Obama Causes Stir Among Former Colleagues At Durbin's DC Party

President-elect elicited a "roar" when he made an unannounced appearance at Sen. Dick Durbin's party for incoming Senators Monday.

From the pool report by the Chicago Tribune's Christi Parsons:

At 7:40 p.m., Obama left the hotel and dropped by Dick Durbin's party at Bobby Van's Steak House.

A roar went up from a crowd of 250 in the atrium outside the restaurant as Obama came in, and PEBO then dove in and mixed with the Durbin friends.

Durbin stayed close behind as Obama waded through a crowd that, though it is a party for incoming U.S. Senators, was heavy with Illinoisians.

Obama's attendance hadn't been promised but, minutes before the president-elect's arrival, Durbin gave a friend a hint.

"He said there was a former Illinois state senator on his way," said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an llinois Democrat. Word spread through the room quickly.

"A big crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs, ostensibly to hear a few words from Dick," Schoenberg said. "They got more than they hoped for . . . Even more, I mean."

A slate of Illinois state lawmakers was present, along with the former Secretary of the Illinois Senate, Linda Hawker; UCFW local 881 head Steve Powell; and Nancy Kohn, a prominent Chicago-based Democratic fundraiser.

Obama stayed for half an hour shaking hands before leaving.

Comments

[illinoisan]

Misspelled Illinoisans in graph 5.

[harriscrl3]

I love how Obama is not isolating himself from Congress or the American people. I know at times it wont be easy for him to be acessible but I"m glad that he is committed to interacting more with people. Now perhaps it would be so common that it wouldnt elicit this kind of roar from the crowd since they expect it. I think people still cant believe how that he is interacting so there is a sense of awe about it but evenutally I think it will be seen as normal behavior.

Carol

[eden4barack08]

I agree.

[anewdayinDC]

I believe that is a fear of his. He does not want to lose touch.

[jOke]

i as well, agree..

[karela]

I like it very much when Obama does these little unplanned happy making stops. It makes everybody feel good and it's good for the business of government too. The people in that room are the new Senators-----and Obama just gave them a warm fuzzy and pleasant first contact. Good move.

[amiri1]

gotta love it.

[KKojei]

Here's a rude awakening for you get to work cats. Obama is not going to fix your problems. Unless you work at the street level, right where you are, right outside your door, on your block, in your neighborhood to create the change you hope he brings unless we all do, all we will accomplish is a four, maybe eight year reprieve before we crash again. We have to take back America, street by freaking street. Unless we reinvent the way we do business, offering real value for the dollar we take, unless we get it that poor and homeless people in our communities are just a warning about what will happen to us, we will only postpone the inevitable. When I gave that speech to a group at Delaware community college some 20 years ago, I got pooh-poohed by the audience who couldn't believe they weren't entirely secure. Not one year later many had been downsized by advancing computer technology. The only difference now is that we are being out-sized by outsourcing. The value of Obama is the incredible machinery created via internet technology to address the election. A machine that pointed 600 plus million dollars at an election and rolled right over the competition. . If you're waiting for Washington to do it, you will be powder in a casket before that happens. The only thing that will ever shake up these party-ers is when we don't need them anymore and change things for ourselves.

[PATina]

Agreed !!!!

[lynnn]

Very true!

[KarenT]

There are organized meetings in your area where you can get involved. Check out your location on www.change.gov

[vjoseph]

I guess you are pinpointing me in all this. I think you misunderstood what I was implying. The get to work part is about the stimulus. If you want me to draw you what the hell I was saying, give me some crayola and blank paper, and I will draw you my point

[KKojei]

LOLOLOL! Can I have the purple crayon? And the green? Vjoseph it's not quite THAT serious. Maybe you don't think like that but too many people do. We have all been spectators of too much too long This is not about blame but about a change in how we handle the governanance of our country. We have a lot of egotistical dummies parading around as capable administrators of both the public and private trust. People for whom the concept of 'fiduciary obligations' means little more than that thing they play at the Grand Ole Opry. Nero fiduced while Rome burned. The elected official will ingratiate himself to true power We are that power. We only have one problem. We never figured out how to make a whole Congress resign when they screw up! Japan got it right!

[mjtaylor22]

OBAMA HAS ALWAYS SAID IT WILL TAKE ALL OF US TOGETHER, HE NEVER SAID HE COULD DO THIS ALONE, WE AS A NATION MUST DO BETTER, AND YES YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS LOCALLY BECAUSE I STILL GET EMAILS RIGHT NOW SINCE I WAS INVIOLVED INTHE CAMPAIGN,
SO YES GET UP YUORSELF, ZSO THAT WHATEVER ACTIONS HE DOES TAKE CAN HAVE A MORE POSITIVE AND FULLER AFFECT.

[jukesgrrl]

Those present will remember it always.

[RockySoldier]

Pretty cool. Now, like vjoseph said... get to work.

[vjoseph]

Ahhhh... those guys are quite happy. Good, now get to work

[KKojei]

How about: "Let's get to work?" We can use the orange crayons to picket city halls, the red for the state house, the yellow for the court system, bordered in black and the blue for the greedy banks!