Illinois Dems get best seats at convention

ELECTION '08 | And party hosted by Durbin, Emanuel is among the hottest tickets

WASHINGTON -- Illinois delegates will have the best seats when the Democrats meet later this month at the Pepsi Center in Denver to make Barack Obama the party nominee. It's traditional for home state delegates to get prime position on the floor.

Obama himself will huddle with Illinois delegates at least once, on Aug. 27, when he is the honoree at a reception hosted by House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. The reception is at Coors Field. Obama is expected to arrive in Denver on Wednesday, following campaigning in key battlegrounds in the run-up to his acceptance speech at Invesco Field.

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One hot ticket during the Democratic convention in Denver is for "Chicago Night" sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill., left) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill., right). On the invitation (center) they are featured as Jake and Elwood in a take-off of the "Blues Brothers."
(Courtesy/Sun-Times files)

Conventions feature hundreds of parties; one of the hottest tickets already is "Chicago Night in Denver," an invitation-only party sponsored by the two Illinois congressional powers: Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 leader in the Senate, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the No. 4 leader in the House. Second City will perform, and the invitation features a sketch of Durbin and Emanuel in shades and fedoras as the "Blues Brothers," Jake and Elwood.

Mayor Daley will host a delegation party Tuesday at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and state Senate leader Emil Jones, Obama's Illinois political godfather, hosts a delegation celebration Aug. 27, after the convention proceedings.

Gov. Blagojevich will attend the convention, said spokesman Doug Scofield, though his schedule of activities was still in the works when we talked. While other governors will be speaking, Blagojevich, the first governor to endorse Obama, will not. Blagojevich has taken a no-profile role in the Obama campaign in the wake of the Tony Rezko corruption proceedings.

Meanwhile, the University of Maryland released a study by two economics professors titled "The Role of Celebrity Endorsement in Politics: Oprah, Obama and the 2008 Democratic Primary," concluding that Oprah's backing produced contributions and at least 1 million more votes for Obama. I looked up the academic paper for more insight, and I offer one of the formulas the professors used, if you want to make the calculations yourself. ...