Would you have a problem if Dick Durbin were your Senator?

[saltpoint]

[More Than A Feeling]

1. He used to be my senator. I was very proud for him to be so.

Now I've got Tom Harkin, who is almost as good. Why would anyone have a problem with Dick Durbin as their senator?

[Xipe Totec]

2. Why is this even a subject for debate?

[BlooInBloo]

4. Because DUers are sheep who happily tear down good Democrats for republicans.

[More Than A Feeling]

5. What are you talking about? Who has been "tearing down" Durbin, and why? n/t

[BlooInBloo]

11. I believe it's against the rules for me to answer. Donate $5 and search.

[More Than A Feeling]

23. I blame the Republicans and the media.

Yeah, in theory Durbin could have broken the classification, but we talking about senators, not saints, and there is no guarantee anyone would have listened if he had. Much of the country was in the feverish grip of war proproganda.

[BlooInBloo]

49. You can blame others if you like; I blame DUers for what DUers post.

[More Than A Feeling]

52. No, I mean instead of Durbin.

Of course DUers are responsible for their own posts.

[BlooInBloo]

53. OOOOh - gotcha!

[Xipe Totec]

7. That's a pretty fat brush,

are you sure we're all sheep?

[jobycom]

14. You say sheep, I say

paid propagandists. Not all, but some.

[BlooInBloo]

40. Tomayto, tomahto. :)

[saltpoint]

25. Just my own 2 cents here, Xipe Totec. There have been a couple

threads in which Senator Durbin has been given a rough go of it.

I am running this poll really as a way for those of us who like him a lot to say so.

For my own part, I have a lot of respect for him and the votes he's cast on issues I care about, and I hope he enjoys a hell of a long legislative life in the Senate. I want people as inherently intelligent and good-hearted as Durbin in charge of my nation's laws.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. One of my Senators is Norm "The Weasel" Coleman.

I would happily trade him to Illinois for Dick Durbin. Any Illinois DUers who aren't happy with Sen. Durbin, please bring him to Minnesota and take Normie back with you.

[saltpoint]

20. O dear god, ocelot. I feel as if we should pitch in and send you a

bus ticket to get the hell out of Minnesota until Coleman is unseated.

Franken -- or anyone else -- I hope will defeat him in 08.

I'm still mad at Coleman because he's sitting in Mr. Wellstone's chair. And he definitely doesn't fill it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. Yeah, Coleman is a tool, and the fact that he got Wellstone's seat

certainly adds insult to injury. I do believe Franken will hand him his ass in '08, but in the meantime I'd sure like to borrow Dick Durbin.

[saltpoint]

29. I hear ya. I'll send all the good vibes I can muster to dump Norm in 08.

I wouldn't miss him one little bit.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. Dick Durbin IS my senator....

Why the hell should I have a problem with him???

[Cirque du So-What]

8. I've got 'My Bitch Mitch' McConnell & Jim Bunning for Senators

I would trade both those pantloads - and throw in our Republick governor for good measure - for someone *half* as good as Dick Durbin!

[saltpoint]

18. Good gravy, Cirque du So-What. You are in one of the states where

it's really medieval. From what I can tell as an outsider, McConnell is a malevolent dicktuck for the administration and Bunning doesn't even know where he IS more than half the time.

You must be a damned resourceful soul to bear up under that kind of representation. My hat's off to ya.

[Cirque du So-What]

27. It ain't for wimps!

It's tough being blue in blood-red country! I live in a city of just over 50,000, so there are some kindred spirits in my burg. Still, I encounter neocon-apologist nostrums, fundamentalist flummery & peckerwood pontifications on a daily basis. I give as good as I get, though, and the wingnuts just don't seem to have as much fight in them as in their glory days.

[saltpoint]

32. It may be owed to your clarity and titanium fortitude. Thank you

for staring a few of them in the face and telling them they're dead wrong on many things. Thanks for running front-line interference for the rest of us. The Blue Underground is a noble pursuit, and nobler still in a sea of philistine yahoos.

Salutations from north of the Mason-Dixon, and a sincere thanks.

[Cirque du So-What]

44. Glad to do it!

If experience is an indication, there are people in all parts of the country who need exposure to the truth. It just happens that my corner of the world has an overabundance of 'opportunities.'

[saltpoint]

46. Carry on!

:toast:

[Clark2008]

9. Good night, no!!

I have Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, for Pete's sake. I'd give anything to have a decent Democrat!

[saltpoint]

28. Hi, Clark2008. You deserve deliverance. I'm not kidding. You are having

to endure both Alexander AND Corker. That's asking too much of any human. From Kentucky on down to the Gulf of Mexico, it's kind of a bleak political landscape, isn't it?! -- McConnell and Bunning in Kentucky; Alexander and Corker where you are there in Tennessee; and turncoat Shelby and Jeff Sessions in Alabama. And nevermind Georgia.

A Knoxville-area friend of mine refers to Lamar Alexander as "The Shitmaster," a nickname left over from his doomed presidential run.

[Grandrose]

10. Great Senator!

He is my senator and I am very, very happy and proud to say so!:thumbsup: :)

[Joe Fields]

12. With Kit Bond as one of my senators, what do you think?

But I still say that Durbin did us no favors as a member of the intelligence committee.

[MadBadger]

13. IMO, Illionois is one of the top states when it comes to who are the Senators.

Its pretty hard to beat Dick Durbin and Barack Obama. Well, I guess my current state of Wisconsin is pretty good as well.

[illinoisprogressive]

38. you have Russ. he is pretty good. but, I'll keep my two

[MadBadger]

42. I like Herb too. His name is on that nice arena I like to go to so much

I like the group in MA too.

[IChing]

15. He's better than Feinstein but not Boxer

and better than the Nelsons.

I'd trade him for a Feinstein, but not two Nelsons

[saltpoint]

22. The Nelsons are a bit tamer than say, Barbara Boxer. I love Sen. Boxer.

I just love her. I could listen to her on the environment and other issues indefinitely.

I don't blame you one bit for your appreciation of her, IChing.

See!? I told you you know what you're doing. Kudos and thanks.

[IChing]

30. The Nelsons are Democrats but sometimes that fence is crossed.

Tame?...........I'm not tame with somebody that crosses my fence without reason.

[saltpoint]

77. Well, I tried to agree with you, IChing. If you don't want me to, I won't.

[tnlefty]

16. Alexander, Corker or Durbin...Alexander, Corker or Durbin...

I'm not certain of what the hell you're referencing, but I do believe that Durbin would be more willing to listen than the aforementioned rubberstamps for Dimson**.

[John Q. Citizen]

17. I'd trade Durbin for Baucus in a heartbeat, but you're gonna have to fight me for Tester.

[IChing]

21. I see your Baucus and raise you a Lieberman....I hold the winning 8 cards

Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
John Kerry (D-MA)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

[saltpoint]

19. Not to skew the poll results, but I would love to have either of Illinois'

senators as my senator.

Durbin is somebody who is working for Democrats, yes, but working for everyone, too. I like the long view in him. The far glance down the road, with all the details of the contour in between.

I like his voice and his manner. He handles the media very well, even when they don't deserve the courtesy, and I could see him one day fairly soon as the Majority Leader.

I'm sorry he's getting the treatment he's received on DU today and I hope cooler heads prevail in an atmosphere which sanctions fair praise and acknowledgment of a good man's dutiful service to our cause.

[illinoisprogressive]

37. thanks. I'm very proud of both of my senators. they are the best.

[skorpo]

26. Dick Durbin is MY senator

He does a great job.

[saltpoint]

31. skorpo, WELCOME to DU, and thank you for two things: one -- for

throwing in with this thread tonight; and two -- for the affirmation of a good senator.

Thank you.

[illinoisprogressive]

35. DITTO

[ashling]

33. If any of Durbin's constituents have a problem,

they are very welcome to have either Senator from my state.

[illinoisprogressive]

34. I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM AS HE IS MY SENATOR. PROUDLY.

[saltpoint]

36. Thank you for saying so. I have always respected Durbin, and feel

better about him now than ever.

I feel damned lucky he's in there fighting for all of us.

[illinoisprogressive]

39. Durbin and Obama are well loved and supported here. I'm proud of both.

[saltpoint]

43. illinoisprogressive, a lot of DUers would KILL to have your 2 senators.

Obama and Durbin? Sign me up.

Don't take any crap from anybody about either one of them. I love it that you're stickin' with your people. Plus, they're worth stickin' with.

Thank you again.

[KharmaTrain]

41. I've Voted For Him Twice And Already Contributed For '08

I'm very, very proud of my Senior Senator and know his mentor, Paul Simon, would be proud.

Now how about running this question about Jay Rockefeller...the ranking Dem on that committee whose written memo about his reservations all but had him branded a traitor by the corporate media.

[saltpoint]

45. Just a quick thought on Jay Rockefeller -- I hear you loud and clear --

he's a good man and I have heard his name mentioned as a possible veep nominee.

We could use West Virginia back in the blue column. Gore and Kerry neither one carried WV and I'd like to see it back on blue territory.

and thank you also for mentioning Paul Simon. What a terrific senator. He would have made a terrific president, too.

[Withywindle]

47. I wouldn't have a problem....oh wait...

...he IS my Senator.


I think I have a very "nice pair" if I may say so myself. :D

[Mass]

48. No. Why?\nt

[saltpoint]

50. Hi, Mass. I intended with this poll to offer people who liked Durbin

and felt loyalty to him to say so.

He's taken a bit of a beating on other threads this evening. I felt the treatment he's received was unfair.

[Blue_In_AK]

51. Are you kidding me, OC???!!

My senators are Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski. Need I say more?

[Swamp Rat]

54. No

:D

[Blue_In_AK]

58. Wow, SwampRat...

Ted's pretty scary on the natch, but I think you've outdone yourself here. :rofl:

[saltpoint]

61. Swamp Rat. Howdy. Your image of Ted there... I just don't believe

he's ever looked better.

Now. Do you honestly expect me to get any sleep tonight with his nuclear face throbbing in my brain?

You make it tough on a guy!

[saltpoint]

60. Blue_In_AK, hello, and sorry for the tardy response.

You handled this one exactly right. No, you don't have to say another word. You Alaskans have it pretty rough up there with rubber-stamp Lisa and series-of-tubes Ted.

Good to run into you tonight on DU.

[Blue_In_AK]

68. It's always a pleasure, OC...

:pals:

[saltpoint]

69. Hey -- the same right back. I've been following your posts here recently

and have really liked them and appreciated them.

I am very happy you play for our team and not the red team.

:toast:

[Beelzebud]

55. He IS my Senator and I do NOT have a problem with him and will vote for him again!

[saltpoint]

62. Thank you for saying that about Senator Durbin. He's a good man.

I don't think he will betray your support.

[WiseButAngrySara]

56. NO! ....n/t

[saltpoint]

63. I'll take that No as a STRONG No, and I say thank you for it.

[WiseButAngrySara]

65. And it is such a strong NO that I'll say it again. NO! ...n/t

[saltpoint]

67. I think I liked it even better the second time!

Thank you for supporting a good man, WiseButAngrySara. He deserves better than he got today on DU.

[WiseButAngrySara]

70. And you will get it for the third! NO. (I feel like a two year old!)

He is a good man, and the world is in sore need of his integrity.

[saltpoint]

71. No! It's just the opposite of a 2-year old -- you are talking like

a mature soul who respects a good man.

Durbin is a true blue Senator of the people. He's intelligent and capable, but what a heart. He reminds me in some ways of former Indiana Senator Birch Bayh -- the father of Evan Bayh.

A lot of the posts here let you know that your respect for Durbin is not misplaced, that he's a good man even for people in Texas and Alaska and Kentucky and Tennessee.

If he's ever in any sort of trouble, you let us know. We can be a fierce pro-Durbin posse. Tell Dick Durbin he has some real fans out there across the country.

[WiseButAngrySara]

73. I will do it. Let's start a pro-Durbin posse thread with links to

support him.

[saltpoint]

74. I could see a Dick Durbin Group on DU, if not now then maybe later on?

He really does have a lot of support around the country, in addition to you folks in Illinois.

I also love the way he handles the media. They don't now quite what to do with him, and he's always very prepared.

I guess it is instinct. He seems to have the right instinct about how to handle CNN and the other cable news outlets. That's a tough part of the job, seems to me.

[Gman]

57. Hell no

I live in Texas

[saltpoint]

66. Good lord, Gman. That's about all you ever have to say before I know

you'd love to swap either Hutchison or Cornyn for Dick Durbin.

I wrote a letter to Hutchison when she was Chair of the Transportation Committee and haven't heard back from her since. I sent the letter months ago.

[murielm99]

59. Dick Durbin IS my senator!

Who wants to know?

If you have a problem with Durbin, you are short-sighted and uninformed.

What is going on with DU tonight? Are there trolls, convincing the unwary to trash some of our best leadership?

[saltpoint]

64. Chill murielm99. I posted this thread to fight for Dick Durbin's reputation

which I felt had been unfairly maligned in other posts.

I'm a Durbin fan from way back, by the way.

And I voted NO on my own poll.

[saltpoint]

72. I'm very encouraged by the pro-Durbin response in this poll.

As I type this, Dick Durbin enjoys a positive response from 85% of respondents to the poll, and the affirmative remarks by most people in the thread indicate very strong approval for Senator Durbin.

Since Dick Durbin is a favorite of mine, I'm delighted with how this is going.

And I will repeat what others on DU have said about Durbin -- I hope he is our majority leader one day, and who knows -- maybe our president.

I think he's got the chops and then some.

[Hippo_Tron]

75. I still don't see what people think he did wrong

He voted against the Iraq War Resolution after looking at the intelligence, which was his statement to the American people that based on what he'd seen, he didn't think we should give Bush unilateral authority to go to war.

Frankly I wish he were running for President because he'd have my vote.

[FrenchieCat]

76. Great post....and you are 100% correct........

Durbin showed excellent judgment on an important issue. Wish that could be said about others; cause then, maybe we wouldn't be in this deep doo-doo....that everyone seems to have an answer on how to get out....in theory, that is! :eyes:

[Hippo_Tron]

79. The media and the Democrats brush that vote off as though it isn't important

And how we shouldn't dwell on the past and we need to focus on how we are going to get out of Iraq. The IWR vote tells me almost everything I need to know about whether I want someone to be commander-in-chief or not. People like Bob Graham, Dick Durbin, and Ted Kennedy looked at the intelligence and made the right call while facing great political pressure and counter-persuasion. Frankly I don't expect any less from a President of the Untied States. In Clinton and Edwards' case I'm not sure what's worse. The possibility that they voted YEA for political reasons or the possibility that they voted YEA because they were genuinely duped. Edwards is particularly difficult for me, because he's put a great deal of effort into apologizing and if he's faking it, then he's a really good at being deceptive. If he's not faking it, then I have to raise serious questions about whether he should be commander-in-chief.

Dennis Kucinich aside, none of the people running for president made the right call on that one. I'll admit that Obama has some claim to making the right call on that one saying in an interview in late '02 that he would've voted against it like Dick Durbin did. But if he doesn't start bringing it up more and holding the other candidates' feet to the fire on it, then that suggests to me that he doesn't want me to look further back at his record because he may have sent some mixed signals there himself.

[saltpoint]

78. Dick Durbin's a good man, Hippo_Tron. Don't hang out with anybody who

tells you different.