Durbin Speaks
This morning, Donald J. Trump’s bloated face glared at me as I drank my morning coffee while watching him deliver his disgraceful address to the UN General Assembly. Trump ‘internationalized’ his greatest hits, telling the delegates: (i) their countries are going to Hell; (ii) climate change is a hoax; (iii) foreign investment in the United States is at least 17 times higher under eight months of Trump than it was under four years of Biden; (iv) the Nobel Committee should award him the Nobel Peace Prize because he has ended seven wars; (v) decades ago, the UN should have selected him to renovate the its headquarters because he would have used marble rather than terrazzo; (v) Washington, D.C. has zero crime since he deployed the National Guard—it had been America’s “crime capital;” and (vi) he is “really good at predicting things. . . . Trump was right about everything. And I don’t say that in a braggadocious way, but it’s true. I’ve been right about everything.” In just under an hour, Trump trafficked in lies, misstatements, grievances, and gross exaggerations.
Like the Republicans and Corporate America, the delegates in the General Assembly Hall should have pushed back. In the case of the delegates, pushback would have meant walking out, leaving the hall empty as Trump rattled on. Needless to say, I was in a bad mood when I left for the Ukrainian Cultural Center shortly after Trump finished his shameful monologue.
Leaders in the Chicago’s Ukrainian Community had invited me to attend what is best described as a town hall, with Senator Richard J. Durbin briefing the community about his efforts on behalf of Ukraine and then listening to the community express its concerns. So I headed to the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Ukrainian Village.
When the meeting began at 12:15 PM, we were told that we could not record the meeting, but nobody specifically said the meeting was off the record. Afterwards I spoke with John Normoyle, Senator Durbin’s Deputy Communications Director, asking whether the entire meeting was off-the-record, telling him that I simply wanted to provide a general description of what transpired. Normoyle didn’t view that as problematic.
With that in mind, I can say that Senator Durbin’s remarks were largely consistent with what I have heard him say at least eight or nine times before. Durbin spoke no more than ten or fifteen minutes, dividing his remarks into three categories. First, he addressed the war in Ukraine, commenting on the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Second, he addressed recent provocations by Putin, including last week’s incursions into Polish and Estonian airspace. Third, and finally, he addressed the needs of Ukrainian refugees living in Chicago, offering assistance with their immigration status.
After Senator Durbin finished his remarks, he open the floor up to questions. Everyone who had a question, preceded it by first thanking the Senator effusively for his steadfast support during the last three and half years.
When the session wrapped, Senator Durbin headed to the first floor, where television crews from CBS News 2, NBC News 5 and WGN News were waiting. Speaking for about four or five minutes, Senator Durbin largely offered an abbreviated version of his earlier remarks to the community. Consistent with my assessment that the Senator made no news today, when I searched the three stations’ websites, I saw no footage covering Durbin’s press conference.
Senator Durbin has always been very low-key, making him a less than a photogenic speaker. No wild gestures with his hands or arms. Earlier this year, he announced that he would not be seeking re-election. I don’t know what he will do once he retires, but I bet he will not become a Pentecostal preacher. The Senator’s deliver is subdued.
Durbin’s even-keeled persona, however, is why during his 28-year career as a U.S. Senator, he has been able to work across the aisle and rise to the position of Senate Democratic Whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Senate leadership. Unlike Donald J. Trump, the Senator has earned the respect and admiration of elected officials on both sides of the aisle. More importantly, he gets things done without resorting to flash and bombast. Too bad the Senator wasn’t the one speaking on behalf of the U.S. at the UN earlier today.
Later today, Trump once again changed his position on Ukraine, throwing his weight behind the Ukrainian war effort. Some cynically suggested that Trump’s change of mind signals ta decision to wash his hands of Ukraine, leaving the matter to the Ukrainians and our European allies to sort out. Regrettably, the cynics will be proven correct. We should be arming the Ukrainians to the hilt, giving them the greenlight to strike deep into Russian territory. Most importantly, we should be giving the Ukrainians the weapons rather than first selling the weapons to the Europeans, who then sell them to the Ukrainians.
What’s Trump going to do when Putin attacks a member of NATO? Will he honor our obligations under Article V? By refusing to fully support Ukraine, Trump will eventually learn that he must answer that question.
Copyright 2025, Jack B. Siegel, All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Display, Distribute, Download, Duplicate, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.
