A virtual debate between Durkin and Dillard on Obama, Cable and Streaming
McCain as an Off shore balancer to Congress?
Jeff Berkowitz: …So you’re going to say that in 2008 the Republicans stay in the minority in the U. S. House and U. S. Senate [and therefore the country should] make McCain President to be a counterbalance, you’re conceding that, you’re saying that the Republicans don’t take back the House or Senate
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs)[Watch Durkin here]: We’re not going to get the House or Senate back but I believe John McCain is the only person under the circumstances right now who is going to be able to make a challenge... I’m glad for a number of reasons, but he is the only person who can challenge a Democrat in November, under very difficult circumstances
Can McCain win back the Republican base?
Jeff Berkowitz: Can he rally the Republican base?
State Rep. Jim Durkin: I think so…my conversations with a number of people, particularly the social conservatives and even the Blue Collar Democrats over the last few months—they like John McCain—and people are going to rally—
Could Bob Baar affect the race for President?
Jeff Berkowitz: They don’t like his views on immigration, do they? McCain Kennedy. They don’t like his views on campaign finance, McCain Feingold. They don’t like his views that he voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. So, some of those people say, let’s vote for Bob Barr, who looks to be the libertarian candidate for president.
Rep. Jim Durkin: Well, he is a fringe candidate and let Bob Barr do what he’s going to do. But, John McCain would not have survived the Republican Primary if the Republican base were that upset with him over some of the positions he took/
Jeff Berkowitz: A lot of independents and Democrats could cross over and vote in a lot of those states, couldn’t they have.
Rep. Jim Durkin: Well, that’s what John McCain’s appeal is and that’s what—
Jeff Berkowitz: So, maybe he didn’t have the base with him. He had the Democrats and Independents—
Rep. Jim Durkin: John McCain is going to go back—he is going to get the blue collar Democrats, independents are going to support him over Barack Obama because Barack is right now…going through a very difficult vetting process and nobody really knows who Barack is. I know him from—
Jeff Berkowitz: He represents change. You gotta like change, right?
What does Obama mean by "change"?
Rep. Jim Durkin: You know it sounds great but …I’d like to know what exactly he means by change. No one does.
Jeff Berkowitz: You should know. You knew him for seven years [in the state legislature]. Is he about change?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Not in the years that I knew him in Springfield. He was a sure--
Jeff Berkowitz: Obama wasn’t about change?
Obama: a sure vote for the Machine?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Barrack Obama was an intelligent, articulate guy but he was a sure vote for the Cook County machine and the City Hall for those six years.
Jeff Berkowitz: What did he vote that was for the Cook County Machine and City Hall.
Rep. Jim Durkin: I look at his, I mean I have been looking at his records but there was nothing that was outstanding—anything that leaped out—
Jeff Berkowitz: Kirk Dillard sat in [your] chair just last week and you know Kirk.
Rep. Jim Durkin: I know Kirk.
Jeff Berkowitz: He is a colleague of yours?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Sure.
Jeff Berkowitz: He is a Republican State Senator?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Sure.
Jeff Berkowitz: He knew Barack for all eight years he was there and he said Barack worked with him. They worked on capital punishment reform; they worked on ethics reform…as you know, your Republican colleague did an ad for Barack Obama in the Iowa caucuses because Kirk said he’s not going to say anything different now than he was saying in the seven years they knew each other. [Watch Senator Kirk Dillard here]
Republicans Dillard and Durkin fight over Obama
Rep. Jim Durkin: The Barack Obama that I knew back in Springfield, as I said, he was articulate, bright—but the fact is there was nothing that jumped out. I left in 2002, but …
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you differ with Dillard on this.
Rep. Jim Durkin: I differ with Dillard—I could tell you that capital punishment reform was basically—the groundwork was done between 1998 and 2002. It was a lay-up at that point. A lot of the things which they worked on—
Jeff Berkowitz: Who was doing it because Dillard said he was meeting on Monday mornings, those cold Monday mornings, coming down to meet with Barack and others—and Rauchenberger criticized Barack—Dillard said he was freezing his butt off, getting that thing done.
Rep. Jim Durkin: Well, I was there in the middle of it.
Jeff Berkowitz: You were there doing it, too?
Rep. Jim Durkin: I was there—
Jeff Berkowitz: You were working on capital punishment reform?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Yeah, I was. I was chairman of the prosecutorial—
Jeff Berkowitz: And, it wasn’t true that Dillard and Obama were working hard on it?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Not in the years that I was down there, no. It was not until 2003 when the Senate went to the Democrats and most of the groundwork had been done by the Fitzgerald commission and a few other commissions during the late 90s.
************************************************
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), taped for Public Affairs on May 4, 2008. Go here for more about the show with Durkin and for the suburban, Chicago and Aurora airing schedule of the show. Go here to watch the show with Rep. Durkin on your computer.
********************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox, last night's show in Chicago and Aurora with 6th CD Democratic candidate, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), this week's show in the suburbs with State Rep. Jim Durkin (R- Western Springs) and shows with many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
*************************************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs Youtube page include this week's show in the suburbs with State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), last night's show in Chicago and Aurora with 6th CD Democratic candidate Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), last Monday night's show in Chicago and Aurora with Sen. Dillard, and our prior shows with former Presidential Candidate John Cox, Dem. Campaign consultant Pete Giangreco, State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), Senator and Deputy Republican Senate Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and many other pols
Jeff Berkowitz: …So you’re going to say that in 2008 the Republicans stay in the minority in the U. S. House and U. S. Senate [and therefore the country should] make McCain President to be a counterbalance, you’re conceding that, you’re saying that the Republicans don’t take back the House or Senate
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs)[Watch Durkin here]: We’re not going to get the House or Senate back but I believe John McCain is the only person under the circumstances right now who is going to be able to make a challenge... I’m glad for a number of reasons, but he is the only person who can challenge a Democrat in November, under very difficult circumstances
Can McCain win back the Republican base?
Jeff Berkowitz: Can he rally the Republican base?
State Rep. Jim Durkin: I think so…my conversations with a number of people, particularly the social conservatives and even the Blue Collar Democrats over the last few months—they like John McCain—and people are going to rally—
Could Bob Baar affect the race for President?
Jeff Berkowitz: They don’t like his views on immigration, do they? McCain Kennedy. They don’t like his views on campaign finance, McCain Feingold. They don’t like his views that he voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. So, some of those people say, let’s vote for Bob Barr, who looks to be the libertarian candidate for president.
Rep. Jim Durkin: Well, he is a fringe candidate and let Bob Barr do what he’s going to do. But, John McCain would not have survived the Republican Primary if the Republican base were that upset with him over some of the positions he took/
Jeff Berkowitz: A lot of independents and Democrats could cross over and vote in a lot of those states, couldn’t they have.
Rep. Jim Durkin: Well, that’s what John McCain’s appeal is and that’s what—
Jeff Berkowitz: So, maybe he didn’t have the base with him. He had the Democrats and Independents—
Rep. Jim Durkin: John McCain is going to go back—he is going to get the blue collar Democrats, independents are going to support him over Barack Obama because Barack is right now…going through a very difficult vetting process and nobody really knows who Barack is. I know him from—
Jeff Berkowitz: He represents change. You gotta like change, right?
What does Obama mean by "change"?
Rep. Jim Durkin: You know it sounds great but …I’d like to know what exactly he means by change. No one does.
Jeff Berkowitz: You should know. You knew him for seven years [in the state legislature]. Is he about change?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Not in the years that I knew him in Springfield. He was a sure--
Jeff Berkowitz: Obama wasn’t about change?
Obama: a sure vote for the Machine?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Barrack Obama was an intelligent, articulate guy but he was a sure vote for the Cook County machine and the City Hall for those six years.
Jeff Berkowitz: What did he vote that was for the Cook County Machine and City Hall.
Rep. Jim Durkin: I look at his, I mean I have been looking at his records but there was nothing that was outstanding—anything that leaped out—
Jeff Berkowitz: Kirk Dillard sat in [your] chair just last week and you know Kirk.
Rep. Jim Durkin: I know Kirk.
Jeff Berkowitz: He is a colleague of yours?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Sure.
Jeff Berkowitz: He is a Republican State Senator?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Sure.
Jeff Berkowitz: He knew Barack for all eight years he was there and he said Barack worked with him. They worked on capital punishment reform; they worked on ethics reform…as you know, your Republican colleague did an ad for Barack Obama in the Iowa caucuses because Kirk said he’s not going to say anything different now than he was saying in the seven years they knew each other. [Watch Senator Kirk Dillard here]
Republicans Dillard and Durkin fight over Obama
Rep. Jim Durkin: The Barack Obama that I knew back in Springfield, as I said, he was articulate, bright—but the fact is there was nothing that jumped out. I left in 2002, but …
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you differ with Dillard on this.
Rep. Jim Durkin: I differ with Dillard—I could tell you that capital punishment reform was basically—the groundwork was done between 1998 and 2002. It was a lay-up at that point. A lot of the things which they worked on—
Jeff Berkowitz: Who was doing it because Dillard said he was meeting on Monday mornings, those cold Monday mornings, coming down to meet with Barack and others—and Rauchenberger criticized Barack—Dillard said he was freezing his butt off, getting that thing done.
Rep. Jim Durkin: Well, I was there in the middle of it.
Jeff Berkowitz: You were there doing it, too?
Rep. Jim Durkin: I was there—
Jeff Berkowitz: You were working on capital punishment reform?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Yeah, I was. I was chairman of the prosecutorial—
Jeff Berkowitz: And, it wasn’t true that Dillard and Obama were working hard on it?
Rep. Jim Durkin: Not in the years that I was down there, no. It was not until 2003 when the Senate went to the Democrats and most of the groundwork had been done by the Fitzgerald commission and a few other commissions during the late 90s.
************************************************
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), taped for Public Affairs on May 4, 2008. Go here for more about the show with Durkin and for the suburban, Chicago and Aurora airing schedule of the show. Go here to watch the show with Rep. Durkin on your computer.
********************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox, last night's show in Chicago and Aurora with 6th CD Democratic candidate, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), this week's show in the suburbs with State Rep. Jim Durkin (R- Western Springs) and shows with many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
*************************************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs Youtube page include this week's show in the suburbs with State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), last night's show in Chicago and Aurora with 6th CD Democratic candidate Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), last Monday night's show in Chicago and Aurora with Sen. Dillard, and our prior shows with former Presidential Candidate John Cox, Dem. Campaign consultant Pete Giangreco, State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), Senator and Deputy Republican Senate Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and many other pols
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