Pete Buttigieg and Hillary Clinton speak at 1st Rainbow PUSH convention since Rev. Jesse Jackson's death
Two political heavyweights were in town on Thursday for this year's Rainbow PUSH convention, the first since the passing of founder Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is eyeing a run for president in 2028, were both guest speakers at the convention at Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Kenwood.
Buttigieg — who has struggled mightily to win over Black voters in past elections — doubled down on his knowledge of Chicago, his desire for sweeping change, and his reverence for Jackson. The former mayor of South Bend began by recalling his first visit to PUSH headquarters years ago.
"I'm so thankful that Reverend Jackson, first by example and then by actually having the honor of getting to know him, shaped my outlook and my life in so many ways," Buttigieg said.
He spent the next hour detailing the many ways he would try and reshape America, but stopped short of saying what office he's seeking. He was asked if he feels the Trump administration is made up of bad people.
"They're corrupt, and corruption is bad. So this is not about giving somebody a pass on doing something bad," he said.
In an effort to win over South Siders, the 44-year-old wove his transportation bonafides with his knowledge of Chicago.
"Finally getting the funding for the Red Line Extension here on the South Side of Chicago," he said.
Buttigieg's talk ended with an artful dodge of the hottest political question: do the Bears stay in Illinois or move to Indiana?
"Presidential politics is one thing, but some issues are just too sensitive," he said.
Clinton was the afternoon speaker at the conference, and spoke about the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly narrowed landmark Voting Rights Act. She spoke about launching a new civil rights movement tailored to new generation voters who consume information differently.
"The mission is the same, but maybe the strategies and the tactics have to change," Clinton said. "Doing more work to communicate on social media, because young people are literally on their screens. … We have to do a better job in modern language, using modern communications to tell the story that motivated your father or that inspired people like me coming up."
