20 Comments - Stones - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:16 am: I think the bigger story is who is in PQ’s corner rather than who isn’t in PQ’s corner at this point. - Fair Share - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:17 am: Does Durbin want to be Pres. of U of I when he leaves the Senate and arranges for Tammy D. to take his place? Just asking. - chubs mahoney - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:22 am: From http://www1.chicagoreader.com/obama/000317/ - … Losing the mayoral race has shown Rush who his friends are. Senator Dick Durbin came in to help Rush announce a $1.5 billion federal plan to demolish and rebuild the Chicago Housing Authority’s biggest projects. “Bobby Rush was the advocate for the tenants in the Chicago Housing Authority,” Durbin said. “He fought to make sure there will be good public housing to replace this housing. He also led the fight to make sure 50 percent of the contracts would go to minorities. I don’t jump at the prospect of getting involved in primaries with good Democrats running, but I jump at the prospect of endorsing Bobby Rush.” … - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:25 am: If/When Lisa announces, I will be very interested who signs HER letter of endorsement, and who will be standing behind her at the podium. Specifically to the Post, Could this be a “final” signal to all those back-channeling from Quinn to Durbin, saying, “The senator is NOT with you, so stop aasking.”? Durbin is holding his powder, but keeping it dry against Quinn is a different story. - siriusly - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:26 am: Sen. Durbin doesn’t have to say much really. Just not being with him is pretty substantial. “Um excuse me, but where are the emergency exits?” - Quinn staffer - RNUG Fan - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:28 am: Wow I am going to sort of defend Quinn. Durbin is a bag of hot air along with somnolent Harry Reid they have done nothing and hide behind the filibuster. He has no understanding that the Illinois Financial crisis has no magic bullet ,,, Now to Quinn Neither does he . There is no LEGAl solution to the debt except solutions like RNUG and others have outlined and that means years of taxes higher than we all like and budgets lower and PQ does not understand that either He and Madigan think they can creat a villan -the teachers-and both seem unaware of teh polls that show it is not working for them politically. Back to Durbin He might try helping his state Mark Kirk to Illinois drop dead seems to have Durbin joining him Maybe he could be primaried too,probably wont - low level - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:39 am: **“The pot can’t call the skillet ‘non-productive’ if it’s non-productive,” Rush said.** As opposed to, say, Rep. Rush’s phenomenal record as a lawmaker. In his 21 years in Congress, has he ever floor managed a bill (besides the usual post offices) — or even leading the Dems in opposition? - wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:54 am: I propose a moratorium on any Congress-critter anywhere delivering lectures to any state government official anywhere Get your own houses in order. Congress has devolved into Reality TV, free “talent” for 24-hour cable TV yakkers, and not much more. - Liepschlitz - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 9:59 am: Durbin’s comment seems more like a clarification. Who can deny that a sitting gov will be judged on his ability to work Illinois out of its current fiscal calamity. Business groups and GOP rank and file scream: “run the state like a business”. Then, when the gov proposes closing facilities and cutting costs, these members screech like a spoiled brat. Quinn doesn’t get the cooperation he needs but he is the most honest gov since Big Jim. - Both Sides Now - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 10:06 am: Thumbs up to Bobby Rush, Wordslinger and Liepschlitz! - Skeeter - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 10:16 am: Low Level is right. What is the signature accomplishment of Rush’s years? Durbin, on the other hand, played key roles in healthcare reform and rounding up votes to get countless quality judges through the Senate. Durbin has done a fine job. Rush has done nothing that anybody can remember. And I agree with Durbin on Quinn and would go a bit farther — I just don’t see Quinn as a competent leader in any sort of democratic organization. If he has to rely on people outside his control to do something, he lacks the ability to persuade. Sort of ironically given his record of bashing business, Quinn would have had a more effective career in the private sector. In the private sector, the ability to compromise and persuade is often not as important as it is in government. - Shore - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 10:37 am: Durbin’s gang of whatever he put together a few years ago went bust. DC hasn’t exactly been a leader. Quinn needs to stick up for himself more. Good to see bobby rush has a pulse, still. - Endangered Moderate Species - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 10:47 am: The good news for the ILGOP is that it appears the ILDems are splintering. The bad news for the ILGOP is that Lisa Madigan is going to end up with the biggest splinter. - Brendan - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 11:19 am: “The pot can’t call the skillet ‘non-productive’ if it’s non-productive,” Rush said. Rush is one to talk when it comes to being a”non-productive” public official. Plus, Durbin has only ever held federal office, so nothing about the State of Illinois’s budget problems are of his making. - cassandra - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 11:38 am: I find it hard to believe that the average Illinois voter is all that interested in pension reform. Since an increasing majority of private sector workers does not have a defined benefit pension, they probably see them as an anachronism, but boiling resentment? I don’t think so. And the polling I’ve seen doesn’t suggest that “cut the pensions” would be a big rallying point. Rather the opposite, I’d say. For whom the bell tolls, and so on, if you are a member of the middle class. So what’s going on. I think we’re in the get it off our desks, somehow, anyhow phase, with the hopes that whatever happens, the Illinois Supremes will take the heat. And while we’re waiting, loosen up some cash–quite a bit of cash–for the next budget. It’s how they’ll use that “extra” cash that we taxpayers should be watching. Especially seeing as Quinn has a campaign to run. - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 11:44 am: Unless Durbin has something constructive to offer, like a suggestion on how to deal with pensions or some other specific problem, he should keep his opinions to himself. I’m sure Pat Quinn could rattle off dozens of ways the U.S. Senate is failing to be useful. You don’t hear Quinn ripping Durbin on sequestration. - Soccermom - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 12:32 pm: Good heavens I get sick of the “run government like a business” nonsense. What does that even mean? Increase income (I.e. taxes) while cutting down on outgo — you know, government services? As PQ would say, it sounds good if you say it fast… - Just The Way It Is One - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 5:04 pm: Sounds like Durbin just being Durbin and being willing to, at times, act a bit too big for his brithces (that’s right, Dick, even as 2nd in Command in the U.S. Senate!) and start, somewhat, pontificating, if you will about everything somebody ELSE needs to do to “be good enough” for some other Office, when the myriad of eNORmous, entrenched debt/deficit Federal and relentless International problems he should be more laser-focused on solving and spending time commenting about, go along unsolved year after year…but when you’re like the Teflon Senator and know you are virtually assured of re-election next year, I suppose it’s easy to feel (wrongly) like you’re somewhat above everybody else in Illinois politics and so can boldly and openly opine just about whatever you want to without any serious repercussions…but as one of the lines in the Bible from the good LORD relates, the good Senator should really 1st mind the “log” in the U.S. Government’s “eye” of problems before he shoots from the hip at the embattled Governor (from his own Party) here in Illinois and issues (like Pensions) he is at least earnestly striving to overcome…i.e. the “speck” of problems by relative comparison to the Nation’s, really, in our “eye”–back here in our Home State…! - Dan Bureaucrat - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 8:21 pm: Carl Nyberg and others already said it best. I will just add: If Durbin has an easy pension fix, then he should jump in and help. If not, he can take his bag of wind to DC and blow it there. Same with everyone else. - chubs mahoney - Tuesday, Mar 26, 13 @ 8:59 pm: Democrats in DC and Springfield have to start defending Pat Quinn. Period. He ain’t dumb, he ain’t corrupt, and he fights for the right stuff. All the sanctimony and second guessing just gives Republican party a nice head start at 2014. Wake up guys. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.