The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : He's No Russell Kirk, But...

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He's No Russell Kirk, But...

By W. James Antle, III on 7.9.09 @ 11:31AM

Yesterday's reports that Mark Kirk is eyeing a Senate run in Illinois and Attorney General Lisa Madigan is not are a shot in the arm for the GOP. Both developments go a long way toward putting the seat held by Sen. Roland Burris in play, as the Republicans appear to have gotten their strongest candidate while the Democrats have lost theirs. Burris is almost certainly toast, probably in the primary should he be stubborn enough to run. That leaves Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias as the likely Democratic frontrunner. Giannoulias is, shall we say, a Chicago type of pol.

Conservative enthusiasm for Kirk is tempered by the fact that he's not just a moderate, but one of the eight Republicans to vote for the Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill, making him a tax-hiker. In the early '90s, even the most liberal Republicans -- Jim Jeffords, John Chafee, Mark Hatfield, and Arlen Specter -- voted against the Clinton tax increases. But given a 60-seat Democratic supermajority and a lack of plausible conservative primary challengers, most Illinois conservatives will probably get behind Kirk as a strongest pickup opportunity behind Sen. Chris Dodd's seat in Connecticut.

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Siegfried X| 7.9.09 @ 11:41AM

A RINO is a Democrat. It doesn't help the conservative cause to elect anyone who will vote for Obama's legislation, even if he has (R) in his title.

Kyle| 7.9.09 @ 11:56AM

Sorry Jim,

I'm an Illinois conservative, and I'd just assume vote for Burris than Kirk. What's the difference? Kirk touts his pro-choice credentials come election time and in voting for this Cap-and Trade bill, he may just likely vote for FOCA, Fairness Doctrine, Socialized Health Care, etc. In my book, if you voted for Cap and Trade, you are capable of voting for any atrocity to come down the pike. Kirk is a professional and calculating politician, not a man of the people, and I hope he's booted out of his profession soon. He even waited until Dem. favorite Lisa Madigan committed to not running, before taking the "risk" of entering the ring.