Justin's Political Corner

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) plans to run for reelection next year.

“I am out there running,” he told POLITICO earlier this week.

The majority whip has been raising money but has not hired campaign staff yet.

h/t: Politico

Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin signaled Wednesday it may already be time to reopen the debate about the chamber’s rules, given Republicans have attempted to or plan to filibuster three presidential appointments in the month and a half since the chamber approved modest filibuster changes.

At the start of this Congress in January, Senate leaders reached a bipartisan agreement to slightly alter the chamber’s rules in a bid to make the Senate work more efficiently.

“We have tried at the beginning of this Senate session to avoid this kind of filibuster confrontation. The last several years we have had over 400 filibusters — a record number of filibusters in the Senate,” Durbin said.

“I hate to suggest this, but if this is an indication of where we’re headed, we need to revisit the rules again,” the Illinois Democrat said. “We need to go back to it again. I’m sorry to say it because I — was hopeful that a bipartisan approach to dealing with these issues would work.”

“It’s the best thing for this chamber, for the people serving here and the history of this institution,” Durbin said of the bipartisan arrangement. “But if this Caitlin Halligan nomination is an indication of things to come, we’ve got to revisit the rules.”

Halligan’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has been among the most contentious of President Barack Obama’s tenure. In 2011, she failed to garner the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican opposition in 2011, but Obama renominated her this year. Senate Republicans again successfully filibustered Halligan’s nomination Wednesday morning, by a vote of 51-41. Sixty votes were needed.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reiterated his opposition to Halligan on Wednesday morning.

“I’ll be voting against cloture on this nomination. I urge my colleagues to do the same,” McConnell said. “Our decision to do so is not unprecedented. Far from it. Many of our Democratic colleagues who are expressing shock and utter amazement that we would deny cloture on Ms. Halligan’s nomination a second time, felt absolutely no compunction about repeatedly denying cloture on Miguel Estrada’s nomination to the same court.”

In invoking Estrada’s name, McConnell is connecting Halligan to the most famous nominee of the judicial nomination feuds during the George W. Bush administration.

h/t: Roll Call

A look at the 1996 United States Senate campaign between then Democratic U.S. Rep. Dick Durbin and Republican Illinois State Rep. Al Salvi sheds an all-too-familiar light on how the effort to prevent gun violence has become a make-or-break issue for Illinois voters in next Tuesday’s special election to fill former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr’s seat.

After edging out the moderate Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra in the 1996 GOP primary, Al Salvi represented the most appealing, convincing candidate the Republican Party had presented in Illinois and was believed to have a legitimate chance at winning the Senate seat. The young NRA poster boy for Illinois spent his time on the campaign trail asserting the ’94 federal assault weapons ban was “silly,” calling the ’93 Brady Handgun Bill “cosmetic,” and offering to legalize concealed weapons in order to cut crime.

Meanwhile, Salvi’s opponent, then Representative Durbin was actively campaigning for sensible gun violence prevention measures. After co-sponsoring the ’93 Brady Handgun bill and supporting the ’94 assault weapons ban, he told Illinois voters, “We will not be a safer nation, a safer state, if people are carrying guns around shopping malls and restaurants.” Durbin joined forces with President Reagan’s former press secretary and gun-control activist Jim Brady to film a campaign ad that portrayed Salvi as an extremist on gun issues. In a Sunday radio interview just days before the election, Salvi responded by falsely charging that Jim Brady “used to sell” machine guns. Salvi later apologized and conceded, “Turns out that was a different Jim Brady.”

Salvi’s last-minute gaffe and extreme stance on guns proved to fracture the Illinois Republican party and rally Illinois voters around candidates who supported gun violence prevention. In one example, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police opted to support Democratic House candidate Rod Blagojevich over the Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep Michael Flanagan, who earlier that year had supported an attempt to repeal the federal assault weapons ban. In his endorsement, the union’s president, Bill Nolan, said, “(It’s) almost a one-issue thing, and that is the guns.”

Salvi’s extreme stance on guns cost him the election. Durbin won the race by a landslide, leading Salvi 57 percent to 40 percent. Durbin acknowledged in his victory speech how important gun violence prevention was to Illinois voters: “I hope this victory tonight is a message that no political official in this state should ever, ever be cowered by the gun extremists.”

Seventeen years later, the gun debate, yet again, takes center stage in the Chicago-area congressional race to fill former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s vacated seat.

New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, a vocal advocate for commonsense gun violence prevention measures, has shown a considerable interest in the first election since the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. His super PAC, Independence USA, has already spent $2.1 million in TV ad buys attacking former Congresswoman Halvorson and other candidates who refuse to take a stand on gun violence prevention measures. The Independence USA ad endorses former state Rep. Robin Kelly who released her own video highlighting her support for sensible gun measures, including bans on assault weapons and high capacity gun magazines.

In a race to represent a district severely shaken by gun violence, the movement to prevent gun violence again proves to be a critical issue. If history is any indication of which candidate Illinois voters will elect, Debbie Halvorson’s extremism may cost her.

h/t: Robert Avruch at Think Progress

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will chair the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he announced on Friday.

Durbin said he learned the news late Thursday. He will be in charge of appropriating funds for the military and intelligence community, for national security requirements and the needs of more than two million active duty and reserve servicemembers.

H/T: Chicago Sun-Times

WASHINGTON—Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Thursday urged members of the Illinois General Assembly to legalize gay marriage in Illinois as the measure faced an unexpected roadblock in the Illinois State Senate on Wednesday.

In a letter to state lawmakers sent Thursday Durbin said he rarely intervenes in measures pending in Springfield “But as a citizen of this Land of Lincoln I want to be clearly on record in regard to an issue of historic importance.

“I believe those whom God has brought to this Earth with a different sexual orientation and who seek a loving relationship in the eyes of the law should be given that opportunity.

“I urge you to vote for Marriage Equality in Illinois so that our state can be part of the emerging national consensus on this issue of justice.

Durbin’s letter is the latest push from key Democratic elected officials urging the state legislature to pass the gay marriage bill. Earlier, President Barack Obama also issued a state urging his former colleagues to vote yes.

LETTER FROM SEN. DICK DURBIN TO MEMBERS OF THE ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

January 3, 2013

Dear Friend,

I don’t often write to express my position on issues before the General Assembly.

But as a citizen of this Land of Lincoln I want to be clearly on record in regard to an issue of historic importance.

I believe those whom God has brought to this Earth with a different sexual orientation and who seek a loving relationship in the eyes of the law should be given that opportunity.

I urge you to vote for Marriage Equality in Illinois so that our state can be part of the emerging national consensus on this issue of justice.

In America every religion has a right to establish standards for its members and to express its position on moral issues for consideration by its faithful and others.

This law would not change that and no religion, including my own Catholic faith, would be mandated to bless same-sex marriages.

Two years ago at the ceremony when President Obama signed the law repealing “Don’t ask, don’t tell”, a Jewish Rabbi gave a memorable invocation.

He said when you look into the eyes of another if you don’t see the face of God at least see the face of another human being.

Every generation is given a chance to put an end to some form of discrimination in America. As you consider this historic vote, I hope you will reflect on those you will meet after it is cast.

An affirmative vote will give you a chance to look into the eyes of those who have faced discrimination throughout their lives and tell them that you voted to affirm their rights under the law.

My own views on this issue have evolved over the years and as I reflect on my support for marriage equality, I have concluded that ending this discrimination is consistent with the evolution of civil rights in our democracy - a process served so nobly by a former member of the Illinois General Assembly, Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you for your service to our state.

- United States Senator Dick Durbin

H/T: Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times

As rumors swirl that Democrats may consider raising the Medicare eligibility age to reach a deal before the looming “fiscal cliff,” a top Senate Democrat expressed opposition to that option Sunday. Speaking on Meet the Press, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said raising the age at which seniors can receive Medicare from 65 to 67 would leave retired seniors with a dangerous gap in their health coverage:

DAVID GREGORY (HOST): Senator, one point about Medicare. You say you want to put off this discussion until later. But bottom line, should the Medicare eligibility age go up? Should there be means testing to get at the benefits side, if you want to shore this program up, because 12 years as you say before it runs out of money?

DURBIN: I do believe there should be means testing. and those of us with higher income in retirement should pay more. That could be part of the solution. But when you talk about raising the eligibility age, there’s one key question. what happens to the early retiree? What about that gap in coverage between workplace and Medicare? How will they be covered? I listened to Republicans say we can’t wait to repeal Obamacare, and the insurance exchanges. well, where does a person turn if they are 65 years of age and the medicare eligibility age is 67? They have two years there where they may not have the best of health. They need accessible, affordable medical insurance during that period.

Earlier this week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also rejected raising the Medicare eligibility age as part of a year-end deal on spending cuts and tax increases, saying, “I am very much against it, and I think most of my members are.” President Obama was reportedly willing to support raising the Medicare eligibility age during 2011 debt negotiations, but has not said where he stands on the issue as part of the current deal.

H/T: Nicole Flatow at Think Progress Health

Progressive activists afraid that President Obama would sell them out in budget negotiations with the GOP are breathing a little easier this week after some reassuring words from top Democrats.

An array of liberal and labor groups are currently running pressure campaigns out of longstanding concerns that the White House will cede too much ground in a deficit deal. And while they aren’t planning on disarming anytime soon, several activists told TPM that they’re cautiously optimistic that Democrats are heading into battle with the right goals and the leverage to obtain them.

“I think most people are buoyed by the fact the president seems intent on sticking with his demand that taxes go up on the top 2 percent even if it means going over the cliff,” Bob Borosage, president of the Institute for America’s Future, told TPM. “He’s been stronger than I might have anticipated.”

Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress haven’t gone wobbly either.

Liberals were surprised to find themselves cheering on Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) this week as he argued before the Center for American Progress that Democrats should resist benefit cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and keep Social Security out of the negotiations entirely. Durbin, the majority whip, is a leading Democratic supporter of the Simpson-Bowles debt commission, which liberal groups denounced as a nightmare solution to the long-term deficit, so his words carry special weight.

“It’s a weird thing that Democratic leaders like Dick Durbin and Chris Van Hollen appear to be embracing the ideas that progressives are pushing,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told TPM. “I read Dick Durbin’s speech and it’s actually beautiful.”

That said, it’s early in the game and liberal groups are doing all they can to keep the heat on wavering Democrats. There are still concerns that the markets might grow jittery as the new year approaches, pushing nervous lawmakers toward the first deal House Republicans offer.

AFL-CIO organizers from around the country descended on Washington this week to lobby lawmakers to protect entitlement benefits and hold firm on ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest top 2 percent of Americans. And the PCCC released a poll of New Hampshire voters on Tuesday showing that a plan championed by Elizabeth Warren to raise taxes on the rich while reducing subsidies was a political winner. And MoveOn.org is hand-delivering letters to every representative in Congress telling them to oppose benefit cuts.

h/t: Benjy Sarlin at TPM

The Republican politicization of the Benghazi attack may have endangered the lives of several Libyan nationals. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform, released 166 pages of documents [PDF] on Friday as part of his investigation into the Obama administration’s response to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack.

That evening, Foreign Policy reported that the documents contained unredacted names of several Libyans working closely with the United States government. In an interview with Rogin, an Obama administration decried Issa’s action as endangering the lives of those named:

“Much like WikiLeaks, when you dump a bunch of documents into the ether, there are a lot of unintended consequences,” an administration official told The Cable Friday afternoon. “This does damage to the individuals because they are named, danger to security cooperation because these are militias and groups that we work with and that is now well known, and danger to the investigation, because these people could help us down the road.”

One of the cables released by Issa names a woman human rights activist who was leading a campaign against violence and was detained in Benghazi. She expressed fear for her safety to U.S. officials and criticized the Libyan government.

“This woman is trying to raise an anti-violence campaign on her own and came to the United States for help. She isn’t publicly associated with the U.S. in any other way but she’s now named in this cable. It’s a danger to her life,” the administration official said.

Among others named in the document were a port manager working with the U.S. to improve infrastructure, as well as various militia members and commanders who share information on other armed groups within Libya. Top Democrats, including Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), have slammed Issa for the document dump.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who also sits on the Oversight Committee, likewise issued a statement saying, “The irony is that while Chairman Issa purports to be sincere in his desire to investigate the recent attack so that we can learn how best to protect our diplomats in the future, his own actions have now compromised the safety of U.S. personnel and Libyans working together to forge a better Libya.”

This is not the first time that the Oversight Committee’s Republican majority has possibly exposed sensitive information in the course of their investigation into Benghazi. During the Oct. 10 hearing, Issa and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) may have revealed the classified location of a CIA safehouse while viewing an unclassified map.

Rep. Issa has been quoted, according a partial transcript released by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), as referring these unclassified designations as “crap.” Those whose names were published would likely argue otherwise.

H/T: Hayes Brown at Think Progress Security

Eight years ago in Boston, I introduced you to a state senator from Illinois with a name that was hard to pronounce. Four years ago in Denver, I asked you to give him our party’s nomination for president. Tonight in Charlotte, I ask you to join me in giving President Barack Obama four more years to finish the job he started.

I was there that cold January afternoon when Barack Obama lifted his hand from Abraham Lincoln’s Bible and looked out on an America facing an economic collapse. These last four years have been hard. Too many families are still hurting. But today, our economy is beginning to recover, jobs are returning, businesses are expanding and America is coming back.

Our friends in the other party have a theory about America. They tell us we’re all in this alone. They say builders never need a helping hand. Democrats know better. America knows better. History and this president have shown us we are stronger when we are all in this together.

Come to Belvidere, Illinois and meet 5,000 proud Chrysler UAW workers. Some said let GM and Chrysler go bankrupt. President Obama said let those workers go back to work. Meet the working families all across our nation who will finally have a chance for affordable health care and college loans. And I am proud of our president’s fight for justice for women in the workplace and ending the discrimination of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in our military. Eleven years ago, I authored the DREAM Act. It took President Obama to finally bring these kids out of the shadows and into the America they have always called home.

One hundred and fifty years ago, another president from Illinois brought justice to his day with the Emancipation Proclamation. His critics told him he had gone too far and he should undo what he had done. But Lincoln said, “I hope to stand firm enough not to go backwards.” We cannot build a better, stronger, fairer America by walking backwards. We must walk forward, together. With President Obama in the White House, we will. President Obama: Your values, your vision, your commitment to a just America are still worth fighting for.

h/t: HuffPo

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM (EST)

Remarks

The Honorable Kay Hagan

Member of the US Senate, North Carolina

The Honorable Walter Dalton

Lieutenant Governor, North Carolina

The Honorable G.K. Butterfield

Member of the US House of Representatives, North Carolina

The Honorable David Price

Member of the US House of Representatives, North Carolina

The Honorable Mel L. Watt

Member of the US House of Representatives, North Carolina

Remarks

James Rogers

CEO Duke Energy

Live Performance

James Taylor

Singer/Songwriter

Call to Order

The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee

Mayor of Los Angeles, California

Invocation

Reverend Gabriel Salguero

President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition

Presentation of Colors

American Legion Post 400 of Charlotte, North Carolina

Darrell B. Bonapart, Joe Michalic, Robert E. Welch, Marvin R. Weber

Pledge of Allegiance : Gabby Giffords

National Anthem

Marc Anthony

Singer/Songwriter

Progress for People Video: Seniors

American Voices Remarks

Carol Berman

Remarks

The Honorable Donna F. Edwards

Member of the US House of Representatives, Maryland

The Honorable Barney Frank

Member of the US House of Representatives, Massachusetts

In Memoriam Video and Remarks

The Honorable Harvey Gantt

Former Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (EST)

The Honorable John Lewis

Member of the US House of Representatives, Georgia

Stronger Together Video: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

American Voices

Jason Crow

Live Performance

Mary J. Blige

Singer/Songwriter

Remarks

The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Chair of the Democratic National Committee

Member of the US House of Representatives, Florida

The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee

Mayor of Los Angeles, California

The Honorable Tammy Baldwin

Candidate for US Senate, Wisconsin

Member of the US House of Representatives, Wisconsin

The Honorable Michael Nutter

Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Stay Stronger Together Video: Marriage Equality

American Voices Remarks

Zach Wahls

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (EST)

Jim Messina

Campaign Manager, Obama for America

American Heroes Video: Auto Workers

American Voices

Kenyetta Jones, Ryan Case, Ed Meagher, Martha Figueroa, Lucas Beenken, Rob Hach

Vice Presidential Nomination Intro

The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee

Mayor of Los Angeles, California

Nominating Remarks

Beau Biden

Attorney General of Delaware and Son of Vice President Joe Biden

Vote by Acclamation

Live Performance

Foo Fighters

Band

Remarks

The Honorable James E. Clyburn

Assistant Democratic Leader and Member of the US House of Representatives, South Carolina

Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington

Actresses

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)

Remarks

Caroline Kennedy

Author and Attorney

The Honorable Xavier Becerra

Democratic Caucus Vice Chair and Member of the US House of Representatives, California

The Honorable Jennifer Granholm

Former Governor of Michigan

Eva Longoria

Actress

The Honorable Brian Schweitzer

Governor of Montana

The Honorable Charlie Crist, Jr.

Former Governor of Florida

Remarks

The Honorable John Kerry

Member of the US Senate, Massachusetts

9:00 PM – 10:00 PM (EST)

Video: Veterans

Remarks

Admiral John B. Nathman

United States Navy, Retired

Introductory Remarks

Angie Flores

Remarks

Dr. Jill Biden

Second Lady of the United States

Vice President Joe Biden Video

Remarks

The Honorable Joe Biden

Vice President of the United States

10:00 PM – 11:00 PM (EST)

Video and Remarks

The Honorable Dick Durbin

Member of the US Senate, Illinois

President Barack Obama Video

Remarks

Barack Obama

President of the United States

Celebration

Benediction

His Eminence Timothy Dolan

Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of New York

Retire Colors

Adjournment

h/t: TPM LiveWire