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* Bill Daley was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune this week. We’ll talk more about that interview later today, but I wanted to start with the end of the piece…
Daley also lashed out at the legislature for failing to approve gay marriage legislation, especially when President Barack Obama urged passage during a fundraising stop last week in Chicago. “It’s crazy,” Daley said.
Obama, having served as a state senator, could have been asked to personally lobby some of his former colleagues to help pick up the votes needed to pass gay marriage, Daley said.
Proponents repeatedly tried to get President Obama and his the First Lady to make some calls. They never got through.
But, here’s a thought. Didn’t Bill Daley serve as Obama’s chief of staff? Couldn’t he have called his old boss and asked for an intervention?
Daley could’ve been a hero. Instead, he’s a clueless brick thrower.
* Meanwhile, WBBM Radio was teasing this story hard yesterday while I was driving to Chicago…
There’s a movement to bar Illinois politicians from the Pride Parade later this month.
In the beginning, there was Jane Byrne.
And then more and more politicians joined the Gay Pride Parade in Chicago. It was a place to be seen and curry favor among a well-heeled community.
But with the gay marriage bill mired in Springfield quicksand, some in the gay community – and their supporters – have signed on to an online petition on change.org that wants to ban Illinois politicians from the parade June 30.
Turns out, there were only 500 petition signers. This is a story? Really? Maybe it’s a factoid buried at the end of a piece, but a story on its own? You gotta be kidding me.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:29 am
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“There’s a movement to bar Illinois politicians from the Pride Parade later this month.”
n00bz
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:44 am
Here we go, more Bill Daley trial balloons. When will the media — like the Tribune — stop giving him free publicity. He never pulls the trigger, so why should his opinion be reported so breathlessly?!?!?
Comment by Whatever Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:46 am
I chuckle every time I see Bill Daley talking tough on pensions and complaining about the state “kicking the can down the road.” His brother screwed up the Chicago pensions so badly with holidays and underfunding that the state pension funds almost look solvent by comparison. I know it’s not fair to blame him for his brother’s sins, but if Bill does run for guv, his campaign’s main theme is going to be contrasting Quinn’s failed leadership with the Daley family’s can-do reputation for successfully operating the machinery of government. Problem is, his brother’s can-kicking has shot a big hole in that reputation.
Comment by Tom S. Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:46 am
Hypothetical response to Rich Miller from Bill Daley:
“Yes, Rich, I could have called President Obama. But, then again, had I called, I wouldn’t be able to bash anyone for the bill not passing.”
Comment by Knome Sane Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:48 am
You know Bill, if you are going to do it, do it already. You don’t have a current office it is going to distract from or anything.
But you are not going to do it, you know that. You like the Sneed hits, you like the attention you get when you pontificate (does the Sun Times make you take selfies now) but when it comes down to it, we all know you are not going to do it.
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:50 am
Apparently, in Illinois, with all these legendary Democratic big-hitter supporters of gay marriage — Obamas, Daleys, Madigans, Durbin, Quinn, Jesse Jackson and the most interesting Man in the World, Rahm Emanuel — it’s impossible to get 60 votes in a super-majority House on gay marriage.
Unbelievable.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 10:58 am
Maybe Bill could have made a call, and then he could have watched the President get all of the credit for getting marriage equality passed. Nobody would know or remember Daley’s role in this scenario. Politicians don’t like to exert effort if they have no chance of getting credit for an accomplishment. That’s politics 101.
But yeah, his complaints about its failure ring hollow.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 11:11 am
“well-heeled community”?
A baseless, untrue stereotype by BBM, that the gays are wealthier, or better-connected than straights.
Comment by Shoeless Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 11:15 am
Wordslinger: there was an interesting study recently that showed that state legislators systematically underestimate support for gay marriage in their districts, both liberals and conservatives.
The point where legislative support really seems to take off is 60 percent in favor, and polling suggests Illinois isn’t quite there yet, even if active opposition is pretty tame.
Comment by whetstone Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 11:26 am
Shoeless: I don’t think that’s what BBM was saying; instead, that the Gay Pride Parade draws a well-heeled crowd. From my experience of my friends who go that isn’t true either, but I think it does tend to draw a youngish, well-educated crowd (of both straights and gays), many of whom will be well-heeled in the future.
Comment by whetstone Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 11:30 am
I’m posting from my Kindle so I can’t copy the url, but there is an excellent story bt Whet Moser at Chicago Magazine about politicians’ misconceptions of the extent of support of gay marriage among their constituents.
Comment by Chavez-respecting Obamist Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 12:14 pm
the gay community is entering into a new political era which is a product of their success which is they are not trying to just get support or move their issues out of the shadows they are starting to be able to hold pols accountable for NOT going their way on issues.
Comment by shore Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 12:34 pm
There were over 1500 today I believe still not much really
Comment by Ok Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 1:41 pm
I cannot understand the apparent befuddlement many people have concerning the House’s inability to pass this measure. It is true the Democrats enjoy a supermajority in the chamber, but this supermajority represents vast swaths of opinion on many issues. A Democrat from Hyde Park is not likely to share many things in common with one from East St. Louis or Decatur. This is both the price and cost of one party governance. The larger the majority, the less issue unity is likely to be seen.
Comment by Downstater Tuesday, Jun 4, 13 @ 7:05 pm
It is outrageous that President Obama couldn’t find 15 minutes of time on a Friday afternoon to place calls to some of the skittish black Democrats who helped stopped the marriage bill.
Comment by Justin Wednesday, Jun 5, 13 @ 1:55 am