Obama To The Rescue? President Is All Smiles -- And Praise -- For Mayor Emanuel
(CBS) -- President Obama came back to Chicago Thursday in an obvious attempt to boost the credibility of Mayor Rahm Emanuel among undecided black voters.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine was on hand as the president formally made Pullman a national monument -- and as he spoke highly of Emanuel, his former White House chief of staff.
"I relied on his judgment every day, and his smarts every day and his toughness every day," Obama told the crowd.
Attendees included one of Emanuel's opponents in next Tuesday's mayoral election, businessman Willie Wilson, who waited to greet the president on his way out.
"I said, 'I'm Dr. Willie Wilson,'" the candidate said he told Obama. "He said, 'I know who you are.' He said, 'I gotta support my boy Rahm.'"
Among those the Democratic president recognized for making the day possible was Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, who admitted feeling a bit left out.
Gov. Bruce Rauner, another Republican, also attended the event, which recognized Pullman's significance in labor-relations history. Rauner has made a point recently of challenging state employee labor unions.
Although Wilson and others criticized what they called the political overtones of Obama's visit, another attendee dismissed such complaints.
"I'm just glad he's here and I'm just glad he signed it," former state legislator James Meeks, now chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, said.