Favorite Illinois Senator?

[Radical Activist]

Ok, which of our two excellent US Senators from Illinois do you like best?

I'm going with Dick Durbin. He has a long track record of standing up for Democratic values, he's a workhorse in Washington, is great with the media, personable in person, very intelligent and he's from downstate where he often returns for local events. See, downstate has liberals too!

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

1. Great choice Rad. I agree 100%.

But I would like to add that the late Paul Simon was, IMO, the best Senator from Illinois ever, closely followed by Paul Douglas.

Barack Obama's not too shabby either, but at present Durbin's got him beat by a mile.

[Radical Activist]

2. I totally agree about Paul Simon

Bow tie and all.

[Bjornsdotter]

3. Paul Simon was the best

...by far.

Between Obama and Durbin...I'll take Durbin.

Cheers

[Critters2]

6. Paul Simon was a good friend of my uncle

gave a eulogy at his funeral. I've always been proud of that.

[Nailzberg]

8. Yes, yes, yes. Paul Simon was the best.

He was a terrific journalist, a great educator, and a stellar public servant.

[terrya]

13. Paul Simon was one of the most decent, principled people in public life.

Period. A good liberal Democrat, with never even a hint of scandal attached to him. A dedicated, hard working, progessive gentleman. I was extremely proud that he was my Senator.

[madrchsod]

4. both of them have a long way to go to match these three giants

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/douglas_p.html
Paul H. Douglas: United States Senator

http://www.dirksencenter.org/grants_overview.htm
The Dirksen Center - Promoting a Better Understanding of Congress and Its Leaders


http://www.igpa.uiuc.edu/ethics/simon-bio.htm
Paul Simon Biography

[mopinko]

5. what he said

this whole tammy thing tarnishes their image quite a bit for me.

[DanCa]

7. Durbin

I not only met the man last year at the Parkinson's Action Network conference but he gave me the american flag and donkey pins off his lapel. See we were scheduled late in the day and I was really off during the meeting. Meanning my pd symptoms wear showing badly. Senator Durbin took those pins off his collar and gave him to me. He's a great man . I'll defend him to my dying day.

[Daylin Byak]

9. Didn't need to think about, Richard Durbin

Think about it,this guy is great he's a liberal dem(meaning he dosen't back down like the moderate ones we have in The Senate) and he stands up for the common man, and a like what he did over the summer with gitmo bay.

Obama's not too bad either.

[Nailzberg]

10. Obama's not bad at all, but Durbin has the downstate thing going for him.

That downstate vote gives him the freedom to speak much more than Obama can.

Durbin gets heavy votes downstate, even though the democratic platform disagrees on two major downstate issues: guns and abortion. The downstate Dem farmer types are usually pro-life and pro-guns, but they give Durbin a pass because he is a downstater himself. I don't want to generalize, because downstate DUer's might disagree based on their personal ideals. Having worked downstate on statewide campaigns, DU'ers and college Dems excluded, the majority of rural Dems I've met in Illinois have been pro-life and pro-gun. I've met Dems who voted for Durbin but were hesitant to vote for Obama. And the reason Durbin gets the nod is because he is a downstater himself; they trust him. Downstate voters are hesitant to vote for a candidate from Chicago. Man, don't ever tell a downstate committeeman you are from Chicago. If you went to college at U of I, tell him you are from Champaign. Those two issues are huge to downstate democrats, but if your candidate is a downstater, you can overcome those issues.

I don't think either of our great senators is better than the other, but I do believe that Durbin has much more leeway in what he can say and do because of were he resides.

[Radical Activist]

12. Good point.

There's a very simple equation for liberal Democrats to win big in Illinois. Get a downstater who is popular in his/her area that is also liberal enough to not alienate Chicago voters. That's all it takes for guaranteed statewide Democratic election victories in Illinois. Durbin and Paul Simon are the best examples. Its a shame that more party leaders don't appreciate that. Its so easy for people who live in Chicago to get in a mindset that only Chicago matters. We would have a much easier time statewide if the party invested in a progressive downstate farm team.

That's another reason why a downstate progressive like Mike Boland would have been a million times better candidate for Treasurer than Mangieri.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

14. Obama's not bad, but nothing special either. shallow, beholden to powers

durbin's the real thing.

Paul Simon was great. Adlai wasn't bad, even GOPer named Chuck Percy was more concerned with state and nation than party and graft.
I do have a surprise candidate - Peter Fitzgerald the GOP who braved indie waters and got us Patrick Fitzgerald, to the horror of both entranched GOP and Democratic corrupt pols. On that issue alone, he deserves honorable mention.

[WildEyedLiberal]

15. I agree about Fitzgerald - most honest Republican I've ever met

I think he also stood up to the Illinois GOP who wanted to give out no-bid contracts for the construction of the Lincoln Presidential library in Springfield, which might explain why the George Ryan machine forced him out of favor so much that he didn't want to seek a second term.

Not that I mind, because of course I'd rather have a Dem in that seat, but Fitzgerald was a rare Republican with personal integrity and I have to give him credit for that.

All that said Dick Durbin gets my vote - he's a downstater like me, he's liberal, and c'mon, he's just so cuddly and adorable! :D

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. my sis once worked for Peter and did not like him, but respected him

then again, my sis and her family think that Bush is a brave, great president and that John Ashcroft was good for the country.

Heh, so we disagree about somethings political.

[andlor]

11. Richard Durbin.

[gunsaximbo]

17. Durbin

He's such a nice, genuine guy.