Durbin: Voters Want Congress To Be More Productive
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A day after he sailed to his record fourth term in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin was out thanking voters for their support, and urging the rest of Congress to come together to end the gridlock in Washington.
Durbin, who is the first Illinois Democrat to be elected to four terms in the U.S. Senate, easily defeated his Republican challenger, state Sen. Jim Oberweis, but nationwide, Democrats took a beating in Congressional elections.
Republicans were projected to gain at least 12 seats in the House, where they already had a majority, and took control of the Senate by gaining at least seven seats.
Durbin said the shellacking Democrats took on Election Day was humbling. He said his party's losses were the result of widespread voter dissatisfaction, and low turnout at the polls.
"There's a dissatisfaction in this country with the state of affairs. They want to see Congress and Washington be more productive, and produce some results that help families – working families," Durbin said.
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The senator stopped to shake hands with commuters Wednesday morning at the 95th Street Red Line terminal. Oberweis made a strong bid to win the support of black voters in Chicago, but the city overwhelmingly voted for Durbin, by an 81-15 margin. Overall, Durbin won 53 percent of the vote in Illinois to 43 percent for Oberweis.
"I felt a special kinship and support from across Illinois, but especially in the African-American community," Durbin said.
Durbin said he understands voters' frustration with the gridlock in Washington.
"We were in control, at least in the Senate and the White House, and it's normal if you're upset that the party in control is going to pay the price for it. I understand that," Durbin said. "When it gets down to it, we need both parties to make a stronger nation."
Durbin said another lesson to be learned from the midterm elections is that voters want their leaders to compromise to get things done, and he hopes the two parties can end the partisan stalemate that has kept Congress bogged down for years.
"A number of people who were elected last night are pretty extreme. You know, it's their way or the highway. You'll never get progress in Washington until you have a majority – bipartisan majority – that really wants to solve problems," he said.
The senator said time will tell whether the two parties can work together.
