Wulsin wants to provide accountability and personal connection to voters as Congresswoman

CINCINNATI -- Dr. Victoria Wulsin (D-Indian Hill) wants to provide voters with accountability in their representation, and the opportunity to have her address their concerns personally if elected to U.S. Congress.

In the final days of the campaign, Wulsin has got the phone banks going, volunteers canvassing and is doing some retail politics herself in Kroger parking lots in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District.

Wulsin said the Ohio grocery chain turned out to be a great place to meet people on the campaign trail, and said she was receiving a positive response.

Wulsin said that the economy was still a big issue on people's minds, but being a doctor, voters also usually want to talk about healthcare.

"People say they're worried about somebody losing their job, or the job's not good enough because it doesn't provide good benefits, health benefits," Wulsin said. "And I also hear, people want politicians who have good ideas, not just Republican ideas or Democrat ideas."

Wulsin said that she feels that she is intelligent enough, and open-minded enough to listen to good ideas regardless of the source.

"I want to use good Republican, and good independent and good Democratic ideas," Wulsin said.

Given that the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act has been passed through Congress, PolitickerOH.com asked Wulsin what she saw as the next big step she'd like to see done if elected as Congresswoman.

"I think that we need to balance the budget, that's one thing," Wulsin said. "Now, I'm not saying that's going to happen overnight, because at the same time we owe a lot of money. This crisis did not happen overnight. It's been years in the making. It's going to be years in the curing."

Wulsin promoted what she calls a "Made in America Tax Break," which she said would encourage companies to keep and create jobs.

"I think that we need to have a focus on our families and our jobs," Wulsin said. "And any stimulus package should be focused on making sure the families benefit, not just big business."

Wulsin lamented what she called working families being disproportionately hurt by the economic crisis.

"We need to amend that," she said.

Engaging in retail politics, Wulsin has been talking to various small business owners in Ohio's 2nd. Wulsin has focused much of her campaign on her desire to fix America's healthcare system, and she said that this was especially important as it relates to small businesses.

"I think one of the most important things that we must do is provide group rates and pools, whereby small businesses can pool together to apply for lower health insurance premiums," Wulsin said. "I think that affordable healthcare is both a real and a felt concern on the part of small businesses."

Keeping taxes low for small businesses is also a priority for Wulsin, pointing specifically to capital gains taxes.

Wulsin said she also feels the healthcare system needs to stand up to insurance companies, which she said currently has too much of a dominant position at the negotiating table.

"The insured are feeling disrespected, the underinsured are feeling scared and the uninsured are totally left out," Wulsin said. "As we address this system that's broken in so many ways, we're going to be able to take the burden even further off the small businessmen and small business women, who won't have to deal with that as part of their responsibility."

Constituent services are a somewhat unsung, but integral part, of any U.S. Representative's job. Wulsin outline some plans that she would pursue if elected.

"My current plan is to actually set up shop in public places like a Kroger grocery store," Wulsin said. "I like the idea that every Saturday morning I spend an hour or two at a Kroger store with a card table and ‘The Doctor is in," kindof thing."

Wulsin said that the idea that constituents would have the opportunity to shake her hand and relate their concerns personally appealed to her. She said it would allow her to address different questions and concerns directly.

"I also want to mobilize - I have this incredible network of volunteers already - and I want to maintain a volunteer program throughout my role as Congresswoman, where there would be a huge network of people willing to serve their brothers and sisters in the district."

Wulsin said she would include everybody, Democrats and Republicans, voters and non-voters, mostly just folks that want to help each other.

"I've had doctors who come up and tell me that they so much want to volunteer their services," Wulsin said. "But it's so complicated, there aren't easy ways. But I have a vision where we could really set up a network, helping each other and really boost the sense of community, and get over some of this divisiveness we currently feel - Democrat, Republican stuff."

As voters head to the polls on Tuesday, Wulsin had a message for them to keep in mind.

"Do you want government to be accountable to you? If so, then vote for Victoria Wulsin," she said.