No, there are some excellent candidates there as well. Kim Weaver is a perfect example. She’s running for Congress in Iowa’s 4th District. She is an Iowan through and through; born there, raised there, went to school there, went to college there. Even her kids go to college in Iowa.
Kim comes from a long line of strong women. Her maternal grandmother, despite living through the depression, was able to get through college, obtain her Masters, and was just a dissertation shy of a PhD. She was the Chair of West River Democrats when the state of South Dakota was divided into two main Democratic organizations.
Kim Weavers daughter carries on the family tradition. She is a second year medical student at the University of Iowa who lives her beliefs in all of her actions. She is fluent in Spanish and volunteers on a mobile medical clinic as an interpreter. She organized a die-in for medical students to protest police brutality, picketed Hobby Lobby following the Supreme Court decision, and volunteered for a year in rural Washington doing medical outreach with migrant farm workers.
That’s some wonderful family tradition being passed on from generation to generation of women.
Kim was a delegate at the Democratic Convention in 2012, and is the O’Brien County Democratic Party chair. Kim has had a long career in public service and currently works for the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
For full disclosure here I want to admit that I didn’t really know what an Ombudsman was. Remember how Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble used to go to Lodge meetings? Well, I thought they were ombudsmen. Not even close as it turns out.
In Iowa, the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (OSLTCO) is authorized by the federal Older Americans Act and the state Older Iowans Act. The OSLTCO operates as an independent entity within the Iowa Department on Aging and advocates for residents of nursing facilities and residential care facilities, as well as for tenants of assisted living programs and elder group homes.
Really pretty impressive. The last recorded count in 2014 shows 52,000 Iowans living in long-term care facilities across the state. Kim Weaver covers fifteen counties and 124 care providers in Northwest Iowa.
I asked her to tell me a little bit about her job and this is what Kim said:
As an example, when I was finished working with a gentleman on some medical issues, I asked him if there was anything else I could help him with. He said, "Why yes. There is. I would like to have three eggs with breakfast instead of two". I went to the Director of Nursing and asked why he couldn't have three eggs. Her response was that he had "high cholesterol". I had a difficult time hiding my confounded look and replied, "He is 93 years old. Are you afraid an extra egg might bring about premature death?". She got the point and the man was able to have three eggs.
About two weeks later his daughter called to thank me for the help I gave her dad. Towards the end, I could tell she was tearing up. She told me that they had been trying to get the facility to give him three eggs for over a year. She said that when she talked to him that day, he told her he could now die a happy man.
Imagine that, something so seemingly minor made such a difference to one person. I didn't invent a cure for cancer or create a work of art, but I cared enough about giving that man a voice to take his request seriously and stand up for him. That simple act changed his world.
Hopefully I was also able to change some attitudes of the staff at the nursing home so that they listen with compassion and sympathy in the future rather than just through a medical filter. When that happens, I not only give them a voice, but I also make them visible.
Kim Weaver has the lowest involuntary discharge rate in the state, not just because she is such a strong advocate for the patients but because she has also won the respect of nurses and administrators. She's shown them that when they can find a way to work together, they all benefit.
Doesn't that sound like exactly what we need in Congress? I think we already have enough lawyers and doctors. What we need are representatives with excellent conflict resolution skills. Something to get our “do nothing Congress” doing something again; doing something to help the people. Kim Weaver has those skills. What she does for a living isn't just what she does, it’s who she is.
I asked her what she could bring to the state of Iowa:
What will I do for Iowans? I will give them a bold voice. I will listen to what they want, need, and hope for. Our current Congressman doesn't represent the needs, attitudes, and desires of the majority of people living in the 4th District. As an example, he recently endorsed Ted Cruz. While this may not seem that odd, Ted Cruz is the one candidate who is adamant about abolishing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which would have financially catastrophic consequences for farmers and our state.
Additionally, my constituents will be assured that if they have a concern that I can help them with, my office will be there for them, regardless of their political affiliation. In my current position I am mandated to advocate for solutions that residents desire, even if I personally don't agree with them. What I want, isn't the issue. Solving their concern is the primary focus and I'm very good at negotiating solutions. This isn't always simple, but because I am able to truly listen to what people are saying it is easier to find common ground. Sometimes, just knowing you were heard, is as important as getting what you want.
That sounds like exactly what Iowa needs in Congress, what all of us in all states can benefit from.
Or we can stick with the infamous Steve (cantaloupe calves) King. I’ll leave you to google him for yourself. There are many pages of the “top 10 odd things of the day” that he says, because well, he says a lot of odd things. He doesn't think women can get pregnant from rape or incest (Did I say we had enough doctors in congress? Maybe not.) He thinks Planned Parenthood is involved with child prostitution and illegal immigration, and that we need electric fences on our borders. You know, like they have for cows. He also seems to be concerned and/or very interested in men marrying their lawn mowers. (Don't ask me.)
His 2015 Congressional
Report Card is abysmal. Even when he does show up he doesn't seem to get much done. The one area he seems to do well in is fundraising. In the 3rd quarter of 2015 he raised $123,017. Kim Weaver raised $19,704. After campaign expenses Steve King had $128,000 on hand and Kim had $14,584.
I think we can help her do a little better than that, don't you? That’s one of the things we are famous for here at Daily Kos, fighting to elect more and better Democrats. And if Kim Weaver has the calves to go up against long term incumbent Steve King, I think the least we can do is have her back.
and please:
If only because women DO get pregnant when raped, Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with child prostitution and while I will admit that some men seem very attached to their mowers, none want to marry them. Mostly though, contribute because the people of Iowa deserve better, we all do, and Kim Weaver is not just better, she’s very, very good!