Pat Murphy (D-IA) Reminds Us Why We Care About Politics At All-- And Why It's Worth The Fight

A couple weeks ago we looked at the congressional race in Iowa's first district and have slowly and carefully come to the conclusion that state Rep. Pat Murphy is, by far, the best candidate for the seat. A strongly Democratic district-- PVI is D+5-- it is a perfect place for a strong and effective progressive leader. Blue America is proud to endorse him and we are proud to ask progressives to contribute to his campaign.

During the vetting process, we learned a lot about Pat and how he sees politics and how he views his role. And, of course, we were delighted with all his responses to our questions about specific policies that regard social and economic justice. But there was a story he told he-- about a stem cell research bill he helped pass while Speaker of Iowa's House of Representatives that stuck with me. This week, I asked him if he'd mind retelling it for DWT. Below is a guest post by Pat Murphy:

I have enjoyed my 24 years as a State Legislator because it allows me to make a positive impact in peoples’ lives. As I stepped into my new role as the Speaker of the House in the Iowa Legislature, I was faced with a state legislature that had been controlled by the Republican agenda for 14 years. There was plenty of legislation I wanted to pass and I made sure it had a positive impact for Iowans. We passed plenty of legislation that did just that, from universal pre-school to a civil rights bill for the LGBT, raising the minimum wage to giving healthcare for 42,000 children in Iowa.

One of the fights that I had in my first session was to reverse legislation that banned stem cell research in the state. At the time I heard from grassroots supporters, interest groups and lobbyist who told me about the importance and possibilities that stem cells could possess. We reversed the ban on stem cell research that year and allowed the University of Iowa to restart their work.

It wasn’t until earlier this year when this research hit home. One of my constituents came to my house; he has macular degeneration and has been losing his sight his vision has gotten so bad that he could no longer legally drive. His life had changed drastically; he went from living his life on his own to needing in home care assistance and driving assistance. Not only was his quality of life affected, but also the long-term cost of this assistance has been building quickly.

But through stem cell research the University of Iowa thinks they can help. They have developed a process that could potentially reverse his macular degeneration and my constituent is at the top of their treatment list. He will hopefully be starting his treatment next year and his vision will be restored. This will make a profound impact on his everyday life, his vision will be restored and he will be able to do simple things that most of us take for granted.

Loss of eyesight and hearing loss are two of the main quality of life issues to our aging community. This research could have a profound impact on how our seniors live.

This is the reason I do the work I do, I want to make a positive impact in people’s lives and to raise the quality of life for all Americans. Whether it is standing up for equality, protecting workers’ rights, making sure people have access to healthcare, or protecting the social safety net it is all about helping people.

This is what I want to want to continue to do in Congress. Fight for legislation that can impact peoples’ lives for the better.

Do you see why we're so excited about Pat going to Congress? Again, you can help here