New Seals ad takes on Kirk for Iraq war vote
Democrat Dan Seals probably made his greatest strides in his 2006 run against U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk by hammering for supporting the Iraq war.
That was the mid-term election that saw Dems sweep into power largely on the public's dissatisfaction with the war.
This time around, the economy is taking top billing for most voters, but Seals is still hitting Kirk on Iraq.
In a new broadcast ad starting today, an unnamed Iraq war veteran says Kirk was "irresponsible" in voting for the war and then voting to cut veteran health care funding.
"We fought for our country and Mark Kirk turned his back on us," the man says.
Kirk is a Navy Reserve intelligence officer who has served during conflicts in Iraq, Haiti and Bosnia.
The Highland Park Republican champions his work to save the North Chicago VA Medical Center and land it a $100 million expansion. He also supported the latest GI Bill expansion to cover college education and a beefed-up VA health care budget.
Kirk has been running ads touting his support of veterans issues.
In part by blasting Kirk on Iraq, Seals garnered 47 percent of the vote in 2006, close enough for national players to target this race in this election cycle.
Here is a look at the new broadcast ad:
The Seals campaign just keeps getting sleazier and sleazier.
It's not sleazy to point out Mark Kirk's voting record, and if Kirk is upset that an Iraq War veteran is speaking out against him, maybe he shouldn't have voted 16 times for the war and to cut veteran's health care.
If anything is sleazy, it's running ads that scream "TAXES! TAXES! TAXES!" when Dan Seals' website makes it very clear that he is against raising the capital gains tax, against the marriage penalty, wants to extend the child tax credit, wants to minimize the impact of the Alternative Minimum Tax, and in general wants a fairer and flatter tax system.
Or, how about how Mark Kirk essentially stole the ideas in Rep. Inslee's Apollo Energy bill in order to introduce his own a year later and brag about it in advertisements? Rep. Inslee's 2007 bill has 26 co-sponsers. Mark Kirk's, which was introduced a year later? Three.
It's sleazy to lie in advertisements. Using people who were affected by Mark Kirk's votes to point out his poor record? That's just smart.