Yes, that's right, today's low gas prices are due solely to the efforts of our great Congressman Mark Kirk... at least, they are if you follow the logic of his former two-time opponent and 9th District resident, Dan Seals.
You see, back in May, as you may recall, Dan Seals pulled an ill-advised and frankly stupid publicity stunt in Lincolnshire up here in Lake County, where he advertised that he would hand out free gas, in the sense that he would make up the difference between the high gas prices at that time (although they would get still higher as the year progressed) and the price when Congressman Mark Kirk took office back in 2001. That price was $1.85. As TA readers know, the stunt caused a massive traffic jam at lunchtime, only 50 people got discounted gas, Dan Seals got a $2,000 bill from the Lincolnshire police, and the Mayor of Lincolnshire endorsed Mark Kirk shortly thereafter.
Anyway, my point is that now that gas prices have fallen off a cliff, if you bought into Dan Seals' theory last May that it was all Mark Kirk's fault that gas prices had skyrocketed (instead of attributing the rise in prices to things like... global expansion... market forces... speculation in the oil markets... you know, actual common-sense reasons), now you can thank Mark Kirk for lowering them.
Dan, if you're reading, this is one reason why you lost. People in the 10th District were too smart to buy into your populist crap that everything was Mark Kirk's fault and if we ran him out of office and installed you instead, everything would go back to the salad days. Well, it wasn't Kirk's "fault" back then, any more than gas lower prices are his "fault" now.
Dan, you were, and are, an empty suit, buddy. Keep dreaming about gainful employment in the Senate, because the dream will be alive only for a few more weeks, and then it's back to the want-ads.
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8 comments:
TA-
Oh, where to begin. Here's the skinny on the event in March: It was a stunt. It was a pretty good stunt. It got all over tv and radio. It highlighted a huge issue in a creative, attention grabbing way. Yes, the campaign had to pay some overtime wages to the Lincolnshire police, which their statement said they were happy to do. There was no fine because no laws were broken. Congressman Kirk threatened to go to the U.S. attorney with vote-buying allegations, but Fitzgerald's office never even said they got a phone call about it. Yes, the mayor of Lincolnshire endorsed Kirk the next day. The Mayor is a REPUBLICAN! No rational observer would say Seals' event caused the endorsement. Now, was Seals a little overeager to pin the blame on Kirk for gas prices? Yes. But that hardly makes him worthy of derision. As I remember, Kirk streched the truth a bit as well to imply that Dan had a role in the subprime mortgage mess, at their lone debate. also, I have to point out a slight factual error in your post: we did buy into Seals' populist crap up here in Lake County, because Seals won Lake County. So, while you might be right on the policy of it, take some deep breaths through a paper bag. And find a new target- there are plenty of actual officials worth poking at (read, Blagojevich), that you should Seals fade back into private citizenry...unless he becomes our next Senator, that is.
tikkunolam, get a grip. The gas stunt was a stupid stunt and you know it. Getting publicity and having to PAY for it showed stupidity and not leadership. Seals is a tool and a mouthpiece for the 10th Dems, for all the Dems. He hasn't worked in over 3 years. Why is that? A guy with his education should surely have had some decent job offers. He didn't even think of using his time to volunteer in the community, to do anything to advance himself. All he did was run for office and drink the Kool Aid being offered by those who felt that Mark Kirk could be thrown out of office.
Another huge error that you guys made and continue to make is in dissing the proven record of achievement of Mark Kirk. To say that he's not passed legislation, that he has done nothing is just outrageous, stupid and mean spirited in addition to being flat out wrong. You guys truly don't know this district. Mark Kirk isn't perfect, but he's light years ahead of many who serve in the US House and voters back here know it. And another issue: the Kirk congressional office has always received high marks for constituent service. Those voters vote. They had a choice and then continued to choose a guy they KNOW can produce rather than trust a guy who truly has done nothing to earn the position. Seals never had answers other than what Gash and Gill had provided. It didn't wash. Mark Kirk received every endorsement of every newspaper. Another reason your guy lost is the kind of dirty, truly disgustingly evil DCCC ads that flooded this district. The veteran from Peoria who tried to smear Mark Kirk with his vicious attack was not the worst. I think the most egregious attack was the lifting of selected quotes from the various endorsements and twisting them into falsehoods. How stupid do you think the voters in the 10th happen to be?
Should our nitwit governor be dumb enough to appoint the empty suit, Seals, to the now vacant Obama Senate seat I'd love to see Mark go at him and beat him soundly for a third time. Bet on it. I have a question for you, tikkunolam: your "name" as you know, means to repair the world. Too bad you didn't use some kind of influence on Seals to do something to actually make a difference. Or is that just an empty phrase to him?
Mark Kirk is a Congressman who has done a great deal for this district, our State, our nation and our world. Get to know the real Mark Kirk and not the one invented by Gash/Gill/Schakowsky/Creamer, et al. He does make an important difference, he is our Congressman, and he deserves the respect that he has earned.
Geez...Kirk did it all by himself? Wake up.
dmac57, I think you're on the wrong Blog. Too bad the catwoman doesn't want anyone to comment. When you make stupid statements like you've just posted it's obvious you have no place to spout off. Take a hike. Nobody ever said that Mark Kirk has achieved his status alone.
You people!! Are you only on this blog because you can drink the kool-aid with Ellen? Will someone please tell her to start taking comments again so these people will go away?
Comrade Catwoman believes the only people that deserve free speech are terrorists plotting to destroy the united states and aging feminazi lawyers plotting to destroy our brains.
Since I know team MSKirk reads this blog, can you please do me a favor, pull your heads out of your asses and start getting your boss involved in the state and national debate in the direction of our party?
No one cares about 2 imprisoned cambodian human rights activitsts that desk officers at the state department will never let out of the torture cells because it would threaten our relations. We do however care about whether Republicans in this country that vote for Mark and pay your salaries are going to get some serious leadership and ideas.
Thanks.
Your pals.
Anon 7:46, I am not a Kirk staffer so don't assume that all of TA's readers are paid for and owe allegiance to the Congressman. Like thousands of others in this district, I do appreciate all that he does to make this a better place. As to the mess we have in IL and within the Republican party, what do you think MSK can do: wave some magic wand and make a new order appear? And to look down on human rights actions tells me a lot about your agenda. Instead of bitching and complaining, I don't hear your suggestions for new faces, new players within the IL structure. You can't defeat something with nothing. It's easy to stand on the side and jab away at the current team running the show. Who are your choices? There are 24 hours in a day. The Congressional agenda is full of district demands, federal legislative initiatives and yes, issues like the Choudray mess that you allude to in your post. Had MSK not gotten involved that guy would be dead. Enough said. Come up with some names, some ideas, and stop laying everything on the doorstep of our Congressman.
There are only 22 Kirk staffers but there are 10's of thousands of TA fans like you and myself so you are ok in my book, even if we have disagreements.
As for my repeated bitching, if you are an Illinois Republican from this area and not pissed as hell right now, when is the right time to be pissed? There aren't enough people that are mad as hell and ready to do something.
1.Mark not being able to anything is the sorriest excuse I have ever heard. He's a freaking 5 term Congressman from the wealthiest district in the midwest, has a national fundraising apparatus, and 3 decades in congress-as a staffer as well. Rahm Emanuel got into Congress 2 years after Mark and all he did in 2 terms was get rid of our majority in Congress and elect a U.S. President. Jan Schakowsky's stasi has no problem bringing their thugs up here to attack Mark, and he can't put a force in place to help elect people like Tim and Keith? He is smarter than a lot of the people leading our party in d.c. and here right now, but if he hides in a hole and doesn't take a stake in rebuilding our party and leading it, he's not of much use.
2. As for Mark not having enough time or staffers that have too much to do. When you are in the minority in congress you have nothing to do. When you are in the minority in congress that has worked the fewest days of any in history as the last few have, time is even less of an issue. Visit in August, or April or November or December, or September. Not much doing.
3. You have to be completely ignorant not to realize that his continued embrace of Andy McKenna and the hastert mafia is what has ruined our party. Both guys got rid of peter fitzgerald-a great senator, and gave an opening for some guy named barack obama. These guys also have done nothing to take on blagoyevich.
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