On March 20th, Mike spoke at the Pottawattamie County Convention in Council Bluffs. Here is the full text of his speech:
Fellow Democrats,
Thank you for being here today, and thank you for having me. It is exciting to see such a great turnout. I’m Mike Denklau. I am a college instructor and I am running to be your representative in Congress.
To begin today, let me share with you why I declined a promotion at my former bank to run for Congress. The reason is simple; it is about service, about giving back to the state that has given me so much, and it is about middle class opportunity.
When I was ten years old, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to go through aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment. While I was worried about her, I thankfully never had to worry about how our family would pay for the treatment. I owe much of that thanks to the quality of county government health insurance, which allowed my mom to get the treatment she needed and focus on overcoming her illness. I am happy to say that she is now a 17 year survivor and doing well. However, I am concerned about what would happen to the 83,000 uninsured mothers, fathers and children in our district if they were faced with a similar illness. I’ve learned a lot about healthcare from my hundreds of supporters. One of them, Rick, is a small business owner who runs his family business that has been around for over 100 years. He has worked hard over the years to provide for his employees and ensure they and their families have health insurance. This past year, Rick was informed that his premium would be going up by 80%. Would you say that’s fair? The difference between Steve King and I is that I will do something about this. I don’t believe no is the answer. I am a practical problem solver, and I am for comprehensive healthcare reform. I have no illusions that I can solve this problem on my own, but I promise you that I’ll work every single day in Congress to make the system better for you, for Rick and for my mom. What is it time for? It is time to work for western Iowa.
Let me tell you about my friend Butch. Butch is a big burly guy, a bar owner and local politician in southwest Iowa. He also happens to be the supervisor at a bio fuel plant. Butch has worked his way up from being the sole operator when the plant opened to overseeing a crew of 12 skilled and well paid workers. These are the kind of quality jobs our district needs. What’s amazing to me is that Steve King repeatedly shoots down measures that would help Butch and Iowa families. I am committed to being a champion for working Iowans. To revitalize this district and keep our young professionals and families here, I will work to support the middle class and to create hundreds of Butchs throughout western Iowa. With the Morrell Plant closing and Clarke County struggling with nearly 10% unemployment, we cannot wait to address our challenges. What is it time for? It is time to work for western Iowa.
To get our economy back on track and build a stronger future for our district, we need a congressman with experience helping businesses grow, experience in the classroom and experience in Washington. As a banker, I helped companies raise over $8 billion to expand their businesses and hire new employees, and I advised them on how to implement stimulus programs. I also worked with federal regulators to change policy in Washington to protect individual investors like you and me from risky financial products. As a college instructor, I understand that education is an investment in our future and we must ensure we are doing everything possible to strengthen the system. What is it time for? It is time to work for western Iowa.
Finally, I got into this race because I believe Congressman King is out of touch. Over the past seven years and throughout the worst recession in decades, King has given himself a $19,000 pay raise. That is more than half of the annual income for the average family in Kiron, Iowa. This is wrong, and as your congressman I will work to change the way Washington functions. That is why, today, I am renewing my pledge to decline congressional pay raises until our economy is growing again, and I will reject congressional health insurance until reform that works for western Iowans has been achieved. What is it time for? It is time to work for western Iowa.
As Ford Motor Company has proven, we can turn things around in America. We have a great opportunity to turn things around right here in the 5th District, and it begins by retiring Steve King. As many of you know, I began laying the foundation for this campaign in July. I have been committed to you since then, and I am still committed to fighting for you. Our campaign has been gaining significant momentum recently with endorsements from State Representative Roger Wendt of Sioux City and The Storm Lake Times. Local media attention continues to build and my staff is poised to more than double within the next few weeks. That said, I need your help to capitalize on the opportunity we have in 2010. I am here today to ask for your advice, your support and your vote. Together, we will make sure we have a congressman in 2011 who is working for western Iowa!
Mike Denklau’s campaign urges 5th District Iowans interested in stronger Congressional representation to visit http://www.denklauforcongress.com or call (712) 256-0742 today to join his campaign. You can also help Mike’s campaign by investing $20.10 or more today on Act Blue and by joining his email list. Together, western Iowans will make a difference this November!
Love the speech, you are exactly what the 5th District needs to as you so spot on say Work for the 5th District.
Thank you Mike for deciding to come back to Iowa and help the 5th District retire Steve King.
Denise