Necessary change is coming

Today, US Senator Dick Durnin (D-Illinois), who is also the Democratic Whip in the US Senate, announced he won’t seek re-election next year. I think Senator Durbin has made the right choice. He said, “in my heart I know it’s time to pass the torch,” and I think he’s right. I voted for Senator Durbin all five times, but he’s right: It’s time for a new generation to take the lead.

To be transparent, of course I’ll vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is—assuming I’m still allowed to vote next year (the Republicans’ “SAVE Act”, as written, will probably end up taking away my right to vote). Even so, in my past, I did once vote for a Republican for Senator from Illinois, Charles H. Percy, way back in 1978, the first Federal election I was old enough to vote in. By 1984, I’d been pushed out of the Republican Party by Reagan’s takeover and the party’s lurch to the Right (which is ironic these days because Reaganism would be called “socialism” or “Marxism” by today’s Republicans). So, in 1984, I voted for Senator Paul Simon, and Simon, in turn, was succeeded by Durbin. I talked more about Senator Percy in a 2011 post when he died. And one of the things I praised in that post was that “he pushed for repatriation of the Panama Canal back to Panama”, which underscores how awful the modern US Republican Party has become—and why there’s no why, no how, I coule ever even imagine voting for a Republican for any office.

Senator Durbin did a LOT of good over his career, something many others will point out in great detail. But: He also earned outrage form the Democratic base for his vote for the Continuing Resolution that funded the current White House regime’s criminal acts, something that Senate Minotry Leader, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also was widely criticised for. He, however, has not announced his retirement (his current term as Senator expires in 2028, when he’ll be 77).

So, what happens now? There will, of course, be a scramble among Democratic politicians in Illinois to rise to the top of the heap of potential successors. The Chicago Sun-Time has reported on the leading contenders, most of whom I don’t know anything about [Tip o’ the Hat to Roger Green for the link]. However, in general I’m not keen on any US Representative running for Senate (or any other office) if that would turn the seat into a competitive election. I firmly believe that no incumbent Democratic US Representative should run for another office if doing so could risk losing the seat to Republicans. Saving the republic and preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution is far more important than any politician’s personal ambitions. IMHO.

There’s a lot of pressure on Democratic politicians in Congress to either stand up or stand down. Senator Dick Durbin has chosen the latter, and I completely support his decision and acknowledge the courage it must’ve taken to step aside from a job he clearly loves. Sometimes the most difficult decision is the best one.

The photo above is a cropped version of Senator Durbin's official portrait from 2020, which is in the Public Domain. It's available from Wikimedia Commons.