Sen. Kirk suffers stroke, grows heart

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk Republican Sen. Mark Kirk was elected to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat in the 2010 GOP wave. Then he had a massive stroke, and has been rehabbing ever since. The tragic experience has apparently yielded a silver lining'compassion.

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said his debilitating stroke has sparked a new interest in the experience of people on Medicaid.

In an interview published Wednesday, Kirk said that most Illinois residents insured through the low-income health program would be eligible for just 11 rehabilitation sessions following a stroke.

"Had I been limited to that I would have had no chance to recover like I did. So unlike before suffering the stroke, I'm much more focused on Medicaid and what my fellow citizens face," Kirk told the Chicago Sun Times.

Republicans shouldn't have to suffer debilitating strokes (or other tragedies) in order to learn compassion. Being human beings should be enough.