Senator Durbin knew that to Unite and Conquer open lines of communication were key, even if he agreed to disagree

In 2006, Time Magazine awarded U.S. Senator Dick Durbin as one of the greatest Senators of all time. I can see why.

Senator Durbin refuses to use notes when addressing issues on the Senate floor, as I’m sure a lot of us progressives are guilty of doing the exact opposite. He often will call people out, asking them the hard questions, which has garnered a lot of respect (especially from CNN viewers) since he is able to truly show how passionate he is about the issues. Because Senator Durbin had very open lines of communication – and was always willing to talk things out and listen to the other side (despite disagreeing) – he has been able to work with some very unlikely people.

During his career, he worked with Senator Santorum, a Pennsylvanian Republican, to push the government to give additional funds of $866 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2006, he also helped Democrats and Republicans reach a compromise in the USA Patriot Act, helping keep more personal information private without an order from a judge.

Keeping an open line of communication is crucial to working with people. It’s obvious that Senator Durbin knew how to put differences aside and focus on the greater good and accomplish a lot by working with very diverse people.