Progress Illinois

Obama Formally Accepts Democratic Presidential Nomination
Before an audience of 80,000 at Denver's Invesco Field, Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination and gave a spirited speech that laid out his vision for America and condemned the Republican record in the White House.  “America, we are better than these last eight years,” he said. “We are a better country than this.”  Watch the whole speech here.  Read it in full here.

McCain Chooses Gov. Palin As Running Mate
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Jennifer Palin as his vice presidential running mate.  The Tribune describes her as "a tough-talking social conservative with credentials as a reformer."

Illinois Democrats Detente Only Lasts A Day
As the DNC came to a close in Denver yesterday, Gov. Blagojevich's office announced a new round of cuts to state agencies, including 325 jobs from Children and Family Services, Human Services, Natural Resources, and Historic Preservation.  Some Illinois legislators accused the governor of attempting to bury the cuts under the news of Obama's speech.

Meeks: Boycott Is On
Earlier this week, State Sen. James Meeks offered to call off his planned school boycott if Blagojevich, House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Senate President Emil Jones agreed to a $120 million pilot program to reform several of Illinois' worst public schools.  But no agreement was reached, leading Meeks to declare yesterday that he intends to go forward with the boycott.