Dick Durbin

Dick Durbin
Richard Joseph "Dick" Durbinis the senior United States Senator from Illinois, in office since 1997. He has been the Assistant Minority Leader, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate, since 2015...
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth21 November 1944
across army army-and-navy assistance country cutting direct dramatic government helping hurricane money outpouring red salvation second support talking tape victims whether
Whether we're talking about Red Cross, or Second Harvest, Salvation Army or other groups, this is direct assistance right to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We need to do our part at the government level, but this dramatic outpouring of support across the country to the Red Cross and other agencies, is money well spent. It's money that really is effectively cutting across a lot of red tape and helping people,
school race government
In my lifetime, it's the Supreme Court, not Congress, that integrated our public schools, that allowed people of different races to marry, and established the principle that our government should respect the value of privacy of American families. These decisions are the legacy of justices who chose to expand American freedom.
government names doctors
We see it in attempts on Capitol Hill to impose gag rules on rules on doctors on what they can say to their patients about family planning. And we certainly see it now with an effort by the government to tap our phones; invade our medical records, credit information, library records and the most sensitive personal information in the name of national security.
believe government abortion
As a government lawyer, Samuel Alito wrote that he personally believe very strongly the Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion.
children government law
If you look at the record and the enviable record which Sandra Day O'Connor has written, you find she was the fifth and decisive vote to safeguard Americans' right to privacy, to require our courtrooms to grant access to the disabled, to allow the federal government to pass laws to protect the environment, to preserve the right of universities to use affirmative action, to ban the execution of children in America.
consumers coverage families health losing millions necessary risk
it would have put millions of American consumers and families at risk of losing coverage for necessary health care.
mend patriot
We do not want to end the Patriot Act. We want to mend the Patriot Act.
create environment helped likely permissive
At the very least, Mr. Gonzales helped to create a permissive environment that made it more likely that abuses would take place.
hands opportunity
This opportunity is slipping through our hands like grains of sand.
basic candor looking time
There's more candor this time around, which helps, but I'm still looking at some of the basic questions,
largest level magnet talent
We are the largest magnet for this level of talent in the world.
against balance basic favor personal power privacy protecting scales tip
I worry... he will tip the balance of the scales of justice. He will tip the balance against protecting our basic privacy and personal freedoms. He will tip the balance in favor of presidential power even when it violates the law.
beyond expanding law loyalty personal process view
I wonder, where are you? ... Beyond loyalty to the process of law, how do you view this law when it comes to expanding our personal freedom?
core trying
I wonder, where are you? ... All of us are trying to get down to, what are your core values?