Thursday, January 17, 2008

I'm back with a question - Seals, Footlik or none of the above?

Much to the dismay of Mr. Middle, I have cast ballots in democratic primaries for most of my voting life. I have pulled Republican ballots twice - to vote for Mark Kirk when he first ran for congress and more recently in support of Judy Baar Topinka’s bid for governor.

As faithful readers know I am a huge supporter of Hillary Clinton. I plan to pull a democratic ballot come super-duper Tuesday and enthusiastically cast my vote in support of our first female president. For me it is an easy decision.

It's not so easy to decide how to cast my vote for the 10th District democratic congressional nominee – not that I’ll be voting for either candidate come the general election. This November, I’ll be one of a great many 10th district voters splitting their ticket between the democratic candidate for president, Ms. Clinton (I hope), and the republican candidate for congress, Mark Kirk. Given my support for Kirk how I should vote in the primary?

Do I vote for the guy I think would be the better congressman of the two? Neither one comes close to Kirk who has proven his ability in his past 8 years in Congress. Footlik seems to have worked hard during his race, has more government experience and is relatively strong on national defense. Seals has a credibility problem based on resume padding, is wishy-washy on defense and is too closely aligned with the radically far left. If I had to pick who would be a better congressman of the two, I’d have to say Footlik.

But maybe I should vote for the guy that would be easiest for Kirk to beat. Kirk handed Seals a 7-point loss when most democratic challengers were trouncing republican incumbents. History shows that it is unlikey Seals would win in a second try. Seals has done nothing of service to the district since his loss except insult us with his refusal to move into the district because “he is not a millionaire.” By all accounts Kirk is gearing up to mount a strong campaign based on his congressional success. Footlik may have a silly name to overcome but given Seal’s loss of composure at the Tribune editorial board, I think he is more likely than Footlik to wilt under the relentless campaign pressure that is sure to come. The nod on easiest to beat would have to go to Seals.

I could simply not vote for either of them and wait until November to vote for Mark Kirk. I truly believe Kirk is the best person to represent me and most of my neighbors. He is hard working, smart and willing to work across party lines to get things done. He is a moderate, a champion of the environment and human rights, strong on national defense and committed to finding practical solutions to difficult problems.

I really am at a loss and hope my faithful readers can help me decide - Seals, Footlik or none of the above?

7 comments:

Team America said...

UM- as far as I know, Footlik hasn't padded his resume and at least seems like he would keep the general election battle at a higher level. I really loathe the idea of hearing "George Bush is Baaaadddd!" over and over the next few months from the Seal Pup.

You could always just undervote them both, I suppose.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back UM. None of the above seems right when pulling a D Ballot on Feb. 5. Neither Seals nor Footlik could ever get my vote. Neither has what it takes to represent this district, or any district in Congress. Dan has shot his credibility on more than the resume issue. I agree with you about his appearance in front of the Tribune Editorial Board. What a display of unprofessionalism. His answer was insulting and almost arrogant. As though his home in Wilmette is subsidized housing. How absurd. Seals is a scripted empty suit, period, end of the story. So, UM, use your own sound judgment in voting next month, but for me, it's none of the above.

Publia said...

Well, seeing your mind is made up, you could skip the race and leave the decision to those who won't be voting for Mark Kirk in the fall. They called that approach
"principled." Or, you could vote for whom you believe is the 2d best choice. They call that "pragmatic." In the event your candidate of choice, Kirk, doesn't win, you want the best possible next choice.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I'd never seen your site but received the last posting in an email. Seems like you folks who believe Kirk has done a good job - which he has if you are a Bush supporter - think the same of Footlik. And they are both closer to Bush than Seals is, so maybe there is a valid point somewhere there. As for the "padding" - it's simply untrue. I'd suggest listening to Footlik speak and you will hear him outright lie his background (citing SAFE and other things he has not done), about raising his kids here (when he just moved back after decades in DC and has a short-term lease with an escape clause that I'm sure he will use very soon), about why he did not run in 2006, and about his endorsements (citing folks who, when asked in person, deny knowing who he is). You sound like a typical Kirk-supporting, uninformed voter.

Unincorporated Middle said...

Anon 6:25

Are you suggesting I should vote for seals in the primary? If so please inform me - what has your guy has ever done for the tenth district?

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:25, or perhaps I should just say Seals shill. Come on, get real. Your guy is an empty suit, can't offer a thing to the 10th district much less be an asset to the US Congress. He's a guy who hasn't worked in over two years. Why is that? I would have had some respect for him had he gone out and lent his time and whatever talents he has to some worthy volunteer position here, or anywhere in the district.

Mark Kirk has a record of solid achievements that you obviously can't and won't acknowledge. It's all a matter of public record. People out here are not stupid. They don't re-elect someone who doesn't work on behalf of this district. I find it almost insulting that both Seals and Footlik are so ill-informed that they make ignorant remarks about Mark Kirk's accomplishments. When they talk about transportation I think it's very telling that they are clueless about Kirk achieving the double tracking of the North Central line almost 4 years ago. They don't even understand how he managed the public/private partnership to fund the reconstruction of the Rt. 60 bridge project. Want more on transportation? How about helping to secure the 1.5 BILLION in federal funding for the State for all of mass transit. It's your side of the aisle and your splendid Governor standing in the way of this being a done deal. Still want more? And this is just on transportation. Get a grip. Seals and Footlik are in the minor leagues when you put them up against an accomplished leader like Congressman Mark Kirk.

Anonymous said...

Footlik is no doubt getting my vote in the primary. In your article, you said that Footlik or Seals wouldn't be able to do much for our district. But you are totally wrong when you say that because Footlik has the ability to and will do many things for our district. I happen to know him personally, and he was telling me how he will use his ability to help our district. He has connections all around the world. He is a personal friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. He knows important people in Washington. He has worked there for many years in the past. He knows how Washington works! Kirk has done very little for our district, voted with George Bush 91% of the time, and it is time to get him out of office. Footlik is the one who can beat Mark Kirk. And he is the one who will get things done for us in Washington. Also, just wanted to talk a little bit about Seals now. First of all, why would anyone trust me after the scam he was pulling and just got caught for. He said he was a professor at Northwestern, when really he wasn't. Also, he doesn't have a real job, has no experience, has no connections, and is just an overall bad candidate. I think that Footlik should be our next representative! Go Jay!