Kirk leads Giannoulias in Rasmussen poll; Mob banker can't name single spending bill he'd oppose

Rasmussen's latest poll on the US Senate race in Illinois has Republican Mark Kirk leading Democrat Alexi Giannoulias 45 percent to 41 percent. Six percent of the respondents are undecided, the others favor other candidates.

I have more from the failed mob banker's endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune editorial board. Illinois' state treasurer, who paid no state or federal income tax for 2009 because of the failure of his family-owned Broadway Bank, is unable to name a single spending bill from the last two years that he opposes.

Here's the audio.

Tribune: Treasurer Giannoulias.

Giannoulias: Yes, John [probably John Kass.]

Tribune: Had you been in Congress, in the Senate, what federal spending in the last two years would you have opposed?

Giannoulias: Well, that’s a good question. I think looking at where we’ve been over the last decade, the amount of money that this nation spent, the exploding deficits and national debt that we’re facing, I think there are obviously a number of issues that have come up. I think I give a lot of credit to Secretary Gates, for example, taking a look at non-discretionary spending.

Tribune: What federal spending would you have voted against?

Giannoulias: Voted against? Um…specifically? You’re talking specifically, or…?

Tribune: Specifically is how members of Congress vote, so yes. A lot of bills would have come past you, would've come over you and you would’ve voted yes or no.

Giannoulias: Looking at TARP for example as I've said from the beginning there was no accountability, there was no oversight.

Tribune: So you’d have voted no on TARP?

Giannoulias: Well I would’ve asked for more accountability, more requirements that –

Tribune: Would you have voted yes or no? You don’t get to have these long discussions. Would you have voted yes or no?

Giannoulias: Well I would’ve pushed hard for some requirements that money get lent out [inaudible] given to wall street banks, that we increase access to capital –

Tribune: The congressman [Mark Kirk] voted for TARP. Would you have voted for TARP as it was presented in the House?

Giannoulias: I would've pushed hard, if I had no choice, I think it was a necessary vote to avoid –

Tribune: So we still haven't heard an answer. There's no answer.

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