This year has been a banner year for Senator Mark Kirk, who has managed to offend what seems like every bloc of Illinois voters in existence with his over-the-top and offensive comments. To help Senator Kirk celebrate his birthday today, we’ve put together a quick review of some of his greatest hits from this past year:
- Kirk made the outlandish, inflammatory claim that a man on the no-fly list was on his flight and that the TSA had “a real security breach,” when in reality, no one on the no-fly list was on his flight.
- In July, Kirk made the inflammatory charge that President Obama wants “to get nukes to Iran” and compared the Iran deal to Nazi appeasement pre-World War II.
- Kirk referred to an unmarried male colleague as a “bro with no ho” and went on to explain that that’s how someone would say it on the South Side of Chicago.
- In April, Kirk told a local Illinois paper that people drive faster through African-American neighborhoods.
- During Republican obstruction on the human trafficking bill Kirk likened Democrats to slavery apologists for standing up for a woman’s right to choose.
- Kirk previously name-checked Hitler and likened Iran deal to Nazi appeasement.
- As Kirk and his GOP colleagues inched towards a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirk said that Republicans “should build a number of coffins outside each Democratic office” in the event of a terrorist attack.
Kirk’s outrageous comments have landed him the top spot on nearly every list of Senate seats ranked most likely to flip in 2016.
And the cherry on top? After months of offensive remarks from Kirk, the NRSC took to the Chicago Tribune to very publicly beg Mark Kirk from holding speaking in public. Shortly thereafter, Kirk skipped a scheduled appearance at the Illinois State Fair. Here’s hoping the NRSC doesn’t count birthday parties as public events!
“Even though it’s Mark Kirk’s birthday we feel as if he’s been showering the DSCC with gifts virtually every month thanks to his long list of racist, sexist, and outrageous comments and we can’t wait to see what he’s going to next,” said Sadie Weiner, DSCC National Press Secretary. “The NRSC may think that keeping Mark Kirk muzzled will help his longshot re-election bid as they eye a fragile majority and bleak map, but if this year has been any indication of what’s to come in 2016, nothing can keep Kirk from continuing to offend Illinois voters of all stripes.”
