SENATOR E. JONES:
Yeah. Thank -- thank you, Madam President. Today marks the
end, as well as a beginning, for our colleague, former
colleague, Senator Barack Obama. This is the second ending I’ve
had with this dynamic young man. Nearly twenty years ago on the
far south side of the City of Chicago, I had my first meeting
with him. Working -- he was working with a group as an organizer
for the Development Communities Project. It dealt with the
social issue as relate to school dropouts, drug prevention
programs. And they were getting on the politicians, then, to
get in there and do a job. And I told him then, I said, “Well,
we can work together. You haven’t got a deal on the House side.
Come on in the office.” And we -- we forged that relationship.
Began -- set forth -- put together programs to deal with the
critical issues that impacted our communities. And I enjoyed
working with him, but one day he -- he called me and said, “You
know, I’m thinking about leaving. I want to go to law school.”
I tried to discourage him. I tried to keep him out there,
because you know, usually when people come to you with a problem
it’s, one thing, but when they have the solution to the problem,
it’s another. So it’s an easy thing for me. But he went on to
law school, as you all know by now, and he did quite well.
Became President of the Harvard Law Review. I didn’t see him
again until he came back to Chicago to work on voter
registration and things of that nature. Then one day he said
he’s running -- he’s going to be running for the Senate district
over in -- from Hyde Park community. And he became our
colleague. It’s been a warm working relationship. Each of you
know him as he -- as relate to his legislative duties. He’s
never been abusive in debate. He’s always been one to explain
his side of the issue. He’s been one who was willing to work
with anyone, and that’s quite evident by him becoming the -- the
top vote-getter for any public official in the State of Illinois
this past election, more votes than any other elected official
has ever received in the State. He’s going to do us well in
Washington. He’s -- he -- he -- he will not be in the majority,
but he know how to work with the majority and to get things
done. He’s been a friend all those years. Many of us, who
joined in and supported him, even you on the other side of the
aisle, recognize his intellect and the qualities of him. That’s
why four out of every ten Republican voted for him. He’s going
to do Illinois well. He’s going to do us justice, again. I’m
proud to see him go. I hate for -- to see him leave, and that -
- that’s the dilemma you are faced with in a situation like
that. My proudest moment in politics, when we were in Boston at
the convention, and I looked around at Terry Link and tears was
running down his eyes. So I didn’t feel bad about the tears
coming down my eyes, because here was a young man that we were
so proud of, who -- who did such an excellent job, and now, all
across the nation, people love him. Those of you who were not
there, I was on the elevator at the Hilton that Monday before he
gave the speech, and -- with delegates from around the country.
So they were introducing themselves, telling each other what
state they were from. A lady looked at me. She said, “I know
where you’re from.” She said, “You’re from Alabama.” She was
looking at the Barack Obama button I had on. And I -- and I
told her, “No. That’s -- that’s your keynote speaker for the
convention.” After he gave that speech, everyone who had a
Barack Obama button, people were begging saying, “I’ve got to
have one.” And he -- in his speech, and the part I liked about
it most, and sometimes you look at campaigns and people talk
about this guy’s a conservative, he’s a liberal, he’s black,
he’s white, he’s Hispanic, he’s Indian. We are all Illinoisans.
And if you noticed during his fight on critical issues on this
Floor, when he passed legislation dealing with racial profiling,
dealing with videotaping of confessions and interrogations, he
stuck to the issue. Even though at one point in time the issue
was before us before, but those bills passed nearly unanimous
because he said we are one people. We are Illinoisans. And I’m
quite certain, during his tenure in Washington he’s going to
represent all of us as Illinoisans. So we’re very proud of you,
Barack. And at the conclusion, I think we will give you leave
to speak from the rostrum up here, and that you will do a
tremendous job. So I hate to see you go. We wish you well.
This is the second time you’re leaving me, but -- but we all
wish you well, ‘cause you know -- we -- you’re going to do a
tremendous job for all of us.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON)
Senator -- Senator Jones.
SENATOR E. JONES:
Madam Secretary, do our colleague have leave to speak from
the rostrum?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON)
Leave is granted. Senator Jones now moves for the adoption
of Senate Resolution 716. Is there any discussion? Senator
Obama, to speak from the Podium.
SENATOR OBAMA:
Well, the -- thank you. Thank you. Obviously, a
bittersweet moment. Thank you, President Jones, for your
gracious comments. Having sat in your seats during resolutions,
I know not to make a mistake of being long, and I know Denny
Jacobs would say something if I were. But I have a very simple
message and that is thank you, because everybody here has been
extraordinarily gracious to me during the years that I’ve served
here. Not only my fellow colleagues, but also the staffs have
just shown themselves to be outstanding public servants. And I
know that oftentimes, you know, people are cynical about
politics and they’re cynical about government and oftentimes
they talk about Springfield as if what we do down here is not in
service of the people. And yet, when I look around the room,
Republican and Democrat, what I’ve come to know during the eight
years that I’ve been here is that each and every one of you are
here for the right reasons and that you care deeply about your
constituents, and that you are putting in enormous effort and
enormous work to ensure that our children have a better life
than the one that we’ve enjoyed. And for that, I’m
extraordinarily grateful to all of you. And I’m grateful to all
that I’ve learned from each and every one of you, because
everybody here, in some fashion, has taught me something, and
has provided me new insights, new knowledge, has -- has made
certain that the blind spots that I came here with, and the
narrow parochialism that I think all of us sometimes have in
terms of representing our particular district, that by meeting
and discussing and deliberating in a civil fashion, as we do
here, I think all of us take away a little piece of each other.
And we end up having a broader world view that hopefully will
serve us well as we continue to do this important work. So, I’m
going to miss everybody here tremendously. I am appreciative
and grateful to President Jones, as well as Republican Leader
Watson, for your efforts at guiding this difficult ship. I know
sometimes it seems like it’s herding cats, being in charge of
this -- this Chamber, because we’ve got a lot of strong-minded,
opinionated people. But you both do an outstanding job, and I
have to give special credit to President Jones for his
friendship and support, because if it weren’t for him, I don’t
think I would be standing here today. So, thank you so much.
This is not, obviously, the last time I hope to be in this
Chamber. I’m going to be in this Chamber frequently, and I’m
looking forward to working with each and every one of you to
make sure that when I’m in Washington that I’m doing my best to
represent the entire State of Illinois. So, thank you
everybody. I appreciate it. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON)
Senator Watson.
SENATOR WATSON:
Well, thank you, Madam President. This is maybe -- I tried
to get recognition earlier and -- and would’ve liked to have had
the opportunity to -- to say a few words before Barack spoke,
but, first of all, Barack, I want to wish you well and I know
that -- in fact, when you were in Greenville and you came by the
drugstore, they said all you did was buy a pack -- a pack of
gum. I would’ve liked to have seen, you know, share the wealth
a little bit, but unfortunately, I was out of town when you were
there and people asked me, “Would you have gone over there to
the Pantry Restaurant to have been -- been with your fellow
Senator?” And I said, “Absolutely, yes.” I would have been
glad to -- to have welcomed you to my home community and -- and
feel that you have represented us well. And when we left the
last few days of -- of Session, I think it was the last day of
Session when we -- we extended time, and you were getting ready
to go to Boston and I told him -- I told Senator Obama, I said,
“You know, we differ a great deal in our philosophies, our
politics. We -- we talk on the Floor as if we’re just vehement
enemies, but that isn’t the case at all.” And I said, “When you
go out to Boston and when you deliver that speech before the
Democrat National Convention, you represent all of Illinois and
you do us proud.” And little did I know what would happen. I
mean, a lot of people thought you were going to be a multitude -
- there was going to be a multitude of people that would be the
keynote address. I mean, that’s what we were told. You were
the man. You were the guy. And you did a wonderful job before
your fellow Democrats. You represented us proud on this side.
And you, more importantly, represented Illinois proud in the
manner in which you conducted yourself and the speech that you
gave. So I congratulate you on that. I know that you will
represent us well in -- in Washington. We’ll probably disagree a
great deal on issues. You will hear from us. I appreciate the
opportunity to even -- he’s got an appointment with me this
afternoon. Comes in my office at 2:30. I have a very long list
- a very long list, Senator. But we -- we do wish you well. And
keep your -- your feet on the ground, and if you need any
humility, you know where you can find it, right back here in the
Illinois State Senate. Good luck to you.