This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 29, 2010 - WASHINGTON - Filling the seat once held by President Barack Obama, Republican congressman and Navy Reserve intelligence officer Mark Kirk of suburban Chicago was sworn in Monday as the new U.S. senator from Illinois.
Escorted through the historic chamber by the state's senior senator, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Kirk took the oath of office, administered by Vice President Joe Biden, shortly after 5:40 p.m. The new senator replaces Roland Burris, a Democrat who had been appointed to fill the remainder of Obama's term until this month's special election.
Showing a big smile after he was sworn in, Kirk got a hearty round of applause from all of the senators present. But the Republicans seemed especially heartened, given that Kirk will narrow the Democrats' Senate majority to 58-42, so that they will need at least two Republicans to reach the 60-vote filibuster-proof threshold.
Even so, some Democrats hope that Kirk -- known as a moderate on some social issues, with a record of bipartisanship -- may become one of the small "Mod Squad" of moderate Republicans who might be willing to compromise with Democrats on some issues.
"I was honored to escort Sen. Kirk to his swearing-in ceremony," Durbin said afterward in a statement. "I look forward to working with him and carrying on our state's long tradition of bipartisan cooperation."
Kirk's initial comments as a senator, expressed in a Chicago Tribune op-ed and on his website, emphasized fiscal responsibility but also urged bipartisanship to "cast aside the partisan differences and work across the aisle" to lessen the nation's debt. He also wants to "build bipartisan majorities" in Congress to support Obama's request for a new line-item veto. And he endorsed the late Sen. Paul Simon's longstanding but so far fruitless effort to pass a constitutional amendment requiring balanced federal budgets. And he wants to reestablish a bipartisan commission, similar to the Grace Commission of the 1980s, which would identify potential cuts in federal spending.
"My top priority is turning our economy around," Kirk wrote. "Unemployment in Illinois is stuck above 9 percent, with more than 640,000 of our citizens out of work. Policies of the past caused our state to fall behind." He added that "our mounting debts pose a clear and present danger to our future."
On Illinois issues, at least, the initial indications are that Kirk is willing to work with Democrats. On Nov. 18, Kirk met at length with Durbin in the senior senator's office to discuss ways in which they could work together on Illinois priorities.
"While we may not agree on every issue, I look forward to building a bipartisan pro-Illinois agenda that puts our state ahead of partisan politics," Kirk said afterward. He added in a statement that the discussion focused on way the two senators might work together to build the state's infrastructure, defend its environment and keep communities safe. "The people of Illinois want to see their elected leaders work together to solve problems and improve quality of life."
For his part, Durbin seemed to think that he can work constructively with Kirk on some issues. "Our state has a long tradition of bipartisan cooperation and we both know that it is in the best interest of Illinois to have their two senators working together," said Durbin after the meeting, calling it "very constructive." There will be conflicting positions on many national issues, but Durbin said "we agreed that there is much common ground when it comes to Illinois."
Kirk spent a decade in the U.S. House representing a district in suburban Chicago, so he has also dealt with many members of the Illinois and Missouri delegations. U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, said he and Kirk "worked together on transportation and other issues in the state. I expect that we will have the same working relationship in the new Congress."
U.S. Rep. JoAnn Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, knows Kirk well. They are both members of the GOP's Tuesday Group, they represent adjacent states, and he served until Monday on the House Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee, of which Emerson was the ranking Republican.
"Mark Kirk has been an important part of our work in the House to provide alternatives to the liberal agenda of the last four years, as well as a hawk on fiscal matters for the nation," said Emerson. "I am very confident he will continue to relish those roles as an effective Republican in the U.S. Senate where, unfortunately, he will once again be in the minority."
U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, said he had been impressed by Kirk's reasonable stance a few years ago, when they were both members of a bipartisan group that advocated more scientific research into the potential uses of stem cells. "He reached out and dealt with both Democrats and Republicans in a bipartisan manner," Carnahan said.
Kirk is also known for his knowledge of military, intelligence and international issues. He was a member of the House Iran Working Group, the founder and co-chair of the House U.S.-China Working Group, and a co-chair of House caucuses on Armenian, Yugoslav and Armenian issues.
Kirk said he realizes that his close election this month over Democrat Alexi Giannoulias did not give him a clear mandate. He told the Tribune: "Forty-eight percent of Illinois voters voted for me, 46 percent voted for my chief opponent and we had a tough election. But the voters of Illinois made a decision. Now, my job is to go into the Senate and fight for everybody."