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Happy belated birthday, Mr. Speaker

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Illinois

* Speaker Chris Welch’s 50th birthday was Saturday. I was searching for something else today and came across this 2019 pic with Darren Bailey and couldn’t pass it up…

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:05 pm

Comments

bipartisan birthday pic

Comment by west wing Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:07 pm
“2018…what a year! Can’t get any wackier than that, can it Darren?”

Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:11 pm
Speaker Welch: He’s behind me, isn’t he?

Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:16 pm
Happy Birthday Speaker Welch. Keep on smiling while helping the people of Illinois.

Comment by M Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:23 pm
Which one’s smile is phony?
a) Chris
b) Darren
c) both of the above

Comment by DEE Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:47 pm
” keep your friends close , and your enemies closer “

Comment by Red Ketcher Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 3:54 pm
“Bailey Bouyed By Bipartisan Backing”

It’ll be in a mailer.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 4:03 pm
“No-no… which *one* is photoshopped? I’ve gotten good, amirite?”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 4:04 pm
“Speaker, he’s the only face without a mask, so we used it.”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 4:07 pm
“That’s Darren Bailey. Won’t see him the House no more”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 4:08 pm
Darren Bailey gets as close as he had ever gotten to an Illinois Speaker. Mere hours later, he was sworn in as a senator.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 4:12 pm
Bailey was known to photobomb, he was a master. See, everyone ignored him so he could sneak up on anyone. It got so bad that press shops in Springfield spent a couple hours a week just cropping out Bailey.

Most felt sorry for Bailey, inviting him in the pictures to make it easier to crop him out.

After a few weeks… Bailey finally figured out he was being played. Then on, Bailey decided he’d refuse every picture asked to taken of him.

Constituents, elected officials, even distant family, no pictures. Bailey wasn’t going to be someone’s punchline anymore.

Then, on a not so extraordinary Tuesday, Welch, quietly, almost as sneaky as Bailey himself use to be when photobombing, came to Bailey and asked, “Darren, will you take a picture with me? I’d like that very much.”

Bailey, pretending not to hear, but he had heard all the same, looked forward, then slowly turned his head as not to look Welch in the eye and said “Would you? I miss the camera. Together?”.

Welch, putting both hands on Bailey’s shoulders, giving reassurance to Bailey, both men looking each other in the eye, Bailey, seemingly broken, but not down, Welch said “Together, my friend”… and this is that picture.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 4:29 pm
I’m here of OW’s fanfic of Darren Bailey. Sure, it reads like a Batman villian origin story, but I’m entertained nonetheless

Comment by Commisar Gritty Monday, Feb 8, 21 @ 6:16 pm