Madigan, Blagojevich put feud aside; hug it out at Denver convention breakfast
(Lee Milner/For the Sun-Times)
DENVER — With a jaw-dropping series of hugs, feuding Illinois Democrats sought to bury all their old hatchets today in a surreal display of unity.
Even Gov. Blagojevich and his political nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan, shared a brief embrace in the Mile High City.
"Whenever you hug a guy, you oughtta be upbeat about it," Blagojevich said. "I just wonder if it’s the altitude. We’ll find out when we get back home."
Madigan and Blagojevich’s brief hug was the finale of an emotional "love fest" this morning at the Illinois delegation’s breakfast meeting at the Democratic National Convention.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and neighboring U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, whom Jackson has feuded with; Jackson and congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson, who he has sniped at over their different visions of the Peotone Airport; and Jackson and Mayor Daley all got touchy-feely with one another.
Does that mean the state’s top Democrats will really come together now and pass a school-funding plan that satisfies the Rev. James Meeks enough to have him call off his plan to bus kids from Chicago to wealthier school districts Tuesday to try to enroll — depriving the city schools of their federal funding for those kids?
Does it mean Illinois Democrats will move forward on a road and infrastructure construction bill and other other issues gridlocked in Springfield since Blagojevich and Madigan stopped communicating?
Maybe not.
Madigan huddled with Blagojevich for 20 minutes at a Daley party Tuesday — the first talk between the two in a while — then Madigan huddled with Meeks at this morning’s breakfast. But after the celebrated hug, Madigan left the breakfast refusing to take any questions.
Madigan’s spokesman threw cold water on the idea of reading anything substantive into the "symbolic gesture" of a hug.
Meeks said he had no word on whether a lengthier meeting would happen. He said his first-day-of-school boycott will go ahead Tuesday unless state leaders agree to free up $120 million for schools in poorer districts.
Blagojevich doubted an agreement could be reached by Tuesday and urged Meeks to call off his boycott anyway.
"Notwithstanding the love fest you just saw, and all the hugging and kissing, I can’t commit Speaker Madigan or Senate President Jones to something," Blagojevich said. "I don’t know that it’s physically possible to round everybody up."
But Blagojevich said he was optimistic the hug might turn out to be more than just a symbolic gesture. The governor at first refused to discuss what he and Madigan said to each other at Daley’s party.
"I did ask him, ‘I hear that you’re prepared to meet with us and Rev. Meeks,’ and he said he would," Blagojevich said.
Blagojevch revealed some playful banter, saying Madigan’s son said the governor’s name came up when he and his dad were at a ballgame.
Blagojevich said he quickly told Andrew Madigan, "Don’t believe all those good things your dad’s saying about me — I ain’t perfect."
Wednesday morning’s extraordinary party group hug started when Jackson said he noticed that even though he was listed as the third speaker at the breakfast Mayor Daley was calling everyone but him up to speak.
Jackson said he was concerned about his standing with fellow Democrats. He has criticized Daley and Halvorson over the years when he disagreed with them on issues, and Jackson’s wife, Sandi, was mentioned in Michael Sneed’s column in the Sun-Times as a replacement for Rush when Rush was being treated for cancer. . When Rush, in his speech this morning, criticized unnamed people who he said did not wish him well as he recovered form cancer, Jackson said he needed to act.
So when Jackson took the microphone, he praised Hillary Clinton’s "historic act of reconciliation" the previous night, saying, "She wrapped her arms around Barack Obama."
And Jackson called out to Rush, "I see Bobby Rush standing here as the eagle who has soared. Bobby, if there’s anything we’ve ever done or I’ve ever done to offend you, I’m leaving it at this convention. You're my friend, and I appreciate you."
As Rush walked up to the stage, Jackson leapt off the dias, and the two shared a long hug as the room exploded in applause and cheers.
"All is forgiven," Rush said.
Jumping back up to the podium, Jackson called out, "Debbie Halvorson, where are you?"
Jackson got off the stage again to hug Halvorson.
Stepping back up to the podium, he added, "Who else out here been mad at me?"
Sitting right next to the podium, Daley, rose from his seat as he raised his arms and turned toward Jackson.
Jackson began crying. He came back to the podium and tried to speak but had to step away again wiping his eyes.
"I’ve bee trying to get to know Mayor Daley for 14 years," Jackson said. "I only see Mayor Daley at the conventions, and I only talk to him in the press. I’ve been trying to get to know him but that’s what conventions are about. We don’t have a lot of time to unite the Democratic party."
Turning to the grudge match that has had the most consequences for the people of Illinois, Jackson said, "I’m not going to be satisfied till I see Rod Blagojevich give Mike Madigan a hug."
The two men smiled, rose from their chairs and walked across the stage, giving each other perhaps the briefest, but most closely watched hug of this morning’s Democratic love fest.