Not just a celeb, Obama pays his dues
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Printable FormatROCKFORD REGISTER
Ill. senator begins to address state, regional concerns
When then-Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama returned to Illinois from the Democratic Convention in Boston a year ago, one of his first stops was at Rockford's Sinnissippi Park.
There, in the shadow of the orange Symbol sculpture, this previously obscure state senator from Chicago's Hyde Park was greeted by hundreds of delirious fans, most of whom had never seen him before. It was as if Obama were a conquering Roman general returning home.
A year later, hero status continues to swirl around Obama, now the junior U.S. senator from Illinois. But in a very real way, Obama is the luckiest politician in America.
He benefited from a rare, political harmonic convergence: Obama hit his stride in the national spotlight just as the Republican Party candidate, Jack Ryan, was crashing to the ground in a sex scandal.
The GOP hired a substitute candidate, Maryland talk-show host Alan Keyes, who never connected with the mass of voters. So, Obama was free to cruise on autopilot to a landslide victory in a state known for its bruising political donnybrooks.
But we've been here before. Remember Carol Moseley Braun, the Democrat? How about Peter Fitzgerald, the Republican? Both were relatively unknown statewide when they won their Senate races, but neither had the staying power necessary to get re-elected.
Specifically, they didn't pay much attention to state and regional concerns and didn't travel the state much.
Six months into his tenure, Obama shows signs that he's not likely to repeat the mistakes of the one-hit wonders. Illinoisans expect their senators to show up, and to advocate on Capitol Hill for local and state projects.
On one of the Rock River Valley's most important concerns -- boosting business at Greater Rockford Airport -- Obama is getting with the program, an airport leader said.
"I've had two requests to converse with Senator Obama regarding the airport, and in both cases, he met privately with (Executive Director) Bob O'Brien and me," said Mike Dunn, airport board authority
president.
"We asked for his support to advocate for our airport, and for him to work with the secretary of transportation on a small-communities air-service grant," Dunn said.
Obama followed up. Two weeks go, he and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., met with Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta to stump for Rock-ford's airport.
"We've developed a very strong relationship with Senator Obama's staff in Illinois. They've been very helpful to us, and Obama was very strong in his comments to Mineta, so we were very pleased about that," Dunn said.
Ald. Ann Thompson, D-7th, agrees that Obama is building the local connections to establish himself as a fixture of Illinois politics for a long time.
"From listening to his speeches when he comes here, he's very much aware of what's happening in Rockford on a lot of issues. Obama does his homework, and so I think he will be an excellent person to represent this community in Washington," Thompson said.
And, the west-side alderman noted, Obama travels frequently to the Forest City.
"He's been here more than any other senator I've seen. And ever since Obama's been on the scene, we've had more appearances by Dick Durbin, too. And that's a good thing," Thompson said.
Political analyst Bob Evans says it's too soon to judge whether Obama is a new-style Democrat who is fashioning a centrist agenda that links government compassion with personal responsibility, or simply another garden-variety Chicago liberal -- but one with a glamorous aura.
"Events haven't yet forced him to take the kinds of definitive positions that make him easy to classify," said Evans, a political science professor at Rockford College. "He's clearly thoughtful and equally clearly eloquent. Whatever position he takes, he'll be an effective representative of those positions."
State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, served with Obama in the Illinois Senate, where his voting record indicates that Obama was one of the most liberal members.
"However, I'm pleasantly surprised. I think he realizes that he now represents the entire state and not just Chicago. He's really
addressed issues throughout the whole state," Syverson said.
"While I may disagree with his votes on some issues, I'll give him high marks for being willing to meet with people and being supportive of projects in Rockford. It's good that he's been out here a number of times," Syverson said.
Winnebago County Democratic Party Chairman Greg Tuite seems sure that Obama is an original item with a distinctive ideology.
"If you read his speeches you can see that he does believe in core Democratic Party values, but is willing to challenge the status quo. On Father's Day he gave a speech to a South Side Chicago church and challenged them to be 'full-grown men' to strive for excellence," Tuite said.