For Iowa's Second Congressional District...

Miller-Meeks!

Republicans: http://millermeeks.com/
Democrats: http://www.loebsackforcongress.org/
Libertarians: http://www.garysicard.org/wp/

Iowa, it's time. 90 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote in this country and only Iowa and Mississippi share the dubious distinction of never having sent a woman to Congress, the Senate or elected one Governor. And I think it's high time we changed that, which is why I'm endorsing Marionette Miller-Meeks for Iowa's Second Congressional District.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've sat through my share of women's studies classes. I've seen multiple points of view on waves of feminism be explained to me in great detail- and maybe I don't get it because I'm a guy and if that's the case, then I'm fine with that, but I don't want people to think that I'm endorsing Ms. Miller-Meeks because she's a woman. Happily, I can re-assure you kids that her gender is just the added layer of frosting on an already very accomplished cake. In other words: not only is Ms. Miller-Meeks our best bet to break the glass ceiling for women in Iowa politics, she also happens to be the right candidate for the job.

Where to begin? Well, as with most Republicans, what usually sends me running for the hills is their insistence on being way out of step when it comes to social issues. While Ms. Miller-Meeks believes in traditional conceptions of marriage being for one man and one woman, she is not stridently against in either. She believes in reasonable exceptions being carved out in existing abortion laws for rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger and while she opposes using stem cells in a manner that would be destroying life, she's also willing to acknowledge that they can bring medical advances that benefit everybody. It's this kind of sensible approach to social issues that drew my attention immediately. There's no call for constitutional amendments or other measures against marriage equality, just a simple statement of belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman. I can argue against that, but I have to respect her opinion on the matter. Nuanced positions on abortion and stem cells don't precisely line up with mine, but her positions aren't deal breakers for me either.

On the economy, while she lines up with most Republicans in calling for the extension of the Bush tax cuts, she also calls for a payroll tax holiday, which struck me as both radical and creative- the kind of ideas that we need in Washington right now, because she's right: a payroll tax holiday would put more money into the hands of American workers right now, which would give them more money to use to push the economy forward. (Personally, I think we should get rid of it altogether, but that's just me and my wacky way of thinking.) But big points for creativity there!

On health care, Ms. Miller Meeks, sorry, perhaps I should say Dr. Miller-Meeks has been President of the Iowa Medical Society, served on two University medical faculties and worked in both public and private sectors of the health care system. In short, she's got acres of experience and if anyone knows what they're talking about when it comes to health care, it's her. Her health care plan wants to put power back in the hands of individual consumers, rather than in the government's hands or in the hands of insurance companies. I like this basic idea, because it's totally in line with what I'm thinking on health care. The employer based system made a lot of sense back in the day, but with people switching jobs and changing careers multiple times over a life time it should be easy and affordable for individuals to insure themselves and it's not right now. That needs to change. Practical steps to empower consumers are something I can get behind and Dr. Miler Meeks has the right ideas I can agree with.

To me, the biggest indicator of whether or not I'm going to vote for any given candidate is how much thought they appear to have given their stance on the issues. While that's probably hard to measure when reading a website, there's a clear distinction between Miller-Meeks and Loebsack when it comes to the issues and to me, Miller-Meeks has all the earmarks of being a thoughtful, dedicated, hard working public servant. She offers complex, creative solutions for the difficult problems facing the nation currently and that impressed me far more than anything I read on Congressman Loebsack's website. While I don't doubt that the good Congressman is a dedicated public servant, I want creativity, I want a willingness to develop and search for the best solutions possible. Going on what I go on (reading the websites, in other words) I got more of that sense from Miller-Meeks than Loebsack and that's what informed my decision the most. That may seem like vague justification for endorsing someone, but it's the best I've got- and a healthy combination of gut instinct and stance on issues seems to work for me best.