Obvious to everyone but himself
Tuesday, Jul 13, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller
* When you have a bad reputation for serial exaggeration, then fairly normal political attacks on your opponent become tougher to pull off.
For instance, a Mark Kirk TV ad has been assailed by both Politifact and FactCheck.org for stretching the truth when it claims “Alexi Giannoulias’ top aide was a longtime BP lobbyist.”
That’s pretty much bunk, of course. The guy isn’t a top aide and did zoning work for BP gas stations in Chicago. Kirk was pushed on this yesterday by reporters and responded thusly…
“A BP lobbyist is a BP lobbyist,” Kirk said. “When you register as a BP lobbyist, you’re a BP lobbyist.”
But Kirk took $150,000 in campaign contributions from lawyers at Chicago law firm Kirkland & Ellis, which is representing BP in the oil spill case. His response?…
Kirk said it’s difficult to find individuals or companies that don’t have ties to BP, which has a long history in Chicago through its predecessors, Amoco and Standard Oil.
“You could get into the second and third orders of both campaigns,” said Kirk after speaking to several north suburban chambers of commerce. “BP hires lawyers, BP has accountants, BP has property managers. BP has had, because of its heritage from Standard Oil and Amoco, a tremendous economic impact on Chicagoland. So you can get into second and third order connections to BP with just about every family in Chicagoland.”
You wonder whether he even hears himself when he talks out of both sides of his mouth like that.
* Also yesterday, Kirk refused once again to talk about allegations that he’d grossly inflated his military career. He also - finally - clarified his position on repealing the new health care reform law…
Republican leaders in the U.S. House have endorsed two different plans to get rid of what they call “ObamaCare.” One, sponsored by Iowa Congressman Steve King, would repeal much of it. Another, from California’s Wally Herger, would repeal the law, and replace it with a different plan. That’s the route Kirk favors.
KIRK: Because I think that as Republicans and Americans we should be for healthcare reform, but the kind of reforms that I want to back don’t weaken the finances of the federal government long-term with new spending.
* Related…
* Kirk saved $35,000 via property tax deal
* Republican Senate Candidate Mark Kirk: Worried About Federal and State Debt
* Senate candidates avoid giving views on Kagan nomination
* GOP hits Reid and others for raising money in Canada
* Press Release: What Giannoulias did not want you to know: In Canada, fund-raising from U.S. trial lawyers
* Hinz: Giannoulias heads to Canada for campaign cash
- George - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 10:56 am:
but the kind of reforms that I want to back don’t weaken the finances of the federal government long-term with new spending
Rich, you popularized the term “magic beans”. I think Mark Kirk should tell us where he found his stash.
- How Ironic - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 10:59 am:
@ George
Mark got his stash of ‘magic beans’ while under heavy fire defending the intergalatic congress from possible annilation. The ‘magic beans’ were in repayment for his extreme bravery and bravado.
- A.B. - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:03 am:
Kirk should drop the BP lobbyist bit. While it won’t be a big issue on the campaign, it just makes the messaging too difficult. He’d have a lot more traction trying to get AG to take a stand on the president’s campaign to stop off shore oil drilling in the US.
- Moving to Oklahoma - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:04 am:
Looks like basically an up day for Mark.
- shore - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:05 am:
Have to disagree, the congressman has been trashed for a decade by the 10th democrats as a right wing extremist-something that does not pass mustard whatsoever and there was no thought police attacking them for that garbage.
The congressman still has a communications problem as I have yet to hear an overarching narrative and theme to his campaign. Then again this is the game plan he’s used for a decade and it’s worked.
- (618) Democrat - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:06 am:
There Kirk goes again.
Kirk the liar and hypocrite just can’t make himself tell the truth or deal with reality in any form.
A reporter needs to ask Kirk for specifics on his alleged claim of almost drowning and being saved by the Coast Guard when he was a child. The alleged drowning incident has nothing to do with his military record so Kirk should have no issue with answering the question and giving specific details.
- Moving to Oklahoma - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:06 am:
“Shore” is coming to Kirk’s defense in 3…2…
- Moving to Oklahoma - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:07 am:
Sorry I was too slow on the 3…2…1… count down…, good to see you made it Shore.
- Quinn T. Sential - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:14 am:
Kirk should quit wasting his time with the MSM and Blagospheristas and shift his attention to paid advertising messaging. If I were him, I woould do a mea culpa TV piece on the military record issue; pointing those interested or with questions about his service to his own website and were his service records and fitness reports would be accessible to one and all on line.
End of story. Same response going forward to every inquiry; give the web address and weblink information and move on.
He is wasting his time on this issue; when there are far greater issues of concern that I would like our next Senator to address.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:23 am:
So when we see either Kirk or Giannoulais run an ad, we’re going to witness a pack of journalists question everything in them?
Every campaign ad is subjective, just as any sales ad is subjective. The ads are selling a candidate. The ads are going to make claims one way or another. These claims are subjective or subjectively based. Everyone knows this. That is why everyday folks with everyday wisdom take any ad with a grain of salt, including ads for politicians.
We can play this game with ads for soup, cars, soap, telephone providers, computers and everything else - but we don’t. Why? Because we have a pack of journalists whose job it is to report on politics. This year they have decided to start questioning everything mentioned in every Kirk or Giannoulais ad.
If Kirk said it is sunny outside, the game is played so that we have a pack of journalists claiming that they see clouds. If Giannoulais said he is having a good day, the game is being played so that we have a pack of journalists claiming he couldn’t possibly be having a good day.
Everyone loses. The candidates have no credibility and fail to address issues. The newspapers fail because the journalist’s games are shallow and foolish. The voters lose because they have learned to disrespect all the players in this ridiculous game.
This race sticks because we have a bunch of people stinking it up that has nothing to do with either candidate, race or US Senate seat. A bunch of buttinskis pecking at both men like vultures. There is a reason both candidate have taken to hiding. They are tired of being fodder.
Right now, I wouldn’t even have either guy meeting the press. I’d have both guys going internal with their own messages and avoiding every reporter like they are plague carriers.
- Verdicto - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:26 am:
618 Dem–
I’m not familiar with the drowning incident. Link please?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:28 am:
VMan, paid media is what really wins campaigns. Any reporter not writing about paid media is clueless.
- Judgment Day Is On The Way - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:33 am:
First off, on the Historic Preservation tax exemption that Mark Kirk took advantage of - well, that’s been state law for a long, long time.
As I remember, the law only applies to properties that are on the National Historic Register, and it requires a massive renovation (normally to period) of the property.
You can say he ’saved’ all this money, but what they really did was to invest a lot of cash into the property, and got a completely legal property tax break as a result. Btw, this law was originally designed for properties like all the Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and many other properties on the National Historic Register that were starting to have problems due to high property tax bills.
My point is that if you are going to dump all over Mark Kirk for taking full advantage of a legal provision that happens (in this case) to play out to his advantage simply because he’s a candidate for public office, well, then maybe we should look at current ownership for everybody who has received, or is currently getting a Historic Preservation Exemption (Section 10-40 through 10-85). Maybe we could disqualify, or at least discourage some more folks from owning and renovating these types of properties.
- A.B. - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:36 am:
Verdicto -
When Kirk was a teenager he was on a small sail boat on Lake Michigan when it sprung a leak and started to sink. He decided to try and swim to shore, but it was too cold and he wouldn’t have made it. Someone on shore saw him having trouble and called the coast guard. They picked him up and transported him to the hospital. I have heard this story from his mouth, as well as his mother’s perspective on the day, so I would be shocked if it were not true.
- The Doc - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:44 am:
==the kind of reforms that I want to back don’t weaken the finances of the federal government long-term with new spending==
The Congressional Budget Office disagrees. And unless or until Kirk provides substantial and credible evidence to the contrary, he should tone it down.
- dave - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:48 am:
My point is that if you are going to dump all over Mark Kirk for taking full advantage of a legal provision …
So in other words, you think it is okay that Kirk goes after Alexi for “taking full advantage of a legal provision” to reduce his taxes, but it isn’t okay to go after Kirk for doing the same thing?
- dave - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 11:49 am:
Shore: does not pass mustard
What’s wrong with passing the mustard? What if someone needs it at the other end of the table?
- (618) Democrat - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 12:03 pm:
@judgement day is on the way 11:33
The point here goes to the core of why Kirk is so flawed.
Kirk follows the tax code and keeps from paying $35,000 in property taxes over a few short years. Then Kirk goes out and criticizes others who follow the tax code.
This makes Kirk a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is the act of persistently professing beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that are inconsistent with one’s actions. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie,
- Berkeley Bear - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 12:27 pm:
A BP lobbyist is a BP lobbyist. And a guy who will lie, again and again, about just about everything is - Mark Kirk.
Don’t forget this is the same guy who voted for cap and trade and proclaims himself an environmentalist, but told the GOP he would vote against the same exact bill in the Senate and oppose stricter environmental protection.
- Judgment Day Is On The Way - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 12:38 pm:
“So in other words, you think it is okay that Kirk goes after Alexi for “taking full advantage of a legal provision” to reduce his taxes, but it isn’t okay to go after Kirk for doing the same thing?”
When the Giannoulais family (of which Alexi is a part) pulled $85 mil out of Broadway bank in cash and marketable securities before the bank failure, and then Alexi takes advantage of a tax break resulting from the bank failure to reduce his personal tax burden even further, I’m not inclined to be very understanding.
Feels like we little olde taxpayers are being played twice in the same game….
- Judgment Day Is On The Way - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 12:52 pm:
“Kirk follows the tax code and keeps from paying $35,000 in property taxes over a few short years. Then Kirk goes out and criticizes others who follow the tax code.”
(618), you’re missing a rather large point….
Kirk doesn’t get the benefits from the exemption unless (a) the property is on the National Historic Register, (b) and they invest money in the renovations necessary to bring the property up to standards (and it’s not easy, if you know the law). In other words, they had to put some serious money into the property.
This particular property tax break isn’t like the other ones, where all you have to do is (a) live there, or (b) Be 65 years of age or older. On this one, it’s considerably tougher in it’s requirements.
Sounds like a case where Mark Kirk just put his money on the line, and saved some real estate tax money in exchange. If you have a problem with that, you probably need to talk to our IL legislature about all the unwarrented property tax exemptions out there.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 1:11 pm:
BP is a non-starter for Kirk. Alexi’s bank and taxes are in the wheelhouse. I’d hit those all day long.
Kirk isn’t out of the woods, though. Somewhere out there, you know there’s a Washington reporter chasing down the military stuff. And someone here chasing down the drowning story (you’d hope).
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 1:33 pm:
=When Kirk was a teenager he was on a small sail boat on Lake Michigan when it sprung a leak and started to sink=
Nope–that’s wrong, I believe, per Kirk.
- The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 1:37 pm:
Sorry, 1:33 was me.
- The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 1:38 pm:
And I’ll again add that I don’t know where you’re going with the boat story. He’s already admitted everything. Do your research.
- The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 4:24 pm:
A little off topic, but articles re: analyses of Kirk’s military record are hitting the internet.
- (618) Democrat - Tuesday, Jul 13, 10 @ 6:50 pm:
@trafkaa 1:38
=And I’ll again add that I don’t know where you’re going with the boat story. He’s already admitted everything. Do your research=
Give me a break. I am sure a liar like Kirk has some more misremembering to do.
No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln