Per our sources, Chicagoist has learned that Vice President Joe Biden plans to travel to Chicago on Monday to attend the inauguration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. more ›

Mark Kirk was sworn in as Illinois' junior senator yesterday, calling his swearing in the end to "a sad chapter in Illinois history" and pledging a bipartisan, centrist approach while taking a shot at Democrats he said had squandered the public's goodwill. "Our state's leaders tried to sell this seat, then blocked an election to fill it," Kirk said at a reception following his swearing in. "But the courts, the law and the people spoke." more ›

Vice President Joe Biden spoke at the Union League Club in Chicago this afternoon to fundraise for House candidate Dan Seals. Biden spoke to a crowd of around 200 for about 40 minutes, defending the Obama administration, his love of the Philadelphia Flyers and urging voters to send Seals to Capitol Hill. Biden chided Republicans, saying “listen to the Republicans, you’d think that all our good days are behind us.” more ›

As GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk takes his turn in the hot seat, the Democratic nominee, state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, is trying to drum up some good press. Perhaps the biggest piece of news is, as Lynn Sweet reports, Vice President Joe Biden will appear at a June 21 fundraiser scheduled for Alexi. Biden will already be in town to support congressional nominee Dan Seals but it's a big show of support from the White House for a candidate who's had his own set of troubles since garnering the party's nomination in early February. Other Obama administration officials will be showing support for Alexi in the next few weeks, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Obama campaign head David Plouffe. more ›

You might have heard about this already, but over the weekend, Congress passed President Obama's Health Care reform bill. And then when he signed it into law, Vice President Biden was caught by a nearby mic calling the legislation "a big fucking deal." We're still not sure which of these two events got more people talking. Either way, at least someone did a proper mash-up to mark the historic events (even if it's not quite up to that Simpsons parody many years back) more ›

Vice President Joe Biden, fresh off of helping solve racism at yesterday's "beer summit," addressed the 2009 National Urban League Conference here in Chicago earlier today. AP photographer John Smierciak caught some pretty poses from Biden and we thought we'd have a little Friday fun with them, a la our similar fun with Rahm Emanuel from last fall. (In all seriousness, check out the Sun-Times recap of Biden's speech.) more ›

The proposals for the regional high speed rail systems have been submitted as each region is competing for part of the $8 billion payday, but the Midwest region, with Chicago as its hub, got a big boost from V.P. Joe Biden who called the Midwest proposal, "one of the most comprehensive plans that have been put forward so far." In total, the system would cost around $9.6 billion and take 10 years to complete. [Tribune] more ›

As concern over the spread of the H1N1 Influenza A virus (the scientific name for "swine flu") grows, the latest numbers this morning have the tally at 54 probable cases in Illinois. All cases are from the greater Chicagoland area and the CDC has confirmed three. Several area schools have joined Kilmer Elementary in shutting their doors to prevent the spread, and CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond said Kilmer will remain closed until further notice. more ›

Vice President Joe Biden visited Chicago on Monday to speak at the annual Richard J. Daley Urban Forum. He also took a tour of the soon-to-be-reopened Republic Windows and Doors factory on Goose Island. Republic was abruptly shut down last year, right before Christmas, and the workers, members of UE Local 1110 promptly occupied the plant and demanded the severance pay they were entitled to under law. Serious Materials then bought the plant and equipment earlier this year, promising to rehire the workers and start making windows again. more ›

After our morning at the Capitol, we made our way over to the Lincoln Memorial for the "We Are One" Concert which was to feature a range of political, celebrity, and musical appearances before an expected crowd of up to 500,000. We were plenty early as we made our way through the masses and it gave us a chance to scan the hundreds of items available to buy from the countless vendors. Shirts, towels, buttons, flags, you name it, it probably has Obama's picture on it and you're going to pay a a lot of pennies for it. Once inside the grounds, we found the press section nestled below the right side of the stage with a nice view, though the set pieces and a jumbotron obscured our view of one of the two onstage podiums as well as the actual Lincoln Memorial, but, still, we weren't complaining. We dodged CNN's John Roberts as he filmed a report from our corral and set up position for the show. more ›

Whaddya know, there's more going on around town than the Feds rousting Blago out of bed: more ›

Congressman Bobby Rush has called on Governor Blagojevich to name a black politician to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama, announcing a state-wide petition drive on the issue. Rush, who has no interest in the seat, spoke at a press conference yesterday, saying, "In the past, Governor Blagojevich has demonstrated in some respects that he's a friend. We just want him to continue to be friendly." With Obama's seat vacated, the U.S. Senate has no black senators. Two of the leading candidates to take over the seat are black: Congressmen Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Danny Davis. Outgoing State Senate President Emil Jones has also been mentioned as a possible replacement, but is considered more of a long-shot. more ›

We know, everyone is suffering from Obama-overload. But we thought this was pretty cool. The Secret Service has given the incoming first family their code names. The President-Elect is named "Renegade." Sasha as "Rosebud"? Someone in the Secret Service must be a Citizen Kane fan. And President Bush as "Tumbler" just makes us giggle. Biden as "Celtic" is interesting, and while he doesn't look anything like Larry Bird, we encourage Joe to look at growing a Bird-esque mustache. more ›

Anyone looking for a train wreck at last night's Vice Presidential debate came away disappointed. Democrat Sen. Joe Biden didn't ramble too badly and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations by solidly, if uninspiringly, standing her ground. Gone was the Palin who looked in over her head in interviews with Katie Couric and, instead, was one who had her answers well-prepared answers and deftly dodged the questions she didn't want to answer, saying at one point, "And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear..." more ›

It's been an eventful week for Chicago's Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States of America. He's battling critics, dealing with a loose cannon running mate, dealing with a guy bringing a gun to his house, and preparing for a debate this Friday - seriously, what the hell, John? Here I am, working my ass on this round-up, and you go and throw everything out of whack. This all about me, John. Why did you have to steal my thunder? Screw it, this election is still happening so I'm doing this news round-up anyway. Nice try, McCain! more ›

With the electorate still seemingly enamored with John McCain's VP pick, Joe Biden announced at a fund raiser in Chicago earlier this week that he would be well prepared to debate Sarah Palin early next month. more ›

Gallup. Rasmussen. Zogby. USA Today. Network news and 24-hour cable news. Real Clear Politics averages. All have poll results all over the compass regarding who's winning the presidential race. more ›

After teasing us and putting up with internet pranksters, it seems Barack Obama has finally picked a running mate. According to the Associated Press and CNN, who both apparently got that coveted text message way before anyone else did (including us), Obama has tabbed Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate in the 2008 Presidential campaign, ending weeks of speculation, rumors, and guessing-games. Biden was considered a favorite for the spot on the ballot early on. more ›

With the Democratic National Convention less than a week away, those whispers about Obama picking a running mate have turned into a buzz and will soon turn into a roar. Reports are stating that Obama has picked his running mate and will announce it as soon as tomorrow. Earlier this summer, Obama's campaign rolled out an option for those on the Obama email list to register so that could receive first notice of the Veep decision. Speculation has focused on Delaware Senator Joe Biden and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh as the lead candidates. more ›

About 17,000 union members, along with their friends and their families, filled the south end of Soldier Field for a debate, hosted by the AFL-CIO, among the Democratic contenders. A sweaty sea of union members in colored T-shirts, representing everyone from the Service Employees International Union to the United Steelworkers, from the AFSCME to the IUPAT, drank cold bottles of water and listened to Democrats talk about how their administration would work for working families,... more ›

While most of the city was partying down at Lollapalooza this weekend, a different type of party was going on just a few blocks south of Grant Park: YearlyKos, the annual convention hosted by DailyKos, the netroots weblog started by Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, and filled with content, news and views by a motley crew of bloggers from around the nation (including Dick Durbin!). Saturday was a big day for the bloggers by the lake, with... more ›

In the ludicrous horse race that the 2008 presidential campaign has devolved into, much of the charisma and ideas that pushed Barack Obama to become a candidate in the first place have been lost in the "reporting" of the money and power-grabbing of this most early of seasons. At this early juncture, handicapping and speculation are a fool's game, although that hasn't stopped many from trying. Along the way, we've been treated to such spectacles... more ›

The internets were buzzing this weekend with Rush Limbaugh's latest parody of liberal self-loathing. Riffing on a column by LA Times writer David Ehrenstein, the song, sung from the perspective of civil-rights activist and sometime presidential candidate Al Sharpton and set to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon," has quickly become controversial. A sociological term devised in the 20th Century to describe a black character that appears dramatically to save a white protagonist, the... more ›

Discussions about Black History Month have become as complex as discussions about race. Debating the labels ‘black’ and ‘African-American’ lead to debates about biracial identity and, recently, whether Senator Obama, Joe Biden’s “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” friend, is actually African-American. In the same vein, Black History Month has increasingly been relabeled African-American Heritage Month and African Heritage Month, terms emphasizing the present and future as... more ›

Here we are, less than two years away from the next contest for the White House. This time next year, hopefuls, shoo-ins, and also-rans will be in a mad dash around the country, having pancakes in New Hampshire, talking milk prices and manufacturing in Iowa, and hoping to make it to Super Tuesday. On the Democratic side of the coin, more than a few people have already thrown their hats into the ring, and some... more ›