Caroline Vernon to Receive Iowa Dem's Rising Star Award
by Alta Price, M.D.
This
Saturday, June 11, 2005, one of our own, Blog for Iowa's Caroline
Vernon, will receive the Iowa Democrats' Rising Star Award. Dr.
Alta Price, Co-founder of Democracy for Iowa and active participant in
Democracy for the Quad Cities, reflects on what makes Caroline such a
good candidate for the Rising Star Award.
We first
got to know Caroline when she started coming to our Meetups after
Howard dropped out of the Presidential race. One thing I noticed right
away was how incredibly informed she was about all the issues. At the
time, I was one of the few people in our group that spent a lot of time
online, and I usually had the most up-to-date info on the issues of the
day. But Caroline knew everything I did and then some. And she’s not
just well informed, she’s smart. But the qualities that make her a
Rising Star are more nebulous 😉 and harder to define for us
intellectual liberal types. So I’ll put on my Lakoff reframing cap and
see if I can put it into words.
Carolinespeaks and acts from a place grounded in her values, and it gives her
the power to be a force for good in our troubled times. I’m not
sure if it is her faith or her life experiences that brought her to
this place. (Although she got there mostly on her own, ask her sometime
how the good Doctor inspired her to go forth and use her power. I can’t
tell that story like she can.)
Caroline
is the kind of Christian who honors Jesus by trying to live like him,
not by building him a church. Like one of my favorite tag lines at
Dailykos says – “Don’t tell me you are a Christian, show me.” Caroline
never has to tell you she’s a Christian; her faith shines through in
every word and action. You can feel her empathy for the suffering of
others. Her equanimity – which I believe comes from her faith –
reassures those of us around her that somewhere a light is shining, no
matter how dark the times.
I think
what made the Iowa Democratic Party recognize her as a Rising Star is
her courage in speaking “truth to power,” as Caroline likes to put it.
I know Caroline well enough to know she feels the same fear anyone of
us would getting up in front of people and speaking our minds. Her
moral convictions give her both the courage to do it and the ability to
do it well. I missed one of her “shining moments” – a town meeting with
Representative Jim Nussle, on Social Security, I believe. According to
reports of those present, Nussle was able to dismiss the concerns of
many of his questioners with a few glib words. But Caroline was not to
be brushed off. She was the one who finally got through to him. The
fact that Caroline was the one interviewed by the television crew for
the nightly news segment on the event confirms the validity of the
reports I heard from my friends that she wowed not only our
Congressman, but the crowd.
Perhaps
the best thing Howard Dean did for me was putting me in touch with
other Deaniacs. Thank you, Howard, for giving me a friend like Caroline
Vernon. She has enriched Democracy for the Quad Cities with her service
and talents. We are happy to share her with you through Blog for Iowa,
but you really need to meet her personally to experience the full
effect. When you meet her in person, you will understand why the Iowa
Democratic Party recognized our Rising Star in eastern Iowa.
Howard Dean
will be returning to Iowa for the first time since the Caucus,
keynoting the Iowa Dems' Hall of Fame dinner this Saturday. Reserved
seats for the 2005 Hall of Fame Dinner may be purchased through the Iowa Democratic Party, with details posted on
the Iowa Democratic Party Website, www.iowademocrats.org, or available by phone at 515-244-7292.
TODAY is the LAST DAY to purchase tickets.
Blog For Iowa 
Dear Alta,
I just read your blog… are you trying to make me cry or something? LOL – Words cannot adequately express the gratitude I feel. I thank God and Howard for the friend I've found in you also! You and so many others have empowered me in ways I never imagined, and I am eternally grateful… Peace and Love, Caroline
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Caroline!!….Buddy!!…Your turn to shine is now!..I think I can still hear nussel reeling from your counter point….No one deserves this as much as you…See you Saturday
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Caroline, congratulations! I got to hear your passionate and effective statement at Tom Harkin's Social Security forum in Davenport when a group of hecklers tried to railroad the conversation… Awesome! (And your campaign rocks rock too! 🙂 )
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