Rachel Maddow Calls Out Mark Kirk On Pledge To "Lead The Effort" To Repeal Health Care Reform

On March 26, 2010, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow called out Republican Congressman Mark Kirk on his pledge to "lead the effort" to repeal health care reform.

MADDOW: Do you want to see the "repeal health reform" campaign strategy in action in all of its problematic glory? This is Republican congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois. He's running for President Obama's old Senate seat. The Chicago Tribune recently obtained an audiotape of Congressman Kirk vowing to a local Republican audience to lead the effort to repeal health reform. That audio is appearing now in ads produced by Mr. Kirk's Democratic opponent.

KIRK: As your senator, I would lead the effort, if it passes, to repeal this bill.

MADDOW: The ad kind of dares Congressman Kirk to say that in public. To really and truly campaign on repealing health reform. The ad points out that Congressman Kirk, in voting against health reform in the first place, voted against major insurance industry reform. In other words, really, Mark Kirk? You want to lead the effort to restore the insurance industry's right to deny coverage to kids who have pre-existing conditions? You want to lead the fight to demand that seniors have a doughnut hole in their prescription drug coverage so they can't afford their drugs? That's what you're going to campaign on? Unfortunately for the Republican Party, this is the strategy they have locked themselves into.

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News & Politics

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• Rachel Maddow
• MSNBC

[doodlemom2]

I'd like to ask Mr. Kirk whose diabetic child should be denied medical coverage. Kirk also knows the math--you need 2/3 to overturn a veto--this is so disingenuous. why can't he spend time doing something that will actually help the people of Illinois rather than doing pretend stuff to help his career.

[chissiez1]

@TheIAchilles

Perhaps you have forgotten that competition only works where you have firms competing. These insurance corps now have strategies that milk the market - the provisions of the bill strengthen the competition principle.

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[poindexterwitkowsky]

~~^Senator Mark Kirk (R) is actively seeking that Poland be included in the list of nations that participate in the Visa Waiver program..Kirk argues that this will be a boon on Chicago's tourist economy since Chicago is home to the largest concentration of_ Pole_is outside of Poland..... Chicago is also home to the largest concentration of Poles who came here on tourist visas& never returned to Poland. ____THE_ REPUBLICAN_ MESSAGE:: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS OK AS LONG IT HELPS YOU GET RE-ELECTED.

[Green18600]

Rachel Maddow got it quite right about this health care issue. Repealing this health care law will only help the insurance companies ... for which they care about profits and nobody else. A Brilliant 6!!

[anime1973]

@4149stonepony believe me.. reagon only ballooned the debt to retool the military that carter had let decay. and bush, we've been pissed off at bush for a while. We were never happy with his spending. We swallowed it in the name killing terrorists. Dead terrorists was kind of like the sugar that helps the shit sandwich go down.

[anime1973]

@doodlemom2 you do know that there are already medical programs for children... most of them are not being utilized by the fucktard parents who should know about them like the CHIP program. This healthcare reform wasn't a jab at the healthcare companies.. it was the most pro-health insurance company bill on the planet. It add 46 million new customers that they didn't otherwise have.

[mulder1021]

I am a 25 year old Union member in Chicago and I was so proud to vote for Mr Kirk. He won by the way so screw you Union and screw you Dems...your time in Chicago is OVER....hell even your Gov only sneeked by....for now.

[runningwater1]

repeal not just the health care bill but medicare and medicaid and social security and pull all the troops out of every country we currently occupy. and eliminate the income tax. yah

[JazzMaster606]

Yes that sounds wonderful! Lets all pay more money in taxes to form a giant pool of healthcare that everyone gets an equal share out of!

Wait.....High taxes......equal share.......woah hang on, this is sounding like socialism.....

[salvor1]

Yes Racheal, before I loose my heathcare because of having to pay for all those who can't afford it -I'll vote out the bums that supported that bill. I'm really sorry but I have to look out for MY kids first.

[salvor1]

@4149stonepony Reagan raised it $1.6T in 8 years and beat the communists. Bush raised it $5T in 8 years and beat up a few nasty boys in the process. Obama has raised it $3T in two years and all that got beat up was me. I don't know about you but my heathcare just took a quantum leap and I may drop it now. I have kids. WTF