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* 8:04 pm - The Tribune was up first this evening with its US Senate endorsement of Mark Kirk…
So if you’re looking to elect a party-line Illinoisan to the Senate, you have your man. On the climactic Senate votes that define this nation’s very future for better or worse — be they on spending obligations or defense policy or industry bailouts — Alexi will be on the bus. […]
• Which of these two candidates will weigh, and decide, questions on national security and other crucial issues more on the merits than on the politics?
• Which would we want as the senator who could eventually make the extraordinarily sensitive selection of U.S. attorneys — the top federal prosecutors, such as Patrick Fitzgerald — for Illinois?
• And on the issue that most roils American politics this autumn, out-of-control federal spending, would Giannoulias or Kirk make unpopular, potentially career-ending votes for restraint? […]
We want the most capable senator protecting the U.S. from its enemies abroad and its unsustainable finances at home. Mark Kirk will be that senator.
* And the Sun-Times was close behind with its endorsement of Alexi Giannouolias…
We no longer know who Kirk is, where he stands or what he would do. […]
What does seem clear is that the experience of working for a community bank influenced Giannoulias’ views on Wells Fargo’s responsibilities to Hartmarx, a small company just trying to survive.
“I know what it’s like to lose a family business,” he told the Sun-Times editorial board. “It breaks your heart.”
Giannoulias is young, just 34, but seasoned in life and politics.
He’s got the stuff to be an excellent United States senator.
Discuss.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 12:04 am
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Sun Times, Sun Times…isn’t that the newspaper that endorsed Rod Blagojevich for reelection?
Comment by well Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:21 pm
{“I know what it’s like to lose a family business,”}
Actually, he knows what it feels like to lose a meal ticket. It was his father’s family business which he entrusted to his son(s). They leveraged it, gambled, and they lost.
The Chief Loan Officer wants to blame others and the economy for its failure, as soon as taking credit for its success was no longer useful to him for anything other than a tax dodge.
Comment by Quinn T. Sential Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:23 pm
“well,” the Tribune endorsed George Ryan, so, really. C’mon. Move along.
And Nixon.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:26 pm
No surprise that the Tribune is on board with Kirk. Not a huge surprise the Sun Times is sailing on the U.S.S. Alexi. No matter what happens, neither man has run a good campaign, or shown much in the way of intelligence lately. That is a race where I wish, “none of the above” was an option.
Comment by Moving to Oklahoma Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:30 pm
Actually, “None of the Above” is an option since there are write-ins that filed. Just mark write-in and put None of the Above. At least you know your county clerk will get a laugh.
Comment by John Bambenek Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:40 pm
The Tribune makes a better argument for Kirk than Kirk has to this point.
Comment by Richard Afflis Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:46 pm
I am a life long democrat, I have never voted for a republican in my. That will change on nov 2.
Comment by DJ Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:47 pm
The Sun-Times sez: “With a triumvirate of Giannoulias, Sen. Dick Durbin — the Democratic Senate whip — and President Obama, every squeak and chirp in Illinois would be loudly heard in Washington.”
Exsqueeze me? The ST wants Obama, Durbin and Giannoulias to continue the fine work of the Dems over the last 22 months? Katy bar the door! And exactly how much “chirping” from Illinois has changed anything for the better here? Sending Alexi is going to fix all the problems of this sorry state? C’mon.
Today Alexi said that if Mark Kirk was elected, he would “negate every single one of Dick Durbin’s votes.”
I think that’s the best reason (among many) I’ve heard yet for electing Kirk.
Comment by Team America Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:52 pm
Actually I like that both editorials tried to put both men in a somewhat positive light. Which I think is fair. I’m much more impressed with Giannoulias-Kirk than, say, Quinn-Brady. They’re both smart guys. They’re both skillful politicians (I mean that as a compliment).
Yes, they both have established truthiness problems. But I prefer pols who exaggerate their past history than pols who create alternate fiscal reality, that we then ALL have to live in (that means you, Bill Brady).
It’s the classic Al Gore vs. George W Bush problem. Al Gore had significant accuracy problems recounting his personal past and present. Which got enormous play. But in retrospect, George W Bush’s fibs about what his fiscal policies would do, and his vast ignorance of much of what the federal government did, got less media attention. But that was the real story all along.
So from the point of view of our republic’s future, Kirk’s weirdness about his military history, or Alexi’s shifting narrative about his family bank, is less consequential. It’s politics. They’re both much smarter than W. They’d both be capable Senators. So let’s actually look at their policy proposals, and what their vision of government is. When you do that, it’s not close for me. Sorry, Kirk. Alexi all the way.
Comment by ZC Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:54 pm
Why do we (and apparently the Chicago Sun-Times) continue to minimize Alexi Giannoulias’ youth and naiveté? Congressman Kirk has had more than his share of missteps, but I trust that he can address and manage the very critical issues facing the State of Illinois much more that President Obama’s basketball buddy…AND I AM A DEMOCRAT.
Comment by Black Ivy Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 8:55 pm
From the Tribbie’s tome to Kirk: “And for 10 years in the U.S. House he has voted as what he says he is: a social moderate, fiscal conservative and national security hawk.”
Yeah. But.
During the primary he threw all that out the window as he pandered to the wingers telling them he only voted that way because of his district.
In the next sentence he flip-flopped.
The Trib’s knee-jerk GOP endorsements continue and like most of the rest this one doesn’t hold any water either.
So with regards to Richard Afflis’ comment above (”The Tribune makes a better argument for Kirk than Kirk has to this point.”) the only reason it appears their argument is better is because they’ve ignored the fact he said on tape no less that he would flip-flop and no longer vote the way the Trib claims he votes.
Comment by G. Willickers Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:06 pm
Hey — and since ZC saw fit to change the topic a bit and bring Quinn/Brady and Gore/Bush into this — ZC, please name a single thing that Gore got wrong and didn’t quickly own up to.
99% of what’s out there (inventing the Internet, etc.) was made up by Bush putting the words in Gore’s mouth, not that Gore ever made those claims.
And on the very few things that Gore did get wrong (being w/ FEMA during a disaster in TX) he quickly owned up to it and corrected it.
Comment by G. Willickers Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:09 pm
Why would anyone take the Trib seriously again after its hostile environment for women has now been exposed?
Candidates with any sense of decency should reject a Tribune endorsement. “Woo hoo, the newspaper that disrespects women loves me!” Obviously Brady’s got the endorsement in the bag.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:15 pm
Don’t worry, Kirk will misremember if the Sun-Times endorsed Alexi, and Alexi will distance himself from the Tribune saying he doesn’t take endorsements from mobsters …
As Rod would say … All and all, an UP day.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:19 pm
Is it just me or are the campaign commercials a lot more annoying and a lot more frequent than this time in years past? I just turned the tv off tonight they got so annoying.
Comment by Just Me Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:29 pm
The Trib’s endorsement of Kirk is laughable.
Of Giannoulias, they say, “But neither does he pretend to be independent of party orthodoxy.”
I guess they’re happy that Kirk does pretend to be independent. This is a guy who claims to be a moderate, but he can’t seem to find one major Democratic proposal he’s in favor of. Yeah, he listed a bunch of stuff he voted against his party on - none of it over the last two years when it would have counted for anything.
Talk to Kirk about any issue - take unemployment - and he says stuff like, “Well, I wanted to extend unemployment benefits, but there was this one little provision I didn’t like.” There’s always an excuse. He’s going to Washington to be an obstructionist. The Trib should be ashamed of itself for pretending to be some kind of evenhanded non-partisan.
As for the Sun-Times’ endorsement of Giannoulias, it’s pretty amazing they completely gloss over the bank’s troubles and the Bright Start losses. I’ve never been satisfied with his explanation for either.
These are two very flawed candidates. It’ll be tough to mark my ballot for either one.
Comment by Major Frank Burns Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:31 pm
Both editorials would be more credible if they were a little harder on their picks, but especially the Sun-Times’. There are few reasons to vote FOR Alexi, there are many to vote against “Speaker McConnell” (or worse, DeMint).
Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:36 pm
What these dueling endorsements tell me is that the Democrats and the Republicans put up their best possible candidates and we, the helpless citizens here in Illinois, will be so grateful to have either one of them as the winner and represent us wee little people in big ole Washington.
If you haven’t guessed, this is snark.
Heaven help us, we are at 26 days in the morning.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:42 pm
In the meantime the Sun Times owned Pioneer Press newspapers which cover the suburbs and collar counties endorsed . . . Kirk?
Explain that one!
Funny. Kirk apologized for his “misrememberings” and posted 21 years of his military evaluations for the voters to read.
Has Giannoulias apologized for anything? Bright Start? The strange loans to shady types he oversaw at the bank? The “misrememberings” about leaves of absences and/or working or working while on leave or not paying taxes and getting a huge refund for working while on leave or being on leave or whatever the story is tonight?
I recall when Kirk cast his vote for Cap and Trade and the reaction of his party members to that vote. It was pretty ugly. I mean really ugly.
Has Giannoulias taken any independent position that would even remotely spark such an angry reaction from the Democratic Party of Illinois?
No.
Giannoulias independent? Never. Kirk. More often than the party prefers.
I hate to admit it, but the Tribune got this one right as well.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:48 pm
I really wish it was a Hoffman vs Kirk ballot on Nov 2. I thought the Trib’s endorsement was sounder and more compelling argument than the Sun Times.
Comment by Ultimate Warrior Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 9:50 pm
@ Atsaves, Why would Giannoulias apologize for finding the fraud at Oppenheimer (who ran the Bright Start fund) and then beating the Oppenheimer execs into submission in order to get them to repay a significant portion of the funds their managers lost?
As a matter o’ fact why aren’t you demanding that Topinka apologize for picking Oppenheimer in the first place (right after Giannoulias won the election) and then dumping those hucksters on Giannoulias right as he walked in the door?
And if you recall the “pretty ugly I mean really ugly” right-wing reaction Kirk got on his one brave vote (cap and trade) why don’t you remember Kirk’s reaction which was to cower in a corner and flip-flop in order to get the boos to stop?
The only thing the Repubs have going for them this cycle is billions in Citizens United-fueled corporate cash vote-buying TV ads.
It’s quite the disinformation machine from the conservatives this year.
Comment by G. Willickers Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:06 pm
“the experience of working at a community bank” is the exact reason to not vote for Alexi. He ran as a banker to be the “state’s banker” and failed at Broadway and with Bright Start.
Comment by ourMagician Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:08 pm
Why even bother with Senate endorsements this cycle?
Comment by Josh Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:11 pm
@Rich Miller,
Come on don’t tell me you don’t miss Nixon…..@ least his corruption was on a grand scale!
Also, (and more importantly) does anyone even care about newspaper endorsements? Seriously, does anyone other than newspapers cover these?
Also, it seems like both papers were screaming “Can’t we just have a NOTA option”
Comment by JCIII Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:16 pm
I’m not sure I concur with Richard Afflis’ assessment that the Trib made a better case for Kirk than Kirk has. I read the Trib’s endorsement of Kirk as though they clearly identified Giannoulias as the Democratic nominee and were against the Democrat. They talked very little about policy positions they agreed with Kirk on, and focused on all the times he wore the Republican “R” but voted like a Democrat. That is such a mystifying rationale, they are essentially saying with this and their down-the-line Republican endorsements that they will only endorse Republicans, and that they prefer those Republicans to vote like Democrats.
Seriously, try and wrap your head around their rationale for a while. It’s pretty tortured. The Sun-Times was much more clear, they’re for the guy with a track record of protecting jobs at a time when the economy is the number one issue.
Comment by The Captain Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:29 pm
“A track record of protecting jobs…” Besides Hartmarx, which other jobs has Alexi saved? How come Alexi didn’t save the jobs at Boston Blackie’s which are now closed (and used to do business with Broadway Bank)?
Comment by Ultimate Warrior Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 10:46 pm
ZC,
C’mon, how far can you go with this “intelligence” argument regarding candidates. According to you everyone is smarter than George W. Bush. Really?
Bush graduated from Yale (B.A.) and Harvard (M.B.A.)
Gore flunked out of both law school and divinity school as a graduate student.
By the same token, Alexi is not going to be mistaken for a MENSA member anytime soon. As a treasurer, Giannoulias compares favorably with Jerry Cosentino and Lennington Small.
Comment by Honest Abe Thursday, Oct 7, 10 @ 11:04 pm
The Sun-Times was the sole paper to enodrose Alexi in 06. I predict Kirk will sweep the rest of the Ed Boards.
Comment by Not Suprised Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 12:22 am
The endorsements are nothing but a future campaign commercial which most voters will forget. With 60,000 less democrat voters in Cook County, this race will be decided in the collar counties and about 10 counties downstate. If Alexi gets the Twitter vote, he wins. If Brady carries 2 collars and south of I-80, Kirk wins.
Comment by dznuts Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 1:17 am
It’s not nearly that simple, dznuts.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 1:50 am
Rich, didn’t the Sun-Times ed board also blame the voters for Blago and Stroger after they endorsed both of them.
Comment by kj Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 2:29 am
RE: Willickers at 10:06 pm
“As a matter o’ fact why aren’t you demanding that Topinka apologize for picking Oppenheimer in the first place (right after Giannoulias won the election) and then dumping those hucksters on Giannoulias right as he walked in the door?”
–That must mean Giannoulias is lying in his commercials about making the BrightStart program one of the top 5 in the country, no? And that would make his ads full of lies, just like he accuses of Kirk.
Can’t have it both ways.
Comment by Logical Thinker Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 5:50 am
I understand newspapers feel the need to make endorsements, but I was a little taken aback by the exalted virtues each paper showered on its choice.
You can make a choice, but you don’t have to pretend we’re talking Lincoln/Douglas. Or Douglas/Percy. Or Percy/Simon.
To borrow from Dennis Green, they are who we thought they were.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 7:35 am
I love how the CST preaches reform and change in Illinois politics…then it goes and endorses the Chicago Democrats?? Which is NO surprise these days…in 2006 the backed the entire Democratic ticket knowing that Blago was a goon.
Comment by scoot Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:11 am
The U.S. Senate is my toughest vote this year. Unfortunately, the Tribune makes me want to vote for Alexi while the Suntimes nudges me to Kirk. Actually, my underlying voting theme this year is to rattle, and perhaps dislodge, the current effete elitists running the Democratic Party, so I am not inclined to vote for Alexi.
Comment by Louis Howe Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:23 am
The County Clerk will not see the votes for “None of the Above” in the results. ONLY those write in candidates who followed the rules to be in this election will have their votes tallied.
Go ahead and put None of the Above if it makes you feel good. Or Donald Duck or Micky Mouse or? It will not be counted.
Please, no profanity in the write-ins. We election judges have been up since the wee hours of morning so what was funny to you may not be so to us.
Comment by Nearly Normal Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:25 am
Did you notice that the deficit chart Kirk showed the Tribune in the video conveniently didn’t include war spending during the Bush years?
Comment by easynow Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:34 am
easynow, did you notice in the Alexi ad where he mentions Bright Start it conveniently didn’t include losses of $150M (before settlement)?
Comment by Davey Boy Smithe Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:49 am
The Tribune endorses a Republican for U.S. Senate? I’m mortified.
Comment by Deep South Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:09 am
Where did the Trib find the time with all the harrassing of women going on at that place?
I’m inclined to do the opposite of what they say.
Comment by too obvious Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:46 am
As bad as the Trib has been lately the Sun Times may be worse. Their editorials use incredibly dumbed-down language as that’s how they must view the average “working-class” Chicagoan as speaking. Show some respect for your readers.
“Giannoulias is young, just 34, but seasoned in life and politics.” There is so much wrong with this sentence I don’t know where to start.
Comment by Independent Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:53 am
Is it just me or does there seem to be a bunch of first time posters in this thread saying or implying they are Democrats and then saying they are with Kirk?
Giannoulias will vote with the Senate Democrats and be more progressive than most in his voting record.
Kirk will help the Republicans obstruct. He will be invited on the Sunday morning shows to advocate for the United States taking a hard line with Iran. And he’ll vote to cut taxes on rich people (meaning, increase deficit spending) and reduce regulation on big business, like the nuclear power industry.
If you think expanding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to Iran are a good idea, you should vote for Kirk.
If you are ignorant about economics and think the problem facing the U.S. economy is that rich people and corporations don’t have enough cash, you should vote for Kirk.
If you think President Obama is generally moving the country in the right direction by addressing problems instead of creating them (Bush and the GOP were exceptional at creating long-term problems), you should vote for Giannoulias.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:56 am
these results were generally anticipated, though it’s well on the public record that mark did not help himself at the trib ed bd after the resume issue arose. alexi may have had an opening there that he failed to exploit, i do not know for sure.
at the ST, i cannot imagine anyone thought that mark ever had a shot. in such a case, one takes a loss, smiles and stays in touch.
as for the writing/reasoning, ST masterfully minimizes alexi’s weaknesses (and finds ‘building a loyal staff’ a qualification for the united states senate), whereas trib, notwithstanding mayor burns’ heartfelt disagreement above, confronts its source of concern despite the endorsement.
should this race go to alexi, the story will be he had to work for it because for most of the campaign it was in doubt, but that illinois’ blue-ness came through in the end.
but i think it will go for mark. if it does, then the illinois senate story will be enormous. and that’s not me talking — it’s a simple reading of barack’s schedule.
best, c
Comment by Chris Robling Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:59 am
Either Alexi or Kirk will dazzle in office, compared to the current junior US Senator from Illinois — Roland (Tombstone) Burris
Comment by Capitol View Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:01 am
One question which should be asked of both candidates that I never see mentioned:
“Do you favor repeal of the Bush tax cuts for ALL Americans?”
Yes or No
Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:02 am
The Tribune endorsed the Republican and the Sun Times endorsed the Democrat? I am shocked. Why is this even news. Lets discuss the endorsements by these two nearly extinct dinosaurs when they do something unexpected.
By the way, both Nixon and Ryan were good chief executives, they were just both crooks. Blago was a lousy chief executive and a crook, so I guess the Sun Times loses again.
Comment by Jaded Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:14 am
Cincinnatus, I believe most candidates and elected officials, including Obama, would answer, “No,” to that question. That one would unite most Republicans and Democrats. Very few pols have been on the record saying they want to repeal them -all-.
Did you mean, “Do you favor -extending- them all”?
Comment by ZC Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:28 am
To G.Willickers:
“During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet”
–Al Gore
Comment by downhereforyears Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:29 am
“Look over here! It’s us! The Chicago newspapers! Remember us?”
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:32 am
People, stick to the topic, please.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:36 am
Although this race tends to generate a lot of words, it’s my belief that either of these two candidates will be pretty much party line voters in the Senate. This isn’t a difficult choice for me.
Comment by MikeMacD Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 11:02 am
1) Unless “none of the above” has filed as a write-in, you might as well throw away your ballot.
2) I like the line about not knowing who Kirk is. Given all the lack of backbone displayed by 90% of people running in fear of the electorate or the media, that could be said about most of the candidates/officeholders–esp. Republicans afraid of Teabaggers and Dems afraid to stand by Obama.
3) Honest (not hardly) Abe–where’s your citation for Gore “flunking out” of law or divinity school. I think not unless you can prove it.
Comment by D.P. Gumby Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 11:03 am
The SunTimes. Are you kidding me? This longtime Democrat will never go for Giannoulias. At the age of 34, he lost money on Bright Start and lied about it. He either did absolutely nothing at his family bank or ran it into the ground. And lied about it. Over and over again. So he has NO experience to point to.
Seasoned in life and politics? OF course, I was born into a family worth tens of millions of dollars, played hoops in Greece while others were working, and just got a hair replacement surgery (hence the bad hair day line). Opps, that’s not me, that Alexi.
OF course let’s not forget his relationship with mobsters, felons, and other life experienece the SunTimes is trying to sell. Alexi has told 4 different “stories” about whether he’s knows Michael Giogreco (sp), whether he has ever met him, or even flown down to Florida to inspect property that Jaws bought with the help of Alexi. Of course, he didn’t work for Broadway.
That’s what we need in DC….
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 1:44 pm