Dick Durbin Quotes

#1. Let me tell you the first president to recognize the state of Israel was Harry Truman, a Democrat and every president since, Democrat and Republican, has stood closely with Israel.

Dick Durbin

#2. I hope that Republicans in the House and Mr. Cantor will embrace that as part of immigration reform.

Dick Durbin

#3. It simply isn't fair for senators to cut to the front of the line when seniors around the country have been forced to wait for hours to get a flu shot.

Dick Durbin

#4. Giving a veteran a flag is not a substitute for giving our vets the quality health care they were promised

Dick Durbin

#5. Judge Samuel Alito, millions of Americans are concerned about your nomination. They're worried that you would be a judicial activist who would restrict our rights and freedoms.

Dick Durbin

#6. Under unitary executive theory, the [George W.]Bush administration has claimed the right to seize American citizens in the United States and imprison them indefinitely without a charge.

Dick Durbin

#7. There is no room for legal hair-splitting when it comes to the humane treatment of detainees - not in a nation founded on the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Dick Durbin

#8. Those of us who believe in God and those of us who have dedicated our lives to helping others in the name of God don't want to take a second seat to anyone who is suggesting that one word out of the platform means that the Democrats across America are godless.

Dick Durbin

#9. We want to make certain that every American who stood in silent tribute to Rosa Parks hopes that the Sepreme Court Judge will break silence and speak out clearly for the civil rights that define our unity as a nation.

Dick Durbin

#10. God is not a franchise of the Republican Party.

Dick Durbin

#11. Millions of Americans take vitamins safely every day, including me. Vitamins and mineral supplements taken in recommended doses are safe. It's the designer supplements that are worrisome.

Dick Durbin

#12. The courage of federal Judge Frank Johnson is well-known.He was the one that gave the legal authority for the right to march from Selma to Montgomery, and he suffered dearly for it. He was ostracized and rejected. His life was threatened as a result of it.

Dick Durbin

#13. Hard to imagine 40 years ago people could be convicted of a crime, fined, sent to prison for using the most common forms of birth control.

Dick Durbin

#14. Our timing is right ... The election results are still fresh in the minds of my Republican colleagues and they don't want to go through this again.

Dick Durbin

#15. We will have health care reform in America.

Dick Durbin

#16. Unfortunately the Republican tax cut will deny important revenues to many states facing their own deficits. This will create greater pressure for higher state and local taxes.

Dick Durbin

#17. And the banks - hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created - are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place.

Dick Durbin

#18. As a government lawyer, Samuel Alito wrote that he personally believe very strongly the Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion.

Dick Durbin

#19. If you're not comfortable with delay, frustration and impatience, get out of the Senate. It's the nature of the institution, but I think we've taken it to an art form.

Dick Durbin

#20. We can't do much about ensuring that the homeland is safe if our local police and sheriffs' departments don't have the personnel they need to keep our streets and neighborhoods secure.

Dick Durbin

#21. Justice [Sandra Day] O'Connor has been the critical decisive vote on many issues that go to the heart of who we are as a nation.

Dick Durbin

#22. We are dealing with the question of the 11 million people paying their taxes, having a path to legalization and, then, ultimately, to citizenship - tough issues, but we are coming together and I think we can do it.

Dick Durbin

#23. We all join the President in applauding the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform. But we must continue to provide them the tools they need to accomplish the difficult tasks they face.

Dick Durbin

#24. In going too far, they [presidents] have taken away the individual rights of American citizens.

Dick Durbin

#25. The Supreme Court is the last refuge in America for our rights and liberties.

Dick Durbin

#26. You know, the purpose of reconciliation is to avoid the filibuster. The filibuster is an effort to talk something to death.

Dick Durbin

#27. These are men and women who are willing to risk their lives in defense of their country. And the fact that their orientation - sexual orientation's been held against them is a blot on our nation's reputation.

Dick Durbin

#28. Our party is a diverse one, as is my home state of Illinois.

Dick Durbin

#29. The last stop to protect rights and liberties is the Supreme Court.

Dick Durbin

#30. Illinois Senator Paul Simon, once said "The test for a Supreme Court nominee is not where he stands on any one specific issue. The test is this: Will you use your power on the court to restrict freedom or expand it"?

Dick Durbin

#31. We have 11 million people in this country that need a pathway to citizenship.

Dick Durbin

#32. There is also the issue of personal privacy when it comes the executive power. Throughout our nation's history, whether it was habeas corpus during the Civil War, Alien and Sedition Acts in World War I, or Japanese internment camps in World War II, presidents have gone too far.

Dick Durbin

#33. It is unacceptable that disabled veterans in Illinois rank at the bottom of the list when it comes to disability pay. We owe our disabled veterans more than speeches, parades and monuments.

Dick Durbin

#34. We have a long way to go, some tough issues ahead of us, and I'm sure there will be some obstacles in the path ... But the good faith effort that's being put into this absolutely is encouraging to me and gives me hope.

Dick Durbin