Steven Sauerberg in The Chicago Tribune

On Abortion: Provide women with an alternatives to abortion

On social issues, Durbin, who once opposed abortion rights, defended his support for the procedure and called it a “private decision” that should be made by a woman, her doctor and her family. Sauerberg noted his opposition to abortion and said he and his family are actively involved in crisis pregnancy centers that provide women with an alternative. Source: 2008 Illinois Senate Debate reported in the Chicago Tribune Oct 7, 2008

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

Durbin & Sauerberg clashed over the nation’s health-care crisis, with Durbin accusing Sauerberg, a physician, of proposing an end to government-backed insurance for the poor and elderly in favor of a program using tax credits to purchase private insurance.

“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.

Source: 2008 Illinois Senate Debate reported in the Chicago Tribune Oct 7, 2008

On Homeland Security: Ultraliberals hate America; focus on patriotism

Steve Sauerberg said Illinois voters should question the patriotism of Dick Durbin. On his website, Sauerberg noted Durbin’s opposition to a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning and said the nation’s founders never included one “because they neve had to deal with ultraliberal Americans who hate their own country.” Asked whether he was referring to Durbin, Sauerberg said, “I think he’s an ultraliberal. Whether he hates his own country, I cannot determine for the gentleman.” Sauerberg said voters “wonder a lot” about Durbin’s patriotism.

Sauerberg lashed out at a June 2005 speech in which Durbin said American treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay could be likened to the “Nazis, Soviets in their gulags.” Durbin apologized for his remarks, but Sauerberg called Durbin’s apology “weak.”

“I’m not sure what Sen. Durbin thought he was doing here,” he said. “I don’t know if he hates his country. I know they were terrible remarks that have hurt the people of this nation.”

Source: By Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune Jul 18, 2008

The above quotations are from Media coverage of IL political races in The Chicago Tribune. Click here for other excerpts from Media coverage of IL political races in The Chicago Tribune. Click here for other excerpts by Steven Sauerberg. Click here for a profile of Steven Sauerberg.
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