Kirk shedding his moderate facade to win GOP senate bid.
Mark Kirk, the GOP congressman from Chicago’s wealthy north shore has liked to paint himself a moderate. Although he always had a strong pro-Bush voting record, including total support for the Iraq war and a viciously anti-immigrant stand, a moderate image is what wins in the 10th CD.
For instance, I have pointed a number of times to his receiving the IEA’s endorsement for congress. It was an endorsement that angered many progressive IEA members in his district. The IEA could justify it on the basis of some pro-education votes, although even that was grossly exaggerated.
To win the GOP senate primary, however, a moderate image won’t do. The Illinois Republicans have always been split, with a strong, now stronger, wing-nut faction. Illinois Republicans last nominated the loony Alan Keyes to run against Barack Obama.
Lacking any princples, Kirk has moved wildly to the right.
Tribune:
Kirk has taken a rightward turn in the primary campaign: vowing to reverse an earlier vote in favor of controversial cap-and-trade carbon emission regulation; using heated rhetoric to oppose housing Guantanamo Bay terror suspects at a little-used prison in northwestern Illinois; and even trying to encourage former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to say good things about him.
In spite of this, and no serious opposition in the Republican primary, Kirk is only getting 41 percent of Republican voters in recent polls, with 46 percent undecided.
The Democratic field includes Obama basketball buddy, state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and Cheryle Jackson, the former Chicago Urban League president and one-time Blagojevich communications director.
