Sen. Peters talks about his successful session
Thursday, Aug 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. JB Pritzker signed so many bills sponsored by Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) one day that somebody made the joke that it was Robert Peters Day in Illinois. The Democratic Socialist Peters gave a wide-ranging interview to Current Affairs magazine, but let’s look at this part about his methods…
Right now we have 41 out of, I believe, it’s 59 senators. 41 are Democrats. You need 30 to pass a bill. […] I will always say that I generally have about 27, 28 votes that I can rely on, generally. And I go around on every vote. I have a binder and in the binder I have a roll call sheet. I have fact sheets. I have the bill language. And so I was able to pass I think 17 bills this year, and a large part of that is I went around with my binder to everyone’s desk, every one of my colleagues. And I talked to them about the legislation. Everyone. Not only did I do that, if there was someone who was quote unquote a “moderate” Republican, I still talked to them. I said, “You know what, it’s your job to answer the question that I’m throwing at you. It’s not my job to answer it for you.” So I’m going to go up to you with my binder. And I’m going to ask you. One of the things that stands out to me: me and senator Terri Bryant, she’s a pretty right-wing Southern Illinois Republican. She has four prisons in her district. We generally don’t agree on anything. But we had a conversation about, I can’t remember what bill it was. And she said she supported it. And then she got on the floor and she praised me, the most left person in the Senate.
And my colleagues who are a little bit more moderate, they were like, “Robert, can you believe, Robert?” I said, “You know what? I just went around. I asked a question, she agreed, and we were able to move it.” Now, I don’t know if I should be saying this out loud, because I’m sure this could be used against Terri Bryant. And that would be a horrible thing. I don’t want to be someone’s negative attack ad. But the idea is being able to have those conversations.
* And here’s some of what he hopes to do in the future…
So there’s a few bills. Some that I want to talk about publicly and some I don’t, because I want to make sure that before I introduce or work on a piece of legislation with folks that we’re in the right place and we’re ready to build on it. But there were some things I wasn’t able to get done this year that left me very disappointed. One of them is the name change bill. Particularly transgender folks who were incarcerated being unable to change their names in the public record, and often times they’re left with their dead name and it causes so many problems and so much pain and trauma for folks, so I want to make sure make people aren’t having to be re-traumatized with a dead name, so they can go buy a house, or if they’ve had a divorce, they don’t have to have that linger. So we’re going to keep pushing on this.
Either to end solitary confinement or get as close as we can to ending solitary confinement. There’s this guy Anthony Gay, he was incarcerated in solitary confinement, he hurt himself so he could be out of solitary and see the sun. I think that’s something we can move from, and I’m hopeful we can get that done, but it’s going to be tough work. I’ve talked to Anthony, to organizers, and we’re just going to have to really convince people that this doesn’t do anything to help people who are incarcerated.
The other one is protecting the end of cash bond. I know with the fact that there has been a heightened level of violence, those that represent the status quo are going to make up whatever excuse they need to to continue the incarceration machine. They’re going to try to roll back what Illinois did. I’m committed to fight them tooth and nail to prevent that from happening.
I wouldn’t bet heavily against him.
- anon2 - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 4:44 am:
Sen. Peters reminds of a former state rep who used to talk to everyone in the chamber about her bills. Susana Mendoza had a pretty good track record of passing her bills, too, with bipartisan support.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 5:56 am:
He’d make a great lobbyist. There is no secret to passing a bill. Start with an idea a lot of people can support, and build. It isn’t hard, it just takes time.
- Blue Dog - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 7:05 am:
I guess it remains to be seen if these are accomplishment.
- northernwatersports - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 8:38 am:
Classic poli-sci101(policy maker, not candidate); its method and process. Deliberate, accountable, and math. I’m with Just Me 2. It’s not complicated.
- Shield - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 8:58 am:
- Blue Dog - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 7:05 am:
You’re right, we should keep letting the cops lie to kids. /s
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 9:26 am:
===Right now we have 41 out of, I believe, it’s 59 senators. 41 are Democrats. You need 30 to pass a bill. […] I will always say that I generally have about 27, 28 votes that I can rely on, generally.===
Ball game. It’s… ball game.
What is it that say… so much of life is predicated on merely showing up?
It’s about 60… it’s about 30… it’s about working to have the noses to run bills that can carry the day… and work bills so they can get the support by engaging in process.
When a bill passes, that’s not even the cherry on the cake, it’s the stem of the cherry and *everything* up to that tally.. that’s the work.
If it were easy everyone would do it… thing is too… not everyone is willing to do it at all.
- SaulGoodman - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 9:29 am:
**I guess it remains to be seen if these are accomplishment.**
Dude.
- Edyrdologist - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 9:44 am:
My favorite part of the interview is where he says of movement politics, “I am the conduit for their organized power and governing position. And they are the conduit for me being able to govern the way I want to.”
What any effective left-wing legislator should aspire to be.
- The Opinions Bureau - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 10:00 am:
“It isn’t hard, it just takes time.”
I’d argue that while it’s simple, that doesn’t mean it’s not hard.
- Leslie K - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 12:10 pm:
===I’d argue that while it’s simple, that doesn’t mean it’s not hard===
A subtle distinction, but I would agree.
To the post, Sen Peters sounds like a solid and clearly effective legislator. Hopefully he can make even more progress, particularly on the solitary confinement issue.
- Seymourkid - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 12:15 pm:
Binder power!
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 12:50 pm:
- I guess it remains to be seen -
He passed about the same number of bills that Sen. Bailey sponsored. He did it by putting in the effort, not galavanting around the state on a grandstanding tour.
You wouldn’t recognize talent or hard work if they slapped you in the face.
- JJJJJJJJJJ - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 12:59 pm:
An excellent rebuke to the idea that Democratic Socialists are necessarily ineffective legislators.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 1:05 pm:
How can they be ineffective when there are 27 or 28 votes for Democratic Socialist policies out of 41 Democrats in the Senate?
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 1:10 pm:
I’d bet on him.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 1:22 pm:
- How can they be ineffective -
They could spend their time crying like you do, then they’d probably be ineffective.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Aug 12, 21 @ 6:04 pm:
Senator Peters does not share his predecessor Barack Obama’s centrist politics?
That will give you an idea how far left the Democrats have moved in the past few years.