Progress Illinois

After his wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972, Sen. Joe Biden began commuting back and forth between D.C. and Deleware on Amtrak.  So it warmed my heart, sitting in the balcony of the Pepsi Center last night, to hear him call train transit out by name. "John McCain was wrong on everything," he said, "from Afghanistan to Iraq, from Amtrak to veterans."

With Biden's nomination, the two campaigns' approaches to rail couldn't be more different. Both he and Obama have been firm supporters of high-speed rail and want to see it expanded.  Meanwhile, John McCain has vowed to close down the whole system in favor of privately-owned rail companies, reportedly calling it a "non-negotiable issue." Aviation is dying and 2008 is the year of the Supertrain. I think Americans want to get on board.

The above photos are of Biden on bus in 1976 and on a train in 2004.

Yesterday morning, I interviewed SEIU Illinois State Council President Tom Balanoff prior to the (hug-filled) IL delegation breakfast.  We discussed his history with Barack Obama, his speech before the DNC Monday, and his thoughts on the state of state government in Illinois.

Watch it:

Originally posted at 1:08 PM on August 27.

It's the third day of the DNC here in Denver and the Illinois delegation meeting this morning was quite eventful.  After speeches by Gov. Blagojevich, Rep. Bobby Rush, and Rep. Danny Davis, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. took the stage and proceeded to literally embrace the spirit of unity.  First, he hugged Rush, who recently survived a bout with cancer. "Bobby, if there's anything I've ever done to offend you," Jackson said, "I'm leaving it at this convention.

Then he addressed the Sun-Times Michael Sneed: "If you weren't a journalist I'd come up here and hug you. ... I have no bone to pick with you."  (For more on the history between Jackson, Rush, and Sneed, read this and this.)

He went on to call up State Sen. Debbie Halvorson and give her a hug.  "Lord knows I want to build an airport in the South Suburbs," he said.  "But make no mistake about it: I want a Democratic Congress more than I want some guy named Ozinga."

Jackson then asked: "Who else out here been mad at me?"  At that point, Mayor Daley sprung to his feet and gave the congressman a hug, bringing him to tears.

But the climax came after Jackson dried his eyes and returned to the podium.  At that point, he said: "I'm not going to be satisfied until I see Michael Madigan give Rod Blagojevich a hug."  And yes they did.

Video of the whole thing coming very soon.

UPDATE: Here's our clip of the events detailed above.  It's seven minutes long.  I recommend watching the whole thing.  The Blagojevich-Madigan hug comes at about the five-minute mark.

UPDATE II: Be sure to check out this report on the morning meeting from WBEZ's Ben Calhoun. 

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Here in Denver, both Adam and I are working intermittently out of the Big Tent, a temporary facility set up near the Pepsi Center for progressive bloggers and journalists.  This afternoon, Sen. Dick Durbin swung through and I asked him about the unity spectacle that took place at the IL delegation breakfast this morning, which culminated in Gov. Blagojevich and Speaker Madigan embracing on stage.  His response: "I hope it works."

Watch it:

At all the events and panels I've attended so far in Denver, I've sensed both an excitement and a wariness among progressive activists and thinkers about this election cycle – excitement for the opportunity to elect what could be a transformational president, but wariness that too much focus has been placed on Obama himself. While electing Illinois' favorite son is the central and justifiable focus of the events here at the DNC, the left understands that we must capitalize on the travesty President Bush has wrought and push forth a bold platform of economic and social justice. One organization working to do that is US Action, which builds coalitions online and on-the-ground to advocate for progressive change. Yesterday in Denver, I spoke with president and PI guest columnist William McNary about how change happens and how Illinois progressives can do their part.

AD: Can you talk to me a little bit about what you're up to in Denver?

WM: We are here for two reasons. Unofficially, I'm on vacation because I happen to be a delegate for Barack Obama … But we're also here to talk to people about investing in America's future -- what we also call the Next New Deal. What this is a set of policies that will wrap up into a coherent plan that progressives can run on and win.

AD: Can you talk about that plan and what it entails?

WM: Absolutely. People want change. Change is a word you hear in every campaign. Barrack Obama talked about change you can believe in, Hillary Clinton talked about change with results, John McCain even said change you can't afford. The point is, as Reverend Lee, my late minister used to say, "everybody talk about heaven aint going there." So everybody talking about change don't really mean change. So the question becomes are we going to get real progressive change or are we going to get small change or chump change? I've had all three. And believe me, I know the difference.

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Yesterday evening, 32 year-old Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias had the rare honor of addressing the Democratic National Convention.  Today, I had the chance to interview him on Wynkoop Street in downtown Denver.  I asked him about speaking before the DNC, as well as his impressions on the size and vibe of the convention this year.  He also recounted the first Obama-Biden joint appearance in Springfield last weekend and gave his thoughts on whether Illinois needs a Constitutional Convention.

Watch it:

You can watch Giannoulias' address to the convention below (courtesy of Archpundit):

Last night, SEIU Illinois Council President Tom Balanoff spoke at the Democratic National Convention, alongside numerous other familiar faces from the Prairie State.  Here's a video put together by SEIU in anticipation of the honor:

And here's the full text of Balanoff's speech:

I bring you warm greetings from 175,000 hard-working members of the SEIU of Illinois. I was born in 1950. My father was a steelworker in south Chicago. Like millions of other industrial workers in this country, he believed in the American dream: if you worked hard, you could build a good life for yourself and your family and create better opportunities for your children.

My parents, like millions of other working families, were able to own a home and car and put their children through college. Back then, in that City of Big Shoulders, the Chicago of the 1950s and ’60s and ’70s, the American dream was a reality. By the early 1980s, as our economy began to globalize, the steel industry was in decline, and industrial plants were closing all over our country—and especially in Chicago.

That’s what Barack Obama found when he moved to Chicago in 1984. On the south side of Chicago, in the aftermath of steel plant closings, this enormously talented man, who undoubtedly had many other opportunities, chose to begin his political career at the grassroots level.

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I just caught Rep. Jan Schakowsky on the Campaign for America's Future health care panel in Denver. It was a timely discussion considering the release this week of new census bureau data on health insurance. On it's face, the numbers look good: 45.7 million people did not have health insurance in 2007, a decrease from the 2006 level of 47 million. But the devil is in the details. Paul Krugman says these 2007 numbers don't take into effect skyrocketing unemployment, a major reason Americans lose their insurance. And The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn says it's Uncle Sam who is propping up the figures:

But before anybody gets the idea that we no longer need health care reform, take a closer look at the numbers. Enrollment in private insurance continued to decline in percentage terms, mostly because the percentage of people with employer-sponsored coverage fell from 59.7 to 59.3. The reason the overall numbers look good is rising enrollment in public insurance programs, particularly Medicaid.

All of this is to say that health care is still a major crisis in America. As a stinging reminder, Schakowsky pointed out that at least one American would die of what she calls "uninsured-itis" while the hour-long panel was underway. To push for reform, Schakowsky became one of the first legislators to sign the "Which Side Are You On?" petition, an effort by Health Care for America Now to demand that members of Congress enact universal health care next year. Supporters can sign a companion petition here.

Thanks to the generous folks at Prairie State Blue (Illinois' official blog at the DNC), I was able to spend some time on the floor of the Pepsi Center for about an hour last night, before most of the evening's hullaboo began. But that's not to say my timing wasn't solid. Just as I found my seat amid the Illinois delegation,  a procession of state politicos -- Emil Jones, Lisa Madigan, Alexi Giannoulias, Dan Hynes -- took the stage and shared their memories of working with Barack Obama years ago. 

Josh mentioned it in his roundup from the delegate breakfast yesterday, but it's pretty surreal to see so many Illinois pols in such close proximity to one another, especially amid the infighting in Springfield. At one point, Emil Jones sauntered up to Speaker Mike Madigan -- who was sitting with his wife directly in front of me -- and briefly talked White Sox baseball. The forced cordiality is part of any business, no doubt.  But in other industries, the internal disputes aren't usually aired in the media, nor do they involve the tax dollars of millions. This sets up a dynamic that's both frustrating and hilarious to watch unfold in person.

It's also interesting to see people so devoted to the Democratic Party, a feeling that isn't entirely shared by the skeptical circle of lefty writers and activists with whom I generally interact. Of course, many delegates are critical of certain stances their party takes. But the pride they have in their elected officials and the love they have for politics is written all over their faces, and it's encouraging to see. I've certainly never observed so many middle-aged women, enthused by a Congressional speaker, juke uninhibitedly to a funk band.

Speaking to reporters after the Illinois delegation breakfast this morning in Denver, Senate President Emil Jones repeated his response to the controversy over allegations that he called African-American Hillary Clinton delegate Delmarie Cobb an "Uncle Tom."  Jones told the media yesterday that he had actually called her a "Doubting Thomas."  When asked today if he had apologized to Cobb, Jones responded: "About what?"

Watch it: