Durbin is only doing his Job

[cthulu2016]

Dick Durbin is very close to President Obama and has long had the function of WH liaison with senate liberals.

It's not like Durbin just decided to go rogue and talk up entitlement reductions. He is fulfilling his now familiar role as de facto WH representative and negotiator within the caucus.

At the same time, Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, tapped his ties to the liberal wing of the party to urge a broader deficit deal in 2013 that would include trims to Medicare and other entitlement cuts.

"We can't be so naive to believe that just taxing the rich will solve our problems," said Durbin, speaking at the influential liberal group called Center for American Progress. "Put everything on the table. Repeat. Everything on the table."


Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/29/175856/senates-no-2-democrat-calls-for.html

[still_one]

1. Obviously that must be his position also. There have always been Senators and Representatives in

our party who spoke their own mind, even if disagreeing with the President.

in addition, this isn't the first time durbin has brought this up

[cthulu2016]

2. No. Dick Durbin is a defacto WH spokesman

This has been Durbin's job for years, and it is a necessary job. I am not knocking it.

Durbin acts as liaison between the WH and Senate liberals.

Most senators do not have the role of WH liaison in the Senate. Durbin does.

[still_one]

5. Accepting that, why would there be a reason to put social security and medicare in the negotiating

if we have a majority in the Senate right now?

I don't care whether it is Durbin's position or the administrations, either way they lose me if they do that

[cthulu2016]

6. At some point I have to figure the President supports it for

some reason -- that he believes it is the right thing to do as policy.

[still_one]

8. agreed, but unless the Democratic party fights that, they will lose me

[PETRUS]

4. The hell with the details, we shouldn't be focused on deficit reduction at all right now.

[MotherPetrie]

7. Yup, the canary in the coalmine. And the tension target.

He takes the heat off Obama while Obama screws us behind the scenes.

[msongs]

9. sool' dick is parroting repub negotiating points. way to dickie poo nbt

[leftstreet]

10. Obama needs a 'liaison with senate liberals?'

Whose side is he on?