Public affairs blogger Chris Savage is as transparent as a freshly Windexed window in his latest post. The Dexter writer-activist makes clear from the start that he admires new Congresswoman Debbie Dingell so much he considers her "as my actual representative.
That's because, on just about any topic or issue you could name, Debbie Dingell does represent my views. She’s as solid a progressive as you could ever hope to meet. . . .
I sat down with Congresswoman Dingell last week to talk about her first 100 days, the issues that she’s already working on, and what things are on the horizon.
Debbie Dingell: " I don’t think white males should be discriminated against either. . . . We’ve got to figure out a way that we treat everybody equally."
Below are snatches of his Eclectablog conversation with the 61-year-old House member who won the seat her husband, John, held for more than 59 years -- the longest congressional tenure ever.
► Freshman year: I’ve really kept my head down. It is really important to me that people know that I’m just a hard worker and that I understand that my last name means nothing, that I’ve got to earn my stripes. I’ve got to show people that I am a hard worker with abilities.
► Gender equity: I know what it’s like to be discriminated against as a woman. In my first job interview, the man who interviewed me said, “Why would a woman want to work at General Motors?” I have been sexually harassed in the workplace. And I have seen other forms of gender discrimination. . . .
Women should be paid equally for equal work. . . . We have to continue to shine a light on the fact that there are women who are not being paid an equal wage for equal work.
► "Still facing discrimination:" People do not understand that there is regular discrimination going on. I, as woman, feel it. Blacks feel it every day. I live for the day when no one asks me a gender-based question or a race-based question. I think it’s great that you, as a younger generation, have not had to deal with a lot of things that we’ve lived with. But the reality is that women today, as well as African Americans, are still facing discrimination in different ways.
And, by the way, I don’t think white males should be discriminated against either. And there are times when they feel discriminated against. We’ve got to figure out a way that we treat everybody equally.
► Personal crusade: The issue that will become one of my signature issues is long-term health care. I wasn’t looking to become an expert on the issue but, when John became seriously ill, I began dealing with a system that is really broken. . . . Navigating a broken system that’s not integrated, dealing with insurance companies and doctors, and misdiagnoses, and access to services, and how you’re going to deal with a myriad of problems was a real eye-opener for me. He became sicker and, frankly, almost died because I could not get him the care that he needed, even knowing the care that he needed. And I know that I am luckier than most people. . . .
The Affordable Care Act does nothing to deal with long term care. . . . This Is my number one issue.
► U.S. automakers: We can build a car better than anybody in the world and compete. But you can’t compete on an unlevel playing field against the Bank of Japan or the Japanese government. And we need a government that’s going to fight for us the way the Japanese government fights for its manufacturers. . . .
Any trade that is negotiated that doesn’t include or address currency manipulation is not something that I can support or that anybody from Michigan, I think, should support.
-- Alan Stamm
