Dick Durbin
United States Senator from Illinois
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1997 Serving with Mark Kirk
Preceded by	Paul Simon
Senate Majority Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007
Leader	Harry Reid
Preceded by	Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Whip
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Leader	Harry Reid
Preceded by	Harry Reid
Succeeded by	Trent Lott
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 20th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Paul Findley
Succeeded by	John Shimkus
Personal details
Born	Richard Joseph Durbin (1944-11-21) November 21, 1944 (age 67) East St. Louis, Illinois, United States
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Loretta Schaefer
Children	Christine (Deceased) Jennifer Paul
Alma mater	Georgetown University
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Website	www.durbin.senate.gov

Richard Joseph "Dick" Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is the senior United States Senator from Illinois and the Senate Majority Whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate.

Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, he graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University Law Center. Working in state legal counsel throughout the 1970s, he made an unsuccessful run for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 1978. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, representing the Springfield-based 20th congressional district. In 1996 he won election to the U.S. Senate by an unexpected 15-point margin. He has served as Senate Democratic Whip since 2005, and assumed his current title when the Democratic Party obtained a majority in 2007.

Early life, education and career[link]

Durbin was born in East St. Louis, Illinois to an Irish-American father, William Durbin, and a Lithuanian-born mother, Anna (née Kutkin; Lithuanian: Ona Kutkaitė).^[1] He graduated from Assumption High School in East St. Louis in 1962. During his high school years he worked at a meatpacking plant. He earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1966. He was an intern in the office of Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois during his senior year in college. Durbin earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969 and was admitted to the Illinois bar later that year.

After graduating from law school, Durbin started a law practice in Springfield. He was legal counsel to Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon from 1969 to 1972, and then legal counsel to the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee from 1972 to 1982. Durbin was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for a seat in the Illinois State Senate in 1976.^[2] He ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1978 as the running mate of State Superintendent of Schools Michael Bakalis. They were defeated by Republican incumbents Jim Thompson and Dave O'Neal. Durbin then worked as an adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine for five years while maintaining his law practice.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

In 1982, Durbin won the Democratic nomination for the 20th congressional district, which includes most of Springfield. He scored a huge upset, defeating 22-year incumbent Paul Findley. As part of the decennial redistricting process, Findley's district had been redrawn to include more Democrats. Durbin's campaign emphasized unemployment and financial difficulties facing farmers, and told voters that electing him would send "a message to Washington and to President Reagan that our economic policies are not working." Durbin benefited from donations by pro-Israel groups from around the United States, in particular, concentrated support from AIPAC,^[3] that had been angered by Findley's support for an American policy of a more equal treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis.^[4] Ultimately, Findley raised more money than Durbin, $582,793 to $417,635 in the year prior to the election. Durbin was reelected six times, rarely facing serious opposition, and winning more than 55% of the vote in each election except 1994.^[5][6][7]

U.S. Senate[link]

Durbin speaks during the final night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, introducing his party's nominee, fellow Illinoisan Barack Obama.

In 1996, Durbin defeated Pat Quinn to become the Democratic Party's nominee to replace the retiring Democratic incumbent, Senator Paul Simon, a long-time friend. He faced Republican State Representative Al Salvi in the November general election. Although the election was initially expected to be competitive, Durbin won by a surprising 15-point margin, undoubtedly helped by Bill Clinton's 18-point win in Illinois that year.

Committees[link]

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on African Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
  • Subcommittee on European Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on the Constitution
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law (Chairman)
• Committee on Rules and Administration

Caucus memberships[link]

• Bi-Cameral High- Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus
• Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-Chair)
• International Conservation Caucus
• Senate Diabetes Caucus
• Senate Hunger Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Senate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Sportsmen's Caucus
• Congressional COPD Caucus (Co-Chair)

Leadership[link]

Durbin eating lunch with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

In November 1998, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle appointed Durbin as his Assistant Democratic Whip. Following the Election of 2004, Durbin became the Democratic Whip in the 109th Congress. He became the first senator from Illinois to serve as a Senate Whip since Everett Dirksen did so in the late 1950s, and the fifth to serve in Senate Leadership.^[8] Durbin served as Assistant Minority Leader from 2005 until 2007, when the Democrats became the Majority Party in the Senate. He then assumed the role of Assistant Majority Leader, or Majority Whip.

In addition to his caucus duties, Durbin is Chairman the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.^[9]

In 2000, Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore reportedly considered asking Durbin to be his running mate and candidate for Vice President of the United States.^[10] Gore ultimately selected Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.^[11]

When Majority Leader Harry Reid faced a difficult reelection fight in 2010, some pundits predicted a possibly heated fight to succeed him between his Assistant Durbin and Senator Chuck Schumer, who is well known for his fundraising prowess.^[12] Reid's reelection victory, however, rendered such speculation moot.

Political positions[link]

Durbin is one of the most liberal members of Congress. Mother Jones has called him a "top Senate liberal."^[13] His voting record is very similar to the Democratic caucus position, consistent with his leadership position as Whip, which has the duty of persuading senators to follow the party line in their votes. As a trial lawyer, Durbin has excellent debating abilities, so much so that majority leader Harry Reid called him "the best debater" in the U.S. senate.

Abortion[link]

As a congressman, Durbin voted consistently to uphold pre-existing restrictions on abortion or impose new limitations – including supporting a Constitutional amendment that would have nullifed Roe v. Wade.^[14] He reversed his position in 1989 and has since voted to maintain access to abortion, including support for Medicaid funding of the procedure, and opposition to any limitation that he considers a practical or potential encroachment upon Roe.^[15] Durbin has maintained that this reversal came about as a result of personal reflection and his growing awareness of potentially harmful implications of his previous policy with respect to women facing dangerous pregnancies.^[16] While visiting a home for abused children in Quincy, Illinois, the director, a friend, asked him to speak with two girls who were about to turn 18 and be turned out of state care. Talking with the girls, victims of gang rape and incest, made him reconsider his position on the subject. He says, "I still oppose abortion and would try my best to convince any woman in my family to carry the baby to term. But I believe that ultimately the decision must be made by the woman, her doctor, her family, and her conscience."^[17]

NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood both give him a 100% rating while the National Right to Life Committee gives him a 0% rating.

Darfur[link]

On March 2, 2005, then Senator Jon Corzine presented the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 495) to the Senate. Durbin was one of 40 senators who co-sponsored the bill. The Darfur Accountability Act is noted as the premier legislative attempt to instill peace in Darfur. The bill asks that all people involved in or deemed in some way responsible for the genocide in Darfur be denied visas and entrance to the U.S.

In 2006, Durbin co-sponsored the Durbin-Leahy Amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations bill for emergency funding to instill peace in Darfur. In 2006, he also co-sponsored the Lieberman Resolution, and the Clinton Amendment.

On June 7, 2007, Durbin introduced the Sudan Disclosure Enforcement Act, "Aimed at enhancing the U.S. Government's ability to impose penalties on violators of U.S. sanctions against Sudan." The bill called for the United Nations Security Council to vote on sanctions against the Sudanese Government for the genocide in Darfur.

Durbin has voted in favor of all Darfur-related legislation. In addition to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, he also supported the Civilian Protection No-Fly Zone Act, the Hybrid Force Resolution, and the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act.

HIV/AIDS[link]

In March 2007, Durbin introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 to the Senate. The bill was designed so that over a three year period, the U.S. would supply over $600 million to help create safer medical facilities and working conditions, and the recruitment and training of doctors from all over the continent.

In December 2007, Durbin and two other senators co-sponsored Senator Kerry's Nondiscrimination in Travel and Immigration Act. Also, in March 2007, Durbin joined thirty-two other senators to co-sponsor the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007.

American Public Health Association gives him a rating of 100%.

Iraq War[link]

On September 9, 2002, Durbin was the first of four Democratic senators (the others being Sens. Bob Graham, Feinstein, and Levin) on the Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), responding to the Bush administration's request for a joint resolution authorizing a preemptive war on Iraq without having prepared a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), to ask George Tenet, the Director of Central Intelligence, to prepare a NIE on the status of Iraq's WMD programs.^[18] Durbin was one of the few senators who read the resulting prepared October 1, 2002 NIE, Iraq's Continuing Programs for Weapons of Mass Destruction.^[19]

On September 29, 2002, Durbin held a news conference in Chicago to announce that "absent dramatic changes" in the resolution, he would vote against the resolution authorizing war on Iraq.^[20] On October 2, 2002, at the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in Federal Plaza, Durbin repeated his promise to oppose the resolution in a letter read during the rally.^[21]

On October 10, 2002, the U.S. Senate failed to pass Durbin's amendment to the resolution to strike "the continuing threat posed by Iraq" and insert "an imminent threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction", by a vote of 30 to 70, with the majority of Democratic senators voting for the amendment, but with 21 Democratic senators joining all 49 Republican senators voting against it.^[22] On October 11, 2002, Durbin was one of 23 senators to vote against the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War.^[23]

On April 25, 2007, Durbin said that as an intelligence committee member he knew in 2002 from classified information that the American people were being misled by the Bush Administration into a war on Iraq, but he could not reveal this because, as an intelligence committee member, he was sworn to secrecy.^[24] This revelation prompted an online attack ad against Durbin by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.^[25]

Fair Sentencing Act[link]

Durbin authored the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, legislation that has corrected some of the imbalance in cocaine sentencing.^[26]

DREAM Act[link]

He is the chief proponent for The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (The "DREAM Act"), a piece of proposed federal legislation. This bill would provide certain students who entered or were brought to the country illegally with the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they arrived in the US as children, graduated from a US high school, have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, submit biometric data, pass a criminal background check, and complete two years toward a four-year degree from an accredited university or complete at least two years in the military within a five-year period.

Tobacco regulation[link]

In 1987, Durbin introduced major tobacco regulation legislation in the House to ban cigarette smoking on airline flights of two hours or less. He was joined by Rep. C. W. Bill Young, a Republican from Florida, in saying that the rights of smokers to smoke end where their smoking affects the health and safety of others, such as on airplanes. The bill went on to pass as part of the 1988 transportation spending bill. In 1989, Congress banned cigarette smoking on all domestic airline flights.^[27]

In March 1994, Durbin proposed an amendment to the Improving America's Schools Act that required schools that receive Federal drug prevention money to teach elementary and secondary students about the dangers of tobacco in addition to those of drugs and alcohol. The amendment also required that schools warn students against tobacco and teach them how to resist peer pressure to smoke.^[28]

In February 2008, Durbin called on Congress to support a measure that would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to oversee the tobacco industry. This measure would require companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, restrict advertising and promotions, and mandate the removal of harmful ingredients in tobacco products. The measure would also prohibit tobacco companies from using terms such as "low risk," "light," and "mild" on packaging.

Durbin attributes his stance against tobacco smoking to his father, who smoked two packs of Camel cigarettes a day and died of lung cancer.

Freedom of Speech[link]

In 2007, speaking as Senate Majority Whip, Durbin went on record as stating that "It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine."^[29]

In 2010, Durbin cosponsored and passed from committee the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, a bill that aims to combat media piracy by blacklisting websites though many opposed to the bill argue that it violates First Amendment rights and promotes censorship.^[30][31] The announcement of the bill was followed by a wave of protest from digital rights activists, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation calling it censorship and stating that action may be taken against all users of sites in which only some users are uploading infringing material.^[32]

As of January 19, 2011, Durbin is a sponsor of the controversial SOPA act.

Financial crisis of 2007–2010[link]

Durbin meeting with Raj Date, then Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to discuss helping consumers compare bank fees.

On April 27, 2009, in an interview with WJJG talk radio host Ray Hanania, Durbin accused banks of creating the financial crisis of 2007–2010. Durbin expressed a belief that many of the banks responsible for creating the crisis "own the place," referring to the power wielded by the banking lobby on Capitol Hill.^[33]

On September 18, 2008, Durbin attended a closed meeting with congressional leaders, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and was urged to craft legislation to help financially troubled banks. That same day (trade effective the next day), Durbin sold mutual-fund shares worth $42,696, and reinvested it all with Warren Buffett.^[34]

Durbin is currently sponsoring a bill (Senate Bill 500) that calls for a maximum annual interest rate cap of 36%, including all interest and fees.^[35] This bill will purportedly put an end to predatory lending activities. However, if passed, it will have a far-reaching impact on many industries - including pawn shop lending, auto title lending, and payday lending - and the customers who rely on their short-term, small-dollar loans.^[36]

Rod Blagojevich[link]

Shortly after Governor Rod Blagojevich's arrest on federal corruption charges on December 9, 2008, Durbin called for the Illinois legislature to quickly pass legislation for a special election to fill then President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.^[37] He stated that no United States Senate appointment of Blagojevich's could produce a credible replacement under the circumstances.^[38]

Durbin and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led all 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in writing Illinois Governor Blagojevich to urge him to resign and not name a successor to Obama following Blagojevich's arrest.^[39] Despite this, the governor appointed Roland Burris to the seat on December 30. Burris is a former state official and donated thousands to Blagojevich's re-election fund.^{[citation needed]}

Trade[link]

In January 2005, Durbin changed his longstanding position on sugar tariffs and price supports. After several years of voting to keep sugar quotas and price supports, Durbin now favors abolishing the program. "The sugar program depended on congressmen like me from states that grew corn," Durbin said, referring to the fact that, though they were formerly a single entity, the sugar market and the corn syrup market are now largely separate.^[40]

In May 2006, Durbin campaigned to maintain a $0.54 per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. Durbin justified the tariff by joining Barack Obama in stating that "ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices," arguing instead that domestic ethanol production is sufficient and expanding.^[41] American Coalition for Ethanol gives him a rating of 100%.^{[citation needed]}

Environmentalism[link]

Among Durbin's legislative causes are environmental protection, particularly the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. League of Conservation Voters gives him a rating of 89%. Sierra Club gives him a 90% rating. Claimed on April 6, 2012 that the only way to prevent more tornados in Texas was to mandate hybrid cars.^[42] His claim is that, if we don't spend the money now to develop vehicles with lower carbon emissions, more people would die.

Other positions[link]

Durbin meets with Elena Kagan.

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (January 2012)

Durbin has also been a major proponent of expanded Amtrak funding and support. In October 2007, he opposed a bill in the Illinois General Assembly that would allow three casinos to be built, saying, "I really, really think we ought to stop and catch our breath and say, 'Is this the future of Illinois? That every time we want to do something we'll just build more casinos?'"^[43]

He has campaigned against asbestos.^{[citation needed]}

Agriculture National Farmers Union gives him a rating of 100%.^{[citation needed]}

Animal rights and wildlife Humane Society of the United States gives him a rating of 100%.^{[citation needed]}

Budget, spending, and taxes Americans for Tax Reform gives him a rating of 5%. Citizens for Tax Justice gives him a rating of 100%. National Taxpayers Union gives him a rating of 14%. U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives him a rating of 45%.^{[citation needed]}

Civil liberties and civil rights American Civil Liberties Union gives him a rating of 71%. NAACP gives him a rating of 100%. Americans United for Separation of Church and State gives him a rating of 100%.^{[citation needed]}

Conservative The John Birch Society gives him a rating of 10%.^{[citation needed]}

Education National Education Association of America gives him an A rating.^{[citation needed]}

Family and children Children's Defense Fund gives him a rating of 100%.^{[citation needed]}

Government reform Citizens Against Government Waste gives him a 4% rating. U.S. Public Interest Research Group gives him a rating of 95%.^{[citation needed]}

Guns Gun Owners of America gives him an F- rating. National Rifle Association gives him an F rating.^{[citation needed]}

Immigration American Immigration Lawyers Association gives him a rating of 88%.^{[citation needed]}

Labor AFL-CIO gives him a rating of 100%.^{[citation needed]}

Seniors and Social Security Alliance for Retired Americans gives him a rating of 100%. American Association of Retired Persons gives him a rating of 90%.^{[citation needed]}

Veterans American Legion gives him a rating of 50%. Disabled Veterans of America gives him a rating of 80%. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gives him an A- rating.^{[citation needed]}

Welfare and poverty Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law gives him an A+ rating.^{[citation needed]}

Women National Organization for Women gives him a rating of 96%.^{[citation needed]}

Other The Cato Institute gives him a rating of 17%. Christian Coalition gives him a rating of 0%.^{[citation needed]}

Guantanamo interrogation criticism[link]

Durbin received a lot of media attention on June 14, 2005, when in the U.S. Senate chambers he compared interrogation techniques used at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with those utilized by such regimes as Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Khmer Rouge:

"When you read some of the graphic descriptions of what has occurred here – I almost hesitate to put them in the record, and yet they have to be added to this debate. Let me read to you what one FBI agent saw. And I quote from his report:

"On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times they urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18–24 hours or more. On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold.... On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime – Pol Pot or others – that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."^[44]

Durbin's comments drew widespread criticism that comparing U.S. actions to such regimes insulted the United States and victims of genocide. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove accused Durbin of treason,^[45] while former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called on the Senate to censure Durbin.^[46] Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, whose son Patrick was serving in U.S. Army, also called on Durbin to apologize for his remarks, saying that he thought it was a "disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that."^[47] John Wertheim, Democratic state party chairman of New Mexico, and Jim Pederson, Arizona Democratic party chairman, also criticized Durbin's remarks.^[48] The leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars also demanded an apology,^[49] as did the Anti-Defamation League^[47]

Durbin initially did not apologize, but on June 21, 2005, he went before the Senate, saying, "More than most people, a senator lives by his words ... occasionally words fail us, occasionally we will fail words."^[50]

Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic, praised Durbin for raising serious moral issues about U.S. policy.^[51] Other commentators, including liberal commentator Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of Daily Kos, condemned Durbin for apologizing to his critics, arguing Durbin made a mistake in making himself, rather than detention and torture concerns at Guantanamo Bay, the focus of media coverage.^[52][53]

Electoral history[link]

United States Senator (Class II): Results 1996–2008^[54]

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1996		Richard J. Durbin	2,384,028	56%		Al Salvi	1,728,824	41%
2002		Richard J. Durbin	2,103,766	60%		Jim Durkin	1,325,703	38%
2008		Richard J. Durbin	3,516,846	68%		Steve Sauerberg[55]	1,479,984	29%

Personal life[link]

Durbin and his wife Loretta had three children, Christine, Jennifer and Paul. After several weeks in the hospital with complications due to a congenital heart condition, Christine died on November 1, 2008.^[56]

References[link]

1. ^ durbin
2. ^ http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=26847
3. ^ The Israel Lobby, pg 157, by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt
4. ^ Findley, Paul (11 September 2002). "Liberating America From Israel". Media Monitors Network. http://www.mediamonitors.net/findley2.html. Retrieved 11 September 2002. 
5. ^ Malcolm, Andrew (5 September 1982). "The Midwest". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/05/us/the-midwest.html. Retrieved 1 February 2012. 
6. ^ Clymer, Adam (3 October 1982). "Democrats Shaping Election as Referendum on Economy". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/03/us/democrats-shaping-election-as-referendum-on-economy.html?scp=4&sq=Paul%20Findley%20Durbin&st=nyt&pagewanted=1. Retrieved 1 February 2012. 
7. ^ Clymer, Adam (30 October 1982). "GOP House Candidates Leading in Fundraising". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/30/us/gop-house-candidates-leading-in-fund-raising.html?scp=3&sq=Paul+Findley+Durbin&st=nyt. Retrieved 1 February 2012. 
8. ^ Dick Durbin: Bush Fighter - January 27, 2005
9. ^ Project Vote Smart - Senator Richard J. "Dick" Durbin - Biography
10. ^ Gore considers naming VP immediately after GOP convention - June 13, 2000 CNN
11. ^ Joseph Lieberman Accepts Al Gore's Offer to Join the Democratic Ticket CNN
12. ^ [1] New York Times
13. ^ Khimm, Suzy (2010-12-08) Top Senate Liberal Defends Obama on Tax Cuts, Mother Jones
14. ^ The Durbin Abortion Papers
15. ^ Richard Durbin on Abortion
16. ^ Excerpt from NBC News' Meet the Press
17. ^ Parsons, Christi (2007-12-02). "Dick Durbin's Challenge". Chicago Tribune: pp. 15–19, 26–27 
18. ^ Select Committee on Intelligence (July 9, 2004). "Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq" (PDF). http://intelligence.senate.gov/108301.pdf. 
    Durbin, Richard (September 10, 2002). "Assessing Iraq's military capabilities". Congressional Record--Senate. pp. S8427–S8429. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S8427&dbname=2002_record. 
    Sweet, Lynn (September 11, 2002). "U.S. lacks Iraq analysis: Durbin" (paid archive). Chicago Sun-Times: p. 5. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=(U.S.%20lacks%20Iraq%20analysis:%20Durbin)%20AND%20date(9/11/2002%20to%209/11/2002)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=9/11/2002%20to%209/11/2002)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(U.S.%20lacks%20Iraq%20analysis:%20Durbin)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no. 
19. ^ Windrem, Bob; Murray, Mark (May 25, 2007). "Hillary and the 2002 NIE". msnbc.com. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/25/204032.aspx. 
    CNN (May 29, 2007). "Records: Senators who OK'd war didn't read key report". cnn.com. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/28/clinton.iraq/index.html. 
    Raju, Manu; Schor, Elana; Wurman, Ilan (June 19, 2007). "Few senators read Iraq NIE report". The Hill. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/few-senators-read-iraq-nie-report-2007-06-19.html. 
20. ^ Dorning, Mike; Chase, John (September 30, 2002). "Durbin opposes Bush war resolution" (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 1 (Metro). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/199166861.html?dids=199166861:199166861&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. 
21. ^ Glauber, Bill (October 3, 2002). "War protesters gentler, but passion still burns" (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 1. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/203569621.html?dids=203569621:203569621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. 
    Strausberg, Chinta (October 3, 2002). "War with Iraq undermines U.N." (paid archive). Chicago Defender: p. 1. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-220379051.html. 
    Bryant, Greg (October 2, 2002). "300 protesters rally to oppose war with Iraq". Medill News Service. http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2002/10/300_protesters.html. 
    Katz, Marilyn (October 2, 2007). "Five Years Since Our First Action". Chicagoans Against War & Injustice. http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/?p=127. 
22. ^ U.S. Senate (October 10, 2002). "Roll call vote No. 236 on the Durbin Amendment No. 4865". http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00236. 
    Sweet, Lynn (October 11, 2002). "Durbin loses bid to limit authority" (paid archive). Chicago Sun-Times: p. 7. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Durbin%20loses%20bid%20to%20limit%20authority)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Durbin%20loses%20bid%20to%20limit%20authority)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no. 
23. ^ U.S. Senate (October 11, 2002). "Roll call vote No. 237 on H.J.Res. 114". http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237. 
    Goldberg, Michelle (November 11, 2002). "Wellstone was right". Salon.com. http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/feature/2002/11/02/war/index.html. 
24. ^ Durbin, Richard (April 25, 2007). "Iraq Supplemental Appropriations Bill". Congressional Record--Senate. pp. S5026–S5028. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S5026&dbname=2007_record. 
    Lengell, Sean (April 27, 2007). "Durbin kept silent on prewar knowledge" (paid archive). The Washington Times: p. A1. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=Durbin%20AND%20kept%20AND%20silent%20AND%20on%20AND%20prewar%20AND%20knowledge&s_dispstring=Durbin%20kept%20silent%20on%20prewar%20knowledge%20AND%20date(04/27/2007%20to%2004/27/2007)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=04/27/2007%20to%2004/27/2007)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no. 
    Oberman, Keith (April 27, 2007). "5. Changing Tenets". Countdown with Keith Olbermann. msnbc.com. http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/27/173043.aspx. 
    SilentPatriot (April 28, 2007). "Sen. Durbin drops bombshells on the Senate floor". Crooks and Liars. http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/28/sen-durbin-drops-bombshells-on-the-senate-floor. 
25. ^ Krol, Eric (May 3, 2007). "GOP goes after Durbin with online ad" (paid archive). Daily Herald: p. 10. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=GOP%20AND%20goes%20AND%20after%20AND%20Durbin%20AND%20online%20AND%20ad&s_dispstring=GOP%20goes%20after%20Durbin%20with%20online%20ad%20AND%20date(5/3/2007%20to%205/3/2007)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=5/3/2007%20to%205/3/2007)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no. 
    Byrne, Dennis (May 7, 2007). "Oath upheld, but at what cost?" (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 21. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1266336361.html?dids=1266336361:1266336361&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. 
26. ^ "Fair Sentencing Act of 2010", Families Against Mandatory Minimums, famm.org, accessed September 30, 2010.
27. ^ "House Passes Ban on Smoking on Flights of 2 Hours or Less". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 15, 1987. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEED6123DF936A25754C0A961948260&scp=5&sq=durbin+tobacco+airplanes&st=nyt. 
28. ^ Katharine Seelye (March 23, 1994). "Congress Considers Smoking Ban in Schools". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3D8123CF930A15750C0A962958260&scp=1&sq=Improving%20America's%20Schools%20Act%20tobacco&st=cse. 
29. ^ TheHill.com - GOP preps for talk radio confrontation
30. ^ GovTrack.us - S. 3804: Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act
31. ^ TechDirt - The 19 Senators Who Voted To Censor The Internet
32. ^ "Censorship of the Internet Takes Center Stage in "Online Infringement" Bill". eff.org. September 21, 2010. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/censorship-internet-takes-center-stage-online. Retrieved October 16, 2010. 
33. ^ Grim, Ryan (April 29, 2009). "Dick Durbin: Banks "Frankly Own The Place"". www.HuffingtonPost.com. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/dick-durbin-banks-frankly_n_193010.html. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 
34. ^ “Durbin Invests With Buffett After Funds Sale Amid Market Plunge” June 13, 2008, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQyYKbwMItyc. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
35. ^ "S. 500: Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2009". Govtrack.us. 2009-02-26. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-500. Retrieved 2009-03-26. 
36. ^ Meyers, Lawrence (2009-03-26). "Sen. Durbin's Scheme to Rip Off Consumers". Blogger News Network. http://www.bloggernews.net/120232. Retrieved 2009-03-26. 
37. ^ Some Illinois lawmakers call for Blagojevich to resign
38. ^ Durbin urges special election to succeed Obama
39. ^ Barack Obama, U.S. senators, state officials urge Rod Blagojevich to resign
40. ^ Congressman Mark Steven Kirk - 10th District of Illinois
41. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
42. ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/04/06/durbin_on_spending_to_fight_global_warming_its_your_money_or_your_life.html
43. ^ "Durbin Cautions State on Casino Plan". WBEZ. 2007-10-08. http://www.wbez.org/Cityroom_Read.aspx?storyID=13874. Retrieved 2008-11-09. 
44. ^ [3]^{[dead link]}
45. ^ Harper's Magazine, Stabbed in the Back!: The past and future of a right-wing myth
46. ^ [4]^{[dead link]}
47. ^ ^{a b} Durbin Apologizes for Remarks on Abuse
48. ^ Durbin's Gitmo remarks draw fire back in Illinois
49. ^ Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) :: News
50. ^ DURBIN STATEMENT OF REGRET (6-21-2005)
51. ^ The Daily Dish
52. ^ CT article ]
53. ^ Daily Kos: Durbin fucked up
54. ^ ^{a b} "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 
55. ^ Pearson, Rick (November 5, 2008). "Durbin breezes to third term in U.S. Senate - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-senate-illinois-05nov05,0,1912301.story. 
56. ^ "Daughter of Illinois Sen. Durbin dies at 40 -- chicagotribune.com". www.chicagotribune.com. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-obit-christinedur,0,991349.story. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Richard Durbin

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Richard Durbin

• United States Senator Dick Durbin official U.S. Senate site
• Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Appearances on Charlie Rose
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Works by or about Dick Durbin in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Nichols, John Dick Durbin: Bush Fighter, The Nation, January 27, 2005

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Paul Findley	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 20th congressional district January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997	Succeeded by John Shimkus
United States Senate
Preceded by Paul M. Simon	United States Senator (Class 2) from Illinois January 7, 1997 – present Served alongside: Carol Moseley Braun, Peter Fitzgerald, Barack Obama, Roland Burris, Mark Kirk	Succeeded by Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Harry Reid D-Nevada	United States Senate Minority Whip January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007	Succeeded by Trent Lott R-Mississippi
Preceded by Mitch McConnell R-Kentucky	United States Senate Majority Whip January 4, 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Jeff Sessions R-Alabama	Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts January 4, 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Paul M. Simon	Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Illinois (Class 2) 1996, 2002, 2008	Succeeded by Current nominee
Preceded by Harry Reid Nevada	Senate Democratic Whip January 3, 2005 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Pat Roberts R-Kansas	United States Senators by seniority 31st	Succeeded by Tim Johnson D-South Dakota

v t e Illinois's current delegation to the United States Congress Senators Dick Durbin (D) Mark Kirk (R) Representatives Bobby Rush (D), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D) Dan Lipinski (D) Luis Gutiérrez (D) Mike Quigley (D) Peter Roskam (R) Danny Davis (D) Joe Walsh (R) Jan Schakowsky (D) Robert Dold (R) Adam Kinzinger (R) Jerry Costello (D) Judy Biggert (R) Randy Hultgren (R) Tim Johnson (R) Donald Manzullo (R) Bobby Schilling (R) Aaron Schock (R) John Shimkus (R) Other states' delegations Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Non‑voting: American Samoa District of Columbia Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

v t e Current United States Senate leadership Presiding officers Joe Biden (D) (Vice President of the United States, President of the United States Senate) Daniel Inouye (D) (President pro tempore of the United States Senate) Majority (Democratic) Harry Reid (Leader and the Conference Chairman) Dick Durbin (Whip) Chuck Schumer (Vice Chairman of the Conference and Campaign Committee Chair) Patty Murray (Secretary) Chuck Schumer (Policy Committee Chairman) Barbara Boxer (Chief Deputy Whip) Tom Carper, Bill Nelson (Deputy Whip) Minority (Republican) Mitch McConnell (Leader) Jon Kyl (Whip) Lamar Alexander (Conference Chairman) John Cornyn (Vice Chairman and Secretary) Kay Bailey Hutchison (Policy Committee Chairwoman)

v t e United States Senate Majority Whips Lewis • Curtis • Jones • Fess • Lewis • Minton • Hill • Wherry • Myers • Johnson • Saltonstall • Clements • Mansfield • Humphrey • Long • Kennedy • Byrd • Cranston • Stevens • Simpson • Cranston • Ford • Lott • Nickles • Reid • Nickles • Reid • McConnell • Durbin

v t e United States Senate Minority Whips Wadsworth • Curtis • Gerry • Sheppard • Hebert • Wherry • Lucas • Saltonstall • Clements • Saltonstall • Dirksen • Kuchel • Scott • Griffin • Stevens • Cranston • Simpson • Ford • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Durbin • Lott • Kyl

v t e Democratic Party Whips in the United States Senate Lewis • Gerry • Sheppard • Lewis • Minton • Hill • Lucas • Myers • Johnson  • Clements  • Mansfield  • Humphrey  • Long • Kennedy • Byrd • Cranston • Ford • Reid • Durbin

v t e Current members of the United States Senate     AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL    Shelby (R)    Murkowski (R)    McCain (R)    Pryor (D)    Feinstein (D)    M. Udall (D)    Lieberman (I)    Carper (D)    C.W. Nelson (D)    Chambliss (R)    Inouye (D)    Crapo (R)    Durbin (D)    Sessions (R)    Begich (D)    Kyl (R)    Boozman (R)    Boxer (D)    Bennet (D)    Blumenthal (D)    Coons (D)    Rubio (R)    Isakson (R)    Akaka (D)    Risch (R)    Kirk (R)     IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO    Lugar (R)    Grassley (R)    Roberts (R)    McConnell (R)    Landrieu (D)    Snowe (R)    Mikulski (D)    Kerry (D)    Levin (D)    Klobuchar (D)    Cochran (R)    McCaskill (D)    Coats (R)    Harkin (D)    Moran (R)    Paul (R)    Vitter (R)    Collins (R)    Cardin (D)    S.P. Brown (R)    Stabenow (D)    Franken (D)    Wicker (R)    Blunt (R)     MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR    Baucus (D)    E.B. Nelson (D)    Reid (D)    Shaheen (D)    Lautenberg (D)    Bingaman (D)    Schumer (D)    Burr (R)    Conrad (D)    S.C. Brown (D)    Inhofe (R)    Wyden (D)    Tester (D)    Johanns (R)    Heller (R)    Ayotte (R)    Menendez (D)    T. Udall (D)    Gillibrand (D)    Hagan (D)    Hoeven (R)    Portman (R)    Coburn (R)    Merkley (D)     PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY    Casey (D)    Reed (D)    Graham (R)    T. Johnson (D)    Alexander (R)    Hutchison (R)    Hatch (R)    Leahy (D)    Webb (D)    Murray (D)    Rockefeller (D)    Kohl (D)    Enzi (R)    Toomey (R)    Whitehouse (D)    DeMint (R)    Thune (R)    Corker (R)    Cornyn (R)    Lee (R)    Sanders (I)    Warner (D)    Cantwell (D)    Manchin (D)    R. Johnson (R)    Barrasso (R)    Democratic (51)  •    Republican (47)  •    Independent (2)

v t e United States Senators from Illinois Class 2 Thomas McLean Baker Robinson McRoberts Semple S. Douglas Browning Richardson Yates Logan Davis Cullom Lewis McCormick Deneen Lewis Slattery Brooks P. Douglas Percy Simon Durbin Class 3 Edwards McLean Kane Ewing Young Breese Shields Trumbull Oglesby Logan Farwell Palmer Mason Hopkins Lorimer Sherman McKinley Glenn Dieterich Lucas Dirksen Smith Stevenson III Dixon Moseley Braun Fitzgerald Obama Burris Kirk

v t e Current statewide political officials of Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin Mark Kirk State government Pat Quinn, Governor Sheila Simon, Lieutenant Governor Lisa Madigan, Attorney General Jesse White, Secretary of State Judy Baar Topinka, Comptroller Dan Rutherford, Treasurer Senate John Cullerton, President James Clayborne, Jr., Majority Leader Christine Radogno, Minority Leader House Michael Madigan, Speaker Barbara Flynn Currie, Majority Leader Tom Cross, Minority Leader Supreme Court Thomas L. Kilbride, Chief Justice Charles E. Freeman Robert R. Thomas Mary Jane Theis Rita B. Garman Lloyd A. Karmeier Anne M. Burke AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Persondata
Name	Durbin, Richard
Alternative names
Short description	American lawyer, politician
Date of birth	November 21, 1944
Place of birth	East St. Louis, Illinois, United States
Date of death
Place of death

Tom Coburn
United States Senator from Oklahoma
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2005 Serving with Jim Inhofe
Preceded by	Don Nickles
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Mike Synar
Succeeded by	Brad Carson
Personal details
Born	Thomas Allen Coburn (1948-03-14) March 14, 1948 (age 64) Casper, Wyoming
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Carolyn Coburn
Children	Callie Coburn Katie Coburn Sarah Coburn
Residence	Muskogee, Oklahoma
Alma mater	Oklahoma State University (B.S.), University of Oklahoma (M.D.)
Occupation	physician/politician
Religion	Southern Baptist
Website	www.coburn.senate.gov

Oklahoma

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Oklahoma

Constitution United States Constitution Oklahoma Constitution Executive Government Governor: Mary Fallin Lieutenant Governor: Todd Lamb Secretary of State: Glenn Coffee State Auditor: Gary Jones Attorney General: Scott Pruitt State Treasurer: Ken A. Miller State School Superintendent: Janet Barresi Labor Commissioner: Mark Costello Insurance Commissioner: John Doak Corporation Commission: Bob Anthony - Chair Jeff Cloud - Vice Chair Dana Murphy - Secretary Governor's Cabinet and State Agencies Taxation and the State Budget Legislature Legislature: 53rd Senate President Pro Tem of the Senate: Brian Bingman House of Representatives Speaker of the House: Kris Steele Judiciary Court System Supreme Court Court of Criminal Appeals Court of Civil Appeals Court on the Judiciary Court of Impeachment Nominating Commission Elections Elections State Election Board Last election Political parties Democratic Party Republican Party Political party strength Divisions Counties Cities and Towns Federal Relations Federal representation Senate Jim Inhofe (R) Tom Coburn (R) House of Representatives 1: John Sullivan (R) 2: Dan Boren (D) 3: Frank Lucas (R) 4: Tom Cole (R) 5: James Lankford (R) Politics of the United States

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Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. (born March 14, 1948), is a United States Senator, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he is the junior senator from Oklahoma.

Coburn was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 as part of the Republican Revolution. He upheld his campaign pledge to serve no more than three consecutive terms and did not run for re-election in 2000. In 2004, he returned to political office with a successful run for the U.S. Senate.

Coburn is a fiscal and social conservative, known for his opposition to deficit spending and pork barrel projects, and for his leadership in the pro-life movement. He supports term limits, gun rights, and the death penalty^[1] and opposes gay marriage.^[2] In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills he views as unconstitutional.^[3]

Coburn announced on February 12, 2010 that he was running for a second term in the Senate, but would not run for re-election to a third term in the Senate in 2016.

Personal life and medical career[link]

Coburn was born in Casper, Wyoming, the son of Anita Joy (née Allen) and Orin Wesley Coburn.^[4] Coburn's father was an optician and founder of Coburn Optical Industries, and named donor to O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University, dedicated in 1979 and closed in 1985.

Tom Coburn graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Oklahoma State University, where he was also a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1968, he married Carolyn Denton, the 1967 Miss Oklahoma; their three daughters are Callie, Katie, and Sarah, a leading operatic soprano. One of the Top Ten seniors in the School of Business, Coburn served as president of the College of Business Student Council.

Tom Coburn has not been in the military service.

From 1970 to 1978, Coburn served as manufacturing manager at the Ophthalmic Division of Coburn Optical Industries in Colonial Heights, Virginia. Under his leadership, the Virginia division of Coburn Optical grew from 13 employees to more than 350 and captured 35 percent of the U.S. market.

After recovering from an occurrence of malignant melanoma, Coburn pursued a medical degree and graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School with honors in 1983. He then opened a medical practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and served as a deacon in a Southern Baptist Church. Coburn is one of two medical doctors currently serving in the U.S. Senate. During his career in obstetrics, he has treated over 15,000 patients and delivered 4,000 babies, and was subject to one malpractice lawsuit, which was dismissed without finding Coburn at fault.^[5][6] Coburn and his wife are members of First Baptist Church of Muskogee.^[7]

In spite of their ideological differences, Coburn is a friend of President Barack Obama. They became friends in 2005 when they both arrived in the Senate at the same time.^[8]

Political career[link]

House career[link]

In 1994, Coburn ran for the House of Representatives in Oklahoma's Democratic 2nd Congressional District, which was based in Muskogee and included 22 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Coburn initially expected to face eight-term incumbent Mike Synar. However, Synar was defeated in a runoff for the Democratic nomination by a 71-year-old retired principal, Virgil Cooper. According to Coburn's 2003 book, Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders, Coburn and Cooper got along well, since both were opposed to the more liberal Synar. The general election was cordial, since both men knew that Synar would not return to Washington regardless of the outcome. Coburn won by a 52%–48% margin, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since 1921.

Coburn was one of the most conservative members of the House. He supported "reducing the size of the federal budget," wanted to make abortion illegal, and supported the proposed television V-chip legislation.^{[citation needed]}

Despite representing a heavily Democratic district, and President Bill Clinton's electoral dominance therein, Coburn was easily reelected in 1996, as well as in 1998.^[9][10]

In the House, Coburn earned a reputation as a political maverick due to his frequent battles with House Speaker Newt Gingrich.^[11] Most of these stand-offs stemmed from his belief that the Republican caucus was moving toward the political center and away from the more conservative Contract With America policy proposals that had brought the Republicans into power in Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years.

Coburn endorsed conservative activist and former diplomat Alan Keyes in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries.^[12] Coburn retired from Congress in 2001, fulfilling his pledge to serve no more than three terms in the House. His congressional district returned to the Democratic fold, as attorney Brad Carson easily defeated a Republican endorsed by Coburn. After leaving the House and returning to private medical practice, Coburn wrote Breach of Trust, with ghostwriter John Hart, about his experiences in Congress. The book detailed Coburn's perspective on the internal Republican Party debates over the Contract With America and displayed his disdain for career politicians. Some of the figures he criticized (such as Gingrich) were already out of office at the time of the book's publishing, but others (such as former House Speaker Dennis Hastert) remained influential in Congress, which resulted in speculation that some congressional Republicans wanted no part of Coburn's return to politics.

During his tenure in the House, Coburn wrote and passed far-reaching legislation. These include laws to expand seniors' health care options, to protect access to home health care in rural areas and to allow Americans to access cheaper medications from Canada and other nations. Coburn also wrote a law intended to prevent the spread of AIDS to infants. The Wall Street Journal said about the law, "In 10 long years of AIDS politics and funding, this is actually the first legislation to pass in this country that will rescue babies." He also wrote a law to renew and reform federal AIDS care programs. In 2002, President George W. Bush chose Coburn to serve as co-chair of the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).

During his three terms in the House, Coburn also played an influential role in reforming welfare and other federal entitlement programs.

Senate career[link]

In 2004, Coburn chose to challenge the establishment Republican candidate for the open Senate seat being vacated by Don Nickles. Former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys (the favorite of the state and national Republican establishment) and Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony joined the field before Coburn. However, Coburn easily won the primary with 61% of the vote to Humphreys's 25%. In the general election, he faced Brad Carson, a Democrat who had succeeded him in the 2nd District and was giving up his seat after only two terms.

In the election, Coburn won by a margin of 53% to Carson's 42%. While Carson routed Coburn in the heavily Democratic 2nd District generally, Coburn swamped Carson in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and the closer-in Tulsa suburbs. Coburn won the state's two largest counties, Tulsa and Oklahoma, by a combined 86,000 votes, more than half of his overall margin of 166,000 votes.^{[citation needed]}

Coburn's Senate voting record is as conservative as his House record.^[3]

Coburn was re-elected in 2010. He received 90% of the vote in the Republican primary and 70% in the general election. Coburn has announced that he will stick to his term limits pledge and retire from the Senate in 2016.^[13]

Committee assignments[link]

After taking office in January 2005, Coburn, was selected to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Coburn is a member of the following committees:

• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
  • United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security
  • Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (Ranking Member)
  • Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on the Constitution (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security

Since April 2007, Coburn has been holding the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (S.274) from becoming law. This bill relates to so-called whistleblowing, and would effectively reverse the United States Supreme Court's decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006).^[14] Coburn has also placed a hold on final Senate consideration of a measure passed by the House in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings to improve state performance in checking the federal watch list of gun buyers.^[15]

Political positions[link]

Health care reform[link]

Coburn voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,^[16] and against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.^[17]

Coburn co-authored the Patients Choice Act of 2009 (S. 1099), a Republican plan for Health care reform in the United States,^[18] which purported to 1) prevent disease and promote healthier lifestyles, 2) create affordable and accessible health insurance options, 3) equalize the tax treatment of health care, 4) modernize the Medicaid and Medicare beneficiary choice, 5) ensure compensation for injured patients, and 6) establish transparency in health care price and quality.^[19]

War in Iraq[link]

On May 24, 2007, the US Senate voted 80–14 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay.^[20] On October 1, 2007, the Senate voted 92–3 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay.^[21] In February 2008, Coburn said, "I will tell you personally that I think it was probably a mistake going to Iraq."^[22]

Abortion[link]

Coburn opposes abortion, with the exception of abortions necessary to save the mother. In 2000 he sponsored a bill to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from developing, testing, or approving the abortifacient RU-486. On July 13, the bill failed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 182 to 187.^[23] On the issue, Coburn sparked controversy with his remark, "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life."^[1][24] He noted that his great-grandmother was raped by a sheriff,^[25] and in the Senate confirmation hearings concerning Samuel Alito, said his grandmother was a product of that rape.

Coburn was "one of the original authors" of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld by the Supreme Court in Gonzales v. Carhart.^[26] The act relied on a "very expansive view" of the Constitution's Commerce Clause, as it applies to "any physician who, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion."^[26] The Act's reliance on such a broad reading of the Commerce Clause was criticized by Independence Institute scholar David Kopel and University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, who noted that "[u]nless a physician is operating a mobile abortion clinic on the Metroliner, it is not really possible to perform an abortion 'in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce.'"^[27] When Coburn later called Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "ignorant" due to her "very expansive view" of the Commerce Clause, his support for the Act was used to suggest his hypocrisy on the issue.^[26]

On September 14, 2005, during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, Coburn began his opening statement with a critique of Beltway partisan politics while, according to news reports, "choking back a sob."^[28] Coburn had earlier been completing a crossword puzzle during the hearings,^[28] and this fact was used by "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" to ridicule Coburn's pathos.^[29] Coburn then began his questioning by discussing the various legal terms mentioned during the previous day's hearings. Proceeding to questions regarding both abortion and end-of-life issues, Coburn, who noted that during his tenure as an obstetrician he had delivered some 4,000 babies, asked Roberts whether the judge agreed with the proposition that "the opposite of being dead is being alive."

Fiscal conservatism[link]

Coburn made several attempts in 2005 to combat pork barrel spending in the federal budget. The best-known of these was an amendment to the fiscal 2006 appropriations bill that funds transportation projects.^[31] Coburn's amendment would have transferred funding from the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska to rebuild Louisiana's "Twin Spans" bridge, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The amendment was defeated in the Senate, 82-14, after Ted Stevens, the senior senator from Alaska, threatened to resign his office if the amendment were passed. Coburn's actions did result in getting the funds made into a more politically feasible block grant to the State of Alaska, which can use the funds for the bridge or other projects.

Coburn is also a member of the Fiscal Watch Team, a group of seven senators led by John McCain, whose stated goal is to combat "wasteful government spending."^[32]

On April 6, 2006, Coburn and Senators Barack Obama, Thomas Carper, and John McCain introduced the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.^[33] The bill requires the full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving federal funds beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2007 on a website maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. The bill was signed into law on September 26, 2006.

Coburn and McCain noted that the practice of members of Congress adding earmarks has risen dramatically over the years, from 121 earmarks in 1987 to 15,268 earmarks in 2005, according to the Congressional Research Service.

In July 2007, Coburn criticized pork-barrel spending that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had inserted into the 2007 defense spending bill. Coburn said that the earmarks would benefit Nelson's son Patrick's employer with millions in federal dollars, and that the situation violated terms of the Transparency Act, which was passed by the Senate but had not yet been voted on in the House. Nelson's spokesperson said the Senator did nothing wrong.^[34] At that time, newspapers in Nebraska and Oklahoma noted that Coburn failed to criticize very similar earmarks that benefited Oklahoma.^[35]

In 1997, Coburn introduced a bill called the HIV Prevention Act of 1997, which would have amended the Social Security Act. The bill would have required confidential notification of HIV exposure to the sexual partners of those diagnosed with HIV, along with counseling and testing.^[36] The bill was endorsed by the American Medical Association and had over 100 co-sponsors. Coburn also offered an amendment that would have prohibited insurance companies from discriminating against someone who was tested for HIV, regardless of the result, and introduced a bill to expand AIDS coverage for those enrolled in Medicare. He was the primary House sponsor of the 2000 Ryan White CARE Act re-authorization that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

In 2010, Coburn called for freeze on defense spending.^[37] The following year, along with Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, he introduced a bill to "get rid of the most venerable big ethanol subsidy: the blenders tax credit."^[38]

In 2011 Coburn broke with Americans for Tax Reform with an ethanol amendment that gathered 70 votes in the Senate, and said that anti-tax activist Grover Norquist's influence was overstated and that in order to "fix the country" revenue increases were needed.^[39][40]

Presidential nominations[link]

During the administration of President George W. Bush, Coburn spoke out against the threat by some Democrats to filibuster nominations to judicial and Executive Branch positions. He took the position that no presidential nomination should ever be filibustered, in light of the wording of the U.S. Constitution. Coburn said, "There is a defined charge to the president and the Senate on advice and consent."^[41]

In May 2009, Coburn was the only Senator to vote against confirmation of Gil Kerlikowske as the Director of the National Drug Control Policy.^[42]

Tobacco[link]

Coburn has said tobacco should not have additional regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in addition to the current Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) oversight. "Tom Coburn is consistent in his free market philosophy and in his strict reading of what Congress can and can't do," according to the Tulsa World and other sources. ^[43][44][45]

Gun rights[link]

Regarding the Second Amendment, Coburn believes that it "recognizes the right of individual, law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms," and he opposes "any and all efforts to mandate gun control on law-abiding citizens."^[46] On the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which aimed "to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan, and for other purposes,"^[47] Coburn sponsored an amendment that would allow concealed carry of weapons in national parks. The Senate passed the amendment 67-29.^[48]

Gay marriage[link]

Coburn opposes gay marriage and supports a constitutional amendment barring it.^[2]

Issues[link]

Coburn was involved in the Bush Administration's struggle with Congress over whistleblower rights. In the case of Garcetti v. Ceballos, the Supreme Court ruled that government employees who testify against their employers did not have protection from retaliation by their employers under the First Amendment of the Constitution.^[49] The free speech protections of the First Amendment have long been used to shield whistleblowers from retaliation.

In response to the Supreme Court decision, the House passed H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007. Bush, citing national security concerns, promised to veto the bill should it be enacted into law by Congress. The Senate's version of the Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 274) was approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 13, 2007. However, it has yet to reach a vote by the Senate, as Coburn placed a hold on the bill;^[50] this effectively prevents passage of the bill, which has bipartisan support in the Senate.

Coburn's website features a news item about United Nations whistleblower Mathieu Credo Koumoin, a former employee for the U.N. Development Program in West Africa, who has asked U.N. ethics chief Robert Benson for protection under the U.N.'s new whistleblower protection rules.^[51] The site has a link to the "United Nations Watch" of the Republican Office of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security, of which he is the ranking minority member.^[52] Coburn's website also features a tip line for potential whistleblowers on government waste and fraud.^[53]

Allegations of non-consensual sterilization and Medicaid fraud[link]

A sterilization Coburn performed on a 20-year-old woman, Angela Plummer, in 1990 became what was called "the most incendiary issue" of his Senate campaign.^[54][55] Coburn performed the sterilization on the woman during an emergency surgery to treat a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, removing her intact fallopian tube as well as the one damaged by the surgery. The woman sued Coburn, alleging that he did not have consent to sterilize her, while Coburn claimed he had her oral consent. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed with no finding of liability on Coburn's part.

The state attorney general claimed that Coburn committed Medicaid fraud by not reporting the sterilization when he filed a claim for the emergency surgery. Medicaid did not reimburse doctors for sterilization procedures for patients under 21, and according to the attorney general, Coburn would not have been reimbursed at all had he not withheld this information. Coburn says since he did not file a claim for the sterilization, no fraud was committed. No charges were filed against Coburn for this claim.^{[2][6][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]}