Follow @sneedlingsReunited at last!
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner, antagonists in political life, have finally found something in common: Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, who is on his way to Rome to become a cardinal.
At O’Hare International Airport before boarding a United Airlines flight, Rahm and Rauner held a press conference.
“This is a great experience for the city. A special moment,” Emanuel said. “This speaks of tolerance and inclusion . . . as opposed to exclusion and discord,” he added, a vague hint of anti-Trumpism.
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Follow @sneedlingsRauner then took the microphone.
“It’s a very exciting time. The good Lord did not put us on this earth as Democrats or Republicans,” the governor said. “God is letting us celebrate now all that is good. It is time to celebrate love and caring . . . healing and acceptability. And we are here to celebrate a wonderful time. A special time.”
Rauner also noted that his father’s family were all Catholic, and his one regret is that his grandfather could not still be around to go on this trip.
The group leaving Thursday wasn’t flying directly to Rome. Instead, they were on a flight headed to Frankfurt, Germany, before changing planes to get to Rome.
Others on that flight included Johnson Publishing Co. CEO Desiree Rogers; Ald. Edward Burke (14th) and his wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke; and Ald. Marge Laurino (39th).
The Burkes, by the way, were in coach. Rauner and Emanuel were up in business class — but no, they weren’t sitting together.
Sneedlings . . .
I spy: Former Blackhawks star Jeremy “J.R.” Roenick at Harry Caray’s Steakhouse in Lombard last Wednesday for lunch. . . . Bulls’ Dwyane Wade spotted at RPM Steak last Monday. . . . Food Network star Anne Burrell at Bub City Nov. 4. . . . Singer Paul Anka at Gibsons Nov. 5. . . NFL player Larry English and his fianceé, reality TV star Nicole Williams, at Ocean Cut last Tuesday night. . . . Members of Chicago’s Hamilton cast, Daveed Diggs, Chris De’Sean Lee, Joshua Henry, Wallace Smith and Emmy Raver-Lampman, spotted at RPM Italian, Ramen-san and Three Dots and a Dash Nov. 6. . . . Today’s birthdays: David Ortiz, 41; Owen Wilson, 48, and Damon Wayans Jr., 34.