by Frank Long
A lot has changed as a result of the 2012 national elections. Employment continues to lag, the economy plods on toward the fiscal cliff, and the parties running the show over at the White House and Capitol Hill are exactly the same. The $6 billion political messaging extravaganza produced virtually a zero sum change in the political landscape, except for one little blip on the radar at Illinois’ 8th district. Welcome to Congress, Tammy Duckworth.
Duckworth (D-Illinois), an incoming freshman in the House of Representatives, is not different because she is fitted with two prosthetic legs. She is different because she represents an important shift in what voters believe constitutes a capable political leader. It is, of course, significant that the fortyish, Asian-American Duckworth helps erode the political mold once exclusively fit for older white males. Duckworth, however, brings a more important quality to our national leadership. As a former Army helicopter pilot who flew missions in Iraq, and lost both her legs in combat—and as a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Assistant Secretary—it is safe to say Duckworth has a thorough understanding of the long-term rehabilitation needs of military veterans. It is probably the first time such insight has successfully penetrated the insular bubble around policy-making in the great city of Washington DC.
Duckworth is not the first player in national politics affected by a disability. President Franklin D Roosevelt was a victim of polio; President Woodrow Wilson was partially paralyzed by a stroke; and George Wallace, the former Alabama Governor and segregationist, was left paralyzed from the waist down by an assassination attempt. All three achieved notoriety, but history has not rushed to crown any a champion of health care causes. This is where Duckworth could be different from the others, as a policy maker who has enough skin in the game herself to protect legislation that looks out for the well being of disabled individuals across the board.
One thing that tips Duckworth’s hand as an advocate is something she said at President Obama’s nominating convention. At that event Duckworth stated out loud that a vital provision of the nation’s new health care law is that it “makes being a woman no longer a pre-existing condition.” Think of what this type of passion could do to improve the dismal policies most insurance companies take in paying for prosthetic limbs—typically providing coverage for one per lifetime. Her statement bodes well, I think, in changing this.
On the way, Duckworth will find herself head-to-head with two obstacles that characterize this nation’s health care issues: complexity and costliness. Duckworth however has the guts to confront these challenges squarely. My faith in her springs primarily from the fact that she was not drafted into military service, but rather chose to enter willingly. She trained to become a helicopter pilot because it was a position that would take her into combat. That’s right, she wanted to serve in a combat zone. And, she’s not only a fighter, but she’s tenacious. Duckworth, you see, is still a member of the Illinois Air National Guard.
No veteran who was ever on the receiving end of enemy fire that could have been meant for you or me should be shortchanged on health care. Ever. The motivation and savvy to maintain a high level of health care for veterans must be led by someone who knows how to walk the walk. I can’t think of anyone better for that job than Duckworth, who does exactly that—on artificial legs.
—Frank Long
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