So far this session, Sen. Dick Durbin has stood behind consumers like no other public official in Washington. He has served as the Senate Democrats’ de facto point man on student aid reform, mortgage bankruptcy reform, usury reform, financial product safety, and consumer credit abuse. And around every corner, he’s been met with resistance by banking industry lobbyists. In an interview with WJJG’s Ray Hanania on Monday, the senior senator from Illinois stated outright that the banks ‘own’ Capitol Hill. Listen (full audio here): DURBIN: And the banks — hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created — are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place. The ongoing negotiations about credit card reform legislation nicely illustrate Durbin’s point. According to Hill sources, the U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote on H.R. 627, otherwise known as the Credit Card Holders’ Bill of Rights Act, as early as Thursday. But it doesn’t seem likely that the federal bill will be implemented quickly enough to help strapped consumers this year. For that, we can thank the banks. […]