A Rational and Honorable Republican...
“By leading by example I’m showing what a rational, responsible guy would do that really wants the constitutional process to go forward.”
Mark Kirk could have been back in Illinois waging what might be the most difficult reelection campaign in Congress. Instead, the Republican senator was on Capitol Hill Tuesday drawing national attention for meeting with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
Kirk became the first Republican to meet with Garland, a huddle that took place in the middle of a long congressional recess and was covered by more than 50 journalists. It featured some impromptu remarks by Kirk, who's been tight-lipped in the Capitol as he fights to save his job in November.
Sitting beside Garland in his office, Kirk lavished praise on the Illinois native as a “brilliant” legal mind who is “one of the most eminent jurists in the country.” Then he shifted to his own party’s blockade of Garland, remarking that Republican senators who won’t even meet with Garland are “too close-minded.”
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“Judge Garland, he’s been duly nominated by the elected president of the United States to fill a vacancy which we know exists on the court. We need open-minded, rational, responsible people to keep an open mind to make sure the process works,” Kirk said. “When you just say you’re not going to meet them and all that, it’s too close-minded."
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“This is a perfect opportunity for Senator Kirk to illustrate his independent brand,” said one national GOP strategist, adding that it could help him politically since Garland is from the Chicago area.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Senate leaders are giving Kirk plenty of space by to carve out his own stance on the Supreme Court. He's receiving little pressure to toe the party line, sources said. Earlier this month Kirk demanded that Republicans “man up” and vote on the nomination. It was a stark contrast to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), who faces a similarly perilous reelection path but said Tuesday in an email that he is "getting strong support" back home for backing McConnell's "no hearings, no votes" strategy.
Publicly, Kirk and McConnell have agreed to disagree.
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Back home in Illinois, Kirk’s stance has drawn mixed reviews. Democrats are urging him to oppose McConnell as the head of the Senate GOP, a non-starter, while a prominent law professor praised Kirk in the state’s largest newspaper but pleaded with him to go further and convince his colleagues to take up Garland.
Still, Kirk is winning allies who don’t traditionally speak well of Republicans. On Thursday, a coalition including Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club will hold a press conference thanking the senator for his stance.
There are indeed rational, sensible, and patriotic Republicans that yet live and work among us. Apparently a few remain in congress representing American interests (rather than their own and the party interests) and fighting to uphold The Constitution. Senator Kirk is one of the few and is deserving of thanks from ALL rational conservatives and republicas.
Find the complete article BELOW THE FOLD.
Via: Memeorandum
What's particularly telling is that in a large, demographically mixed state, Kirk feels the need to do this. This bodes well for the Democrats in November.
ReplyDeleteJMJ
If more republicans used common sense and did the right thing it would bode much better for republicans in November. Then again, if more republicans had common sense and integrity the top two contenders wouldn't be even a blip on the screen.
ReplyDeleteKirk is a moderate, probably because he is up against Tammy Duckworth.
ReplyDeleteThough she lost both legs when her helicopter was hit in Iraq, Kirk has
accused her of being borderline traitor for voting for the Iran deal, as well as being unsympathetic to wounded vets. Pretty Rovian/Attwater stuff
for a moderate, IMO.
Kirk is a moderate, probably because he is up against Tammy Duckworth.
ReplyDeletePerhaps. I do not know Illinois politicians as I moved from the sate in 1971.
Kirk, is on the right side on this one and is behaving as ALL republicans ought to be behaving. Kudos for that.
His opinion on the Deal with Iran is lunk headed in my opinion his allegation (which I was unaware of as well as not knowing Duckworth's statement on the issue) are alarming given Duckworth's service and injuries.
Kirk's position on the SCOTUS nomination is correct. If he were a MA senator I certainly would weigh his full record and positions before I would vote for him.
I don't think it's going to help Kirk much. He has always been relatively moderate, though, so I think he is being genuine even if feeling pressure to do so. I notice most of his GOP colleagues have given him a pass on this, so it does go to show how the issue itself is pressuring the GOP.
ReplyDeleteJMJ
the GOP is going to be pressured by American public opinion more and more as the 2016 campaigns roll forward. Kirk at least "gets it".
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping Kasich and Cruz do exceedingly well in the 6 states that can deny Drumpf the nomination on the first ballot by denying Drumpf a win in any of the six. Frankly Drumpf's support is shallow, only being deep among the hardcore angry and ill informed base of TeaPublicans.
Bring On The Brokered Convention!
Rince Prebass: 85-90 percent chance of no brokered convention. highly, highly unlikely. Just so everyone's clear out there.
ReplyDeleteNot that I believe Rinse.
The RNC is now engaged in damage control. The Drumpf has a meeting very recently with the RNC. My understanding is it was a pretty cozy one.
ReplyDelete