THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...DNC descends on Chicago...Biden designates Springfield Race Riot site a national monument...Illinois GOP hopes for the best
August 19, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
The Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago today. Governor Pritzker speaks tomorrow, Republican former Congressman Adam Kinzinger speaks Thursday. Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks tonight. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) is also on the speaking schedule.
With my radio obligations, I’ll be missing the Illinois delegation breakfasts each morning, but I’ve enlisted the help of a *real* journalist to tell the Illinois story. My friend Tom LoBianco, formerly of the Associated Press and CNN, will be reporting on the Illinois delegation for us.
Tom currently writes the Substack startup “24Sight.” Go subscribe to it and follow him on Twitter. You’ll see Tom’s reporting in newsletters this week.
I’ll be at and around events in the city this week as necessary.
Obviously, good journalism isn’t free, so if you haven’t yet joined us as a paid subscriber, I hope you’ll sign up today.
Gov. Pritzker doesn’t have anything on his official schedule. His campaign hasn’t noticed any events outside of the DNC.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
All eyes will be on Chicago this week. Can the DNC help reverse the city’s national narrative? (Chicago Tribune)
The eyes of the political world turn to Chicago this week as tens of thousands of delegates, media, dignitaries and political influencers arrive for a historic Democratic National Convention featuring Vice President Kamala Harris’ celebratory and ceremonial acceptance of the party’s presidential nomination.
An event that only a month ago saw Democratic organizers trying to build enthusiasm over the anticipated renomination of President Joe Biden has now developed its own energy with the president’s decision to drop from the race and back Harris, the first Black and Asian woman to receive a major party nomination.
A convention that organizers had planned for more than a year to be a showcase of Biden accomplishments has been quickly rescripted to — starting Monday — define and boost Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and offer voters an aggressive alternative in the Nov. 5 general election to former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
Biden is scheduled to deliver the opening night keynote address. In doing so, he will in effect cede the presidential campaign stage to Harris while forcefully touting the new ticket and what’s at stake in the election. First Lady Jill Biden also is scheduled to speak on Monday and Harris, who is to fly into Chicago on Sunday night, is expected to be in attendance at the United Center.
As is traditionally the case at political conventions, the Democratic event will feature daily themes — “For the People” on Monday, “A Bold Vision For America’s Future” on Tuesday, “A Fight for Our Freedoms” on Wednesday and “For Our Future” on Thursday. The themes will be used to promote their speakers, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as the Harris-Walz ticket. But there also is one overarching convention theme of parochial importance that also has national implications.
Does Chicago have something to prove with this convention?
At a convention kickoff luncheon on Saturday to thank those who helped bring the event to the city, Gov. JB Pritzker said picking Chicago as the location for the DNC was a calculated decision by Biden.
“There’s one really, really, important reason that he chose Chicago, and that is that we’ve demonstrated to the country that Democrats deliver in Chicago and in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said, citing the convention theme of Illinois Democrats.
“So when all these people come from around the country, they get to see what the Democratic agenda looks like in action,” Pritzker said. “It is going to be one of the greatest experiences and the best conventions ever in the history of the Democratic Party.”
Related: Illinoisans to take center stage at Democratic convention (Daily Herald)
Democratic convention roll call to be transformed into a Harris-Walz rally with DJ, music and surprise guests (Chicago Sun-Times)
The DNC starts Monday in Chicago. Here’s what to know. (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Democrats 'energized' by nomination of history-making Harris (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Watch party for Kamala Harris' DNC nomination acceptance planned at Soldier Field (Chicago Sun-Times)
Chicago will be Convention City again in 2024. Take a look back at its history as a host. (Chicago Tribune)
An inside look at the anatomy of the 2024 Chicago Democratic convention (Chicago Sun-Times)
DNC organizers say convention will be the ‘most sustainable’ in history (WBEZ)
Trump supporters rally in Woodstock ahead of DNC, vow to fight ‘Kama-nism’ (Shaw Media)
Editorial: Welcome to Chicago, DNC delegates. For this week anyway, our interests mostly are aligned. (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: At DNC 2024, history is in the making (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Tell us why we can hope: As Democrats gather in Chicago, their true challenge is not so different from that of the GOP (Daily Herald)
Biden signs order to establish 1908 Springfield race riot monument as he looks to burnish legacy (Associated Press)
President Joe Biden on Friday designated a national monument at the site of the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Ill., a seminal moment in the United States’ long and difficult history with racial violence targeting Black people.
Biden was joined in the Oval Office by lawmakers as well as civil rights and community leaders as he signed the proclamation establishing the monument on 1.57 acres of federal land. The monument is intended to be a solemn reminder of the two-day riot sparked by mobs of white residents tearing through Illinois’ capital city under the pretext of meting out judgment against two Black men — one jailed on a sexual assault charge involving a white woman, and the other jailed in the separate murder of a white man.
The Democratic president’s effort to establish the monument comes as he looks to burnish his legacy in his final months in office. Biden is also looking to help Vice President Kamala Harris contrast herself with former President Donald Trump, who is aiming to cut into Democrats historic edge with Black voters.
“We can’t let these things fade,” Biden said before signing the proclamation. He added, “I know this may not seem significant to most Americans, but it’s of great significance. ... It can happen again if we don’t take care of and fight for our democracy.”
The issue of racial violence continues to reverberate throughout the country. The monument designation was announced less than six weeks after the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, by a white sheriff’s deputy in her Springfield home after she called 911 for help.
Biden said he saw the establishment of the Springfield monument as an opportunity to recognize a significant moment of the Black community’s resilience. The event helped spur the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Related: 'We can't let these things fade': Biden designates 1908 Springfield Race Riot as national monument (State Journal-Register)
Illinois Republicans embrace Trump, predict Harris 'honeymoon' will fade (Bloomington Pantagraph)
While their political opponents may have enjoyed the rainy weather that delayed Republicans' annual Illinois State Fair rally, party leaders took a different view as they sought to energize supporters.
"Does anybody feel a little thunder in the movement?" Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi asked supporters who attended the event on the director's lawn at the state fairgrounds.
"We had thunder before, a little rain," she continued, addressing conditions that caused the proceedings to start about 40 minutes late. "But there's no (one gonna) rain on this parade today. In fact, I think rain is a sign, it's a good omen for us for our November results."
Salvi and other party leaders remained bullish on their chances of winning back the White House and making a dent in down-ballot races in deep blue Illinois this November, carrying the good feelings from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month to their annual rally at the state fairgrounds on Thursday.
At their annual rally, GOP leaders doubled down on the themes from last month's national convention. Salvi told party activists that they will "communicate door to door" and "in the grocery store line" on the issues of crime, cost of living and Illinois' culture of political corruption.
The state party remains firmly aligned with Trump, who has lost Illinois twice by 17 percentage points. Salvi remained undaunted, asserting that the past is not necessarily a predictor of these election results and that Trump has a "winning message."
"I think after this little tiny last two-week honeymoon is over, people are going to be coming back and saying, 'we have to elect Trump-Vance' and 'the Republicans offer solutions and hope,'" Salvi said. "And this is the message that I'm projecting throughout the state."
Related: Republicans admit 'we got lazy' in blue Illinois — but vow at State Fair to boost GOP turnout (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois Republicans see Harris’ polling surge as ‘honeymoon period’ that’s destined to end (Capitol News Illinois)
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On the eve of historic DNC, Chicago named host city for NAACP’s 2026 convention (Chicago Tribune)
State appeals court tosses proposal for new transmission line in central Illinois (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois State Fair hosts its first naturalization ceremony, welcoming nearly 200 new U.S. citizens (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Editorial: Brandon Johnson wants to fire Pedro Martinez, Chicago taxpayers’ best friend? (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: CPS CEO Martinez spoke fiscal sense, so of course Mayor Johnson and CTU want to oust him (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: We're starting to see who's really calling the shots in CTU contract talks (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: The race to pass legislation next year already has begun (Daily Herald)
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