Progress Illinois

Clinton Forcefully Calls For Unity
In a much-anticipated speech at the Democratic National Convention last night, Sen. Hillary Clinton dropped the hammer, bringing tears to her supporters and rallying support for Barack Obama. In her best one-liner of the night, she talked about the irony of the Republican National Convention's setting, scheduled for next week. “It makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities," she said, "because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart.” Obama, who watched the address from Montana, called it "excellent" and "a strong speech."

Reporters Scour Files Linking Obama, Ayers
Reporters and conservative activists rushed to the University of Illinois at Chicago yesterday after the school released more than 1,000 files detailing the activities of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, an education reform group in which both Barack Obama and former 1960s radical William Ayers played key roles. The Tribune reports that "a partial examination of the documents did not reveal anything startling about the link."

Blagojevich, Madigan Chat It Up In Denver
To be a fly on the wall of the Denver Performing Arts Center last night. During a reception hosted by Mayor Richard Daley, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan chatted for 20 minutes in the corner of a ballroom as members of the delegation took pictures. Was it a sign of reconciliation? Blagojevich later said the two might meet today to discuss the new education proposal put forth by Sen. James Meeks.

Bill Daley Leaves Gubernatorial Door Open
William Daley, brother of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and a former Commerce Secretary under President Clinton, did not dismiss talk Tuesday that he might seek the post of Illinois governor in 2010, telling reporters at the Illinois delegation's breakfast meeting that it would not be wrong for them to mention him as a potential candidate. Daley, whose brother is a frequent critic of the current governor, also acknowledged that he has received encouragement from potential supporters.

Jones Offers Raoul As Obama Successor, Again
In other campaign chatter, Senate President Emil Jones gave an implicit endorsement to State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) for the U.S. Senate vacancy if Barack Obama was to win in January, telling the press he doesn't self-promote and he's "a fine young man." Raoul took over Obama's state senate seat in 2004 and says he would be excited for the opportunity if tapped by the Governor

Illinois SAT Scores Down, Still Well Above National Average
Although Illinois students surpassed the national SAT average, the high school class of 2008 slipped from the year prior in all three tested subjects. While all students in Illinois take the ACT, the SAT is generally favored by East Coast colleges, suggesting that those who take the exam tend to be high-achieving students, thus skewing the results.