Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) took to Twitter to apologize for making a racially-charged comment about challenger Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) during Thursday’s senate debate.
“Sincere apologies to an America hero, Tammy Duckworth, and gratitude for her family’s service,” Kirk wrote in a Friday post.
Sincere apologies to an American hero, Tammy Duckworth, and gratitude for her family’s service. #ilsen
— Mark Kirk (@MarkKirk) October 28, 2016
The Illinois Republican was roundly criticized for sarcastically joking that Duckworth’s family immigrated from Thailand after she spoke about their decades of service in the U.S. military.
“I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington,” Kirk said of Duckworth, a veteran who lost both legs in the Iraq War and was born in Thailand to a U.S. Marine father and Thai-Chinese mother.
Duckworth’s campaign sent out a fundraising email on Friday drawing on Kirk’s “appalling” debate-night comment.
Translation: “Oh, shit, that’s right - I’m running in Illinois.”
This probably seals the deal for Duckworth, and good thing too. There was no excuse for that remark, but it is illustrative of how Republicans look at racial relations in general. I have a direct relative who served and died in the Revolutionary War, and Kirk would never even conceive of doubting that heritage because I’m white. Someone who is non-white, they automatically assume is not really an American, despite any heritage they have, even if it’s as deep as Duckworth’s. This isn’t just one asshole, it’s endemic to the party, and why Trump has achieved the success he has by inflaming that attitude.
It would be nice if this election ended up being a wave where the Republicans were punished for holding this attitude and finally gave it up, but I’m not holding my breath on that.
Henry Cabot Lodge:
I’ll bet he’s sorry. That was his Macaca moment, and it probably sealed the deal for Duckworth.