Even in Denver, unity escapes state's Democrats

Will Illinois' dysfunctional Democratic family return from Denver unified and energized to capitalize on Barack Obama's spot at the top of the national ticket? Or will the divisions that are clear back here and increasingly in view in Colorado keep them from realizing the advantages they can have if the state's junior senator rises to the White House?

That seems to be the question of the week for the Illinois delegation. It's got the status at the convention as the home state of the nominee but right from the get-go, it was clear that unity was going to be harder to reach than if the delegates tried to climb the nearby Rocky Mountains together.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley recognized this Tuesday as he tried to get the state delegation to look at the big picture, not the squabbles from Springfield or even the underlying bitter division between the Obama and Hillary Clinton camps that has also been center stage early this week.

"We have to remind ourselves we are cheerleaders for Barack Obama," said Daley. "I know there are issues in Springfield, Cook County, Chicago, Washington, D.C., United Nations. Those issues will be decided after this convention. Let's keep everything out of this convention."

Easier said than done. But if Democrats don't heed Daley's warnings, they could find themselves as irrelevant nationally as the state's Republicans were even when the Speaker of the House hailed from Yorkville.

Outgoing state Senate President Emil Jones of Chicago and delegate Delmarie Cobb certainly didn't help the reputation of Illinois' delegation when they argued publicly over whether he called her an "Uncle Tom" because of Cobb's support of Hillary Clinton. Jones denied saying the offensive term, claiming he was misheard. Either way, the confrontation and the escalation of the tiff was childish.

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich has done his party no favors either. He rewrote ethics legislation on Monday while lawmakers were in Denver, again causing animosity with a Legislature that doesn't trust him or like his way of doing business.

Blagojevich arrived Tuesday to host a party for former congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth, who heads the state's veteran's affairs department. Duckworth has been identified as a potential replacement for Obama in the U.S. Senate should he win the presidency. But several others state luminaries have been rumored as well including Blagojevich, who has the power to appoint the replacement. That battle could be bruising for the party should it come to fruition.

And will Democrats be able to hang on to the governor's office in 2010? That's another theme running through the delegation, with three potential gubernatorial candidates getting speech time Monday night while the current occupant has been shunned by convention organizers.

But first on their minds should be Obama, who also has the potential of allowing Democrats to ride his coattails in November and capture even more suburban Congressional seats. But the turf battles, egos, aspirations and political bickering could derail the state Democrats' grand plans.

As the nation watches during this historic week, it would be refreshing to see some of that unity they are trying to preach and not be embarrassed by the state's political leaders.