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For the third time in a row, Illinois Democrats are headed to their party"s nominating convention to help anoint a home-stater to the top slot on the ballot as Chicago-born, suburban-raised Hillary Clinton is poised to accept the presidential nomination.
But the mood at this Democratic National Convention is slightly different than at the past two, when the party"s nominee was Barack Obama, a Chicagoan and onetime state senator who launched his presidential campaign from the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield.
After the March 15 primary revealed a split between voters who preferred Clinton and those who favored Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Illinois delegation is hoping the party will be able to coalesce around its nominee and capitalize on what could be a turnout opportunity.
The stakes this year are high: Illinois Democrats have their sights set on a Republican-held U.S. Senate seat and are hoping to protect and perhaps build on supermajorities at the statehouse. The Senate seat, held by first-term Sen. Mark Kirk, is central to the party"s efforts to capture control of that chamber. The outcome of state legislative races will affect the way Democratic leaders in Springfield proceed in their power struggle with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
All of it will rest on the party"s ability to boost enthusiasm and drive Democratic turnout at the polls. As the delegation heads to Philadelphia, it has some work to do.
"We have to unify," said Southeast Side Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, 10th, a Sanders delegate. "What I hope happened with the Bernie Sanders movement is they woke up the Democratic Party and said, "Hey, you better listen, because we"re going in the wrong direction." "
Unlike 2008, when Obama swept the Illinois Democratic primary, the decision this year was far less definitive. Clinton barely inched past Sanders with 50.6 percent of the vote compared with 48.6 percent for Sanders. Of the state"s 196 delegates, 83 are pledged to Sanders, meaning there will be a lot of the senator"s delegates looking for assurances that Clinton can satisfy the more liberal wing of the party.
The delegation"s mood on leaving Philadelphia could help set the tone for the campaign ahead, and represent an early indicator of whether Democrats can mobilize turnout in November. Much of that mood-shifting work will take place at morning breakfast meetings, where delegates will hear from party leaders and supporters, including organized labor.
"It"s generally what you might call a pep talk, but based in the individual"s own party or labor or whatever experience," said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a top deputy to House Speaker Michael Madigan.
On the larger convention stage, at least a couple of politicians who have spoken before aren"t expected in the national spotlight this time around.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who addressed the national convention four years, is not expected to speak on the big stage. He is, though likely to talk at a delegation breakfast, Currie said. Also not listed so far is U.S. Sen. d**k Durbin, the state"s highest-ranking member of Congress who had a slot on the speaking stage in 2012.
But Illinois will have at least three elected officials who are expected to address the entire national party assemblage.
U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a party favorite who is challenging Kirk for Senate, is expected to speak on the main stage, though it has yet to be officially announced. U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez is expected to use his bona fides as an immigration advocate to draw a contrast between Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
And then there"s President Obama whose speech Democrats are hoping will do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to energizing the party.
"I expect for the president to come out and give a speech that is stronger than anything he did coming in," said West Side Ald. Emma Mitts, 37th, a Clinton delegate. "This is his legacy he"s talking about and what the future should hold. His eyes are even more wide open now, so he can really give us something to be excited about so that we can come back and really campaign strong, because we"re going to need that energy."
Clinton delegate and South Side Ald. Carrie Austin said some Sanders supporters are dragging their feet, and that it"s time for them to get in line as Clinton has incorporated some of the senator"s ideas into her campaign and the party"s platform.
"What more do they want her to do? That"s the part that bothers me. I mean, c"mon. What more do you want her to give of herself to convince you?" said Austin, 34th. "She"s doing everything within the character of who she is. Why would she step outside the character of the person of who she is? You want me to do a jig? I don"t know how to dance. So, I think they"re overreaching and they just don"t like her. Period."
Plus for Illinois delegates, there"s the fact Clinton was born in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge. Never mind that the Cubs fan started donning a Yankees hat when she moved to New York to run for U.S. Senate.
"She"s from here, but not here. And it"s OK with us," Austin said. "I knew Sen. Clinton when she was just the wife and Bill was the president, so that"s why I"m supporting her. She"s a straight shooter. She"s not a bulls------. That"s what I like. Don"t give me no song and dance, because I know it"s a song and dance."
Still, there are some moves Clinton could drive at the convention to generate excitement from the Sanders crowd, Sadlowski Garza said, such as striking from the platform the Trans-Pacific Partnership a proposed trade deal Obama has backed but Sanders has strongly opposed. Clinton also has said she doesn"t favor the deal.
For her part, Currie said she was optimistic the party would be unified after a meeting of delegates in Springfield earlier this year.
"Party unity is already assured," she said. "I am sure that the enthusiasm will rise as the convention proceeds."
Pilsen Ald. Danny Solis, 25th, said he"s not too worried about the enthusiasm factor for Clinton. As a member of the party"s platform committee, he attended meetings in Orlando this month, and said Sanders supporters were helpful in creating what he called "the most progressive platform we"ve seen in the history of the party."
Solis, a Clinton supporter in the delegation, said he believes Sanders delegates will follow the liberal senator"s call for party unity, and he said the fresh perspective of his supporters will bring energy to the convention. Plus, Solis said, some pundits are underestimating the organic enthusiasm that the historic nature of the convention will create.
"The first woman to be nominated for president in the history of the United States, and I think she will be elected in November," said Solis, whose sister Patti Solis Doyle worked as a longtime aide to Clinton. "To me, it"s a historical moment in the life of this country and in my life, and we are going to show a great contrast to what the Republicans have been talking about and the vitriolic theme they had at their convention."
Still, there is some work to do with Sanders backers, some of whom point to the email scandal that has clouded Clinton"s campaign with questions about her use of a private server to send classified information while she was running the State Department.
Sadlowski Garza is in that camp, admitting she is grudgingly moving toward getting behind Clinton. Why so hesitant?
"I don"t think I have enough time to go through it all," she deadpanned. "Bernie has always stood for the working class his whole career. He"s always told the truth, he"s always done what he"s said he"s going to do. We don"t have to worry about him hiding emails or saying one thing and flip-flopping to another just to appease people. I just don"t really trust Hillary Clinton."
But in the end, she said, Trump, not Clinton, will be the most important motivating factor.
"We can"t let Donald Trump get elected. We just can"t. He"s a joke," Sadlowski Garza said. "I"ll be voting for Hillary."
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Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-democratic-national-convention-met-0724-20160723-story.html
