Dick Durbin on the Floor C-SPAN now

[seemslikeadream]

Talking about visiting Walter Reed Hospital. Many are amputees. They say they need more protection especially with the humvees, many have canvas sides to them. We need more armor on them. 8,500 do not have this. How long will it take, two years, TWO YEARS!. Why should it take two years, only plant left in America can do this. We find ourselves at the mercy of foreign producers.

[lovedems]

1. That is a man who is presidential material. I love Dick Durbin!

I am in Illinois so I am a bit biased. He is great anyway. He stands up to the administration.

[bushisanidiot]

2. Durbin is Awesome!

listening to him now.

[terrya]

3. Dick Durbin should be Minority Leader.

I'm from Illinois, also, so I'm biased.

But Durbin has some backbone, unlike the nice but ineffectual Tom Daschle.

[tom_paine]

11. Agreed.

And I'm not from Illinois.

[goobergunch]

20. I disagree

He should be Majority Leader.

[Touchdown]

4. FMC Bragged in the 80s...

That the HMMV was outfitted with a kevlar sheeting (the sheet metal parts). I always thought it was kevlar, and not just canvas. I guess with $400B in the military's budgets, Kevlar was just too expensive to install.:eyes:

Not suprising, really....When did they start to cut corners?

[seemslikeadream]

5. 8 million Americans are going to lose their overtime pay

3 million jobs lost.

[lovedems]

7. Did they vote? Did it pass? What is up with that?

I thought the dems refused to vote on the bill yesterday because the take -away provision was in there. Did the chimp make an executive order?

So many questions!

[seemslikeadream]

8. It was stopped yesterday but

sounds like it's gona pass. :mad:

[proud patriot]

6. listening , Byrd was great earlier too

:hi:

[Neecy]

9. He's fantastic

THIS is the true Democratic response to the SOTU.

I've always liked Durbin because he's so good at articulating his position without the sneering ugliness we see from the Republican side. In fact, while he's gutting Bush like a fish right now he looks completely relaxed, friendly, and utterly believable.

Why isn't he running for the nomination? Any Illinois Democrat want to chime in?

He'd make a great VP candidate, especially in the industrial upper midwest which is suffering like Illinois in loss of manufacturing jobs.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Here's Your Illinois Dem...

Just like the others above, I can't enough about how I admire my Senior Senator...carrying on the legacy of Paul Simon and always on the right sides of the issues. For some of us he's a hidden gem that we'd hate to lose his focus and zeal for playing on the national, more moderate scale.

He did make Gore's "short list" for VP and I've long felt he'd be a tremendous MAJORITY leader. Durbin would make a good VP match with many of the candidates...solidifying the Midwest (Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota) and be a great help in Pennsylvania and Ohio. While others bitched it was Gore losing Florida and Tennessee that hurt, I thought it was Ohio...and getting that state (along with W. Virginia) gives a large positive push in the quest to oust Bush. With Bunnypant's trashing of the unions and defecits that have really squeezed the state, Ohio is asking to be taken.

Right now some of us are starting to wake up that there might actually be a Presidential primary here.

[Neecy]

13. thank you

I'd hate to lose him from the Senate as well, but I think he'd be a huge plus in Ohio, as you said, as well as Michigan, Missouri (a key neighboring state), and with independent voters.

You guys are lucky - this is one outstanding Senator.

[terrya]

14. Well, our governor is a Democrat...

So, if Durbin was elected Vice President, another Democrat would be appointed in Durbin's place.

The seat would stay Democrat.

Terry

[wildwww2]

19. Dick Durbin for VP I like that. I`m origanally from IL and he rocks.

I`m glad to see he is standing up for the proper things.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President

[davsand]

15. Durbin would never do the VP seat, I don't think.

I think he's got his eye on the Presidency. I only wish he was running this year. If you can't tell, I am also a huge Durbin fan.

I have NEVER seen a politician with the skills he's got. He's simply amazing in a room full of people. He does NOT know any strangers. He may not have spoken to them before, but by the time he's done he's established a connection with them.

Additionally, I have worked with several of his staffers and they are top drawer as well.

On a personal note, about 6 weeks after our daughter was born, we were at an event where Sen Durbin and several Gubernatorial candidates were speaking. With a new baby in tow, we had turned out.

Like a magnet, our baby was drawing a lot of attention from both the local Dems who had seen me campaigning for my husband while pregnant with her, as well as from folks we knew at state level.

Sen Durbin showed up and came walking over, introduced himself and then realized he knew my husband from when he'd played with Sen Durbin's nephew back in the old days. As they stood there talking about the "old days" somebody got the bright idea of getting a photo. Sen Durbin graciously agrees and gets us all lined up just so... That photo is now a prized possession in our family.

Since then, we've seen him a few more times at dinners and events, and he never fails to ask about her by name. THAT is how connected he is with people, and that is part of the reason he inspires such love from the folks in Illinois. He's like that with everybody.

I love his politics, but I LIKE him even more as a person.

Laura

[Skidmore]

10. I have been saying for some time now that shipping our industry base

out of the US is a national security issue. We have left ourselves vulnerable on many fronts. Perhaps we can through mad cow hamburgers or financial statements at invaders as long as we are able to hold onto the service sector jobs.

[Logansquare]

18. Excellent point! nt

[spindoctor]

16. Sounds like Vietnam

Only back then it were the army semis that were under attack with nothing but canvas to stop the bullets.

Soldiers ended up stripping armor plating from any object they could get their hands on and DIY-ed their own protected vehicles.

[joanski01]

17. I remember that Bob Novak

said that bush* said "mission accomplished" and the war was over, so the military didn't order any more vests. Geez, ain't that a real good reason?