Obama Praises Daley's Job As Mayor After 'Oprah' Taping, Says He Won't Stop Working For City

CHICAGO -- President Barack Obama says he doubts that outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley will be taking time off when he steps down next month after 22 years in office.

Daley was in the audience when Obama taped an interview for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Wednesday. Afterward, Obama praised Daley, telling reporters he had done an extraordinary job transforming the city.

But Obama said he was skeptical that Daley would take time off after stepping down on May 16 because he was still churning out ideas for how to improve the city during the helicopter ride from the airport.

Obama gave Daley a framed map of the city from 1834 and said he'd turned a great American city into a great world city.

Comments

[Cards423]

11:24 AM on 04/28/2011

I have never lived there and am not from there but I think Chicago is a great city. I always enjoy my time there...plenty of great stuff to do and beautiful locale. You people who like to complain about it need to get a life.

[PalaceOfWisdom]

04:49 PM on 04/28/2011

Got a billion dollars in your couch cushions to cover the budget shortfall they'll announce this summer? No? Then zip your lip.

[47th]

07:53 PM on 04/28/2011

My property taxes are seven times higher than the day Daley took office. Remember that the next time you are wandering around in your tourist daydream.

[Coco Morgan]

11:11 AM on 04/28/2011

Say what you will about Daley, but you naysayers really no nothing about him. I was never a huge fan, but corrupt Daley is not. Where are all the spoils of his term? He is hardly amongst the rich. There's an awful lot of racial bias showing in the comments here.

[ChiTownMike]

11:43 AM on 04/28/2011

I have certainly been very critical of both Mayors Daley for their perpetuation of patronage politics. (alliteration unintended) I have also been enraged by the current Mayor Daley's use/abuse of TIFs, which have siphoned tax money from the general budget into slush funds to be used for discretionary spending. However, I never doubted our present mayor's passion for the city and his desire to have it seen by the world in the best possible light.

Say what you will about his approach and his abilities as an administrator but his love for Chicago should be unquestioned.

[47th]

07:55 PM on 04/28/2011

You don't have to go far in Chicago to find a neighborhood that Daley didn't "Love" very much.

[tibetanterrier]

11:07 AM on 04/28/2011

I saw that transformation first hand..The city neighborhoods beauty is civic pride and that is Mr. Daleys best accomplishment.

Chicago is called the Second city but second to none. Memorial weekend is looming and that can only mean the kick-off of neighborhood festivals. I soo miss that city. GO BULLS!

[a6intruder]

10:28 AM on 04/28/2011

And that's all you need to know about this corrupt "community organizer" you people put in the White House.

[Democrat in the South]

10:57 AM on 04/28/2011

Obama spending time with Oprah is a much better use of his time than dealing with the republican nuts in Washington.

"We people" put the best man for the job in the White House. The teapubs have proven that over and over and over.

Thanks for reminding us how great President Obama is.

[a6intruder]

11:05 PM on 04/28/2011

How about doing some work on the crises in Syria, Libya, Egypt and Bahrain? How about coming up with a real budget proposal rather than a collection of campaign speeches boilerplate phrases? How about doing something about JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!!! This clown is, at best, an incompetent political hack.

[ChiTownMike]

11:46 AM on 04/28/2011

A foolish and uninformed comment that only smacks of anger and resentment. If you want to make a point, then state it clearly and do not use generalizations to seem "clever".

[PaOhIlCa]

09:06 AM on 04/28/2011

Interesting. The TROLLING started at exactly 9AM Eastern.

[ladylove114]

08:14 AM on 04/28/2011

You just have to laugh. Immediately after telling the world at a press conference that we have to get serious and concentrate on our problems, he and the Mrs. board a plane to the all important Oprah show (where lots of our country's problems have been solved) and then makes a bee line over to give a corrupt politician a gift.

[fowlersammy]

08:50 AM on 04/28/2011

Unbelievable, isn't it! First time jobless claims for the week were released this morning: 429,000, GDP lower than expected. Man, I'm so glad he's getting so serious and concentrating so hard on our problems. Can't work any harder on them than going on Oprah, visiting Daley, and fundraising.

[Salty too]

09:12 AM on 04/28/2011

Meanwhile 165 people killed in the south and he can't take the time to stop by and say he even cares. This coming from a guy who just gave a speech and said he was of the party of compasion. It's more important to do the talk show , raise $$$ and give a crook an award. Keep it up Mr Pres. Show your true colors.

[a6intruder]

10:29 AM on 04/28/2011

Let's face it - it's the only thing he knows how to do.

[Salty too]

09:39 AM on 04/28/2011

That corrupt politician was his coach and mentor.

[ladylove114]

10:03 AM on 04/28/2011

Boy, that really makes me feel better!! Ha!

[markm8128]

11:03 AM on 04/28/2011

Yeah...right...another illiterate person, who has paid no attention to how Obama was elected, precisely because he stayed far way from Chicago machine politics...

I guess right-wingers can say any ignorant thing they want...but eventully truth catches up with you.

Lets see...how are you doing with the drivel about Obama's birth certificate?

Have to come up with some other line of foolishness, before the next election.

[Arlieth]

07:59 AM on 04/28/2011

I really wish Chicago could work on the crime problem...

[ChiTownMike]

11:52 AM on 04/28/2011

Exactly what aspects of the crime problem do you think need improvement and why do you state that Chicago is not working on crime? Did the CPD stop working? Has there been a spike in major felonies? Or, is your perception of Chicago crime colored by what makes the news?

[JFaye]

02:13 AM on 04/28/2011

Respect both of these caring leaders ...

[teddyswims]

06:28 AM on 04/28/2011

Stop it! You're killing me!! No, seriously. Stop it.

[F4U Corsair]

08:02 AM on 04/28/2011

Yes who both have time to sort out "silliness" with presenting presents and watching Oprah.
Aren't we a lucky people to have such fine leaders?

[Salty too]

09:37 AM on 04/28/2011

Next will be the View, then Letterman, ......

[UKNOWHOW ICM]

02:11 AM on 04/28/2011

For a moment I thought he gifted him a copy of his birth certificate...

[blurredmolly]

05:54 AM on 04/28/2011

That's because you're a dope.

[F4U Corsair]

07:58 AM on 04/28/2011

He probably would have but Kinkos only printed him one copy!

[crookedcountyillinois]

10:30 PM on 04/27/2011

Obama should ask Holder to give Daley the gift that keeps on giving: an indictment.

Oh...that's right. Obama's just another career politician in the all-friends club. Nevermind.

[blurredmolly]

05:55 AM on 04/28/2011

Tough being a Republicker in Cook County. Pretty lonely.

[RighteousNotRightWing]

08:34 AM on 04/28/2011

You mean Crook County.

[crookedcountyillinois]

06:16 PM on 04/28/2011

What does "Republican" or "Republicker" have to do with anything?

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but why not people people in jail, who break the law...?

[JeffmChicago]

06:54 PM on 04/27/2011

Nice touch by the President.

[47th]

05:31 PM on 04/27/2011

He won't stop working for the city? More like he won"t stop working over the city!

[Earl K Hotaling]

09:03 PM on 04/27/2011

One crook to another

[blurredmolly]

05:56 AM on 04/28/2011

clever

[jayevans20]

05:11 PM on 04/27/2011

I expect an indictment if you ask me.

[blurredmolly]

05:56 AM on 04/28/2011

Why?

[drum950]

04:32 PM on 04/27/2011

Well, zippa-di-do-da...................

[macmanchgo]

04:20 PM on 04/27/2011

Can you imagine anyone trying to fill those shoes? Impossible. Take a few years off, rest up, cause we expect you back Mayor.