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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Kirk decides not to run?

Posted: Friday, July 10, 2009 4:16 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Mark Murray
What a difference two days can make.

After we and others reported that Republican Rep. Mark Kirk

would be running for Barack Obama's old Senate seat -- giving Republicans their best chance of winning major statewide office in Illinois in more than 10 years -- the moderate GOP congressman changed his mind, according to a Republican source with knowledge of the decision.

Kirk's reversal, first reported by the Washington Post, is a blow to the GOP. The remaining Republican in the field is state party chairman Andy McKenna, who more than likely would have campaigned in a GOP primary against Kirk's recent vote in favor of the energy bill.

But hold on: A Republican emails First Read that Kirk MIGHT be reconsidering. "Hearing now that it may not be 100% -- I still think he doesn’t do it but apparently they might try to work something out."

Stay tuned, folks.  

*** UPDATE *** Roll Call has more on Mark Kirk playing Hamlet: "Kirk told Roll Call over the phone Friday that he was still discussing the race with McKenna going into the weekend... Kirk told Roll Call that he and McKenna would continue to discuss the race over the weekend."

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Comments

Oh we will wait with baited breath guys :-)

How about that question of the week guys?  When is Larry O going to get his own show????

Whoever the chicken sh*t is that impersonating me, KNOCK IT OFF!  Me thinks it the rabid rat dog being funny.  Grow up, get a pair will you!  
Me thinks it might have something to do with the divorce he just went through?

With the way these so called family values charatures are dropping like flies these days... NOTHING would surprise me!
stay tuned folks - popcorn popping -

Me thinks someone found something on Kirk,...

Kirk would give Republicans their best chance of winning major statewide office in Illinois in more than 10 years?
I doubt it. There's that pesky liitle thing called Kirk's recent vote in favor of the energy bill. Republican's can't be trusted in Illinois.


<><><><><><><><><><><><>

I'm amazed at number of people berating Senator Burris. First of all, they really don't know the man and his deeds or they've fed into the media's demonization. They only know of bad things he did in was become a place holder and the rape case.  Apart from Jeff in Evanston citing an instance of a public servant going the extra distance, others have no knowledge or haven't done their homework on the other contributions he gave to Illinois.

Yes, Burris is a place holder until an election can be held. I rather have him there than a Republican
From NBC's Mark Murray
What a difference two days can make.

I am staying tuned...Why the indecisiveness? Does he have issues as well?
I smell another sex scandal.  Mistress, hooker, intern, male page, or gay lover?

Any bets?

http://jawillie.blog.com
Not one word about Kirk in either of the big Chicago newspapers websites. Nothing on the Chicago tv or radio websites.

You may want to go back and check your sources.
Good grief, yes, no, maybe then again maybe not.  Possibly Kirk, a moderate, figures the "purifying" the GOP has been promoting means he thinks he can't win the primary this time, like Arlen Specter.  That's too bad because moderate conservatives make better general election candidates.  Iowa had a terrific moderate named Jim Leach who lost in 2006; he voted against the Iraq war and against Bush on many issues and ultimately endorsed Barack Obama.  Since I can't vote in IL, I can only hope that a good democrat runs and wins.
I think that we should start a pool. Will Rep. Kirk(R)
a) "go hiking on the appalachian trail?"
b) ask his parents to pay-off his mistress.
c) send overly-friendly emails to Congressional Pages.
d) hire a hooker
e) "go Larry" in some airport bathroom.
f) "pull a Newt"-dump his wife while she's in the hospital
Mark, Domenico and gang! You too Chuck LOL! Have a great weekend...I am starting mine now. All of "my" peeps...and you to Richard, lol have a good one, everyone be safe.
Need to be careful in what the Post reports. They were the newspaper that tried to sell access to the Obama administration, so their motives are suspect.
I don't think anyone in Illinois really wants that Senate seat. Illinois will probably opt out and go with just Durbin for a while.
In Illinois, it's illegal to reconsider your reconsideration.
J. MERLE STANLEY: '...Secession, if voted upon and approved by a majority of Alaskans would not be treason; but rather, simple majority rule.

But, a total moran like yourself would never understand that.

In short Sierra....you put the 'simple' in SIMPLETON, because that's exactly what you are.
LOL"...'

What's a 'moran' ???

J Merle, do you still have your inflatable, life sized Hillary Clinton doll ??


)it must be REALLY worn out by now)
I don't cover-up for the Democrats.
Anita, Birmingham, Alabama


Today must Lying Day.
Here's one for you crack reporters to run down, cbs is reporting Justice Ginsburg Says She Originally Thought Roe v. Wade Was Designed to Limit 'Populations That We Don’t Want to Have Too Many Of'.

Yikes!
Whats the use in Kirk reconsidering the gop will lose in Ill. anyways. They have left a distasteful feeling and churning stomachs around the country and the globe!!! They did this to themselves and noone else did it but them!!
I think Kirk may be negotiating for a cameo role in the next Star Trek.  I heard he's miffed because only Leonard Nimoy got to be in the last one.

Huh?

As Roseanne Rosanna Danna would say:  "Never mind".
oops! he's a flip flopper!
Things look very odd in Illinois. None of the good candidates want to run.
The republicans did it to themselves when they decided to criticize their best candidate, Mark Kirk, because he voted for the Energy Bill.
They might get him to reconsider but it will cost the RNC big bucks and more.
Time to wrap up the Righties Gone WILD week here @ FR…  More technical problems there with ‘The Week Ahead’??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love my "Chihuahua" imposter.

Come here Feisty, let me shower you with some love and then pee on your ankle.
Bad Chihuahua (Sent Friday, July 10, 2009 2:13 PM)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you even THINK about getting anywhere near my ankle you rabid RAT… I’ll PUNT you 50 yards!

Then we can all see how well Chihuahua’s BOUNCE!

I’m can’t WAIT to see you get your flea bitten ass spanked by Mark, Seattle.  You ‘dog’ enough to take him up on his offer… or you going to cower in the corner peeing all over yourself like the useless brain dead varmint you are? Time for your owner to take you in for another ‘tick’ dip – that effects of the Lyme’s (sp) disease are starting to become evident!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Wow, campaigns have speechwriters for candidates.  Who ever would have guessed!

no joe, no bo, nj (Sent Friday, July 10, 2009 2:09 PM)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know right?… go figure… after 8 years of the idiot in chief and his incomprehensible mangling of the English language… who would of thought of hiring someone to make Bumbling Bush appear semi-coherant??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To all the lefties around here that come here to do battle with the party of fear & darkness…KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!  We must be doing something right – the rhetoric from the party of stale male & pale is heating up lately!

Like I said… It’s gonna be a long HOT summer!  So make sure you invest in some industrial strength Republicant repellant it will be $$$ well spent!

And to the right wing whack jobs… do you think maybe next week you can bring your ‘A’ game?  If you want to win you gotta get in the game & quit acting like a bunch of petulant neocon cheerleaders watching from the sidelines… Just a thought…

Thanks again Mark/Domenico for the job you guys do around here! As Eric would say… FR is by far the best place on the web for political discourse!

I like Ron, Indiana’s idea about the spell check thing… might be something to look into – since the Republicants are so low on their ammunition they’ve taken to  ‘nit picking’ about spelling errors! But hey whatever works for them… if they can’t dazzle us with their brilliance they sure can baffle us with their BS!

Anything to hear themselves WHINE! LOL!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

And give Lawrence O’ his own show already will you MSNBC!!! I’ll probably be going through withdrawal next week once Chris Matthews returns!
Kirk's a traitor, telling the Chinese that our credit is no good.  Don't need him.  Don't want him.
Here's one for you crack reporters to run down, cbs is reporting Justice Ginsburg Says She Originally Thought Roe v. Wade Was Designed to Limit 'Populations That We Don’t Want to Have Too Many Of'.

Yikes!

Robin Hollins, PA
-------------------------------------------

This is true. Abortion is used as a method to terminate many different minority pregnancies in the US. Just another way for white people to stay in charge and keep the minorities in their place. Ginsburg is right, and I totally agree with her.
Cindy

It's not me impersonating you. I have my own impersonators as do some others. I don't appreciate your sordid remarks about my appearance. I probably look a hell of a lot better than you.
)it must be REALLY worn out by now)

MSierra, SF

Just like your Barack Obama inflatable doll is?
I smell another sex scandal.  

Any bets?

jawillie Philadelphia, PA

It's proably just your armpit.
Mark in Seattle:

I'm not as nasty as you ... period. I attack just to piss you off but it's always what I percieve to be true. I think you're a thin-skinned phony. As far as issues are you too dumb to figure out who and what I am without making up all that "mindless chitter chatter" about me just to hear yourself talk
******************************************************
Finally! You can call me whatever you want man but at least I got you to lay out your political ideology which I have NEVER seen you do before. And you know what? I am not on the flipside of the immigration issue. I agree with you. I think it needs to be done in a way that doesnt cripple business across the southwest but I do agree that people need to come here legally and it's not fair to those who go through years of work and struggle to become citizens of this great nation.
I also agree that politicians are politicians whether R or D. I have been one of the first here to criticize my own party when I don't like what i see.
You say I'm too dumb to know who or what you're about but until today you have never explained your positions to anyone. Like you said, you just post stuff here to piss me off which I will admit works but you would not be laying out your ideology for me if I did'nt piss you off right back so you are no better, intelligent or mature than myself.
I remember clearly the morning of the murder of Doctor Tiller you plainly stated that he got what he deserved. Was that just to "piss me off"?
My point here is I LOVE a good argument especially with righties. Richard, Washington state is one of my favorite posters here because you know where he stands. His wit will sting a little sometimes but he backs up his arguments and respects a good counter argument.
I will never back down from the fact that you are here to (in your own words) piss people off with insulting one-liners devoid of any real substance.
So as long as you're here "pissing people off" I'll be here to counter it.
Like you said, It is what it is. get used to it.

Anita:

Keep giving it the old middle-school try.  


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