Progress Illinois

The latest from the 2010 U.S. Senate race ...

Yesterday afternoon, Rep. Jan Schakowksy announced her endorsement of State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in the Democratic primary.  When they rolled out Rep. Luis Gutierrez' backing a week earlier, the campaign used the occasion to highlight Giannoulias' position on the need for stronger financial regulation.  This time, the topic was health care.  From a release:

"Alexi Giannoulias is the best candidate to retain President Obama's seat because he has the courage to take on powerful interests and stand up for Illinois families," Schakowsky said. "He supports health-insurance reform that will reign in the soaring costs of premiums and protect families from losing coverage during these difficult economic times." [...]

"Jan and I believe in a simple proposition: if you pay your premiums your insurance company should cover you - no exceptions, no caps, no limits," Giannoulias said. "Mark Kirk disagrees. He believes in protecting insurance companies, not protecting people."

Giannoulias has now racked up endorsements from five of the state's congressional Democrats (Reps. Bill Foster, Mike Quigley, and Phil Hare are also supporting him). Meanwhile, Cheryle Jackson is the only other candidate in the race to receive backing from members of Congress (Reps. Bobby Rush and Danny Davis).  

Elsewhere on Sunday, Giannoulias skipped a debate held in Rockford, which Jackson, David Hoffman, and Jacob Meister all attended.  ABC 7 has a report on their comments regarding Afghanistan. (All three "expressed deep doubts ... about sending more troops.) 

In other news, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a clever web ad today hitting GOP frontrunner Mark Kirk for his shifting positions on Sarah Palin. Watch it:

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The president's top domestic policy priority is one step closer to being made  law. As you've read elsewhere, the full House passed its final health care reform bill late Saturday night by a slim 220-215 margin. Although 39 Democrats eventually voted against the bill, none of Democrats hailing from President Obama's home state -- including Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster -- dissented.

While not perfect, the package approved by the House would dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 36 million people currently uninsured would gain access to health care. The bill, which includes an employer mandate and a "level-playing field" public option, is also deficit neutral over the next 10 years and would impose a whole host of important consumer protections.

Unfortunately, House leadership had to strike a Faustian bargain to gain the support of conservative pro-life Democrats, including Reps. Dan Lipinski and Jerry Costello. Included in the legislation was an amendment introduced by Rep. Bart Stupack (D-Michigan) limiting elective abortion coverage from both private and public insurers on the health insurance exchanges. Lipinski, who made clear this summer that he "strongly opposed any bill that's going to have public funding for abortion," even spoke in favor of the amendment on the floor minutes before the vote took place, earning praise from the Family Research Council for his efforts.

What Lipinski forgot to mention was that House tri-committee bill does not threaten the Hyde Amendment, which forbids Medicaid from using any federal money to pay for an abortion procedure. And in practical terms, it will have a devastating effect on working women. Ezra Klein explains:

If this amendment passes, it will mean that virtually all women with insurance through the exchange who find themselves in the unwanted and unexpected position of needing to terminate a pregnancy will not have coverage for the procedure. Abortion coverage will not be outlawed in this country. It will simply be tiered, reserved for those rich enough to afford insurance themselves or lucky enough to receive [it] from their employers.

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There are two new campaign ads out this afternoon.

First up, Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias' campaign has a new web video slamming GOP frontrunner Mark Kirk for seeking Sarah Palin's support:

On a related note, the Sun-Times editorial board criticized the North Shore Republican this morning in a piece headlined "Moving right might cost Kirk election."

Next is 10th Congressional District candidate Julie Hamos, who released her first TV spot today. Health care is the theme. "Let's not let this moment in history pass us by," she says about the prospect of reform. Watch it:  

Speaking of health care, United Power for Action and Justice and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law have published a new video featuring two physicians explaining why they believe reform is necessary.  Watch it:

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Last fall, GOP Rep. Mark Kirk wasn't sure that Sarah Palin had the proper qualifications to serve as vice president. But apparently he thinks she has what it takes to help him wrap up his U.S. Senate primary bid.

According to the Washington Post's Chris Cilliza, Kirk recently penned a memo to Republican bigwig Fred Malek soliciting a formal endorsement from the former Alaska governor when she swings through Chicago to appear on Oprah Winfrey's television show:

After noting that Palin will be in Chicago later this month to appear on "Oprah", Kirk writes that "the Chicago media will focus on one key issue: Does Gov[ernor] Palin oppose Congressman Mark Kirk's bid to take the Obama Senate seat for the Republicans?"

Kirk goes on to write that he is hoping for something "quick and decisive" from Palin about the race, perhaps to the effect of: "Voters in Illinois have a key opportunity to take Barack Obama's Senate seat. Congressman Kirk is the lead candidate to do that."

The Chicago media's sole focus will be on whether Palin "oppose[s] Congressman Mark Kirk's bid to take the Obama Senate seat for the Republicans?"  Really?

The only explanation for this bizarre memo is that Kirk is genuinely worried that some conservative challenger might undercut his campaign before it gets off the ground, even though no one who fits that profile has yet emerged.  But is pursuing Palin's support really worth it?  After all, she is pretty darn unpopular outside the hardcore conservative base.

Moreover, his efforts to secure her endorsement represent yet another flip-flop. Indeed, Kirk initially praised John McCain's selection of a running mate last September, only to change his mind when it became clear that she was dragging down the Republican ticket, telling the Tribune editorial board that he would have picked someone else as a running mate.  Now we've come full circle.

UPDATE (2:47 p.m.): Here's a response from Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias:

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North Shore Republican Rep. Mark Kirk has hit the airwaves with a new radio spot bashing the Democrats' health care reform effort. The Plum Line's Greg Sergeant nabbed the audio and has posted it online. Click on the video to hear the U.S. Senate candidate's message:

"Democrats in Washington want to put the government in charge of your health care. But Congressman Mark Kirk is fighting back. He's leading to effort to stop the government takeover. He offered the Republican alternative: lawsuit reform, no government interference with your doctor, the right to buy coverage from any state in the union, and no cuts to Medicare. Illinois needs a U.S. Senator like Mark Kirk who will stand up for seniors."

Like his machinations regarding cap-and-trade, this is certainly some red meat for the skeptical conservative base. And for those of you who have followed our coverage of Kirk's health care criticisms, there's nothing new in here.

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Painting what he described as a "stark contrast" between his platform and the policies endorsed by Republican Senate frontrunner Mark Kirk, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias rolled out the first section of a five-part economic plan (titled "Future Works America") before reporters this morning.  "Mark Kirk and the failed politics of the past got us into this economic mess," he said. "I have a plan to lead us to a more promising future."

Standing beside a new homeowner in Chicago's North Center neighborhood, Giannoulias called for a one-year extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit (which was included in the stimulus bill Kirk voted against) and a one-year payroll tax holiday on the first $20,000 of income for individuals making less than $75,000. (Th eSenate is expected to pass the homebuyers credit this week, although the extension would only last eight months.) He also wants to create a tax credit for small businesses with less than 50 employees, available for one year to companies that add workers to their payroll. To pay for the mini-recovery package, the treasurer would work to close corporate loopholes that benefit companies who ship jobs overseas. Watch him layout the expected benefits of the plan:

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The United States is currently suffering through a devastating recession, conducting two wars, and struggling under both a broken health care system and an aging energy economy.  So what does Rep. Mark Kirk want to make a key issue in the 2010 Senate race?  The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).  During an appearance on WLS Radio's Don Wade and Roma this morning, the North Shore Republican took the opportunity to dredge up the embattled organization and spread a false claim about its connection to SEIU (whose Illinois state council sponsors this website). Listen (full audio here):

Internal mp3

KIRK: Remember, in Chicagoland, ACORN founded SEIU in Chicago and they are intimately linked.

Time for a quick history lesson...

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As Media Matters documented yesterday, "the conservative media have opened a new front from which to attack President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama's support of Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics: smearing the city as unfit to host the Olympic Games, often by citing individual instances of violence."  Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, have criticized the president for leaving Washington this week for Copenhagen.  All of which led the Plum Line's Greg Sargent to contact GOP Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk to see where he stands on the bid.  Here's the response his team received:

Kirk campaign aides told our reporter, Amanda Erickson, that they were uncertain of his position and would get back to us with an answer. They have yet to do so.

Kirk voted to secure the Olympics but hasn’t said where he stands on Obama’s trip abroad to make that happen, and the controversy surrounding Obama’s pitch, which the president makes this morning, would seem to put Kirk in a delicate spot.

I suppose it takes longer to reply when, like Kirk, you have to formulate two answers: one for the "narrow interests" of your congressional district and one for the statewide constituency you hope to represent in 2011.  

With health care reform gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, GOP Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk took another crack at "slowing things down" in his North Shore district yesterday morning. During a town hall event in Northbrook, the Republican Senate hopeful pushed many of the same dubious "alternative proposals" he put forth back in August-- tort reform, looser state insurance regulations, and expanded individual tax credits -- as part of his so-called "centrist approach" to reining in the skyrocketing cost of health insurance.

Speaking to a weekday crowd packed with senior citizens, Kirk continued to sow fears that the Democratic-favored reforms will "really hurt seniors." Specifically, he repeated the misleading claim that President Obama's proposal to reform the Medicare Advantage program could cost 200,000 elderly Americans their health care. As we've previously noted, there is no basis for the Republicans' fearmongering. The New York Times editorial board dug into the issue last weekend and came to the same conclusion, noting that "coverage for a vast majority of Medicare recipients, those in traditional Medicare, should actually improve under health care reform." And the Washington Post's Ezra Klein yesterday cited a new academic study which found that the proposed changes to Medicare Advantage would not have a significant effect on the benefits received.

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At his health care townhall in Northbrook today, GOP Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk received an off-topic question regarding his support earlier this summer for the House climate bill (which would curb carbon emissions via a cap-and-trade system).  In response, Kirk reiterated that he would vote to oppose the bill as a senator because, beyond the North Shore congressional district he currently represents, "we are overwhelmingly a manufacturing, agriculture and coal state."  Watch it:

KIRK: Bottom line: When I worked with Midwest Generation -- by the way, just about everybody in here, you get your electrons from Midwest Generation in Waukegan -- it [cap-and-trade] costs $14 per year, per household.  But when you look beyond the 10th Congressional District to the wider Illinois economy, we are overwhelmingly a manufacturing, agriculture and coal state.  If I'm to be a senator, I need to be a strong advocate for all Illinois family incomes.  And so I've announced, as senator, I would not support that legislation.

We've repeatedly noted why Kirk's current position contradicts his explanation back in July of his support for cap-and-trade.  But beyond that, here's the question that reporters need to ask Kirk at this juncture: What other positions do you plan to abandon over the course of your U.S. Senate campaign in order to appeal to statewide Republican interests? 

We'll have more health care-related coverage from Kirk's town hall tomorrow morning.