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* UPDATED x1 * NY Times: Kirk merely “played with the children” - “He was never, ever considered a teacher”

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* It turns out that Mark Kirk wasn’t a nursery school teacher, as he and his campaign have both claimed. Instead, he apparently assisted a woman who ran a “play group” for kids in a church basement and just played with the kids…

A leader of the church where Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, claimed he worked as a nursery school teacher said on Friday that he had overstated his role there. […]

“He was never, ever considered a teacher,” Ms. Grubb said in an interview after researching the history of Mr. Kirk’s association with the nursery school for two days. “He was just an additional pair of hands to help a primary teaching person.”

The Methodist church in Ithaca, N.Y. has been trying to determine whether Mr. Kirk worked there after The New York Times reported on Thursday about the brevity of Mr. Kirk’s teaching experience. Eight longtime members of the church, including two former pastors, said in interviews this week that they did not recall having a male nursery school teacher in 1981 when Mr. Kirk said he worked there. […]

In an interview on Friday, Ms. Grubb said that she told a representative of the Kirk campaign of her concerns when they reached out to her on Thursday to try to verify Mr. Kirk’s time at the nursery.

Ms. Grubb said she spoke to the teacher who led what was then a “play group” organized by parents that met in the church basement. The teacher had a “vague recollection” of having Mr. Kirk as a work study student, but she did not remember his name. She added that Mr. Kirk did not have any major responsibilities at the play group, such as creating lesson plans, and he was only an assistant who played with the children.

This is what Kirk’s campaign spokesperson was quoted as saying yesterday…

“One of his jobs was a nursery school teacher with the responsibilities one would expect.”

I “expect” a teacher to, you know, teach. Not play with kids.

It just gets weirder and weirder with this guy.

…Adding… I’ve moved this here from a previous post. I do agree with the Giannoulias campaign about this point…

The Kirk campaign did take issue with a portion of The New York Times story that quotes a 2006 speech by Kirk on the House floor about school safety where he recalled “the kids who were the brightest lights of our country’s future” and “those who bore scrutiny as people who might bring a gun to class.”

The New York Times reported that a Kirk campaign spokeswoman said the congressman was referring to his nursery school students - not his students at the London private school. However, campaign spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said Tuesday, the clause “brightest lights of our country’s future” referred to nursery school students while the “bore scrutiny” clause referred to a few students at the prep school in London.

[Giannoulias campaign spokesman Matt McGrath] countered, “That’s even more absurd. They’ve gone from bizarre to absurd.”

That was a high-class private school in a hoity-toity London neighborhood. There’s just no fathomable way that people were concerned about kids bringing guns to that English prep school in the early 1980s.

Also, will the Sun-Times now retract today’s goofy editorial?

*** UPDATE *** From NBC5’s Mary Ann Ahern…

“He was never, ever considered a teacher.”

That’s a church leader from upstate New York talking to The New York Times about her memories of Mark Kirk’s stint as a work study student. […]

Kirk declined to talk about his teaching history today as he left an endorsement session with the Illinois Education Association.

When asked about his history he said “not doing anything today.”

“Not doing anything” except meeting with the IEA on the same day that yet another “teacher” story broke. Oh, the irony.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 1:59 pm

Comments

Can we get a “re-do” on this primary?

Comment by Vote Quimby! Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:02 pm
I’m starting to feel sorry for Kirk’s spokesperson. Yesterday’s statement was pretty good. Now the NY Times digs into it, and poof, a perfectly good answer makes her look like an idiot. Not her fault at all, mind you, but Kirk isn’t making her job any easier.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:09 pm
From the NYT:

In a House Budget Committee hearing five years earlier, shortly after Mr. Kirk arrived in Congress, he talked about his time as “a teacher, both nursery and middle school.” He added, “I did leave the teaching profession, but if we had addressed some of the teacher development issues, which I want to raise with you, I might have stayed.”

Rich highlighted the quote yesterday and YDD explained why it was so absurd.

Um, you’re only teaching experience in the U.S. was a part-time gig in a nursery school as you graduated cum laude in history from Cornell University.

You *seriously* expect voters to believe that you had to give up your dream of being a nursery school teacher because the federal government doesn’t spend enough money on professional development for nursery school teachers?

hardy-har-har.

Why do most people not lie about their past?

Yes, most people are more ethical that Kirk, but there’s another complication with lying about one’s past.

People from your past will not respect you, e.g. your friends.

What makes it easier for Kirk to lie about his past?

Is it because he doesn’t really have any friends?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:14 pm
Has anyone verified that he really is a congressman?

Comment by tominchicago Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:17 pm
47th,

Think its time for Kirk to go on sabbatical for about a week? I think about a week or two of saying nothing may allow the dust to settle sufficiently. Or at least give his campaign some time to come up with one, consistent, TRUTHFUL statement and get this behind him.

Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:17 pm
Dan Proft said it perfectly this morning - and I’m paraphrasing, at least Mark Kirk has successes to embelish, rather than Alexi Giannoulias, who only has failures to downplay.

Ouch.

Comment by Jeff Wartman Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:18 pm
The big question is: did he play with the kids who he thought might be packing firearms?

Oh, wait, I guess it was the other kids now who were doing that. It’s hard to keep track of this.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:18 pm
Why do I have the feeling that a lot of pols from both parties have “fluffed” resumes if anyone took the time to research all the details. There is no place to hide in the internet age…young pols take note and save yourself the hassles.

Comment by cassandra Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:20 pm
Ummmmmmmmm Jeff, Nobody really takes Dan Proft Seriously, NOBOSY………. hence his anemic performance in the govs race

Comment by I'm Just Saying Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:20 pm
Did he play with the kids he was afraid might have guns? And can we assume that Mark Kirk does not support concealed carry for toddlers? I demand answers, exaggerations, hyperbole, whatever you have Representative.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:20 pm
You beat me to it word.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:20 pm
Jeff Wartman, do you think Mark Kirk persuading people to go along with Bush’s plan to invade Iraq is a success Kirk should embellish or a failure he should downplay?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:23 pm
I am a Democrat through and through and voted against Kirk in every election because from the beginning there was just something that bugged me about him. I now know what it was.

As I read all of these stories about Kirk “misremembering incorrectly,” one thing keeps going through my head: Mark Kirk was the #1 target for Democrats in at least the last two elections. The Seals campaign (and Democrats) had to have spent obscene amounts of money in opposition research. How did they not find any of this stuff?

Were they incompetent and didn’t find it?

These lies are huge and it seems like they weren’t too difficult to uncover. Did the Seals campaign not ask the questions?

I’d like some answers from Dan Seals given that he’d like me to vote for him for a 3rd time and put him in Congress.

Comment by Just Curious Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:26 pm
Maybe they played cops and robbers and used finger guns.

Comment by Anon Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:26 pm
This is nursery school, right? That’s, like, pre-pre-Kindergarten. Aren’t “learning/teaching” and “playing” largely indistinguishable at that level?

Comment by grand old partisan Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:27 pm
What else do you do with nursery school kids but play with them? Not like they’re teaching algebra at such a young age. The NYT is embarrassed and now is trying to justify their stupid story.

Comment by Moderategirl Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:28 pm
LOL

Here comes the goofy push-back again.

Sheesh.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:30 pm
- Maybe they played cops and robbers and used finger guns. -

Would that be an example of Kirk’s service as a police officer?

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:32 pm
Also, there are nursery school lesson plans online. They do learn things. Here’s one… http://www.first-school.ws/themes.html

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:32 pm
Moderategirl

They do actually teach in preschool. My son was just there. They had distinct times for teaching: letters, weather, calendar, telling time and so forth. It’s not all ‘play time’ as you would want us to believe.
That being said, I’m not bashing Kirk, as all this has gotten to the silly stage and its only June.

train111

Comment by train111 Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:33 pm
Just Curious, all the stories about Kirk have broken on blogs or in non-Chicago media outlets (Wash Post, NYT).

Read today’s S-T editorial.

The Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times and Daily Herald were protecting Kirk for the last ten years.

The Kirk stories wouldn’t have moved forward without big media outlets pushing Kirk for details.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:34 pm
So, Rep. Kirk was a “player” in the private sector nursery school industry. Why didn’t he just say so in the first place. It sounds so much better than a mere teacher.

Comment by MikeMacD Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:39 pm
C’mon….this guy has got to be toast.

Comment by Deep South Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:52 pm
Carl Nyberg,

Yes, I know that all the Kirk stories broke thanks to the blogs, but I’m not asking where the Chicago media was in all this. That’s NOT my question.

My question is: Where the heck was Dan Seals in all this for the last 4+ years? Why didn’t Dan Seals have this information and yell it from the rooftops?

He ran against Kirk in 2006 and 2008. Candidates in every election do opposition research on their opponents. Why didn’t the research his campaign paid what I’m sure was good money for come up with this?

Dan Seals is asking me to vote for him for a 3rd time (I voted for him in 2006 and 2008) and I want to know why I should vote for him AGAIN when this shows that he’s either incompetent (because they didn’t find it) or that he didn’t think to ask the questions. Both of those things do not give me confidence in voting for him.

Your statement proves my point that the information wasn’t difficult to find. If the blogs can figure out Kirk is a liar, then it obviously wasn’t difficult to find.

All I’m saying is that Dan Seals owes the voters of the 10th District a few answers about why he didn’t know this stuff about Kirk.

Comment by Just Curious Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:55 pm
People who think nursery school is just about “playing” don’t really understand what goes on there. No, they are not teaching these kids algebra, but they do supply kids with tools they need to become sucessful learners. There are whole studies on this.

Comment by Really?? Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:57 pm
Deep South: Both guys have to be toast. And where does that leave voters?

(Deep in the muck, as usual.)

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 2:57 pm
I recal all the Kirk ophiles said i was no big deal, because he was a teacher. But the school did not employ him as a tacher, so he was not a teacher. Whether he sang the ABC song in the alley out back, or played, the semantics over play v teach are moot.Kirk clamed h was employed asa teacher, and he was not, period.

I am beggining to wonder if Mark Kirk is his real name….

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:01 pm
===
Also, there are nursery school lesson plans online.
===

Plus it was a religious school, Moderategirl, so one would guess that something was being taught.

I’m not defending any of this, but come on?!!!

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:01 pm
I think they teach you in pre-school that it’s not nice to brag or lie.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:02 pm
I’ve lost track. Important question:

Who brought this story up first? Kirk’s campaign, Giannoulias’, or a “paper”?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:05 pm
I’m not on offense or defense with that question. I’ve lost track and I’d like to know if someone knows, understanding the complexities that if it were a paper, it might be difficult to tell whether one of the campaigns was behind it.

Does anyone know who brought this up first?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:09 pm
Depends on what you mean by first. Kirk was the first to talk about his teaching experience. I believe the NYT said the Giannoulias campaign brought this to their attention.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:10 pm
Thank you, Rich.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:11 pm
But that’s “important” why?

Comment by Thoughts... Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:12 pm
Just a hunch.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:14 pm
Hey Just Curious–maybe Seals didn’t know this stuff because he was trying to run something close to a clean campaign.
If anyone had a obligation to call Kirk out on this stuff it was John Porter, Denny Hastert, Ray LaHood and all the others iN DC who had to know all this stuff Kirk was saying was false.

Comment by Verdicto Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:19 pm
If they don’t teach anything in pre/nursery school, we certainly spend a lot of money on it. Don’t seem to remember the congressman speaking up on the topic back on 06 with Gov. Rod was touting “PRESCHOOL FOR ALL”

Excerpt from May 2006 news release on budget accomplishments:
Preschool for All
Preschool for All makes Illinois the only state in the nation to begin the process of providing access to high-quality pre-school for every three-year-old and four-year-old child in Illinois. The program, which guarantees that in the end approximately 190,000 Illinois children will have the chance to attend preschool, will reach working families who are not able to afford the high cost of private preschool. Funding for pre-school programs will increase by $45 million this year, allowing 10,000 more children to get an early start on their education. Students who attend preschool are 20 percent more likely to graduate high school, 41 percent less likely to need special education and 42 percent less likely to be arrested for committing a violent crime. Studies also show that for every dollar spent on early childhood education, society saves at least $7 through decreased reliance on social services. Participation in the program for parents is voluntary. The Preschool for All legislation, Senate Bill 1497, was sponsored by Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Westchester) and Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago).

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:20 pm
We can argue that second point, Verdicto, from strictly a “political” point of view. For some reason, I doubt that they were as aware back then as we are now about how easily things can be archived.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:26 pm
So Anonymous, if that’s your real name, would you dare to suggest that lies potentially matter less depending on the source that outed them?

Just curious where your morals lay - I have a hunch too.

Comment by Thoughts... Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:26 pm
Or, how absolutely slimy and sleazy politics would become today to use that information that way it’s being used today.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:27 pm
No, Thoughts… I don’t have a problem with people being outed for “lying”. It’s the ongoing manipulation of lies and facts that bother me most.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:30 pm
–But that’s “important” why? “–

I don’t think it’s anymore or less important to the root of the issue than a senseless debate of trying to compare a church ‘play group’ of the early 80’s here to a Pre-K preschool of the 2000’s. One loosely a play date and one meant to prepare children for the actual educational years of their lives.

For me the danger with the continued attempt to embellish, to make one appear to others as better than you are or have been is a sign on your forehead that reads: I’m not even good enough to suit myself.

Why do that? When one has accomplished as much as Kirk has, why not just get across the point that you’re a fine good choice for this or that position and stop telling me ‘but even I don’t think so’.

I have not decided who gets my US Senate vote yet, I’m not overly pleased with my selection. But in the first chance in quite a while I might have clicked for a Republican for anything and the guy keeps telling me ‘think twice, I’m not good enough’.

Comment by Cindy Lou Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:31 pm
I did oppo research on my own candidate prior to the primaries and identified a matrix of possible weaknesses and my recommended responses to any attacks on any of those lines. Did not Kirk do the same thing?

Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:34 pm
In fairness to Kirk, we must evaluate his claim according to pre-school teaching / learning practices circa the early 1980s, rather than today’s.

Since we already established that kids weren’t bringing guns to school back then, so we still need to know how he detected that danger.

And we need to know what and how he was teaching these unarmed children, since he also claims to have found among them the brightest lights.

What is his assessment of their abilities based on? A real teacher can tell you quite specifically.

Comment by Way South of the Border Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:36 pm
Cincinnatus, my guess is they figured Kirk had already been vetted because he’s been in so many Tier One races. Oops.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:36 pm
Regardless of the details, it is very clear that he should not now nor ever have gone around touting his experience as a teacher. He knows nothing about teaching in America because he was never a teacher here. He’s clearly got a problem with lying and truthing.

On the other hand, I sometimes am the parent on duty when my kids have playdates at our house. My oldest is 7. Does that mean I have seven years of Kirk-like teaching experience? Awesome, I am so updating my resume.

Comment by siriusly Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:40 pm
I demand Kirk produce his birth certificate and prove that he is not a Muslim!! Tea anyone??

Comment by D.P. Gumby Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:42 pm
Hey Anon….

I’m pretty sure that Alexi is his name. I’m not so sure anymore that Mark Kirk is HIS name. I guess that’s the difference.

Comment by Deep South Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:43 pm
Will the ILGOP retract its statement that Kirk was a nursery school teacher in Ithaca?

Comment by Highland, IL Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:44 pm
Everyone I know who ever worked with preschool kids in any capacity called themselves a “teacher.” It would be nice if the critics stuck to something of substance. If Obama can get a pass on being referred to as a professor when he was lecturer rank and never published anything then Kirk can be called a teacher even if he wasn’t certified and didn’t really teach anything.

Comment by Liberty_First Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:45 pm
I am beggining to wonder if Mark Kirk is his real name….

Um…it’s actually Mark Steven Kirk, I believe.

Just to make sure there’s no confusion in future.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:46 pm
Anon at 3:30pm- agree with you 100%. in this society today, everyone has to “spin” something. it is so sickening. remember when the umpire just blew the perfect game with a bad call? the umpire stood up and ADMITTED fault and TOOK the blame, and everybody loved him for it. why can’t people learn from his example? why are people so afraid to admit fault in this society? stand up, be a man, admit fault and move on. it really isn’t that difficult.

Comment by bdogg Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:49 pm
Yes has anyone seen a certified original of Kirk’s birth certificate? I doubt he was even born in the united States…. he is probably australian based on his use of tall tales….

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:52 pm
===
Tea anyone??
===

Why, yes! Thank you, Gumby.

I think we should ask for the birth certificate. Heaven only knows that’s coming up next.

May as well be prepared.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 3:59 pm
Rich,

Yup. Big mistake. Assume nothing.

Somebody on the campaign has to have the guts to even suggest that they do oppo research their own guy. I have had to convince somebody on every campaign I’ve worked that it is worth the time, effort and dollars. Oftentimes, you have to hire a PI to dig into records that are buried.

Karl Rove had a staff of about 30 people who did nothing but research, the opponent and Bush.

Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:03 pm
Seems strange that someone Kirk’s age and “interviewing” for a position would ever relate as far back in their life experiences to when they were a work study student. Kirk tries to personalize his arguments but ends up getting all bollixed up in his screwy imagined recollections. I can excuse my 84 year old dad for such embellishing but not someone running for the US senate.

Whoever wins this race will very likely face some serious competition in the next race (assuming either party in IL can get their act together and field some “winners”, but in such perilous times, we need a winner now — that is what is so disheartening about all this nonsense).

Comment by Vole Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:06 pm
Liberty, even if it is okay to call yourself a teacher if you supervise a playgroup, that’s not the question his remarks raise for me.

He claims he saw the brightest lights in the bunch and also those dangerous gun-toting tots. Based on what? A real teacher could tell you.

My college work-study assignment was in a school library. I checked out books for bright kids, and some pretty scary looking ones(think mid-80s goth).

It would never, never occur to me to any claim based on that beyond, “I put myself through college by working…” To do otherwise is to parasitically aggrandize yourself.

Look, I know this feels political because we’re in a race, but by any lights, he’s just being truly and unnecessarily weird about this.

Comment by Way South of the Border Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:06 pm
You have to be certified to be a teacher. You have to be certified in early childhood education to teach preschool.

Mark Kirk was assigned to the religious nursery school as part of a work-study program in college.

He wasn’t a teacher. He was… in a work-study program.

Comment by George Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:10 pm
This….plus the military stuff…..plus isn’t this the guy who went to China & and said ‘not to believe the US budget numbers’ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvM14hrk8-A]….and is beating out Blago on the Google News roundup site right now? And, HE’S one of our 2 choices? Great.

Comment by sal-says Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:10 pm
I once ran a lemonade stand outside my house.

That doesn’t make me a small business owner.

Comment by George Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:11 pm
a couple things we have learned through this process…

1. don’t hire anyone who did opposition research for the Dan Seals campaigns, circa 2006-2008

2. when your opponent’s bank gets seized by the feds, his best buddy the president will not endorse him and people are lining up to replace him on the ballot, yet he stays in the race–don’t revel, be worried.

Comment by Easy Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:12 pm
I used to volunteer at an animal shelter and helped hold animals while they were given shots.

That doesn’t make me a vet.

Comment by George Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:12 pm
===
Um…it’s actually Mark Steven Kirk, I believe.

Just to make sure there’s no confusion in future.
===

And just to keep this “above board”, I believe he also refers to himself as “Mark Kirk”, or even “Mark” sometimes–for brevity’s sake.

Sugar, Gumby?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:15 pm
Another lie from Kirk the serial liar. This is just the tip of the iceberg of Kirk lies. As the fact checks continues more lies will be revealed.

Kirk doesn’t seem to have a conscience when it comes to lying, lying doesn’t bother Kirk at all, a serial liar. When one of his lies is revealed he just lies about the lie. Weird!!

Comment by (618) Democrat Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:26 pm
I don’t want to defend Kirk. I did not vote for him and thought he was bad on a policy basis and possibly as a man b/c of his divorce.

My kids consider the un-degreed aides in pre-K and up as “teachers.” Yes, there are academics and learning through play in Pre-K. Further, I am an aide in our church’s Sunday school. The children considered me a a teacher. Aides do assist in the teaching process. I am sure he did more than play with the children, but I do have to wonder how he gets from PreK to gun worries!

Kirk does embellish language too often. To say that he has some experience in teaching children is not unreasonable, but claiming to have been in the teaching profession is a stretch. And his staffers appear responsible for some of the embellishment as well.

Yet, he’s embellished too much at this point for there to be excuses.

Comment by Peggy SO-IL Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:41 pm
Speaking of vets, I received the American Legion award in 8th grade.

Can I claim to have been honored by the most distinguished veterans organization in the country?

Get used to it Kirk supporters.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:44 pm
I guess he misremembered the old saying from nursery school……….liar, liar, pants on fire!!

Comment by whisperquiet Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:51 pm
Oh God, somebody get the hook for this guy.

You’ve already lost when you’re a male and you have to use the words “play group” and/or “nursery school” in an explanation.

The good news is Kirk whipped those toddlers into a crack force of elite ninjas who went behind enemy lines to fight the Nazis after they bombed Pearl Harbor. Mark Kirk was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic role in leading “The Fussy Dozen.”

Comment by just sayin' Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 4:52 pm
Now for your up to the minute weather report…forget it, we are all soaked. (If you live in Chicago you will laugh at this - maybe not).

Comment by GetOverIt Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:12 pm
==
Another lie from Kirk the serial liar…tip of the iceberg of Kirk lies…more lies will be revealed…when it comes to lying, lying doesn’t bother Kirk at all, a serial liar…his lies is revealed…lies about the lie. Weird!!
===

No, 618. It’s all quite true, really.

I’ve heard him call himself “Mark” and “Mark Kirk”.

lol. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:12 pm
47th Ward,

Did you frame the award? Is it hung in a place of honor?

As a Kirk “supporter” I dread opening the paper in the morning or coming here. Sheesh.

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:14 pm
Rich - Shouldn’t “Just Sayin” have his post deleted for spreading “rumors.” I’m just sayin…although I find what “Just Sayin” says to be rather…well…funny.

Comment by GetOverIt Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:14 pm
So when will Kirk claim he helmed the Enterprise?

Comment by Boone Logan Square Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:30 pm
Easy says, “don’t hire anyone who did opposition research for the Dan Seals campaigns, circa 2006-2008″

Easy - as today’s flap over Bob Dold’s (R-10) website having an old Tribune endorsement up shows, the local media was in the bag for Kirk and other GOPs in the area.

What’s that? The Daily Herald news article was actually over Dan Seals (D-10) having an old endorsement up on his website even as Dold was doing the exact same thing? And the story didn’t mention anything about Dold doing the exact same thing?

My point exactly.

And it wasn’t just oppo research. You may recall that Seals ran a highly successful campaign event at a Lake County gas station two years ago. The news media fell all over themselves to literally change their articles overnight from noting how popular the event was to criticizing Seals for plugging up traffic.

Seals, Hank Perritt, etc. all had research against Mr. Kirk. The local media ignored them.

Comment by Rob_N Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:42 pm
Just fast forwarding to October and the Regan-esque “there you go again” moment from Alexi. Now, Kirk has been branded a liar and untruthful, so whenever he attacks, Alexi has an easy standard and well received response — “there you go again Mark, misremembering and stretching the truth…”

Mark: “Alexi lost millions of bright start dollars”

Alexi: “There you go again Mark, misremembering that I took the 47th ranked program and turned it into number one …”

Mark: “Alexi is a mob banker”

Alexi: “There you go again Mark, lying for your own gain, thruth is Broadway made those loans while I was in college, loans that were also made by Bank of America, Wells Fargo etc….”

Kirk cannot escape. No one will believe his attacks. Toast, Done….

Also, Rich, I know I have become an Alexi partisan see the silver lining in Alexi’s Dem and Obama numbers. There is great room to grow when he is essentially running even with Mark now. When Barack comes to campaign for him in October, those numbers will shoot up. As they will when the unions start to go hard for him (SEIU LOVES Alexi given his work saving Hart Schffner Marx jobs in Illinois)

Comment by Sucka free Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 5:49 pm
“No, no, you were right the first time: there’s I can teach you, there’s nothing you do not know.”
– James T. Kirk, Elaan of Troyius (1968)

I was teaching those kids important life lessons about honesty and integrity!

http://twitter.com/CaptKirk4Senate

Comment by Capt. Kirk for Senate Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 6:12 pm
Just curious:
I am soooo with you about Seals. I think unfortunately for him, he’ll have lots of time to answer those questions in November. It is rather pathetic that he didn’t check Kirk at all considering Kirk spent 3 years blasting Seals’ light resume.

Comment by Siriusly Friday, Jun 18, 10 @ 7:12 pm
These two Bozos make Roland Burris look like Thomas Jefferson. I’m for Roland.

Comment by The Fox Saturday, Jun 19, 10 @ 8:18 am
===Did you frame the award? Is it hung in a place of honor?===

Actually, it was a medal, but no I didn’t frame it (although I still have it, and I won it right around the time Kirk got his teaching experience at Cornell). I’m as proud of it today as I was then, though, so thanks for asking.

But no, it’s not on my resume. Nor is it an anecdote I care to drop on unsuspecting friends when I’m trying to make a point about the American Legion.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 9:53 pm