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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
It was the “Hug heard ’round Illinois,” but did it really mean anything?
Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed up late to the Democrats’ national convention in Denver. Most others arrived the weekend before the official Monday kickoff, but Blagojevich didn’t get there until Tuesday, just in time to attend a reception that evening and then a Wednesday morning breakfast sponsored by organized labor.
You all know what happened next. Blagojevich and his lifelong nemesis House Speaker Michael Madigan held a long sidebar meeting at the Tuesday evening reception. They talked about how they haven’t talked in months and agreed to talk some more. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s call for party unity earlier that evening had apparently sunk in.
But the following morning’s labor breakfast brought seemingly stunning developments. At the urging of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Madigan and Blagojevich hugged - and it wasn’t one of those “I’m gonna hug you until I break your spine,” hugs, either. It looked almost, well, genuine. The two enemies who had locked each other in a death vise for months were smiling ear to ear, patting each other on the back, while the stunned partisan crowd roared its approval with an extended standing ovation.
“I gotta cut back on the ’shrooms,” cracked one reporter who witnessed the blessed event but still wasn’t quite sure if he hadn’t just hallucinated the whole thing.
Party elders and labor union leaders were immediately hopeful that the supposed new era of good feelings meant that the odious Denver Boot, which Blagojevich and Madigan had locked onto all four wheels of state government years ago, would finally be removed by the magic of Denver’s rarified air. Might a way finally be found to implement the much-needed but perennially stalled multibillion dollar infrastructure program, and patch the horrific state deficit, and resolve education funding reform, and provide universal health insurance?
Maybe not.
“It’s all theater,” confided one top Blagojevich aide later in the day. A Madigan lieutenant pointed out that Madigan was the one who walked over to Blagojevich at Jackson’s urging and had to practically pry the governor out of his seat. No happy talk could be found.
But could it be that the aides de camp hadn’t gotten the message? That very evening, Madigan and Blagojevich continued their detente by sitting next to each other at the Democratic convention.
Remember, these are two men who have been trying to destroy each other for years. Perhaps it would just take a while before their top soldiers could be demobilized and reprogrammed.
Or not.
Blagojevich, Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones had promised Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) that they would sit down and discuss Meeks’ idea to avoid a threatened student boycott of the Chicago Public Schools. Meeks was proposing a $120 million plan to reform the state’s worst public schools. He flew out to Denver to set up the confab, and he then waited and waited for the governor to agree to a meeting time. Madigan had said he was willing to meet whenever the governor was ready, so it all depended on Blagojevich.
The call never came.
The governor, it turns out, had flown back to Chicago to announce huge state budget cuts Thursday morning, including the layoffs of hundreds of state workers and the closures of several state parks and facilities. The cuts were announced at a time when they would be buried far underneath the coverage of Obama’s finely choreographed acceptance speech and John McCain’s dramatic vice presidential announcement.
All of a sudden it seemed to many like everything had been some sort of cynical ploy.
There was no inkling that the same governor who seemed so pleased with the new political thaw was secretly sharpening his meat ax. He had no time to meet with Meeks for a few minutes, but had plenty of time to fly back to Chicago to lay off downstate workers.
If Illinoisans listened carefully, they could almost hear the bile boiling over all the way from Denver.
By the end of the week, the only truly happy people were the House Republicans. They’ve been closely allied with Blagojevich on the stalled infrastructure proposal, but have been simultaneously searching for ways to tie Madigan and his Democratic House candidates to the horribly unpopular governor, in order to gain some political advantage this November.
The “hug” photos were all they needed.
“Coming to a mailbox near you!” gloated one House GOP operative last week.
* Related…
* Kadner: When politicians start hugging each other, you can be sure they’re about to kick the little guy in the rear.
* Democrats’ detente lasts only a day
* Andrew McKenna: It’s one thing to be hugging each other in Denver, the other 364 days a year the voters expect these people to work for them, and I don’t think that’s a record the voters are looking for.
* Marin: This past week in Denver, Illinois Republicans got a good laugh out of all the hugging their warring Democratic counterparts did in Denver. For all House Speaker Michael Madigan’s power and might and Gov. Blagojevich’s gubernatorial perch, they crow, we have no capital bill, no ethics bill, and we face a Chicago school boycott because of the dismal state of funding inner city schools.
* Belleville News-Democrat: However, that hug probably was as believable as Blagojevich’s pronouncement this week that he is a “great governor.” His questionable ethics, his pay-for-play politics and his disdain for the legislative process are just a few of the reasons why he’s a terrible governor.
* Sen. Gary Dahl: “The bull—- keeps getting thicker and thicker. I’m disappointed and shocked. This is no way to run the state.”
* Southern Illinoisan: THUMBS DOWN to the eerie wave of hugging that went on behind the scenes at the Democratic National Convention among Illinois political leaders long at odds with each other. House Speaker Michael Madigan hugged bitter rival, Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley even embraced his nemesis, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. We can’t help but call this a shameless public relations grab at a time when residents in Illinois need true statesmanship and leadership to craft a sorely needed public works improvement plan and put an end to the gridlock among the state’s top elected officials.
* SJ-R: Reality hits in wake of hugs
* Finke: Was Blagojevich-Madigan hug just for show?
* Topinka : “We do a lot of hugs and kisses but they are usually sincere and they are not for trying to make peace. They are just done because you feel good about hugging people… I didn’t buy the hug. I thought it was stupid – really stupid.”
* Britt: Toon about the Madigan-Blagojevich hug-fest in Denver
* SJ-R: Meeks’ protest deserves a look The Meeks/Gidwitz proposal, with its emphasis on both funding and accountability, deserves serious consideration. A flamboyant protest like the one planned for Tuesday in Winnetka could light a fire that spreads across the state.
* School Boycott Plan Raises Calls From Both Sides
* Pastor urges boycott as schools chief visits churches
* Schools must confront root causes of violence
* How does Chicago school funding stack up?
* How many kids will boycott?
* Meeks outlines trip to New Trier
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:18 am
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The legend is that handshakes originated, not out of friendly regard, but from a desire to ensure your opponent didn’t have a weapon up his sleeve. Hugging your opponent just makes it easier for him to stab you in the back.
Comment by Fan of the Game Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:22 am
Give ‘em a chance.
Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks to see if that hug had worth.
The Meeks thing is hardly a barometer.
Comment by pro Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:31 am
Topinka: “Look, I know stupid. You really gotta do the polka with the one you love.”
Comment by GOP'er Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:32 am
I was more interested in the Daley/Jr. Hug. Madigan time and again tries to be the Statesman while Blago is more interested in crank calling madigans phone to ask if his refrigerator is running.
On a side note, between bile and meat axes is article has been rated NC-17
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:36 am
Re; School boycott:
I saw on the news that New Trier ws going to enroll the kids, smart move. Of course, they cannot attend unless they are residents of the district. Way to avoid conflict and bad press new Trier.
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:45 am
At the the time, I thought the hug stuff was a reaction to the Emil Jones “Uncle Tom” dustup early in the convention.
My intuition was that perhaps Sen. Durbin told these guys to make nice publicly so as not to give the national press an opportunity to write a dysfunctional Illinois Dem party story to rain on Obama’s convention.
Long-term, I don’t think it means anything. The wheels of justice are still grinding slowly but finely in the Dirksen Building. Everyone wants to see Pat Fitz’s hole card before they make a bet.
The cover for the House GOP hadn’t occurred to me. That’s a gift for them.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:51 am
Politicians are crooks whose tools are words and symbolism. It is their actions that count. It is their experience that counts. It is their results that count.
I’d rather have a stiff unemotional responsive and efficient group of state leaders, than a pack of sob sisters who have damned themselves into a corner and crying their way out.
If these schmoes didn’t wreck Illinois to the point that it jeopardized their political careers, they wouldn’t have to stop just shy of frenching one another to keep those careers.
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:02 am
New Trier is allowing the proptest to occur on one of its campuses. they in advance identifed a location and set up resources to handle the the influx of protestors and to process them through their system like any other inelgible student. overall I thought they were being remarkably good sports about the protest.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:16 am
Pro said: Give ‘em a chance. Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks to see if that hug had worth.
Too late. When the Gov. ran back and targeted his park cuts in the districts of his opponents, it was clear that the hug was for show.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:32 am
BTW, did anyone get hit harder than Rep. Gordon?
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:33 am
I thought the inital hug was sincere. Thereafter, I though the subsequent hugs between/among various parties were surreal and high political farce. I attribute it to Obamania.
On the other hand, I think New Trier’s greeting their visitors with “hugs and kisses,” instead of as a nuisance or with hostilitay, is a winning strategy for everyone.
Comment by Captain America Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:59 am
A couple of questions: Did the Gov that the Blago air force one to Denver? If he did was it paid for by the taxpayers or his campaign?
On these days where people are getting let go due to budget cuts, why don’t they ground the planes and make him take a car.
Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:08 am
I’m a little confused as to the time the protesters will arrive at New Trier H.S. I would have assumed that they would have boarded the bus early in the morning so that they can be there by the opening bell for maximum effectiveness.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:17 am
Louis, they have to register before they could attend classes; and they are not going to the main campus so as to avoid disrupting classes.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:30 am
These protests are not like the 60’s. There will not be police siccing dogs and firehoses turned on people. Anyone expecting fireworks will be let down. They are not trying to give detractors ammo. I am a critic of this, but Kudos to Meeks for
1. drawing attention to the issue (even if he is blaming New Trier)
2. making sure these protestors arecivil and not heated.
New Trier went a long with it and didn’t add gas to the fire.
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:33 am
I read the entire column. Did the Governor spit in someone’s faces again? Especially after such a good new beginning.
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 11:19 am
Mrs. Samsa reads lips. She tells me from watching the hug, Mike was saying to Rod:
“I know it was you, Fredo”.
Comment by Gregor Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 1:28 pm
My parents always told me trust “deeds not words”. An example of a “deed” I can believe would be the restoration of “priorities and accountability to the people of Illinois” including the funding to substance abuse programs which has suffered almost irreparable “collateral damage” from this political internal democratic “crossfire”. The funding cuts continue to leave over 42,000 people and thousands and thousands more without services. Most legislators both republicans and democrats and constituents of Illinois, agree that these programs save the State money and save lives!
Comment by change we can believe in?... Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 2:38 pm
“It’s all theater,” confided one top Blagojevich aide later in the day.
Veteran Ald. Joe Moore (Chicago 49th) never passes up a free breakfast, and he was convinced he witnessed history:
“I have witnessed an amazing and unforgettable display of unity and reconciliation here in Denver. …
I know you may think the whole incident was staged and scripted, but I was there, and I believe the actions were genuine and sincere. I talked to several long-time political reporters, who are usually a pretty cynical bunch, and they agreed with my assessment.
Mayor Daley’s hug of Jackson was not perfunctory, but a long and sustained bear hug. And Congressman Jackson did more than shed a few tears; he turned away from the podium and wept, unable to speak for several minutes.
It’s too early to tell whether this memorable event will have any long-term effect on political relations back home in Illinois, but it underscores the emotions that we are experiencing here in Denver, and I suspect across the nation.
All of us–from grizzled politicians to new political activists–understand the profound significance of this election and the importance of electing Barack Obama president. And all of us understand that in order to do so, we must set aside our differences and keep our eye on the prize.
My experiences at this convention have demonstrated to me in a very real way that Barack Obama’s message of hope and unity is far more than an election slogan, but is having a very real impact on all of us.”
Comment by BannedForLife Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 4:08 pm
===I talked to several long-time political reporters, who are usually a pretty cynical bunch, and they agreed with my assessment.===
At the moment, maybe. The Daley thing? Probably. The MJM RRB thing? Fleeting, at best.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 4:12 pm
Most long-time political reporters would know better than to predict the Speaker’s future moves or the governor’s agenda.
Comment by Frank Booth Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 4:31 pm
===I know you may think the whole incident was staged and scripted, ===
I never said that or suggested that.
The Rush/Halvorson thing might have been planned (repeat: might), but the Daley and RRB-MJM things were obviously spontaneous.
Try not to read my mind. Thanks.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 4:45 pm
===I know you may think the whole incident was staged and scripted, ===
(the above post is an excerpt from an e-mail from Moore to constituents if that is not clear)
Comment by BannedForLife Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 4:48 pm
Thanks for explaining.
Just as an FYI, make sure to use quotes at the beginning of each graf, or use === to set things off, or italics, or whatever. Sorry to jump.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 4:52 pm
AA is old and gets confused about these things, but didn’t Stoolie Stu Levine give people hugs to get the tape recorder sewn in his Armani blazer running or something like that?
Patdown first, hug second. This is Illinois, after all.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 7:08 pm
ok, I couldda tossed in more quotes
thought you’d be interested in an over-the-top, party-line, alternative hug analysis
I guess this was the Rashomon of hugfests
JJJ “unable to speak for several minutes?” I saw the tape and I don’t think it was “several minutes” but if it were true that alone would have made headlines!
Comment by BannedForLife Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 7:11 pm
I don’t know Joe Moore, but he’s a seemingly trusting and sincere guy, which might explain why he gets peeled like a banana in the City Council.
Give our politicians credit. There are no permanent friends, nor permanent enemies. There is only interest. It was in all their interests at the DNC to put on the hugs. No one wanted to be the one who sparked national media interest in the nominee’s dysfunctional state party.
It became necessary after the the Emil ‘Uncle Tom’ deal and the Jesse Sr. knife act.
It means nothing and there will be no lasting effect. The self interests remain the same as before.
It’s not personal. It ’s business.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 8:55 pm
AA I think he was tryng to pick their pockets, those special K parties do not come cheap!
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:12 pm
“…continued their detente….”
I’ve always loved that word. It’s so complex–often so full of…duplicity.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:21 pm