Conversation with Tammy Lee

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. That’s what my papa always told
me, and so far it has held true. Instead of passively waiting inspiration to
craft a good letter, I acted and called up a candidate on the telephone. I chose
Tammy Lee, the Independence Party candidate for U.S. House District 5. The
phone rang three times, more than enough time for a second thought, but on the
fourth ring and the third thought, someone picked up:

"This is Tammy!", she said.

I hadn’t exactly come up with a plan beyond that point—I was kind of
hoping for an answering service. I did the best I could and just asked some
honest questions.

I introduced myself as a resident of District 5 and told her that though I had
looked at her website I hadn’t gotten a good sense about how
she felt about the war.

She was happy to answer my questions, and she asked a few of her own.
She was opposed to the war from the beginning, but she doesn’t believe in
an immediately withdrawal. She briefly summarized for me Rep. Murtha’s ideas.

I asked about a war in Iran, and she was certainly of the opinion that a
nuclear Iran is a grave threat (I don’t agree), but she didn’t seem to be
out looking for a fight.

I asked about immigration, and she said that she found McCain’s
proposals the most reasonable. She spoke about different enforcement
aspects of his proposals, but I’ve always heard McCain was, at the end of
the day, an amnesty supporter. He was even booed at a recent labor event. We differed on the feasibility of
building a border wall. I think she is uncomfortable with the general idea,
but at the same time, I think she would give me and other “wall supporters”
a respectful hearing. I certainly got one.

This felt more like a casual telephone conversation than some kind of
amateur interview—and I think I liked it better that way.

She asked me a few questions. I mentioned my brief history with the
Independence Party, and we talked a little about the book I’m reading
(you’ll notice the link and picture to the right). We talked about how I,
as a paleocon, feel unrepresented in the political climate today. I
certainly got to present some of my perspectives, and overall I was greatly
encouraged. I feel somewhat inclined to support her candidacy, whereas when
I called I wasn’t in her camp at all.

I had time for one more question, so I asked about free/fair trade
issues. She started talking about agricultural issues, and I could tell a
lot of it was about to go over my head. She spoke intelligently on the
subject, but I was looking for a short answer. I interjected:

“Would you have voted for CAFTA?”
“No.”

Her ability to be that clear and direct was my favorite part.

I think I’ll make a call to a Senate candidate tonight.

Comments

[Mike Grimes]

Tammy really has really been impressive all around since she has entered the race. In the Independence Party it's really nice to find a candidate like her who not only does not need much from the party, but also is able to aid other candidates. Good to hear about the approach she takes with voters who might not totally agree with her.

[Shafe]

Sounds like a good interview/conversation. Good post illustrating that, too. If you don't mind, drop me an email concerning your points on what's good about a border wall and why a nuclear Iran isn't a major concern.

[Patriotlog]

Here is a great link about border walls: http://www.parapundit.com/archives/cat_immigration_border_barrier.html

http://antiwar.com has a lot of good commentary about the upcoming war with Iran.