Mark Kirk is the Best Choice for the Republican Party
By Jeff Wartman • January 11, 2010
JeffWartman.com

Over the last two days, both the Daily Herald and Chicago Sun-Times have written important endorsements of Congressman Mark Kirk in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

From the Daily Herald:

Not only is Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park by far the most qualified in the GOP field, he would be the most formidable candidate Republicans could offer in the November general election. Put simply: Kirk could win; it is debatable whether any of the other five candidates could.

I don’t think it’s debatable at all – no other candidate in the Republican primary can win the general election. Period. The Herald continues…

He’s an intelligent, hardworking independent who strives to model bipartisan ethics in a system that is choking on its partisanship. In 10 years, he’s become a leader among Republican moderates in the House, chairing their Tuesday Group get-togethers. Morton Kondracke, executive editor of Roll Call, described him well as “one of Congress’ most effective moderates.”

He has been a leader on Capitol Hill in rejecting the outrageous congressional practice of earmark spending and has fought for fiscal sanity in government spending.

As a Naval Reserve intelligence officer, Kirk has keen insights into the stakes in Afghanistan and the war on terror and an ability to articulate them that few other politicians can match.

As for those political assailants who ignore the record and try to smear Kirk as a Democrat in Republican clothing, consider this: If that were true, why have Democratic national officials worked so hard to try time and again to unseat him in the 10th Congressional District?

Kirk is one of the few active duty Military personnel serving in Congress. From his website:

National Security: Mark Kirk, a Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer holding the rank of Commander, served during conflicts with Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia. In 1999, the U.S. Navy named Kirk ‘Intelligence Officer of the Year’ for his service over Kosovo.

Kirk is solid on the issues that matter most:

* Fiscal Responsibility: Mark Kirk opposed Speaker Pelosi’s trillion-dollar stimulus plan

* Agriculture is the backbone of the Illinois economy. As a Senator, Mark Kirk will fight for Illinois farmers and expand opportunities for our state’s agriculture industry. By upgrading our river, road and rail systems, promoting ethanol and biodiesel, expanding exports to growing markets and keeping taxes low, we can raise incomes and create new jobs for Illinois.

* Lower the cost of health care for all Americans without compromising the doctor-patient relationship and without raising taxes.

* Ethics and Reform: Illinois deserves an experienced legislator with a proven record of reform to fight for integrity in public office. During the past several years, our state was misrepresented by corrupt politicians who served themselves instead of the people of Illinois. It’s time to set a new course.

While it’s true that many social reactionary Republicans will oppose Congressman Kirk based on a small amount of fringe issues, the fact of the matter remains that Congresman Kirk has been helping to lead the fight to oppose the Democrats national takeover of health care, reduce the deficit, cut taxes, and keep our country safe.

The choice is simple: do we want to elect a legislator with proven results in Washington, or do we want to lose? Most of the other candidates for U.S. Senate here in Illinois are good people, and good Republicans. However, Mark Kirk is the only Republican in Illinois that can win. His Republican values will serve us well in the United States Senate.

Furthermore, there is another reason that the election of Mark Kirk to the U.S. Senate would be positive — it would push back on the Democrats national talking points. For the last decade, Democrats have been trying to portray the Republican Party as moving far to the extreme social conservative right wing. However, electing a responsible moderate Republican like Mark Kirk should prove to the media and the rest of the county that those of us active in the Republican Party believe in a big tent party and reject small minded purity tests.

Editor's Note - Jeff Wartman is a former Libertarian Party of Illinois Executive Committe member, and was active in the Bob Barr/Wayne Root Libertarian campaign for President in 2008. For the last year he's been an active libertarian within the IL GOP in the Chicago area. Wartman's personal endorsement of Kirk does not imply that other libertarian Republicans, including the IL RLC are also backing him.