While we try to sort through the facts about Broadway Bank , let’s not forget the most important fact of all: Unless it turns out that Alexi Giannoulias did anything illegal–and no one is alleging that he did– Broadway Bank is among the least important issues in this campaign. If Broadway Bank was the only difference between Giannoulias and Mark Kirk, it might deserve the attention it’s getting. But we’re electing a U.S. Senator, not a bank officer. Rather than second-guess lending decisions Giannoulias made before he entered public service, we should focus on votes and policy positions that bear on who will best represent our views in the Senate. Giannoulias’s detractors say Broadway Bank is relevant because Giannoulias cited his banking expertise when he ran for Treasurer. Giannoulias’s record as Treasurer is outstanding. There is not a hint of corruption in the Treasurer’s office and Giannoulias revamped and improved many programs, including Bright Start. If we judge Giannoulias by his results, he came to the Treasurer’s office qualified to do the job. The second issue is Giannoulias’s judgment. Broadway Bank thrived while Giannoulias was there. Since Giannoulias left four years ago, hundreds of community banks have fallen on hard times. If Giannoulias were running for re-election, it would be obvious that he should be judged on his record as Treasurer, not his record in private business. Why, then, are we asked to erase four years of outstanding service as Treasurer and dwell on business decisions that have no relevancy to the U.S. Senate? Since when do we elect U.S. Senators based on our assessment of their business judgment? If that’s the standard, then Mark Kirk is utterly unqualified–he’s worked for the federal government virtually his entire adult life and hasn’t even run a lemonade stand. What matters is where Giannoulias and Kirk stand on the issues. I’d much rather be represented by Giannoulias, whose business decisions may have contributed to the economic difficulties of his family’s bank, than Kirk, who supported the Bush/ Cheney policies that definitely contributed to the economic difficulties of our country. Giannoulias is better qualified than Kirk to be our Senator because Giannoulias shares our values. We can’t risk letting Mark Kirk vote on Supreme Court nominations. In January, the Supreme Court laid the groundwork for the repeal of Roe v. Wade in its discussion of stare decisis in Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee . Yet Kirk still will not tell us whether he would have voted for confirm Judge Sotomayor (Giannoulias said he would). A man who is not willing or able to answer that question is not ready to be a Senator. You want to talk about poor judgment? Kirk voted for the Terri Schiavo Restoration Act, which required the federal government to forcibly insert a feeding tube into a woman who had been in a vegetative state for 15 years, against the wishes of her husband. Democrats said at the time that “Michael Schiavo is faced with a devastating decision, but having been through the proper legal process, the decision for his wife’s care belongs to him and to God.” But Republican leadership thought the decision belonged to the government, so Kirk jetted back to Washington to vote for federal intervention in this family decision. That’s bad judgment, and Kirk still has not apologized for that vote. With Iran on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, Kirk recently came out against U.S. military intervention in Iran . Taking any option against Iran off the table–especially now–is bad judgment . Voting against equal pay for women is bad judgment. Opposing marriage equality for gays and lesbians is bad judgment. Opposing federal assistance for women who need abortions is bad judgment. And telling the Chinese government not to believe U.S. budget numbers is “a colossally stupid thing to say.” You can read more about these and other examples of Kirk’s poor judgment here . If you’re a Republican, you’re voting for Kirk anyway. But if you’re a Democrat or an independent, do you want our next Senator to be a man who has marched in lockstep with the Republicans since Obama was elected president? You’re only hurting yourself if you agree with Giannoulias on the issues but vote for Kirk because of the bank. People will believe what they want to believe about Broadway Bank. If you’re genuinely concerned, you owe it to yourself to consider Giannoulias’s side of the story before jumping to conclusions. But more than that, you owe it to yourself to consider the big picture. Broadway Bank is a red herring in a blue state. If we focus on the real issues, Alexi Giannoulias will be our next Senator and Mark Kirk will finally have a chance to show us what he can do in the private sector.
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Steve Sheffey: Giannoulias, Kirk, and Broadway Bank
Tags: business, cheney, decision, election, giannoulias, government, obama, senator, supreme-court, treasurer, wife