OAK BROOK, IL - OCTOBER 20, 2010
Last night, two of the four candidates for the US Senate were invited
to debate before the cameras by The League of Women voters which, to
its discredit, prevented viewers from hearing all the options
that will be available to them on the ballot, Nov 2.
The two candidates who were allowed to appear mostly traded jibes and
misleading half-truths, which gave voters no real idea of their
positions on the issues, which are clearly less important to them than
their images.
While Mark Kirk's views are hard to pin down, Alexi Giannoulias'
mistaken idea that the Constitution of the United States, and the
principles of strictly limited Federal power and checks and balances
central to it, are open to review and revision was alarming.
It is hard to say whose interests are served by "debates" like this
one, but it is clearly not the Illinois voter's.
Showing posts with label US Senate race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Senate race. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Rasmussen Poll Shows Kirk Leads Giannoulias by 4 points
NOTE -- This is from Rasmussen, but the poll was taken before the Ch 7 televised debate. Clearly, this is one of the most competitive Senate races in the nation this year... Illinois Channel
RASMUSSEN REPORT
Republican Congressman Mark Kirk is now barely ahead of Democrat Alexi Giannoulias in Illinois’ up-and-down race for the U.S. Senate.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Kirk picking up 44% of the vote, while Giannoulias, the current state treasurer, draws 40% support. Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones earns the vote from four percent (4%) of voters, and eight percent (8%) prefer some other candidate. Five percent (5%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The race is still a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings. The survey was taken the night before their second head-to-head debate.
The race was a virtual tie last week, when Giannoulias picked up 44% of the vote to Kirk's 43%. Highlighting the closeness of this contest is the fact that Kirk and Giannoulias have now run within four points or less of each other in 10 surveys since early June. Jones' support has held steady at four percent (4%) for the last three surveys.
RASMUSSEN REPORT
Republican Congressman Mark Kirk is now barely ahead of Democrat Alexi Giannoulias in Illinois’ up-and-down race for the U.S. Senate.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Kirk picking up 44% of the vote, while Giannoulias, the current state treasurer, draws 40% support. Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones earns the vote from four percent (4%) of voters, and eight percent (8%) prefer some other candidate. Five percent (5%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The race is still a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings. The survey was taken the night before their second head-to-head debate.
The race was a virtual tie last week, when Giannoulias picked up 44% of the vote to Kirk's 43%. Highlighting the closeness of this contest is the fact that Kirk and Giannoulias have now run within four points or less of each other in 10 surveys since early June. Jones' support has held steady at four percent (4%) for the last three surveys.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Mark Kirk's Fmr. Commanding Officer Refutes Charges Kirk Lied About Military Award He Received
Statement of Mark Kirk's former Commading Officer, Captain Clay Fearnow United States Navy (Retired) as released by the Kirk for US Senate campaign
As a retired Navy Captain and Mark Kirk's commanding officer during Operation Allied Force, there are two things that have deeply troubled me since I read the Washington Post's story about Mark's intelligence officer award.
First, the complete lack of a benefit of the doubt - the idea that someone could make an honest mistake has become so foreign that the immediate assumption has become - you misrepresented or worse you lied. In Mark's case neither is factual.
And second, that an honest mistake related to the identification of a military award is the same as pretending to be in Vietnam when you were not. This also doesn't apply to Mark Kirk.
Mark Kirk served under my command in Aviano, Italy, during Operation Allied Force - the Kosovo campaign. For his exceptional service as the lead intelligence officer of a combat intelligence action team - the largest EA-6B intelligence shop in the history of naval aviation which he assembled - I nominated then Lieutenant Commander Kirk for a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Rufus L. Taylor Intelligence Award. He received both.
When I nominated Mark for the Rufus Taylor award I thought it was more specific to Mark and not his team. But the reality is, there would have been no team without Mark Kirk's leadership and there certainly would have been no award. I can certainly understand why he would have referred to this award over the years as intelligence officer of the year - it's how I viewed the award. And in actuality, the two awards in question are of equal stature and significance.
Mark Kirk is the finest intelligence officer I have ever served with – hands down. His wealth of knowledge during this conflict put him in a position to take charge of intelligence members from the four deployed squadrons and meld them into a combat intelligence action team.
Any suggestion that Mark Kirk did not earn or receive the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Rufus L. Taylor Intelligence Award is incorrect. I would further add, assertions I've seen that Mark Kirk embellished or exaggerated his record are ridiculous - he is one of the finest Naval Officers I have had the honor to work with. His intelligence, leadership skills, and keen understanding of global affairs are an asset that the Navy and, today, the Congress are fortunate to enjoy.
As a retired Navy Captain and Mark Kirk's commanding officer during Operation Allied Force, there are two things that have deeply troubled me since I read the Washington Post's story about Mark's intelligence officer award.
First, the complete lack of a benefit of the doubt - the idea that someone could make an honest mistake has become so foreign that the immediate assumption has become - you misrepresented or worse you lied. In Mark's case neither is factual.
And second, that an honest mistake related to the identification of a military award is the same as pretending to be in Vietnam when you were not. This also doesn't apply to Mark Kirk.
Mark Kirk served under my command in Aviano, Italy, during Operation Allied Force - the Kosovo campaign. For his exceptional service as the lead intelligence officer of a combat intelligence action team - the largest EA-6B intelligence shop in the history of naval aviation which he assembled - I nominated then Lieutenant Commander Kirk for a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Rufus L. Taylor Intelligence Award. He received both.
When I nominated Mark for the Rufus Taylor award I thought it was more specific to Mark and not his team. But the reality is, there would have been no team without Mark Kirk's leadership and there certainly would have been no award. I can certainly understand why he would have referred to this award over the years as intelligence officer of the year - it's how I viewed the award. And in actuality, the two awards in question are of equal stature and significance.
Mark Kirk is the finest intelligence officer I have ever served with – hands down. His wealth of knowledge during this conflict put him in a position to take charge of intelligence members from the four deployed squadrons and meld them into a combat intelligence action team.
Any suggestion that Mark Kirk did not earn or receive the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Rufus L. Taylor Intelligence Award is incorrect. I would further add, assertions I've seen that Mark Kirk embellished or exaggerated his record are ridiculous - he is one of the finest Naval Officers I have had the honor to work with. His intelligence, leadership skills, and keen understanding of global affairs are an asset that the Navy and, today, the Congress are fortunate to enjoy.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Political Analyst Charlie Cook Says Illinois Senate Race Now "Leans Republican"
Marathon Pundit notes that famed politial analyst Charlie Cook moves the IL Senate race to "Leans Republican" in the wake of the Broadway Bank Closure
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2010/04/cook-moves-illinois-senate-race-to-lean.html
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2010/04/cook-moves-illinois-senate-race-to-lean.html
Friday, April 23, 2010
Giannoulias Statement on Closure of Broadway Bank
After coming to America as an immigrant from Greece, my father decided to start his own community bank to help give others a chance at the American dream. My father and my mother are my personal heroes. Over the last 30 years, that bank has helped thousands of people start their first businesses, build homes, and follow their own dreams. I was raised in my father's business, and I am extremely proud of the lessons I learned there and the values my father taught us all. I remember learning from him at a young age that it is our responsibility as Americans to help people, show them compassion, and try to help everyone achieve their own dreams.
It was because my father instilled in his sons the importance of helping others that I decided to leave the bank in 2005 to pursue public service. At the time I left, according to every independent analysis, the bank was one of the best performing in Illinois.
During my campaign for State Treasurer, I took the perseverance I learned from my father and I hit the campaign trail. I told the people of Illinois the facts and shared with them my vision for the State Treasurer's office. In the middle of that campaign, my father suddenly died. It was the worst day of my life.
Tragically, over the past few years, the economy has sailed into uncharted waters that even my father, in his 30 years of banking, could never have foreseen. Wall Street greed coupled with lax oversight by Washington politicians led to a deep recession that leveled a crippling blow to the commercial real estate market. In the wake of that economic tsunami, hundreds of community banks are now struggling and being forced to close their doors. Sadly, like 50 others this year alone, Broadway is no exception. The unraveling of the real estate market has taken a gigantic toll on homeowners, businesses, community banks, and families throughout our country.
Tonight, after months of struggling to get out from under the weight of the collapsed economy, my father's business was sold. Broadway Bank is among almost 700 banks nationwide that have entered into regulatory agreements in the past year alone. And it is now among over 200 that have had to change ownership over the last two years. Just tonight, six other community banks in Illinois have also been closed. Unlike some larger financial firms, there was no bailout for my father's bank.
It is an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day for me and my family. The bank opened the door for thousands of families that were turned away by the big banks. It has started hundreds of businesses that never would have gotten off the ground without it. My father and my brothers have changed the lives of so many families and entrepreneurs both in the Edgewater community and throughout the country. They have become an intimate part of so many customers' lives. I am immensely proud of what my father created and the lives he and my brothers have touched.
While this is a surreal and extraordinary day for me, unfortunately, the struggle of family businesses across the State has become all too ordinary. But the knowledge that what has happened tonight is just a sliver of the hardship which has become endemic in our society strengthens my resolve.
Ultimately, the voters will decide whether they want someone who understands first-hand the impact this economy has had on families, or someone who has been in Washington for a decade, voting for Wall Street over Illinois' interests time and time again.
Rather than run on his record, Congressman Mark Kirk's entire campaign to date has revolved around hoping and praying that this family business would fail. Is that the kind of Senator we want, one that cheerleads for an Illinois business to fail while bailing out the Wall Street banks that helped get us into this mess in the first place?
I am ready to make that choice abundantly clear for voters. I am ready to talk about the issues -- about cracking down on Wall Street abuses, enhancing consumer protections, revitalizing our economy and creating jobs here at home. I am ready to speak up for the families that have been far more seriously impacted by this economic crisis -- those who cannot find a job or whose own small businesses are struggling.
The fact is that if we had more people in Washington like the millions of Americans who have been personally touched by the economic carnage created by the policies of the last ten years, our country might not be in the mess it is in today.
Those families need a voice. They need someone in Washington who will speak up for them, someone who isn't beholden to the corporate special interests and someone who won't be a rubber stamp for Wall Street's recklessness.
While today was a devastating day for me and my family, what happened today makes me want to fight even harder for Illinois families that have lost their jobs, their homes, and their own businesses. While my situation is far different than most people's, and my family will emerge from today more fortunate than most, I have a renewed vigor and a new perspective on just how horrible it is out there for so many people. It is that perspective which compels me to work harder, fight with even more passion, and make sure that the lessons my father taught me every day live on in this campaign.
Thank you for standing alongside me,
It was because my father instilled in his sons the importance of helping others that I decided to leave the bank in 2005 to pursue public service. At the time I left, according to every independent analysis, the bank was one of the best performing in Illinois.
During my campaign for State Treasurer, I took the perseverance I learned from my father and I hit the campaign trail. I told the people of Illinois the facts and shared with them my vision for the State Treasurer's office. In the middle of that campaign, my father suddenly died. It was the worst day of my life.
Tragically, over the past few years, the economy has sailed into uncharted waters that even my father, in his 30 years of banking, could never have foreseen. Wall Street greed coupled with lax oversight by Washington politicians led to a deep recession that leveled a crippling blow to the commercial real estate market. In the wake of that economic tsunami, hundreds of community banks are now struggling and being forced to close their doors. Sadly, like 50 others this year alone, Broadway is no exception. The unraveling of the real estate market has taken a gigantic toll on homeowners, businesses, community banks, and families throughout our country.
Tonight, after months of struggling to get out from under the weight of the collapsed economy, my father's business was sold. Broadway Bank is among almost 700 banks nationwide that have entered into regulatory agreements in the past year alone. And it is now among over 200 that have had to change ownership over the last two years. Just tonight, six other community banks in Illinois have also been closed. Unlike some larger financial firms, there was no bailout for my father's bank.
It is an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day for me and my family. The bank opened the door for thousands of families that were turned away by the big banks. It has started hundreds of businesses that never would have gotten off the ground without it. My father and my brothers have changed the lives of so many families and entrepreneurs both in the Edgewater community and throughout the country. They have become an intimate part of so many customers' lives. I am immensely proud of what my father created and the lives he and my brothers have touched.
While this is a surreal and extraordinary day for me, unfortunately, the struggle of family businesses across the State has become all too ordinary. But the knowledge that what has happened tonight is just a sliver of the hardship which has become endemic in our society strengthens my resolve.
Ultimately, the voters will decide whether they want someone who understands first-hand the impact this economy has had on families, or someone who has been in Washington for a decade, voting for Wall Street over Illinois' interests time and time again.
Rather than run on his record, Congressman Mark Kirk's entire campaign to date has revolved around hoping and praying that this family business would fail. Is that the kind of Senator we want, one that cheerleads for an Illinois business to fail while bailing out the Wall Street banks that helped get us into this mess in the first place?
I am ready to make that choice abundantly clear for voters. I am ready to talk about the issues -- about cracking down on Wall Street abuses, enhancing consumer protections, revitalizing our economy and creating jobs here at home. I am ready to speak up for the families that have been far more seriously impacted by this economic crisis -- those who cannot find a job or whose own small businesses are struggling.
The fact is that if we had more people in Washington like the millions of Americans who have been personally touched by the economic carnage created by the policies of the last ten years, our country might not be in the mess it is in today.
Those families need a voice. They need someone in Washington who will speak up for them, someone who isn't beholden to the corporate special interests and someone who won't be a rubber stamp for Wall Street's recklessness.
While today was a devastating day for me and my family, what happened today makes me want to fight even harder for Illinois families that have lost their jobs, their homes, and their own businesses. While my situation is far different than most people's, and my family will emerge from today more fortunate than most, I have a renewed vigor and a new perspective on just how horrible it is out there for so many people. It is that perspective which compels me to work harder, fight with even more passion, and make sure that the lessons my father taught me every day live on in this campaign.
Thank you for standing alongside me,
Giannoulias Family's Broadway Bank Shut Down by Feds
from the Associated Press
CHICAGO – Regulators shut down the bank owned by Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ family on Friday, setting up an expected but daunting challenge in his bid to keep President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat in Democratic hands.
Broadway Bank, which was heavy into real estate loans and lost $75 million last year, had been given until Monday to raise about $85 million in new capital, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced at the close of business Friday that Broadway was among four banks, all in Illinois, that had failed.
Giannoulias, 34, worked at the bank as a senior loan officer until he ran for treasurer four years ago. He has tried to take some of the political and public relations sting out of a collapse, acknowledging the bank was likely to fail but blaming the bad economy. He also said it was financially healthy when he left four years ago.
Late Friday, Giannoulias voice broke as he talked about the collapse and vowed to work harder in his bid to win the Senate race. He said he knows first hand the impact that the economy has had on people and businesses in Illinois.
“There was no bailout for my father’s bank. It is an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day for me and for my family. This bank has helped thousands of people when no one else would give them a chance,” he said.
Giannoulias’ family could collect millions in tax refunds by writing off Broadway Bank’s losses. Giannoulias said he wouldn’t take advantage of a special provision made available in the stimulus bill for writing off businesses losses. He couldn’t say if others in his family would, but said his family “will be taking a massive financial loss.”
His Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, has made the bank’s finances a central issue in the Senate race.
“While years of risky lending schemes, hot money investments and loans to organized crime led to today’s failure, it’s a sad day for Broadway Bank employees who may lose their jobs due to Mr. Giannoulias’ reckless business practices,” Kirk spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said in a statement Friday night.
Regulators planned to work through the night to close out Broadway’s books and the branches would open normally on Saturday, said FDIC ombudsman’s office spokesman Rickey McCullough.
Some leading Republicans seemed reticent to score political points over the closure immediately after the announcement. Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady declined to comment, as did former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson.
“I know Alexi,” Thompson said. “I’m sure this is not an easy time for him.”
Giannoulias’ campaign and Democratic insiders have maintained he can still beat Kirk, a moderate Republican and an officer in the Naval Reserves. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Illinois, and Obama remains a popular figure in the state.
And on Friday, the White House said Obama intends to help Illinois Democrats “up and down the ballot.” Giannoulias campaign chairman, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, said Friday before the bank failure that the White House has asked about the state of Giannoulias’ campaign. A spokeswoman contacted Friday evening said Durbin would not comment further.
Joey O’Neill, a Broadway customer for 20 years said Friday that he won’t hold the bank’s failure against Giannoulias.
“They’ve always been good to me,” O’Neill said before the bank closure was announced.
Giannoulias’ family could walk away with millions in tax refunds after writing off Broadway Bank’s losses — giving Kirk the chance to paint him as a fat cat.
Kirk — who raised $2.2 million in the first quarter of the year compared to $1.2 million for Giannoulias — also has criticized some decisions made while Giannoulias worked at the bank, including revelations that it had loaned $20 million to two convicted felons.
The campaign portrayed the loans as old news that Giannoulias has addressed before. He has said the bank’s relationship with one man started before he worked there.
But with the election nearly seven months away, the campaign has time on its side to try to repair any damage and change the focus of the race — and help Democrats avoid the embarrassing loss of another high-profile Senate seat.
“When I decided to run, I knew it was going to be tough,” Giannoulias said this month in a speech to a Chicago civic club. “Examining my record is one thing, but putting your family in the line of fire is quite another. Believe me, it’s not easy. But I didn’t get into this race because I thought it was going to be easy.”
Giannoulias’ campaign has not talked specifically about the strategy for dealing with a bank failure. Spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said this week he will focus on the economy and creating jobs, arguing that the bank’s problems are not major issue for some people.
All of Broadway’s deposit accounts, excluding certain brokered deposits, were transferred to MB Financial. Former Broadway employees would become employees of MB Financial Bank, McCullough said.
Demetris Giannoulias, Alexi Giannoulias’ brother and the bank’s chief financial officer, issued a statement that said the family “fought to carry out the vision my father had when he founded Broadway Bank 30 years ago, but our bank — like many businesses — has struggled during these challenging times.”
Six other banks also were closed in Illinois, the FDIC announced. Customer accounts are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000.
CHICAGO – Regulators shut down the bank owned by Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ family on Friday, setting up an expected but daunting challenge in his bid to keep President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat in Democratic hands.
Broadway Bank, which was heavy into real estate loans and lost $75 million last year, had been given until Monday to raise about $85 million in new capital, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced at the close of business Friday that Broadway was among four banks, all in Illinois, that had failed.
Giannoulias, 34, worked at the bank as a senior loan officer until he ran for treasurer four years ago. He has tried to take some of the political and public relations sting out of a collapse, acknowledging the bank was likely to fail but blaming the bad economy. He also said it was financially healthy when he left four years ago.
Late Friday, Giannoulias voice broke as he talked about the collapse and vowed to work harder in his bid to win the Senate race. He said he knows first hand the impact that the economy has had on people and businesses in Illinois.
“There was no bailout for my father’s bank. It is an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day for me and for my family. This bank has helped thousands of people when no one else would give them a chance,” he said.
Giannoulias’ family could collect millions in tax refunds by writing off Broadway Bank’s losses. Giannoulias said he wouldn’t take advantage of a special provision made available in the stimulus bill for writing off businesses losses. He couldn’t say if others in his family would, but said his family “will be taking a massive financial loss.”
His Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, has made the bank’s finances a central issue in the Senate race.
“While years of risky lending schemes, hot money investments and loans to organized crime led to today’s failure, it’s a sad day for Broadway Bank employees who may lose their jobs due to Mr. Giannoulias’ reckless business practices,” Kirk spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said in a statement Friday night.
Regulators planned to work through the night to close out Broadway’s books and the branches would open normally on Saturday, said FDIC ombudsman’s office spokesman Rickey McCullough.
Some leading Republicans seemed reticent to score political points over the closure immediately after the announcement. Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady declined to comment, as did former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson.
“I know Alexi,” Thompson said. “I’m sure this is not an easy time for him.”
Giannoulias’ campaign and Democratic insiders have maintained he can still beat Kirk, a moderate Republican and an officer in the Naval Reserves. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Illinois, and Obama remains a popular figure in the state.
And on Friday, the White House said Obama intends to help Illinois Democrats “up and down the ballot.” Giannoulias campaign chairman, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, said Friday before the bank failure that the White House has asked about the state of Giannoulias’ campaign. A spokeswoman contacted Friday evening said Durbin would not comment further.
Joey O’Neill, a Broadway customer for 20 years said Friday that he won’t hold the bank’s failure against Giannoulias.
“They’ve always been good to me,” O’Neill said before the bank closure was announced.
Giannoulias’ family could walk away with millions in tax refunds after writing off Broadway Bank’s losses — giving Kirk the chance to paint him as a fat cat.
Kirk — who raised $2.2 million in the first quarter of the year compared to $1.2 million for Giannoulias — also has criticized some decisions made while Giannoulias worked at the bank, including revelations that it had loaned $20 million to two convicted felons.
The campaign portrayed the loans as old news that Giannoulias has addressed before. He has said the bank’s relationship with one man started before he worked there.
But with the election nearly seven months away, the campaign has time on its side to try to repair any damage and change the focus of the race — and help Democrats avoid the embarrassing loss of another high-profile Senate seat.
“When I decided to run, I knew it was going to be tough,” Giannoulias said this month in a speech to a Chicago civic club. “Examining my record is one thing, but putting your family in the line of fire is quite another. Believe me, it’s not easy. But I didn’t get into this race because I thought it was going to be easy.”
Giannoulias’ campaign has not talked specifically about the strategy for dealing with a bank failure. Spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said this week he will focus on the economy and creating jobs, arguing that the bank’s problems are not major issue for some people.
All of Broadway’s deposit accounts, excluding certain brokered deposits, were transferred to MB Financial. Former Broadway employees would become employees of MB Financial Bank, McCullough said.
Demetris Giannoulias, Alexi Giannoulias’ brother and the bank’s chief financial officer, issued a statement that said the family “fought to carry out the vision my father had when he founded Broadway Bank 30 years ago, but our bank — like many businesses — has struggled during these challenging times.”
Six other banks also were closed in Illinois, the FDIC announced. Customer accounts are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000.
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