Steven Sauerberg in 2008 Illinois Senate Debates

On Abortion: Provide women with an alternatives to abortion

On Budget & Economy: Opposes $700 billion rescue plan

Sauerberg said that other steps could have been taken to shore up the economy in the wake of a $700 billion rescue plan passed by lawmakers.

Durbin was quick to defend his vote in favor of last week’s economic rescue package. “The alternative was to do nothing and doing nothing I think would have been an abdication of responsibility,” Durbin said.

On Environment: Drives a Lexus that gets 23 mpg

Sauerberg acknowledged it might be a political misstep for him to drive a foreign car, a Lexus, although he gets about 23 miles a gallon now that he has changed his driving habits. “I’m supposed to probably drive an American car,” Sauerberg said.

On Health Care: Vouchers to make health care portable and less job-dependent

“I don’t know of another doctor who is so bold as to believe that those people who count on these programs are somehow going to be protected in the market by themselves,” said Durbin, who favors a large-scale expansion of taxpayer-subsidized health-care coverage.

But Sauerberg said Durbin misunderstood his proposal, which he said would expand the availability of health-care coverage and make it portable and less job-dependent. “You can buy it. You can use vouchers. The government already pays for many, many people’s insurance,” Sauerberg said.

On Homeland Security: Apologized for saying Guantanamo is like gulag

Durbin said Monday night that he was among the first senators to call attention to treatment at Guantanamo, though he wound up apologizing for “some words” he used. “They weren’t used in reference to any soldiers, doctor,” Durbin said to Sauerberg. “They were in reference to whoever was involved in what the FBI agents found at Guantanamo.”

On Principles & Values: Put $1.3M of his own money into campaign

Sauerberg has lacked the money to mount a traditional campaign. When statewide races can cost $10 million or $15 million, he has raised only $1.8 million, according to the latest records -- and $1.3 million of that was Sauerberg’s own money.

On War & Peace: Critical to keep U.S. troops in Iraq to help Iraqis

Durbin argued the United States can’t afford to keep spending $10 billion to $15 billion a month, along with soldiers’ lives, to rebuild Iraq. He called for a “systematic, sensible withdrawal.”

On Civil Rights: Hired Log Cabin Republicans as press secretary

“It is inconceivable that Sauerberg would so needlessly alienate the pro-family conservative base by hiring a veteran homosexual activist,” said the founder of Republicans For Family Values.

On Abortion: I’m pro-baby, pro-mother and pro-family

A: Actually, lots of people know.

Q: Okay, can we have your position in a sound byte?

A: If you want a sound byte, it’s ‘I’m pro-baby, pro-mother and pro-family.’ That’s the sound byte. My background is very simple: My wife and I have devoted thousands of dollars to CareNet crisis pregnancy center and others. My wife now raises funds for a number of different crisis pregnancy centers and organizations.

On Abortion: Born Alive Infant Protection Act is basic humanity

A: I’ve delivered 500 babies and I cannot imagine a baby that had potential viability being abandoned. The concept would not have occurred to me, nor would it occur to many physicians, I can tell you that--it’s just basic humanity to me.