Congresswoman Robin Kelly with her friend, Jackie Petty, Vice-Chair of the Peoria County Democrats.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL) was invited by the Peoria County Democrats to be the featured speaker for their Presidents' Day Dinner last evening at Itoo Hall in Peoria, Illinois. By all accounts, Rep. Kelly was a big hit with Democrats in Peoria, hitting all the right notes before a packed house of 400+ partisans.
Chris Kaergard of the Peoria Journal Star reported that Rep. Kelly is Peoria's "very own," having attended Bradley University. She later worked at the university and now serves on its board of trustees. Rep. Kelly is "exploring" a run for U.S. Senate in 2016, to unseat conservative, Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and is expected to announce her decision by June of this year. In that vein, Rep. Kelly can count on the Peoria area as another strong base for support, in addition to her own 2nd Illinois' Congressional district.
In other words, like the old saying goes, Robin Kelly can "Play in Peoria." In addition to "Playing in Peoria," Rep. Kelly will also have a strong base in the African-American community outside of her own home district, giving her a big edge in any primary or general election campaign.
Rep. Kelly is also the only other possible candidate aside from Senator Kirk who has run for office statewide. She ran in 2010 for Illinois State Treasurer, losing to the trouble Republican Illinois State Treasurer, Dan Rutherford, who was and still is in the midst of a scandal.
Rep. Kelly was upbeat, telling the packed room, "Despite our recent losses, Democrats are winning the arguments that resonate with voters. We are making our state and our country stronger. And in all the important issues, we’re firmly on the right side of history,"
Rep. Kelly went on defending President Barack Obama's record, crediting him for a recovering job market. "He inherited a nation in the worst shape since the Great Depression." Rep. Kelly pointed out that less than a month after taking office, Obama "took bold and effective action, signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." The result to date has been 57 straight months of private sector job growth, said Rep. Kelly. She pointed out that the economy grew and created jobs at the fastest pace since 1999 and that the unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis.
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Rep. Kelly credited the Obama administration with improvements in education and health care. On education, Rep. Kelly said "More of our kids are graduating high school than ever before. And under President Obama, college enrollment has already grown by two million students."
On the subject of health care, Rep. Kelly said that the Affordable Care Act is working, giving more than ten million Americans the "health insurance security they deserve." She pointed out that a quarter of those are between the ages of 18 and 34 are receiving the "health security they deserve."
Congresswoman Robin Kelly with her Sorors in Peoria,
for the Peoria County Democrats events that drew more than 400 Democrats.
Rep. Kelly added about the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act:
Health care costs are growing slower than predicted, and many people are getting better care for lower prices due to the transparency and competition in the marketplace.
This progress is even more striking when put in historical context. The drop in the nation’s uninsured rate in 2014 was the largest over any period since the early 1970s -- years in which the Medicaid program was still ramping up and people with disabilities were covered for the first time.
You would think Republicans would recognize the positive here, but no. The House GOP has voted 50 times to repeal, defund or delay parts of the Affordable Care Act, but have yet to articulate any plan for “repairing” or “replacing.”
To be clear, while Republicans were being obstructionists, Democrats helped create more jobs, increase high school graduation rates, sent more students to college and reduce the uninsured rate to the lowest level in decades.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly and her Soror in Peoria.
Rep. Kelly is correct, as
Gallup reported that the uninsured rate among U.S. adults for the fourth quarter of 2014 averaged 12.9 percent, which is down slightly from 13.4 percent in the third quarter of 2014, which is down significantly from 17.1 percent just a year ago. The uninsured rate has dropped 4.2 percentage points since the Affordable Care Act's requirement for Americans to have health insurance went into effect, reported Gallup in the middle of January. 12.9 percent should drop further as the results of the most recent Open Enrollment period results are reported.
In her address, Rep. Kelly took her Republican colleagues to task for voting more than 50 times to "repeal, defund or delay" parts of the Affordable Care Act. She further points out that the Republicans have yet to "articulate any plan for 'repairing' or 'replacing' the Affordable Care Act."
Rep. Kelly also called out Republicans for their "inaction" on immigration reform, saying that "Fixing the nation’s broken immigration system is an economic, national security, and moral imperative." Rep. Kelly points out that in the 113th Congress, the U.S. Senate passed Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) or Senate Bill 744, and the House Republicans failed to even bring the bill to the House floor for a vote. President Obama argued that "immigration reform" would be a "big boost to our economy, strengthen Social Security, and modernize our legal immigration system to make it more consistent with our values."
Rep. Kelly praised Obama for taking a "strong first step with his executive order, but Congress needs to pass comprehensive bipartisan reform." Rep. Kelly supports an Act that "contains all of the elements Republicans have repeatedly said they want – stronger border security, a crack down on employers who exploit undocumented workers, and a clear path to citizenship for those who pass background checks, pay taxes and learn English."
Rep. Kelly then turned to the midterm elections, saying that "We cannot let the midterms diminish our victories. We must have confidence in our values and be bold in defending the workingmen and women, the students and seniors, the immigrants and people of color, who make up our diverse and inclusive party."
Rep. Kelly calls upon Congress to correct the mistake made by the U.S. Supreme Court when it repealed a "key part of the Voting Rights Act."
"We cannot sit idly by while conservatives pass voter identification laws that make it harder for women, seniors and minorities to vote," said Rep. Kelly. She will join U.S. Rep. John Lewis for the 50th anniversary Bloody Sunday voting rights march in Selma, Alabama, next month.
Rep. Kelly warned about the recent action by newly-elected Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. "Finally, in our home state, we need to think about how we will engage our new governor. It's disconcerting enough to think of the unprecedented amount of money our new Governor had at his disposal to invest in his campaign. But to think that his first order of business is to eradicate public sector unions and lower the wages of working people is unconscionable."
Rep. Kelly added, "We cannot let Illinois become a right-to-work state. Teachers, nurses and laborers who work hard every day deserve to collective bargain for a fair wage."
Then Rep. Kelly sounded a "Call to Action":
Each and every one of us can play a role in making our Democratic principles a reality. As one of my colleagues put it, “We are too quiet. We must disturb.”
I plan to disturb right up until we win in 2016.
We are winning the argument on jobs, education, health care, worker’s rights, voter’s rights, immigrant rights.
And if we keep winning that argument and amplifying the results, we will not see a repeat of last November. But, we will see a repeat of another Democratic presidency.
Disturb, disturb, disturb.
Author's note: John Presta is a political communications and social media consultant (unpaid) to Congresswoman Robin Kelly.