This is the second of three (and now four, story later) Coralville Courier interviews of the GOP candidates running for U.S. Congress. The primary is in June, with Steve Rathje, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Christopher Reed all hoping to be the one chosen to oust liberal Democrat and Nancy Pelosi parrot Dave Loebsack.
Our interview on Monday was with Mariannette Miller-Meeks and for readers in the know, this is her second attempt to win the hearts and minds of Iowa's second congressional district. The Coralville Courier endorsed her bid in 2008 and she came from behind to win the GOP primary for U.S Congress against Peter Teahen, but ended up losing the November election to liberal Dave Loebsack (then a 1st term incumbent) by a margin of 57 to 39 percent.
An ophthalmologist from Ottumwa, Miller-Meeks has an All-American biography that's worth looking at. A person with military experience, a doctor, a small business owner, you can check out the details by clicking here.
If she wore pink and a pair of dark sunglasses, you might mistake Miller-Meeks for the energizer bunny. The woman has a motor, a get-up-and-go vigor taking her from event to event, to the studying of issues, to addressing the good people of Iowa's second district. In visiting with her and wondering what she has learned from her first run for office, it's clear that she is more polished and knowledgeable in the matters concerning Iowans.
Like as for her run in 2008, Miller-Meeks's main issue is health care and it was the topic leading off the interview.
"The current system of health care does not control costs," she said in responding to perhaps the biggest question people she meets and greets have - how do you control costs?
A proponent of insurance reforms she talked about implementing a pilot program of adjustments, to include guaranteed “renewability” and minimizing price discrimination for pre-existing conditions. If you have a catastrophic illness for example, part of her insurance reform would mean that policy premiums remain level for two years. When the basic policy premium is affordable she maintains, a mandate to purchase health insurance is not required.
Another big topic of concern was the economy.
"The stimulus plan was supposed to be targeted and timely and it wasn't," she said of the Obama administration's approach to dealing with job loss and an unemployment rate hovering just under 10%.
She proposes a 12 month payroll tax holiday as well as a reduction in the corporate tax rate, cutting the federal rate from 35% down to 20%. Miller-Meeks also believes something has to be done about the back door deals tolerated by Washington and the influence of unions.
"The well connected and the wealthy do not play by the same rules as the rest of us."
How she would go about effecting change in that area was unclear.
With that in mind, Miller-Meeks had in-depth knowledge on a range of issues, from national security, to energy needs, to national debt. She was knowledgeable of all subject matter discussed and very good at identifying the problems with current policy, but she came up short in some areas on just how she was going to effect positive change.
So in considering the question of whether or not Miller-Meeks has what it takes to oust Loebsack.... It remains unanswered. If she's going to do battle with him she needs a sword, not just a good grasp of the issues (a shield if you will) and a good argument. She can beat Loebsack in a debate and it's one thing to talk until the sun goes down about opposition to government-run health care and ideas for insurance reforms, that might convince a few people to vote for her. But it's quite another to show voters something tangible, show them a Miller-Meeks health care plan document, a bullet point plan of action outlining her ideas and most importantly - how to get them implemented....... A sword.
She's got the metal and the mettle, but she needs to blacksmith her weapon if she expects to win the battle over the other GOP contenders and ultimately Dave "Pelosi Parrot" Loebsack.
Upcoming events: Miller-Meeks will be conducting an economic forum this Thursday, March 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Ambulance Barn on Highway 61 in Wapello, Iowa. She will also be at the Johnson County GOP convention at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 6.
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