Foster echoes Obama's call for patience
Congressman Bill Foster let constituents know Wednesday that despite the Democratic victory, it's going to be a long time before the economy is fully healthy again.
Foster took a victory lap of the 14th Congressional District on Wednesday to thank constituents for giving him a full 2-year term in Congress. It included a stop at Colonial Cafe in Aurora, a well-known stop for ice cream fans. Despite a race that turned negative at the end, Foster's staff said the location was not intended as a parting shot to his opponent, ice cream magnate Jim Oberweis, but was simply a location where they expected a lot of people to be.
Voters chose Foster by about 13 percentage points over Oberweis on a night where Democrats romped across Illinois.
Despite the clear Democratic majority in Washington, D.C., Foster said Wednesday the economy won't reverse overnight.
"It's taken us eight years to get into this mess, and we'll be lucky if we can get out of it in four," Foster said. "It's not going to be an easy time to be president, or a member of Congress. We're going to have to tighten our belts in this country. But as long as we keep everyone working so that we continue to build our economy, I think that's the key to working our way out of this hole."
Foster said having Barack Obama in the White House and Sen. Dick Durbin in a leading role will be key to him being a successful freshman congressman.
The economy and health care reform will be his two priority agenda items for the next two years, Foster said.
As far as his own victory and the idea of a reinforced Democratic stamp on the 14th District, Foster said he believes voters chose him not because of his party label, but simply because they liked him better as a person.
"This district is pretty independent," Foster said. "For years, they were voting for Dennis Hastert because they personally liked him. Then it was time for Dennis to step back. Being represented by a man who is a scientist and a businessman was something they were comfortable with."