The punchline?
Tammy Duckworth’s legislative accomplishments – or lack thereof.
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O7XJC70hIE"]
JOEL WEISMAN: Do you know of some of her accomplishments?
KATE GROSSMAN: I don’t know – I don’t know off the top of my – I know she’s been involved with veterans’ affairs in multiple ways but I don’t know – I can’t list her accomplishments.
MARY WISNIEWSKI: I think for some Democrats, it might be enough that she’s a Democrat and they can, you know – and you have another Democrat in the Senate and she’ll be junior to one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate and will take directions from him.
With an effectiveness score of zero, Duckworth’s tenure in Washington has literally turned into a joke.
And, as the Chicago Tribune‘s Mary Wisniewski explained, Democrats are willing to look past Duckworth’s award-winning ineffectiveness because she would simply "take directions" from Dick Durbin.
Durbin joined "tough guy Rahm" Emanuel and the Washington establishment in propping up Duckworth’s campaigns over the years for one reason: she would be their hand-picked rubber stamp in the Senate.
Newsflash for the Rod Blagojevich appointee: no matter how much she may owe him for "steamroll[ing]" her political opponents, two votes in the United States Senate belong to the people of Illinois, not Dick Durbin.
FLASHBACK:
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Durbin “Regretted Having To Steamroll Cegelis In Order To Launch Duckworth’s Candidacy.” “Durbin, always smoothly articulate, said he regretted having to steamroll Cegelis in order to launch Duckworth’s candidacy, but he had little choice if Democrats were to field the best candidate.” (Naftali Bendavid, “The Thumpin’,” 2007, p.103)
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“Durbin Campaigned With [Duckworth] Numerous Times, Later Saying He’d Worked Harder On Her Campaign That Any Other Besides His Own.” (Naftali Bendavid, “The Thumpin’,” 2007, p.99)
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“Sen. Dick Durbin, One Of Obama’s Closest Colleagues In The Senate, Encouraged Duckworth’s Entry Into The Congressional Race.” (Sam Stein, “Tammy Duckworth Being Pushed For Veterans Affairs Secretary,” The Huffington Post, 12/12/08)
- Emanuel On Receiving Blame From Local Democrats For Backing Duckworth’s Candidacy: “You Think Obama Wasn’t Involved? Durbin? But Who Gets Blamed? Me. Tough Guy Rahm. No One Wants To Blame Barack, Because He Is Who He Is. So Fuck You.” “He was not the only Democratic leader pushing Duckworth, Emanuel added. ‘You think Obama wasn’t involved? Durbin? But who gets blamed? Me. Tough guy Rahm. No one wants to blame Barack, because he is who he is. So fuck you.” (Naftali Bendavid, “The Thumpin’,” 2007, p.104)