Time to ‘end the anger politics’: Illinois Democrats push unity agenda

With Chicago’s Democratic National Convention wrapping up, Illinois delegates begin pivoting to what will be a bruising election.

But Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stressed bipartisanship Thursday at the contingent’s final breakfast caucus.

“It seems like the last eight years — every day has been an ‘us vs. them,’ a boiling point in our country where we’ve been asked to pick a side on everything from the car you drive to the beer you drink. Somehow beer got political,” Beshear commented to laughter.

“We are not each others enemies,” he said, adding it was time “to end the anger politics, once and for all.”

Beshear also gave props to vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz who addressed the DNC Wednesday.

“Don’t we deserve a vice president who has been a classroom teacher?” Beshear asked. “He’s been a coach, and while all that’s impressive, he has also been a lunchroom monitor. Sometimes in Congress I think we can use a lunchroom monitor helping us out.”

Cook County Board Chair Toni Preckwinkle said the ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz means Democrats can do more than “say ‘no’ to Trump.”

“What better way to show our girls and young woman that they can and should be involved and run for office than see a smart, tough, thoughtful woman of color fighting for them in the White House?”

But that won’t come without hard work, Preckwinkle said, recalling sticking stamps on envelopes while working on campaigns at age 16.

“Now, there’s fewer stamps and envelopes but a lot of doors to knock on. We need the turnout at home and we need to work with our neighbors in Michigan and Wisconsin to deliver those swing states.”

Delegate Yasmeen Bankole, a Hanover Park trustee, said one take-away from the DNC was “the Democrats are fired up and ready to put in the work to elect our next president and vice president.

“I think this convention also reminds us of the historical nature of this nomination, but also all the things we stand to lose if (Harris) does not become president.”

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza spoke to those concerns, particularly abortion rights. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 after Trump appointees created a conservative super majority.

“Donald Trump has led a full-on assault on our reproductive rights,” she said. “No one, especially that guy, should have anything to say about what we can do with our uteruses.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin pronounced the convention a success, and took issue with GOP vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance for comparing Chicago to a “third-world country” this week.

There’s been numerous protests during the four-day event, including breaching of a security fence that resulted in numerous arrests Monday.

“First, I salute the law enforcement officials,” Durbin said. “I’ll admit to you, I was holding my breath because I was not sure what was going to happen … I understand what can happen with demonstrators … but we have had an excellent convention and my hat is off to those who planned it.”