mark kirk bkup
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</div><div>lcv 6/15</div><div>
</div><div>That’s exactly what we’re about to do to Mark Kirk. Historically, he’s been a swing vote on environmental issues, but just last week he sided with polluters on three critical votes aimed at blocking the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Congress is in recess this week — he’ll be at home, hearing from his constituents before returning for a few more weeks of votes.We’re going to make he knows how badly he screwed up with a massive advertising campaign in Illinois calling him out on his votes. </div><div>
</div><div>That simply wouldn’t be possible without support from LCV members. Since last week,2,500 people have pitched in to our campaign. Thanks to LCV supporters we were able to send in activists from all over the country to meet with legislators ahead of the vote. We even got four Republicans on our side. </div><div>
</div><div>Your support has also allowed us to go toe-to-toe with groups like ALEC. They’ve been going state to state, attempting to shred environmental protections through their ”model” legislation. As of this month, ALEC and the coal industry have been behind anti-EPA legislation in 22 states — and they've failed 21 times. </div><div>
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</div><div>won senate 2010</div><div>
</div><div>http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mark_Kirk</div><div>
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</div><div>Really only one political force could stop a climate bill in 2010, the same force that has impeded action for more than a decade — the hard-core antiscience crowd that dominates much of conservative politics these days and that demagogues against even the most modest efforts to promote clean energy and reduce pollution. Indeed, they are pushing hard to punish any Republican who contemplates actually addressing the gravest threat to the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren. For instance, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele withdrew his endorsement for Rep. Mark Kirk in the Illinois Senate race in large part because he was one of the eight House Republicans to vote for the House climate bill (see my blog post, “Honey, I shrunk the GOP, Part 3“).</div><div>
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</div><div>Since Crist faces a right wing challenger in the Florida Senate primary, he has moved away from his strong support for climate action. Pawlenty still dreams of being on the national ticket in 2012, so he too has abandoned his previous support for strong climate action (see “Pawlenty completes climate science flip flop, after flip flopping on support for bipartisan climate action“)....http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/01/10/205245/will-antiscience-ideologues-be-able-to-kill-the-bipartisan-climate-and-clean-energy-jobs-bill/</div><div>
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</div><div>http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mark_Kirk stub ish</div><div>
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</div><div>Coalitions and caucuses</div><div>Republican Main Street Partnership</div><div>The Republican Majority for Choice</div><div>Republicans for Environmental Protection</div><div>Affiliations</div><div>Public Advisory Committee, Population Institute</div><div>U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea - Board of directors</div><div>Director, National Endowment for Democracy</div><div>Director, Population Resource Center [3]</div><div>More background data</div><div>
</div><div>Background information on Mark Kirk from Project Vote Smart</div><div>Interest group scorecard ratings for Mark Kirk from Project Vote Smart</div><div>Voting record for Mark Kirk from the Washington Post database</div><div>Information on Mark Kirk from Congress Merge</div><div>2006 Illinois CD 10 Candidate List from VIS</div><div>Wikipedia also has an article on Mark Kirk. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.</div><div></div><div>
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</div><div>WIKI</div><div>Mark Kirk</div><div>
</div><div> </div><div>United States Senator</div><div>from Illinois</div><div>Incumbent</div><div>Assumed office</div><div>November 29, 2010</div><div>Serving with Dick Durbin</div><div>Preceded by<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Roland Burris</div><div>Member of the U.S. House of Representatives</div><div>from Illinois's 10th district</div><div>In office</div><div>January 3, 2001 – November 29, 2010</div><div>Preceded by<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>John Porter</div><div>Succeeded by<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Robert Dold</div><div>Personal details</div><div>Born<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Mark Steven Kirk</div><div>September 15, 1959 (age 52)</div><div>Champaign, Illinois</div><div>Political party<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Republican</div><div>Spouse(s)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Kimberly Vertolli (2001–2009; divorced)[1]</div><div>Residence<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Highland Park, Illinois[2]</div><div>Alma mater<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Cornell University (B.A.)</div><div>London School of Economics</div><div>Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)</div><div>Occupation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Attorney, Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve</div><div>Religion<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>United Church of Christ[3]</div><div>Website<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Official website</div><div>Military service</div><div>Service/branch<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>United States Navy seal United States Navy</div><div>Years of service<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1989–present</div><div>Rank<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>US-O5 insignia.svg Commander</div><div>Unit<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>U.S. Navy Reserve</div><div> </div><div>
</div><div>Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Kirk was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 10th congressional district.</div><div>
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</div><div>Born in Champaign, Illinois, he graduated from Cornell University, London School of Economics, and Georgetown University Law Center. He practiced law throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He joined the United States Navy Reserve in 1989 and was recalled to active duty for the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. He participated in Operation Northern Watch in Iraq the following year. He remains a member of the Navy Reserve, now holding the rank of Commander.</div><div>
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</div><div>Kirk was elected to the House in 2000. During his fifth term in November 2010 he won a special election to finish the final months of former Senator Barack Obama's term and he began a six-year Senate term in January 2011.</div><div>
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</div><div>Contents</div><div>
</div><div> [hide] </div><div>1 Early life and education</div><div>2 Teaching career</div><div>3 Military service</div><div>3.1 Awards</div><div>3.2 Service under fire</div><div>3.3 Military politicking</div><div>4 Early political career</div><div>5 U.S. House of Representatives</div><div>5.1 Elections</div><div>5.2 Tenure</div><div>5.3 Committee assignments</div><div>5.4 Immigration</div><div>6 U.S. Senate</div><div>6.1 2010 election</div><div>6.2 Tenure</div><div>6.3 Caucus memberships</div><div>6.4 Committee Assignments</div><div>7 Electoral history</div><div>8 Personal life</div><div>9 References</div><div>10 External links</div><div>[edit] Early life and education</div><div>
</div><div>Mark Kirk was born in Champaign, Illinois, the son of Judith Ann (née Brady) and Francis Gabriel "Frank" Kirk.[4][5][6] After graduating from New Trier East High School in 1977 he attended Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History.[7] Kirk later obtained a masters degree from the London School of Economics and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Georgetown University Law Center.[8][9]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Teaching career</div><div>
</div><div>While Kirk was an undergraduate student at Cornell University he held a work study job supervising a play group at the Forest Home Chapel nursery school and after getting his masters degree Kirk taught for one year at a private school in London.[10][11] He later stated in speeches and interviews that he had been a nursery and middle school teacher. For example, Kirk claimed in a speech to the Illinois Education Association, "As a former nursery school and middle school teacher, I know some of what it takes to bring order to class." However, a member of the Forest Home Chapel said, "He was never, ever considered a teacher [at the nursery school]."[10]</div><div>
</div><div>In discussing problems in the educational system early in his congressional career, Kirk addressed the brevity of his teaching career: “I did leave the teaching profession, but if we had addressed some of the teacher development issues, which I want to raise with you, I might have stayed.”[10][12]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Military service</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk was commissioned as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve in 1989.[9]</div><div>
</div><div>In 1999 Kirk was recalled to active duty in Operation Allied Force for the bombing of Yugoslavia. He served from to April 10 to June 6, 1999 as the intelligence officer of VAQ-209.[13] VAQ-209 was combined with three other EA-6B squadrons to form an ad hoc unit called Electronic Attack Wing Aviano, Italy. VAQ-140 had tactical command of the combined unit.[14] In May, 2000, the National Military Intelligence Association bestowed the organization's Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award to Intelligence Division Electronic Attack Wing Aviano, Italy.[15]</div><div>
</div><div>In March and April, 2000 Kirk trained with an EC-130 squadron based in Turkey. Kirk took a flight over Iraq as part of Operation Northern Watch, which enforced a no fly zone over the northern section of Iraq.[16]</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk has served three, two-week reserve deployments in Afghanistan, with the latest concluding in September 2011.[17]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Awards</div><div>
</div><div>During his military career, Kirk has been awarded the following medals: the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, as well as the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Navy Unit Commendation, and the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. He continues his service in the Navy Reserve holding the rank of Commander.[18]</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk corrected claims he had made about being awarded "Navy Intelligence Officer of the Year" after it was brought to the media's attention by his Democratic opponent, Alexi Giannoulias.[19] In a 2002 House committee hearing recorded by C-Span, Kirk said, "I was the Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year," an achievement he said gave him special qualifications to discuss national security spending.[18] However, in May 2010, the Washington Post reported that Kirk's claim to having been named the Navy's “Intelligence Officer of the Year” was erroneous.[20] The National Military Intelligence Association gave the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award to the entire Intelligence Division Electronic Attack Wing at Aviano.[18] Kirk was the lead intelligence officer for VAQ-209, one of the four squadrons assigned to the Electronic Attack Wing. VAQ-140 had tactical command.[14] Kirk later apologized for this and other errors, including claims of having been fired upon during an aerial reconnaissance mission in Iraq, about which there is no official record, and of having participated in Operation Desert Storm when in fact he did not.[21]</div><div>
</div><div>On June 7, 2010, Medal of Honor recipient and advocate of Veteran's benefits, Allen Lynch, deemed Mark Kirk's apologies adequate, and further commented: “To me, in my opinion, it's just a bunch of nit picking. Plus, he's done a christ ton for veterans. So I think this is being blown way out of proportion".[22]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Service under fire</div><div>
</div><div>Controversy regarding Kirk's military record continued as other statements surfaced, such as Kirk stating “the last time I was in Iraq I was in uniform, flying at 20,000 feet, and the Iraqi Air Defense network was shooting at us.” Kirk has since clarified his previous statements, admitting that he was never fired on as he flew over Iraq or Kosovo.[23] “I simply misremembered [sic] it wrong,” he told The Chicago Sun-Times, referring to his military record.[24]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Military politicking</div><div>
</div><div>On December 18, 2009, Undersecretary of Defense Gail H. McGinn noted in a memo that Kirk had on two previous active duty periods engaged in politicking—violation of military policy by participating in political activities while on active duty, per Department of Defense regulations. On one occasion Congressman Kirk commented on Rod Blagojevich's arrest and posted a tweet while on duty with the Navy in Afghanistan.[25] According to the Pentagon, Kirk was required to sign a statement acknowledging he knew the rules and wouldn't break them again.[26]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Early political career</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk worked on the staff of John Porter, the former holder of Illinois’s 10th congressional district. From 1991 to 1993, Kirk was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State in the U.S. State Department. Kirk was an attorney for Baker & McKenzie from 1993 to 1995. In 1995, Kirk was named as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee. He remained counsel to the House International Relations Committee until 1999.[9]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] U.S. House of Representatives</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Elections</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk was originally elected in 2000 with 51%. He won re-election with comfortable margins in 2002 and 2004. He defeated Dan Seals by a five point margin in 2006, and defeated him again by the same exact margin in a rematch in 2008.</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Tenure</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk was a member of the House Iran Working Group, the founder and co-chair of the House U.S.-China Working Group,[27] the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,[9] the co-chair of the Albanian Issues Caucus in ex Yugoslavia,[28] and a member of the GOP Tuesday Group.[29] During his House tenure, he was a member of the House Appropriations Committee.[30]</div><div>
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</div><div>During his tenure in the House, Kirk voted for the Waxman-Markey "Cap-and-Trade" bill.[31][32]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Committee assignments</div><div>
</div><div>Committee on Appropriations</div><div>Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government</div><div>Subcommittee on Homeland Security</div><div>Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs</div><div>Source: Appropriations subcommittees</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Immigration</div><div>
</div><div>Kirk attracted controversy by stating that he was not opposed if the immigration process in the United States discriminates against Arab males from certain countries. He stated, "I’m OK with discrimination against young Arab males from terrorist-producing states. I’m OK with that."[33]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] U.S. Senate</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] 2010 election</div><div>
</div><div>On July 20, 2009, Kirk announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate election for the seat held by Roland Burris, which had been held by Barack Obama before his election as president. On February 2, 2010, Kirk won the Republican primary with 56.6 percent of the vote; no other candidate had as much as 20 percent.[34] He ran against Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias, Green Party nominee LeAlan Jones, and Libertarian nominee Mike Labno. </div><div>
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</div><div>During the Illinois U.S. Senate election campaign in 2010, Kirk and Giannoulias were in a hotly contested debate. Kirk (R) defeated Giannoulias in the election for the full 6-year term, getting 48% to Giannoulias's 46%. Kirk changed his position on Cap and Trade legislation during the campaign saying he voted for it "because it was in the narrow interests of my Congressional district," but that as a representative of the entire state of Illinois, "I will vote No on that bill.”[35]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Tenure</div><div>
</div><div>On December 18, 2010, Kirk voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.[36] He was one of only two Republicans to oppose legislation to detain American citizens indefinitely.[37] Kirk sits at the Senate's coveted candy desk.[38]</div><div>
</div><div>[edit] Caucus memberships</div><div>
</div><div>Albanian Issue Caucus (Co-Chair)</div><div>Congressional Diabetes Caucus (Vice-Chair)</div><div>International Conservation Caucus</div><div>[edit] Committee Assignments</div><div>
</div><div>Committee on Appropriations</div><div>Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government</div><div>Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies</div><div>Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)</div><div>Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs</div><div>Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies</div><div>Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs</div><div>Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development</div><div>Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance</div><div>Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment</div><div>Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions</div><div>Subcommittee on Children and Families</div><div>Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety</div><div>Special Committee on Aging</div>