Tag: Mark Kirk

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Republican Senator Meets with Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee

Sen. Mark Kirk on Tuesday became the first Republican to say he might be willing to vote for President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, The Hill reports.

“Obviously I would consider voting for him,” the Illinois senator told reporters before he met with the nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. “That’s the whole purpose.”

Kirk, who is facing a difficult reelection race this year, rebuked his colleagues for refusing to give any consideration to the judge.
“We need open-minded, rational, responsible people to keep an open mind to make sure the process works,” Kirk told a throng of reporters packed in his Capitol office. “I think when you just say ‘I’m not going to meet with him at all,’ that’s too close-minded.”

Kirk’s meeting with Garland — the first by any Republican on Capitol Hill — came just hours after the Supreme Court issued its first major split decision since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The 4-4 deadlock represented a major victory to labor unions, which had faced the possibility of mandatory union fees being overturned for public sector workers.

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Republican Mark Kirk Joins Rob Portman In Supporting Same Sex Marriage

Another Republican congressman comes out in support of gay marriage, and this time, it didn’t take his son being gay for him to accept gays loving each other. He now joins Rob Portman as the only two Republicans in Congress approving of same-sex marriage.

Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois announced his support Tuesday for gay marriage, becoming the second Republican to endorse marriage equality.

Kirk, who recently returned to Congress after suffering a stroke, joins Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio as the only sitting Republican senators to support marriage for same-sex couples.

“Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage,” Kirk said in a statement. “Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you and love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”

The senator’s announcement comes a week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard historic arguments challenging same-sex marriage and as public opinion polls show more acceptance. The change in attitudes has also been occurring in the U.S. Senate, starting first with Portman and then a host of Democrats who have publicly declared their support.

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A Republican Gives President Obama “Kudos” On His Handling Libya

“This is a victory for the United States military, for our British and French allies, for NATO, for the president of the United States, but most importantly for the Libyan people. …” Kirk said in a conference call with reporters from the Libyan capital. “Unquestioned kudos goes to the president and his team, but the challenges are not over yet.”

“This was a success by President Obama and his team. Any military conflict has ups or downs or things you might have done differently … but we have all the makings of a very strong U.S. ally in Libya.”

Those are the words of Republican Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who criticized the President at the beginning of the conflict for not getting congressional approval before joining forces with NATO to help the Libyan people. Now, after touring the war-torn country, Mark Kirk is singing a different tune.

Kirk traveled to Tripoli with three fellow Republican senators – John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida – to meet with members of the National Transitional Council, comprised largely of the opposition movement that removed Qadhafi from power.

The congressional delegation toured a hospital and the U.S. embassy, and spoke with civilians in Martyr’s Square, the site of protests and fighting earlier this year.

While driving through the streets of the city, Kirk described seeing “spontaneous graffiti” that was overwhelmingly anti-Qadhafi. Billboards which had previously displayed the Libyan leader’s image had been ripped down.

“The age of Qadhafi has definitely ended,” Kirk said, though the ousted leader still remains at large.

Now only if Kirk could spread those words to the rest of the Republicans in Congress, and don’t be surprised if we find out that Republicans are now trying to come up with a way to credit George Bush for Libya’s success.

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