Dick Durbin: GOP Candidates 'Bow And Genuflect' To Tea Party

GOP candidates "bow and genuflect" to the Tea Party, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

"As I listen to the Republican presidential nominee candidates come forward and spot their ideas and bow and genuflect to the Tea Party and their agenda, I remember the Tea Party is not very popular in America," Durbin told host Candy Crowley, when she asked about President Barack Obama's prospects for reelection.

"What they brought us to in Washington twice already is a confrontation that has virtually threatened to close down our government and our economy," Durbin continued, referring to the brinkmanship over the government spending deal in April and the fight over the debt ceiling this summer. "I don't think people like that style of politics."

Crowley also asked Durbin about Democratic strategist James Carville's recommendation that Obama should "panic," in response to the Democratic losses in the New York and Nevada special elections last week, and fire his economic team.

"For God's sake, why are we still looking at the same political and economic advisers that got us into this mess? It's not working," Carville wrote in a CNN op-ed.

Durbin, however, rejected the idea that Obama needs to shake up his staff.

"I don't think so," Durbin told Crowley. "I think his team has put together a positive, good plan."

WATCH highlights from this week's Sunday shows:

Comments

[smburwick]

08:59 AM on 09/22/2011

doonooch: Oh yes he is a marxist. Was indoctrinated into Black marxism when he was eight. In his book.

[mvphilly]

06:27 PM on 09/21/2011

Looks like your parents named you right Dick.

[nighthawk43]

07:18 AM on 09/21/2011

What Dick Durban and his commuinist allies do not undestand is that the Tea Party is the American People and if he does not think they are popular he should address the next meeting. He should be more concered about the radicals who support and advise his beloved Obams.

[bdbd1983]

06:57 PM on 09/21/2011

"the Tea Party is the American People" lmfao, stop lying you communist.

[whistlerc42]

06:26 AM on 09/23/2011

bdbd: ignorance is no longer bliss. the simple communist slogan is "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" or in other words , you make it we will redistribute it. obama and his appointees have openly declared tht they will be redistribution the "wealth" (communism) and obama is leading the way moving $500Billion dollars from medicare (my retirement health plant) to obama care that comers 47 milliion people younger than retirement, thereby taking money from me that should be paying my medical bills. ( i paid the money into medicare through my taxes. there is you communism ane its obama and the libs. btw. the tea-party just kicked your butt in two elections a week or so ago NYC 09 and NV. the tea-party is the american people, learn to like it

[EJavaM07]

03:48 PM on 09/20/2011

The baggers are the remnants of the plantation owners here in the Us, and so are now into reinstituting slavery for the rest of Us who 'stole' their slaves from them.

[whistlerc42]

06:31 AM on 09/23/2011

ejava: explain one thing that the tea-party is doing to return you to the plantation. they are trying to save the country from bankruptcy, and put people back to work. obama on the other hand is so busy trying to spend more money and get more people dependent on the feds for a handout that he is killing jobs. i you know how to search, look up US Dept of Labor job statistics for the past 10 years. unemployment was much lower under bush. but obama's only solution is "it all bush's fault" i remember when my 8 year old brother blamed everything on me. that's about the same level of maturity obam works on. he is supposed to lead, not cry

[EJavaM07]

10:08 PM on 09/24/2011

"i you know how to search, look up US Dept of Labor job statistics for the past 10 years"

Did.

Anyone can keep unemployment levels at historic lows when they borrow money w/o regard to paying it back.

Sorry, but can't help but think that we're paying the bill now for the borrowing and lies that went into the last decade.

So you can blame Obama, and a lot of people are, but tell me how McCain, or even GWB himself, would have done anywhere near as well given the hand that was dealt our current President.

And the proof in the puddin', so to speak, is that the crash, and thus TARP, happened under GWB. Everything thereafter is just fightin' fires that were already burning out of control.

[Weeweed Up]

01:27 PM on 09/20/2011

Durbin, however, rejected the idea that Obama needs to shake up his staff.

"I don't think so," Durbin told Crowley. "I think his team has put together a positive, good plan."

Really, Mr. Durbin? So bending over for the GOP is a positive, good plan? How I wish our president had some of Carville's fighting spirit. He's been overly cautious for far too long. It's about time we see the Obama that was "fighting for the middle class" with passion. Keep it up, Mr. President. We need to see you fight for us that are not millionaires or own an oil company.

[NHGranite]

10:53 AM on 09/20/2011

Fox reports that most of the poor in the US have refrigerators. That's because before Bushonomics, they weren't poor, they were middle class. They could afford a house that was going to increase in value forever, so they took Equity Lines that most didn't understand were Second Mortgages. They were convinced they could use their equity to pay off all the credit cards they had maxed out, but they didn't cut up the cards and ran them up again. They bought microwaves, air conditioners, tvs and phones. They wanted cheaper stuff, so manufacturers moved jobs to China where factory workers made about 75 cents an hour in 2010 (cite NYT). Americans lost their jobs and started falling economically. But they kept their appliances, to the amazement of Fox.

[whistlerc42]

06:35 AM on 09/23/2011

nhgranite: if you know how to do a computer search,look up Dept of Labor statistics on unemployment for the past 10 yrs. LOW under Bush, HIGH under obama. obama demonstrated his incompetence with 'stimulus" and "bailouts" no person or country can spend their way to prosperity or borrow their way out of debt.. debt is a great part of our big problem.

[NHGranite]

02:51 PM on 09/23/2011

I do know why the rates changed, not just the employment numbers. The bailout, TARP was done by your guy in 2008. Stimulus created millions of jobs, but Congress would not go far enough, as history tells us from the Great Depression. The previous administration lost TRILLIONS of dollars between the Pentagon (announced by Rumsfeld 9/10/01) and the pallets of money lost in Iraq and spent in Afghanistan on roads and schools. 2 wars not ever on the budget, but financed by the Chinese. All dumped on the new administration BEFORE the election - they didn't care if it was Obama or Clinton, they were dumping the country before they left.

[eurythmy2]

07:19 AM on 09/20/2011

REALLY!?! This "Greedfest" has to Stop! What has happened to Patriotism? The wealthiest Americans who think that seeing Obama fail is more important than seeing America succeed are Ruining the USA!!!

[grope and change]

09:23 AM on 09/20/2011

He blew a trillion dollars with nothing to show for it and you want to let him do it again?

[NHGranite]

10:56 AM on 09/20/2011

What are you talking about? The stimulus that created over a million jobs? NH got a lot of money for our shovel-ready jobs that repaired highways all over the state. Remember, TARP was Bushonomics in 2008. Cite your sources

[whistlerc42]

06:37 AM on 09/23/2011

eurythny2: economics is not the simplest subject. obama and the libs are ruining the USA, by continuously spending more money for programs we dont need and cant afford and then borrowing from our enemies to give away more. do a search on US foreign aid to other countries and know that that is borrowed money.

[NHGranite]

11:26 PM on 09/24/2011

The borrowed money was by Bush for his unfunded wars that he ran up off budget. Do you guys ever cite the truth? didn't think so. Not half slow, buddy - really half fast.

[ChicagoSuz]

04:38 AM on 09/20/2011

Poor Boehner... he did everything possible to suck up to the Tea party & they reward him by primarying him? Tsk, tsk... his only hope now is to start working with the Prez & hope that he can capture the 'normal' republicans & a few independents.
Having said that, I don't have a huge problem with them splitting the vote & letting the Dem waltz in... ;-)

[senatortruth]

02:42 AM on 09/20/2011

TexasTreader

As ineffectiv­e as obama is, he can still bring some democrats to heel. Fine by me. I think there's room in the dumpster for all of them.
*******************************

Round up all the Texas RapePublic/TaliBag politicians

and drop them in the middle of the wildfires.

Good practice for their afterlives,

and America is a BETTER place...

LOL!

[prettyinpink]

10:54 PM on 09/19/2011

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The fat lady has not sung for the liberals yet-but she's warming up.

[Marisa Stein]

08:25 AM on 09/20/2011

f & f best comment ever! thank you

[prettyinpink]

10:51 PM on 09/19/2011

Always nice to hear from "little" Dick Durbin.

We don't have a chance to hear his blather much since his demotion.

[RUKidding0]

06:40 PM on 09/19/2011

"Dick Durbin: GOP Candidates 'Bow And Genuflect' To Tea Party" ... and should, because there are only two significant types of Republicans - those who are accommodationists to the incremental ratcheting into place of an ever bigger, more controlling, and more expensive social democratic state.

For 75 years, the latter have allowed the failure that is our social democratic government to accrue.

No more.

From Nov 2, 2010 on, it has been and will continue to be the Tea Party Revolution that controls this party.

Get used to it, because it is the new American political paradigm.

[HaeJee]

09:41 PM on 09/19/2011

Which is the reason why they turned this independent voter to the liberal side.

[femmyror]

10:50 PM on 09/19/2011

That gets you a Smart badge! :)

[PatWard]

11:17 PM on 09/19/2011

Smart badge X2

[tsull82751]

06:08 PM on 09/19/2011

I don't see how the Tea Party can claim they are a grassroots movement when they are funded by both Freedom Works and the Koch brothers. Those conservatives who live in a bubble and rely on FOX for news and the likes of Rush to shape their political stance are such sad people. Many, many of the people have been so purposely misled, and they have no idea just how devious, manipulate and evil the Republican and Tea Partiers actually are. Fox, Rush, and most conservative pundits use the name of God to gain Christian votes, and Christians blindly follow...many Christians. These "Christians" need to do some serious soul searching if they can genuinely see and accept the conservative leaders, candidates, and "news" outlets as anything remotely reflecting Christianity. These evil doers who fill the airways with such greed driven propaganda serve their god of greed above the Christian God. Regardless, Christian voters need to study what true Christian values are.

[akdennis]

03:03 AM on 09/20/2011

Their hypocricy knows no bounds, an irony I noted shortly after the money behind the tea party became known. Well, at least they are consistent in their inconsistency.

BTW, all of the non-sensical-ness of the tp is merely a side effect of living inside the Foxsnooze bubble. Other side effects may include headaches, blurry vision, sexual dysfunction, and extreme irritablility.

[CynAnne]

05:50 PM on 09/19/2011

(Co-writte­­­­­­­­n with SocialistD­­­­­­­­ist­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­o­­rt­i­o­­­n­­­)­­­­:
I think the government should tell people what they can and can't do in their bedroom, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should tell people who they can and can't marry, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should tell people what they can and can't put in their body and imprison them for unreasonab­­­­­le periods of time for doing otherwise, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should impose draconian laws against women regarding what they can and can't do with their own bodies, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should be able to spy on American citizens without just cause, should be able to interrogat­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­e anyone they suspect of being a terr0rist (even when no reasonable suspicion exists) and seize the property of anyone who disagrees with lraq, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should be able to unfairly burden the middle-cla­­­­­­­­­­­­s­s while giving tax breaks to plutocrats and corporatio­­­­­­­­­­n­s outsourcin­­­­­­­­­­g American jobs­, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should outlaw lsIam and atheism and restrict building or creating structures for religions deemed 'unchristi­­­­­­­an', but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

I think the government should make children pray in school (but only to the white christian god), force schools to teach creationis­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­m, rewrite history and deny scientific fact, but I'm for small government­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

Vote T-Publican­­­­­­­­'t - cuz they're for small government n' stuff...

[honestyandtruth]

07:05 PM on 09/19/2011

You are proof absolute that ideological braintampering works. If you are going to spout "stuff", like the above post, you should try to incorporate a touch of truth. Do you even know anyone like the people you are describing or are you merly regurgitating lemming food dribbled out to you by the progressive lie and misrepresent ad nueseam

[Loaks]

12:03 AM on 09/20/2011

I guess you haven't been paying much attention to your Republican Presidential field. With a few exceptions for Huntsman and Paul.

[JrayTo]

07:44 AM on 09/20/2011

shouldn't you be on the "science is for libruhls in uhmerca" or some other site for idi0ts.

[edrice222]

09:25 PM on 09/19/2011

Absolutely brilliant!
And frighteningly accurate.
Thank you!!

[dunefan]

03:54 PM on 09/19/2011

President Obama "bows and genuflects" to all the leaders of foreign countries. Never have seen anything like it from another president.

[alabama lawyer]

04:34 PM on 09/19/2011

WARNING: The above comment may cause serious damage to intellect. Please exercise extreme caution while reading!

[doomonyou]

05:37 PM on 09/19/2011

Too late, I'm already more stupid for having read it. Where's Huffpost's vaunted comment reviewers when you need them? Won't someone think of the children?

[pghperson]

02:18 AM on 09/20/2011

You're incorrect. In so many ways. For starters; bowing is a sign of respect on other countries. I guess you're on board with blatant disrespect to other cultures? You know, just because you can. I can guarantee you; your way of thinking would neither win friends or influence people of other cultures. You'd be shown the same disrespect that began with... You.