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Kirk lays it on thick

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Illinois

Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) was a lonely Republican voice outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, looking over the crowd waving rainbow flags and throwing his support behind marriage equality.

Other Republican lawmakers, such as Reps. Bill Flores (Texas) and Steve King (Iowa), also showed up as the Supreme Court justices inside heard arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, the case expected to settle whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. However, they spoke against legalizing same-sex marriage. […]

“After my stroke I learned a lot about love and death,” [Kirk] told The Huffington Post after his speech. “I realized that life gets down to who loves you, who you love, and the government has nothing to do with that decision.”

“For me, the real legacy of our party is freedom on top of freedom,” he added. “To remember the Abraham Lincoln legacy that the only way to solve a freedom problem is to provide more freedom to people. That your basic right of association as an American is a right to associate with whomever you want, and the government should not be able to block that.”

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:10 pm

Comments

Wow. Just wow.

Comment by Casual Observer Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:15 pm
Riding the wave, while others fight it

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:16 pm
Amen, brother

Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:17 pm
“The real legacy of our party is freedom on top of freedom [on top of cheese and bacon, cuz ‘Merica]… and the government should not be able to block that.”

Comment by The Muse Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:19 pm
I give him credit…

Comment by Walter Mitty Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:28 pm
He’ll be on the right side of history, credit to him.

Comment by The Captain Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:34 pm
And that, folks,is why he is Republican Senator from Illinois; he may be beatable, but Democrats lining up for his job had better think twice…

Comment by downstate commissioner Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:39 pm
Good for him!

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:41 pm
Thank you, Senator Kirk!

However, does this imply that it takes a life-threatening stroke to cure Republican homophobia?

Comment by Buster Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:41 pm
Good for Kirk. I’m sorry sometimes it takes a near-death experience for people to realize what is truly important in life, but this is good nonetheless.

Comment by Checkers Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:42 pm
Nice to know there’s at least 1 Republican who is consistent when it comes to freedom.

Comment by DHSJim Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:42 pm
It may be thick, but it’s not ambiguous. He has picked a lane. He was probably there before the stroke. The stroke may have simply empowered him to say so.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:45 pm
Listen, White Knights are great, White Knights are necessary. But when you’ve got hacky opportunists like Kirk on your side, that’s when you know you’ve won.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:46 pm
“Except associating with or providing banking services to the mob. That is wrong.”

Comment by Dave Victor Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:55 pm
This won’t make me forget that letter he signed.

Comment by Cheryl44 Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:02 pm
Redefining a 5,000 year old definition of marriage by court fiat is not a right of association. If the people’s representatives in the state legislatures want to make that change, or if the people want to do so themselves in a referendum, that’s fine. People may not agree but at least the democratic process has been met.

Comment by Downstate Illinois Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:05 pm
I spent some time with Senator Kirk in 2009 and 2010 before the primary. He was pretty much the same then, although this is a bit of a tweak. He was very unabashedly proud of his socially liberal-to-moderate view. So this is not a surprise (at least to me).

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:07 pm
“However, does this imply that it takes a life-threatening stroke to cure Republican homophobia?”

Yup. Sure does.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:07 pm
Not sure how this is any different from Hillary’s evolution on SSM.

Comment by I'm New Here Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:13 pm
That’s a good quote sadly not too many people believe in this idea of freedom of association.

Comment by Levois Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:26 pm
==- Downstate Illinois - Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:05 pm:==

What other rights should be put up the tyranny of voters? Should white people vote on whether the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is valid first amendment speech? Do men get to vote on equal pay for equal work for women?

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:35 pm
“Redefining a 5,000 year old definition of marriage by court fiat is not a right of association.”

You mean polygamy, right?

Comment by Joan P. Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:36 pm
You’ve been listening to too many pizza commercials, Rich.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:40 pm
I should explain my previous post, I was writing a response to downstate and was losing my cool. So I figured it was best to self delete.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:51 pm
==He’ll be on the right side of history, credit to him.==

I stand firmly with Sen. Kirk on this. But there is no wrong side or right side of history. There is only the arc of history as it passes and is recorded through the millennia. Sorry, but it’s a trite phrase that as a history major annoys me. I wish I knew who started it.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:52 pm
Does anyone really trust that this is what Senator Kirk really believes? This guy will say anything to get himself re-elected. He is in uber-pander mode.

Comment by econ prof Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:02 pm
==Does anyone really trust that this is what Senator Kirk really believes? ==

Yes.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:26 pm
Good to see him do this. Now if he could just get past his AIPAC funded Bibi worship.

Comment by kimocat Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:36 pm
Kirk is running for his life, he is so wrong on so much. Stroke has not humbled him. Phony piece of filth.

Comment by Kooky in Kalifornia Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:39 pm
“Redefining a 5,000 year old definition of marriage by court fiat is not a right of association. If the people’s representatives in the state legislatures want to make that change, or if the people want to do so themselves in a referendum, that’s fine. People may not agree but at least the democratic process has been met.”

You guys said the same thing in ‘67 when the court struck-down the state laws prohibiting race-mixing. And the argument hasn’t gotten any more compelling with age.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:57 pm
- MrJM - Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:57 pm:

Not true

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 5:59 pm
- Joan P. - Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:36 pm:

Polygamy should be legal

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 6:01 pm
- Buster - Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 3:41 pm:

Thank you, Senator Kirk!

However, does this imply that it takes a life-threatening stroke to cure Republican homophobia?

Being against this is not being anti-homosexual

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 6:03 pm
This is not inconsistent with Kirk’s attitude pre-stroke. As society shifts in perspective, he’s feeling freer politically to say such things. Not unlike many pols from both parties.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 6:33 pm
It is absolutely true that the same appeals to “nature”, “psycho-sociological detriment” and tradition were made in defense of anti-miscegenation laws before the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia. http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1966/1966_395

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 7:37 pm
Heterosexuals should not get special rights for their personal issues or Lifestyle Choice. And Heterosexuality IS a Lifestyle Choice. No one is born “that way”.

Senator Kirk is right on this issue.

Comment by Jack Stephens Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 7:57 pm
Hope he enjoyed his run as senator. It’s about over…good riddance..

Comment by ironman Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 8:10 pm
Kirk sure sounds a lot different when its re-election time.

Comment by JD Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 8:53 pm
His presence did nothing to advance the cause of marriage equality. Which justice will be moved to vote for it by Kirk being there?
Isn’t he the same guy who’s tight with Rauner who said he would have vetoed the marriage equality law in Illinois? Doesn’t he support Mitch McConnell? Can you imagine any pro-equality piece of legislation passing the Congress with the Republicans in charge?

Comment by Truthteller Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 9:11 pm
All I know from Mark Kirk’s actions is what his internal polling is saying. At least that’s what it feels like.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 10:13 pm
Having known Kirk personally for over 15 years, I can assure everyone his position on this topic hasn’t evolved. “Laying it on thick” and other comments to the contrary show simply that folks haven’t been paying attention to him on this issue.

Comment by Louis G Atsaves Wednesday, Apr 29, 15 @ 6:45 am
== I’m New Here - Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 4:13 pm:

Not sure how this is any different from Hillary’s evolution on SSM.==

One way: though she had a head injury and an evolution on SSM, she didn’t blame one on the other.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Wednesday, Apr 29, 15 @ 6:48 am
It is great Senator Kirk has joined the cause of liberty in supporting same sex marriage. He doesn’t ring the freedom bell too loudly though. He backs eliminating gun sales at gun shows and between private parties. He also backs limits on the size of ammunition magazines for semi-automatic rifles. He fails to understand that the government restricting the liberty of people to decide who to marry is just as bad as restricting the freedom to keep and bear arms to protect oneself and family. If he were truly committed to liberty, he would find both unacceptable governmental interference in personal freedom.

Comment by Muscular Wednesday, Apr 29, 15 @ 9:58 am