsored bills will break the federal budget. He is a deficit hawk.” – Peoria Journal Star Editorial, January 23, 2010

Funny how he knows better than the CBO.

Comment by Dr Kilovolt Monday, Mar 15, 10 @ 3:22 pm
kirk may think of himself (he does have some very curious ideas about himself) as an independent republican, but his devotion to rumsfeld and bush, reinforcing their intelligence failures (top of the list: weapons of mass destruction in iraq, which kirk assured us were there — he knew, because he was an intelligence officer!), demonstrates conclusively that he doesn’t have an independent bone in his body. kirk will be a faithful supporter of mitch mcconnell and a reliable voter for republican filibuster’s against president obama’s agenda of hope and change. i again note that kirk has never voted against the republican leadership on a whipped bill WITHOUT their prior consent. that’s not independence, that’s “mother, may i?”

Comment by bored now Tuesday, Mar 16, 10 @ 9:08 am