Joe Walsh is bound and determined to change Washington, D.C., regardless of who he annoys along the way. And a lot of people seem to be treating that as a breath of fresh air. Walsh is now refusing to take part in the Congressional health care plan, and is fearless about offering his perspective on other issues such as the Bush tax cut compromise, regardless of whether he thinks it might hurt his chances for re-election. He's so serious about not straying from his appointed mission, he reportedly plans to sleep in his office.
Wow, where might we be if all politicians were worried more about doing what was right than protecting their own skins?
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas in Hawaii
No, TA is not lucky enough to be spending Christmas in Oahu, but some close friends sent me this picture over the weekend. I was checking my sitemeter and thought that all the hits from Honolulu might be President Obama checking up on the blog, but then I realized who it must be, so I figured the least I could do is post the photo. Thanks guys!
For the rest of us, I hope it cheers everyone up as we dig out from last night's snow... remember, it's bikini weather somewhere.
Tribune Reports In On the 'Middleness' of Senator Kirk
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas yesterday. It was quite a busy one around the TA household, and thanks given for blessings received and shared, but now it's time to get back to business. This morning the Tribune reports in on what we've been tracking for some weeks, that is, that Senator Kirk is charting a course right of center, but nevertheless down the middle, as Kirk gets going on his Senatorial career. The Trib notes that Kirk will not be up for re-election until 2016, so the Jim DeMints of the world are not going to have a lot of impact on Kirk for a long time, if ever. Who knows what the world will look like in five years anyway?
A lot of people in my professional life know I'm identified with Mark Kirk as a strong supporter, so lots of people like to give me their $0.02 about issues, assuming I can take that right to the Senator (sometimes yes, sometimes no, is the answer to that). But one comment I have been hearing over the past few weeks, from way more than just one person, is that they are hopeful now that the election is over, that Mark Kirk will be the kind of Senator that resembled the Congressman "he used to be." To that I say, yes, I understand what you mean, and I hope so too, but it's up to all of us to make it known that we support people like Mark Kirk who are a vanishing breed of independent, thinking Republicans, and that it's OK not to be a hyper-partisan fire-breathing right-winger if you want to get re-elected. I then usually lecture the person on the perils and sad state of partisan politics in this country until their eyes glaze over and they make an excuse to get away, but I've made my point.
If you like a thoughtful, independent politician, let your friends know about Mark Kirk. Eventually, he'll be up for re-election, and then it will be time to let the dogmatists know that we want to keep our independent-minded Senator around.
A lot of people in my professional life know I'm identified with Mark Kirk as a strong supporter, so lots of people like to give me their $0.02 about issues, assuming I can take that right to the Senator (sometimes yes, sometimes no, is the answer to that). But one comment I have been hearing over the past few weeks, from way more than just one person, is that they are hopeful now that the election is over, that Mark Kirk will be the kind of Senator that resembled the Congressman "he used to be." To that I say, yes, I understand what you mean, and I hope so too, but it's up to all of us to make it known that we support people like Mark Kirk who are a vanishing breed of independent, thinking Republicans, and that it's OK not to be a hyper-partisan fire-breathing right-winger if you want to get re-elected. I then usually lecture the person on the perils and sad state of partisan politics in this country until their eyes glaze over and they make an excuse to get away, but I've made my point.
If you like a thoughtful, independent politician, let your friends know about Mark Kirk. Eventually, he'll be up for re-election, and then it will be time to let the dogmatists know that we want to keep our independent-minded Senator around.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Daily Herald Laudes Mark Kirk for Independence (UPDATED)
Newspaper editorial boards tend to like "independent" politicians, since I think in large part editors like to identify themselves with people they believe reflect their values, and especially nowadays, "independence" seems to equate with being a 'rational thinker' who is not overly swayed by loud voices on either the right or the left. That worldview seems abundantly evident in an editorial this morning in the Daily Herald, where the fearless editors give chops to our new Senator Mark Kirk, for already taking the path of reason and bi-partisanship (according to the DH) in just his first few weeks in office:
Barely three weeks into his tenure as a U.S. senator, it’s far too early to wrap Republican Mark Kirk in that mantle, but we have to say he appears to be off to an encouraging start.
Considering the tectonic shift of his rhetoric during the primary and election campaigns, it has been hard to know just what drummer the Highland Park Republican is marching to. In the past week, he’s provided some clarity where it counts most — on the Senate floor — first voting in favor of repealing the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy on gays and then indicating, again contrary to the dictates of leadership and the swell of his party, he would vote for the START agreement on nuclear disarmament.
On both issues, Kirk’s independence carries special authority because of his own military background. Evident in stories written last weekend by Daily Herald political writer Kerry Lester was the extensive research Kirk conducted before settling on his vote regarding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He knew what questions to ask and where to go for straight answers. Then, he let those conversations, rather than partisan pressures, govern his political decision. No doubt, similar backgrounding infused his decision regarding the nuclear proliferation treaty with Russia, where again it appears the new senator relied on experience and intuition rather than simple party affiliation to form his opinions.
As with any editorial board, you're only as good as your last vote as a politician, so Kirk has a long way to go to continue to reestablish his reputation for honesty and independence after a grueling campaign, but he seems like he's off to a great start.
In other news, Kirk seems poised to support ratification of the START treaty, especially if Senator John McCain is successful in making a few tweaks to the treaty language before the vote. Kirk and fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin are also taking a lead on compelling U.S. EPA to investigate whether we are being exposed to dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium (a/k/a Chromium-6) in our drinking water, which I can tell you as an environmental attorney, is really bad stuff.
UPDATED: Kirk votes "no" on ratifying the START treaty. Guess he was really serious that the McCain amendment was pretty important to him...
Barely three weeks into his tenure as a U.S. senator, it’s far too early to wrap Republican Mark Kirk in that mantle, but we have to say he appears to be off to an encouraging start.
Considering the tectonic shift of his rhetoric during the primary and election campaigns, it has been hard to know just what drummer the Highland Park Republican is marching to. In the past week, he’s provided some clarity where it counts most — on the Senate floor — first voting in favor of repealing the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy on gays and then indicating, again contrary to the dictates of leadership and the swell of his party, he would vote for the START agreement on nuclear disarmament.
On both issues, Kirk’s independence carries special authority because of his own military background. Evident in stories written last weekend by Daily Herald political writer Kerry Lester was the extensive research Kirk conducted before settling on his vote regarding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He knew what questions to ask and where to go for straight answers. Then, he let those conversations, rather than partisan pressures, govern his political decision. No doubt, similar backgrounding infused his decision regarding the nuclear proliferation treaty with Russia, where again it appears the new senator relied on experience and intuition rather than simple party affiliation to form his opinions.
As with any editorial board, you're only as good as your last vote as a politician, so Kirk has a long way to go to continue to reestablish his reputation for honesty and independence after a grueling campaign, but he seems like he's off to a great start.
In other news, Kirk seems poised to support ratification of the START treaty, especially if Senator John McCain is successful in making a few tweaks to the treaty language before the vote. Kirk and fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin are also taking a lead on compelling U.S. EPA to investigate whether we are being exposed to dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium (a/k/a Chromium-6) in our drinking water, which I can tell you as an environmental attorney, is really bad stuff.
UPDATED: Kirk votes "no" on ratifying the START treaty. Guess he was really serious that the McCain amendment was pretty important to him...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Today's Word is... Reapportionment (UPDATED: We're Down One)
Today is the day when we will find out if Illinois will lose one congressional seat due to national population shifts. There are exactly 435 Congressmen, and each Congressional district is made up of approximately 600,000 people. Thus, every 10 years, districts are redrawn according to the census to reflect such population changes. The last time this happened in 2000, two incumbents (Dem. David Phelps and GOPer John Shimkus) got thrown together and Shimkus won, leaving Phelps out on the street. Something similar may happen this time around, if in fact Illinois loses a seat, which seems likely, but is not certain.
Thus, all the polticos in Illinois are holding their breath today waiting to find out if we lose a congressional seat. THEN the knives will come out.
I've heard more predictions about what might/should/can/will happen with respect to the redrawing of the boundaries of the Congressional districts, since the state Dems control the redistricting process, than I really care to go into. Charlie Cook looks at one scenario here.
Republicans have the most to lose, not simply because the Dems control the map, but because they gained the most in the recent election. Dems would love to weaken new Congresscritters like Bob Dold and Joe Walsh, or perhaps force them into the same district to run together, but I've not heard a lot of emphasis on combining the 8th and 10th Districts. The eyes of the powers-that-be appear to be looking mostly elsewhere. And, of course, although we find out today whether we in fact lose a seat, the actual map will not be released for some time yet, and then it's time to release the lawyers, no doubt. This will all be lotsa fun, kids.
UPDATED: It's now official - we've lost a seat. Let the games begin.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Senate Votes to Advance Repeal of DADT: Kirk Votes in Favor of Moving Bill to a Vote; Signals His Support for Repeal (UPDATED: Bill Passes Senate)
UPDATED: Bill to repeal DADT passes Senate, goes to Obama for signature.
The AP is reporting that the Senate has voted to advance the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) military policy barring gays serving openly in the military, for a vote this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. EST. Our new Senator from Illinois, Mark Kirk, joined a handful of other Republicans in voting to advance the measure to the Senate floor for a vote. One would anticipate that after much prevarication on Kirk's part, he will now vote in favor of repealing the DADT policy, in the wake of the report from the military which concluded that allowing openly gay service members would not significantly affect military effectiveness. Notably, Kirk broke with John McCain, who led the opposition to repeal. More from Politico here.
Here is Senator Kirk's statement (h/t Illinois Review):
Senator Kirk Statement in Favor of S. 4023, the Collins-Lieberman Bill:
"Over the last several months, I urged Congress to wait for the considered judgment of our uniformed military through the Joint Chiefs of Staff's report before changing the policy. If we are to eliminate one military personnel policy, we must have a new one that is easily understood to guide the First Sergeants and Navy Chiefs who really run our squadrons, squads and ships.
I very carefully read the Joint Chiefs of Staff report and met at length with Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead. Following their exhaustive and considered military judgment, I support the Joint Chief's recommendation to implement the repeal of the current policy once the battle effectiveness of the forces is certified and proper preparations are complete. The legislation before us provides our military leaders with the time they requested to change the policy. Without this legislation, Admiral Roughead warned that courts, like California's federal courts, would issue further confusing stop and start orders to our military, causing chaos in our military recruitment and retention programs. In the end, the Constitution charges the Congress with setting military policy and the Executive branch with implementing it. The legislation containing the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will remove the various orders of conflicting and uncertain court litigation from our military, allowing uniformed leaders to once again effectively manage our national defense. As a 21-year Navy Reserve officer, I believe it is important for military leaders, not federal judges, to run our armed forces."
Kirk Scorecard: For those who seem obsessed on both sides of the aisle with keeping track of whether Kirk will toe the party line or break with the GOP, Kirk voted today against the DREAM act, which was sponored by the 'other' Illinois Senator, Dick Durbin, and which bill failed to pass.
The AP is reporting that the Senate has voted to advance the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) military policy barring gays serving openly in the military, for a vote this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. EST. Our new Senator from Illinois, Mark Kirk, joined a handful of other Republicans in voting to advance the measure to the Senate floor for a vote. One would anticipate that after much prevarication on Kirk's part, he will now vote in favor of repealing the DADT policy, in the wake of the report from the military which concluded that allowing openly gay service members would not significantly affect military effectiveness. Notably, Kirk broke with John McCain, who led the opposition to repeal. More from Politico here.
Here is Senator Kirk's statement (h/t Illinois Review):
Senator Kirk Statement in Favor of S. 4023, the Collins-Lieberman Bill:
"Over the last several months, I urged Congress to wait for the considered judgment of our uniformed military through the Joint Chiefs of Staff's report before changing the policy. If we are to eliminate one military personnel policy, we must have a new one that is easily understood to guide the First Sergeants and Navy Chiefs who really run our squadrons, squads and ships.
I very carefully read the Joint Chiefs of Staff report and met at length with Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead. Following their exhaustive and considered military judgment, I support the Joint Chief's recommendation to implement the repeal of the current policy once the battle effectiveness of the forces is certified and proper preparations are complete. The legislation before us provides our military leaders with the time they requested to change the policy. Without this legislation, Admiral Roughead warned that courts, like California's federal courts, would issue further confusing stop and start orders to our military, causing chaos in our military recruitment and retention programs. In the end, the Constitution charges the Congress with setting military policy and the Executive branch with implementing it. The legislation containing the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will remove the various orders of conflicting and uncertain court litigation from our military, allowing uniformed leaders to once again effectively manage our national defense. As a 21-year Navy Reserve officer, I believe it is important for military leaders, not federal judges, to run our armed forces."
Kirk Scorecard: For those who seem obsessed on both sides of the aisle with keeping track of whether Kirk will toe the party line or break with the GOP, Kirk voted today against the DREAM act, which was sponored by the 'other' Illinois Senator, Dick Durbin, and which bill failed to pass.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Catching Up in the 10th District (UPDATED)
Hello folks - we've been on a bit of a hiatus over the past week, but after a grueling campaign season, it was time for a little mental health break. For a while, I think we may be posting a little less regularly through Christmas, but we'll see how it goes.
For now, let's look at how things are going in and around the 10th District. Our newly-minted Congressman, Bob Dold, is getting off to a good start in advance of his January swearing-in. I think I burned all my domestic political chits when I went out for Mark Kirk's swearing-in in late November, so I will have to miss that one. But I know many who will be going, including TA stalwart "Baxter & Beau's Mom," so maybe she'll send me some pix after tracking down FOKLAES at the Capitol Club. Bob, a small business-owner and avowed fiscal conservative, landed a spot on the Financial Services Committee, although Pioneer Press reports that it was not his first choice.
As his chief of staff, Dold hired Eric Burgeson, who was most recently vice president of government affairs at the lobbying firm "BGR Group." Pioneer reports that Dold met Berguson in 1996, and both men worked on then-Sen. Bob Dole's presidential campaign. Burgeson definitely knows his way around Washington, having held numerous advisory positions, and no doubt will help Bob navigate the treacherous waters.
Meanwhile, it looks like Senator Mark Kirk and our other Congressman Joe Walsh are out there meeting with constituents and preparing to get down to business. Indeed, as we have been reporting, Kirk was getting down to business within hours of his swearing-in, and hasn't hardly paused for breath since. Most recently, Kirk voted against repeal of DADT and in favor of maintaining all of the Bush tax cuts, which ought to make conservatives happy, although they are generally sparse with their praise for Kirk even when he votes their way.
Finally, it's been fun lately to watch the helpless thrashing about on the floor (figuratively speaking) over at Ellen's, now that she's determined that President Obama sold her and fellow moonbats a bill of goods, and can't be trusted as a visionary liberal leader. In fact, her latest blog post even echoes Sarah Palin's snarky criticism of Obama as "Mr. Hopey-changey." Wow, what a difference two years makes.
Last but not least, I can now officially turn off my Google Alert for Dan Seals. He's pretty much finished, as far as political relevance in the 10th District. All I was getting for the last few weeks was references to the deceased country/pop music star of the same name anyway. Mission accomplished.
UPDATED: I know I promised to stop fixating on Dan Seals, but I can't resist pointing out that Seals was just lauded by the National Journal for its "Time to Hang it Up" Award:
Time to Hang It Up: Illinois Democrat Dan Seals, for losing for the third straight time for the seat of now-Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. In 2006, he fell short in a superb Democratic year for Kirk’s Democratic-leaning seat. In 2008, he ran down-ballot from President Obama—who cut an ad for his campaign—and still couldn’t win. With Kirk running for the Senate and Republicans privately pessimistic of holding the seat, Seals managed to do the impossible: lose three straight times with three favorable opportunities.
Hahahahahahah!
We also want to note that the National Journal awarded our new 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh something much more complimentary:
Most Bang for the Buck Award: Rep.-elect Joe Walsh, R-Ill., who eked out a 290-vote victory over Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., after spending just $563,000 in a district where buying broadcast ads costs millions. He can thank Democrats for overlooking him, not airing ads attacking him, and buying expensive air time blasting GOP nominees in neighboring districts.
For now, let's look at how things are going in and around the 10th District. Our newly-minted Congressman, Bob Dold, is getting off to a good start in advance of his January swearing-in. I think I burned all my domestic political chits when I went out for Mark Kirk's swearing-in in late November, so I will have to miss that one. But I know many who will be going, including TA stalwart "Baxter & Beau's Mom," so maybe she'll send me some pix after tracking down FOKLAES at the Capitol Club. Bob, a small business-owner and avowed fiscal conservative, landed a spot on the Financial Services Committee, although Pioneer Press reports that it was not his first choice.
As his chief of staff, Dold hired Eric Burgeson, who was most recently vice president of government affairs at the lobbying firm "BGR Group." Pioneer reports that Dold met Berguson in 1996, and both men worked on then-Sen. Bob Dole's presidential campaign. Burgeson definitely knows his way around Washington, having held numerous advisory positions, and no doubt will help Bob navigate the treacherous waters.
Meanwhile, it looks like Senator Mark Kirk and our other Congressman Joe Walsh are out there meeting with constituents and preparing to get down to business. Indeed, as we have been reporting, Kirk was getting down to business within hours of his swearing-in, and hasn't hardly paused for breath since. Most recently, Kirk voted against repeal of DADT and in favor of maintaining all of the Bush tax cuts, which ought to make conservatives happy, although they are generally sparse with their praise for Kirk even when he votes their way.
Finally, it's been fun lately to watch the helpless thrashing about on the floor (figuratively speaking) over at Ellen's, now that she's determined that President Obama sold her and fellow moonbats a bill of goods, and can't be trusted as a visionary liberal leader. In fact, her latest blog post even echoes Sarah Palin's snarky criticism of Obama as "Mr. Hopey-changey." Wow, what a difference two years makes.
Last but not least, I can now officially turn off my Google Alert for Dan Seals. He's pretty much finished, as far as political relevance in the 10th District. All I was getting for the last few weeks was references to the deceased country/pop music star of the same name anyway. Mission accomplished.
UPDATED: I know I promised to stop fixating on Dan Seals, but I can't resist pointing out that Seals was just lauded by the National Journal for its "Time to Hang it Up" Award:
Time to Hang It Up: Illinois Democrat Dan Seals, for losing for the third straight time for the seat of now-Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. In 2006, he fell short in a superb Democratic year for Kirk’s Democratic-leaning seat. In 2008, he ran down-ballot from President Obama—who cut an ad for his campaign—and still couldn’t win. With Kirk running for the Senate and Republicans privately pessimistic of holding the seat, Seals managed to do the impossible: lose three straight times with three favorable opportunities.
Hahahahahahah!
We also want to note that the National Journal awarded our new 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh something much more complimentary:
Most Bang for the Buck Award: Rep.-elect Joe Walsh, R-Ill., who eked out a 290-vote victory over Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., after spending just $563,000 in a district where buying broadcast ads costs millions. He can thank Democrats for overlooking him, not airing ads attacking him, and buying expensive air time blasting GOP nominees in neighboring districts.
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