41 Comments - Cincinnatus - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 12:36 pm: One of the top three hyper-partisan people in the Senate, and that includes both left and right. He is concerned more about advancing his agenda, and carrying water for the Democrats than representing his constituents in Illinois, many of who do not share the agenda he pushes. Were there a 0, I’d be hitting it. - 47th Ward - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 12:47 pm: Durbin gets a nine from me. Cinci, are you familiar with the Gang of 6? How on earth can you claim Durbin is hyper partisan given his role in the gang that put cuts to entitlements on the table? How is that carrying water for the Democrats? Your comment reveals your own hyper-partisanship. Durbin has been a leader on immigration reform, tackling the for-profit college industry, pushing for pro-consumer reforms and being the single most important member of our delegation in Congress. Durbin delivers for Illinois time and again. He’s accessible, down to earth (he takes the CTA when he stays in Chicago), and eminently likeable. You can disagree with some of his stances on issues, but if you dismiss him as some kind of partisan buffoon, you’re way off the mark. Of all the politicians we have been (or might be) asked to rate, Durbin comes closest to a 10. He’s rock solid and we’re lucky to have him in the Senate. - anon - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 12:48 pm: I used to like him but he’s become a monotonous cookie-cutter DC insider. - Newsclown - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 12:57 pm: Looking at the survey results as on the time of this posting, people are polarized about Durbin, with most either really hating him or really liking him. I’m one of his fans, more or less. I gave him a 9, because I think he could be doing still more on the Springfield railroad rerouting thing than he has up to now. But as far as national policy goes, I’ve like much of what he’s done and what he stands for. He’s unapologetically partisan, for his party but also for what liberals or progressives in general think is the right thing to do. He’s a smart guy, and he seems less ethically challenged than most. I like how he stands up to the conservative republicans. Now, on his down side, he had a terrible lapse of judgement telling that bad joke at the Presidential Library dedication. And I was disappointed that he caved to media pressure from the right to recant some anti-warmongering and pro human rights statements he made on the senate floor. His statements about those abuses of constitutional rights at Gitmo were correct to begin with, and he should have stood his ground. I advise him to resist any more attempts at appeasement with his colleagues across the aisle, because clearly, they are all-in for all-out no-holds barred domination no matter what. They always have been. Only dems act like the ever-optimistic Charlie Brown, running up to Republican Lucy’s football, thinking “surely, this time, she won’t yank it away”. Surely, they will. Every time. Have a majority? Use it, then stand to be judged by your results come election time. That’s why we elected you, and not them. If I wanted you to do things their way, I would have voted for them. - Officer McNulty - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 12:57 pm: Guy is a competent legislator, and from everything I hear, a real straight-shooter, nice guy. But he’s just not an attack dog. Needs to be more forceful on the agenda. - Roadiepig - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:01 pm: 1 only because 0 wasn’t an option. Doesn’t represent Illinois, only his party. Badmouthed the men and women in our military. Stages any press op without letting locals know in advance he is even coming (no I am not defending the rude “reporter” from earlier this week. He has slipped in and out of my town several times in recent months without letting anyone know until the last minute. Just video photo-ops for his next election campaign). And don’t forget he promised one thing but delivered the opposite in the Roland Burris/ U. S. Senator debacle. The list goes on and on… - Because I say so - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:03 pm: I think he is one of the best Senator’s in the history of Illinois. I don’t think anyone is more knowledgeable or works harder than Durbin. The work he has done with the gang of six shows the can and does work across the aisle. He is an effective and influential majority whip. - WhyMe - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:08 pm: Good for “Because I say so”. Supporting family is important as the economy sinks. - Small Town Liberal - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:13 pm: Ten. If this were Spinal Tap, he’d get an eleven. His integrity and ability to work with both sides while still staying true to his principles is truly remarkable. - One of the top three hyper-partisan people in the Senate, and that includes both left and right. - Yeah, I guess that’s why in survey of Senate staffers he was voted number one workhorse and most eloquent. I’m sure being hyper partisan and eloquent go hand in hand. - Judgment Day - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:17 pm: In the middle. He’s certainly a partisan, and his willingness to represent “Illinois” certainly drops off when it comes to interests that are not solidly Democratic. He’ll help, but it’s sort of like, “as I have time, and the inclination to”. In the past, well, with the likes of “Olde Tombstone” and our current POTUS as Senator, we here in IL had to have “somebody” represent us in the Senate, and Dick Durbin was all we had (not much, but better than nothing). My biggest beef with Durbin is his sponsorship of the Internet taxation laws. He’s basically shilling for the big brick and mortar interests over the small businesses who use the internet to expand their marketing and sales capabilities. - Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:21 pm: ===He’s basically shilling for the big brick and mortar interests over the small businesses who use the internet to expand their marketing and sales capabilities. === Ridiculous. This is about collecting sales taxes just like everybody else. Amazon is ruthless in its sales tax avoidance. For instance… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/amazon-313790-tax-california.html This has to end. And the feds really need to step in. - OneMan - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:22 pm: I gave him a one, just because of the amount of time it takes between when you send his office something and when you get a response, I understand a Senate office staff is busy but 4 to 5 months, seriously? - Lefty Lefty - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:27 pm: The divide in the ranking is amazing. 80% of the clicks are at the upper or lower ends of the scale. I agree with Newsclown and others, which is why I gave him a 3. He chickened out about Gitmo. He’s an enabler of the do-nothings across the aisle. He’s done nothing to take on the tea party nonsense that surrounds us. He works with the Gang of Six. It seems that only Republicans and Nancy Pelosi understand that the parties are not supposed to agree on everything. That’s why there’s 2 of them. He helped lead a 60-40 majority back to the current 53-47 in the Senate and made excuses the whole time. - TwoFeetThick - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:27 pm: A solid 9. When Durbin first stepped into the giant shoes of Paul Simon, I was not impressed. I guess after Simon, not many would measure up. But, seeing him develop over the years, getting involved in government myself and dealing with the competent people he hires for his office, and meeting him on a few occasions over the years, I think he’s developed into the adult, voice of reason in a land of kiddies. He calls it like he sees it (which has gotten him into trouble at times), but he also makes every attempt to work with a hyperpartisan opposition who’s NO button is stuck. - Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:28 pm: ===The divide in the ranking is amazing.=== Not really, considering that our national body politic is currently engaged in what has been called a “Cold Civil War.” - Cincinnatus - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:31 pm: Hey, Rich, If you rotate the chart counter-clockwise 90 degrees, it’s a big happy grin! - 47th Ward - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:32 pm: ===it’s a big happy grin=== Somebody needs to rate him a 6 or it’ll stay a touthless grin. - 47th Ward - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:42 pm: Kerfuffle, you’re probably right. I’ve known Durbin for years, and I like him personally. Still and all, how would you rate his work with the Gang of 6? You can call me a Kool-Aid drinker, but you can’t tell me his work with that group is a result of his profound liberal ideology. I submit it is due to his recognition that the way forward for the country involves tough choices and he’s prepared to make some. It’s a shame that it’s only the Gang of 6, and not the Gang of 60 that is prepared to make tough choices. - Kerfuffle - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:50 pm: == 47th Ward - how would you rate his work with the Gang of 6?== Actually I would give him high marks there. I give him lower marks when he was the shill for Democratic opposition during the Bush era. I can’t rate him a one but I can’t rate him a 10 either. - Skeeter - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 1:58 pm: I give him a 10. Of all the elected officials I’ve ever met, maybe two others would get that rating (Paul Simon and one other). He’s been a strong voice for Illinois. I also like him personally finding him probably the down to earth politician I’ve met. The first time I met him, I had no idea he was in the Senate until we started talking a bit. That’s the way it should be. - Dead Head - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:06 pm: I think 47th Ward said it most eloquently. The fact is Durbin is the #2 man in the Senate, and believe it or not, this state benefits from that. - Team Sleep - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:18 pm: I gave him a one. First, let me get this out of the way: Durbin was my Congressman from the time I was 2 until I was able to drive. I like him as our Congressman. However, his style has grown stale. He is hyper-partisan. I don’t care if he was part of the “Gang of 6″; nothing’s come from it. I would rank Jim DeMint or Marco Rubio about the same; hyper-partisanship is killing the Senate, the supposedly-grandest body on earth. I also don’t much care for his staff. And yes, I have dealt with his staff on a frequent basis. - wishbone - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:35 pm: As a Democrat I appreciate that he is in the senate, but like Quinn he is not a serious person when it comes to looking at what is needed to revamp government to meet the needs of the 21st century. We need modern liberals who can stand up to the right wing Republicans with new ideas and he hasn’t had one in a long time. - BigDealNick - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:41 pm: I have him a one because he is trying to limit the use of Supplements under a bill he introduced and is supporting. I work with Disabled Veterans and have seen the benefits that these veterans obtain from supplements. When veterans take Lipitor to lower Cholesterol it stops the production of enzymes in the liver. You need to take CoQ10 and Ribose to counter the loss of the enzyme production. This prevents Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Recently Liz Taylor died of CHF and Dr. Stephen Sinatra a noted Cardiologist wrote a Memorial on her death. He indicated that he would have treated her with CoQ10 and Ribose and she might not have died. Senator Durbin’s bill would prevent this and other treatments like Vitamin C intravenous treatment that the National Institute of Health indicates can cure cancer in the 2004 study by Dr. CHEN in the Department of Endocrinology. Why? Because Senator Durbin has been lobbied and influenced by Big Pharma. - Conservative Veteran - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:46 pm: I gave him a “1,” since he’s very liberal. He frequently votes for tax increases and spending increases. He’s pro-choice, although he’s Catholic. - walkinfool - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:57 pm: Gave him an 8. His strength (and limitation) is that he is one of the most “bi-partisan” leaders of either party caucus in either chamber. To see him otherwise reflects only an extremely narrow perspective. He works on solutions over ideology, often out of the limelight, and thereby frustrates a lot of people. - Pot calling kettle - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 2:57 pm: I gave him a nine, but I take it back, he’s a ten. He seems to be on top of most issues facing the state and he’s willing to share the spotlight. He seems interested in getting things done in an appropriate way. - BigDealNick - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:07 pm: The comments of Walkinfool and Pot calling kettle seem short sighted. Anyone who thinks that spending at the rate and level that we are doing will not cause the United States to have our “Credit” lowered even more are naive. As a professor of Economics I can tell you that increase the debt limit, as we have done, without a plan to lower the deficit in the next ten years by 8 Trillion dollars will lead us into the greatest Depression we have ever seen. What so many do not understand is that the Federal Reserve is printing money without backing. We can thank President Nixon for allowing the Federal Reserve to eliminate the requirement to have 20% gold backing for each Federal Reserve Note in circulation and for having the dollar bill backed by silver. No wonder we are having trouble getting China and other countries trying to by gold and not US Debt. If you want a stable currency get “Swiss Franc’s” and not US dollars. Maybe the US Policy is to eventually default on our Bonds and make Foreign investors thereby eat those worthless bonds. The founders of this country may have caused the Eastern Earth to “quake” as they rolled over in their graves. - 1776 - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:09 pm: Can’t stand his politics but gave him a 9. You can’t argue with his ability to effect change, connection to the White House, and presence in DC. He is a major player. He has many people in central/southern Illinois fooled into thinking he’s a common sense, middle of the road Democrat when he is uber-liberal. But that comes from great politicking. - Small Town Liberal - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:12 pm: - As a professor of Economics I can tell you that increase the debt limit, as we have done, without a plan to lower the deficit in the next ten years by 8 Trillion dollars will lead us into the greatest Depression we have ever seen. - And as Santa Claus, I can tell you that you aren’t going to like your Christmas present this year. - Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:15 pm: BigDealNick, a professor of economics arguing for the gold standard? What college do you work for? - Avy - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:21 pm: 3, he is primarily a partisan politician who puts his parties interest above the people. He wasn’t always like that. Still would have graded him higher if more federal funds were coming our way. - Cincinnatus - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:44 pm: BigDealNick has laid out a very cogent argument concerning the debt, the deficit, our credit rating, and the problem with fiat currencies. I would however quibble with the return to a gold/silver standard. There is a major problem with using gold as a backing in the current monetary scheme. The Fed does provide one vital service, and that is adjusting the money supply to accommodate the growth in the number of people, if the money supply cannot expand without reevaluation of its worth to accommodate population growth, monetary markets would be limited by the amount of gold held in reserve. - zatoichi - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:47 pm: Have him at 8. He’s the Senates #2 guy. The Gang of 6 as others have said. I like what I hear when he speaks on the various talking head shows and I see him willing to work across the aisle. He is not a constant No, but seems to provide some options when he says it. Not perfect yet far from a do nothing. I think he does pretty well for Illinois while balancing out the various sides of an issue. - sal-says - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:56 pm: 5. He’s supposed to be one of the top Senators/leaders. Didn’t see much of an impact from him re: the debt ceiling issue. - Tired of taxes - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:56 pm: He gets a 10 in my book for his ability to spend other peoples money Everything else he gets a 0 on - Small Town Liberal - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 4:08 pm: - Didn’t see much of an impact from him re: the debt ceiling issue. - What’s he supposed to do, jump over to the House and pretend he’s a Representative? - Downstate - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 4:14 pm: I’m invovled with several businesses here in Illinois. I recently called his offices and asked for help in getting waivers from Obamacare for my companies. His staff tried to blow me off, before they finally took my number. They have yet to call me back. Another friend made the same call to Durbin’s office. His DC office told him the CHicago office handles that, while the Chicago office said it’s handled through DC. His office is as inept as he is! - dupage dan - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 4:33 pm: Downstate, Unless your company is Fortune 500 or better you can forget those waivers. No surprise you got the run around. His constituent services are not the best in my experience. - Esquire - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 4:41 pm: I used to like the Dick Durbin who served in the state legislature and represented Springfield in the US Congress. He went all “Hollywood” and “Inside the Beltway” once he entered the U.S. Senate. He has become a partisan hack who would rail against any candidate who held his former positions on a variety of issues that he once advocated for. - Cheswick - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 4:43 pm: I gave him an eight. Dick Durbin is the one person against whom I check my own liberalness. Illinois is very fortunate to have him as our senator. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.