Senator-elect Tammy Duckworth greeted commuters Wednesday morning near Millennium Park and pledged to work with Republicans — who have retained control of both chambers of Congress and now have the White House, as well.
She said navigating the Republican lava field will involve “finding common ground and assuming the other person has good intentions as well.”
Duckworth, who said she’s going to have a no-hard-feelings drink on Veterans Day with vanquished foe Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, shook hands at Randolph and Michigan alongside fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis.
“I will work with whoever is willing to work hard for this nation and for the good of the people for both Illinois and the United States,” Duckworth said.
“And I’ll stand up to anyone who makes decisions that are bad for the nation, but it’s time to heal the country and come together, and I’m anxious to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
Durbin also pledged to work with President-elect Donald Trump.
“That’s my responsibility. That’s what I accepted when I took this office,” he said.
“I just hope the office will build the man and help him understand the awesome responsibility that the American people have given him.”
Durbin said he hasn’t spoken with Hillary Clinton since she conceded to Trump in a phone call.
“I don’t think many people have,” he said.
Watching voter results was unnerving, Durbin said.
“It was awful. I kept thinking ‘Alright. This is going to turn any minute.’ And finally at midnight I went to sleep thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’ll wake up to a miracle.’ Well, I woke up to something different.’”
“I now know the range of human emotions — in six days, to go from the heights of the Cubs victory to last night’s election,” he said.
Danny Davis didn’t mince words while chatting about Trump.
“Obviously, people like myself are afraid that there will be some going back, moving in a direction where we will have to fight the same fights that we’ve been fighting the last 20 or 30 years — protection of voter rights, some sense of affirmative action, some movement to assist individuals who are seriously disadvantaged, some effort to curb urban violence, Davis said.
“So I’m not a happy camper. I’m a realist, and so we have to take what exists and continue to struggle to move it forward.”
