Cheney comes to Platte Valley on campaign tour

Candidate for US Senate Liz Cheney made a stop in the Platte Valley Oct. 25 during her exploratory campaign tour of Wyoming.

Cheney spoke at Encampment's Sagebrush Senior Center and the Saratoga Senior Center, to let the community know of her vision for Wyoming and validity as a 2014 senatorial candidate. During both gatherings, Cheney spoke to the entire crowd, mingled with locals on a one-on-one level and listened to and addressed their concerns.

Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, grew up in Casper and currently resides in Wilson, Wyo., with her husband and five children. She began her campaign tour of Wyoming July 17, with help from Carbon County Republican Party Chairperson Joy Teska, and will continue on until next summer before the primaries in August.

"We started in Casper, where the campaign headquarters is, and so far we've been in every county in the state," Cheney said. "I feel it's really important to not just go to the big cities, and to really get out and meet everyone all over the state. We'll be keeping up this pace and doing the traditional grassroots campaign activities, like door-to-door and things like that all over the state."

During her local visits, Cheney received several questions about topics such as Obamacare and issues with the federal government.

"I've had a lot of questions about Obamacare, which people are very worried about, and people are mad about the taxpayer subsidies that senators, congressman and members of their staff get, which are not available to other Americans," she said. "People want to know when and how are we going to fight, since the federal government seems so huge and powerful. People want to fight back and they want to know how."

Administration for military veterans was another topic covered by Cheney during her meet-and-greet visits.

"We've had questions about what we're doing for our veterans, and how important it is to be supporting them when they put on that uniform to the nation and make that kind of sacrifice," she said. "The country has to be here for them when they come back."

Cheney said the primary reason she was running was because she felt that the fundamental freedoms and values of the general public were at stake. She felt the federal government was abusing its power and infringing on the freedoms of the people.

"I think that first of all we need to roll back this massive overreach of the federal government, and get back to a place where we had a government that was limited," Cheney said. "I also think we need to get back to sort of a constitutional framework where the authority that's not listed specifically in the constitution rests with the states and the people. I think we need to empower individuals and individual citizens, and basically get the government out of our lives at the extent we can, whether you're talking about the energy industry or agricultural industry."

Cheney added that a government that "governs best governs least," and stressed the importance of individual states having more authority.

"If we really want the economy to grow and want to be able to take advantage of the energy resources we have here in Wyoming, we need to get the government out of the business of trying to pick winners," she said. "I'd also like to see a lot more authority reverted back to the states. We do a much better job at the state level in terms of managing our resources and wildlife, and we've got to be doing everything we can to return that authority back to the level of the states."

When addressing President Obama's stance on the coal industry, Cheney said his war on coal could aid in killing the industry and be devastating for Wyoming.

"I think that for example, with respect to coal, Wyoming needs somebody who is going to be a leader in Washington, and someone who will be able to mobilize people across the country to join our side in the war on coal," she said. "We have to do more than just sort of wring our hands and hope for the best, and we have to fight back and save the coal industry. The president is also trying to prevent people from doing everything possible to make it very difficult to get drilling permits on public land, for example."

Cheney also brought up how the United States has enough fossil fuel resources to be energy independent, and that President Obama should allow our energy industry to get access to those resources. She said doing so could create good economic growth for Wyoming.

"Wyoming could be in a position of really helping the nation to be energy independent, and that could bring an economic renaissance, not to mention an increase in jobs and economic growth for us here in Wyoming," Cheney said. "Our agriculture industry also faces the same kinds of challenges from the federal government, in terms of making it very difficult for people to use their own land for the purpose that they see fit. Our ranchers deserve to not be abused by federal agencies and the right to make a living, and grow the food that so much of America depends on. In both of those instances, getting the federal government out of our lives is critically important."

More than three months into her tour, Cheney said the support she has received from the people of Wyoming has been overwhelmingly positive.

"I have seen some people I haven't seen for 35 years, like people that worked on my dad's campaign and knew me as a young girl," she said. "I have also had the chance to get back and see old friends too. The support and the people have all been really wonderful."

Cheney said she thought about running for the senate at the beginning of this year. She said people from all over the state had encouraged her to run, and that through talking with family, praying and giving the idea serious consideration, she announced that she would run in July.

"People from all over the state were urging me to run, and I could sense frustration from people in terms of not having someone fighting for them in Washington," Cheney said.

In her travels, Cheney said some of the most interested and rewarding exchanges she has are with people who are undecided on political stances.

"What I really like is when people will come to the events and say they haven't made up their mind yet, and they'll have questions and want to talk to me about issues that really matter to them," she said. "That gives me the chance to hear their views and lay out what I believe and think is important, and people want the chance to talk face to face with folks before they cast a vote for them. I want people to understand how dedicated I am to fighting for Wyoming values and freedom, and how important it is that we start doing that right now."

Cheney added that if she did become senator, she would always remember that what goes on within the state of Wyoming is her first priority.

"When I'm in Washington, if I'm honored to be elected by the people of Wyoming, I'll never forget that I work for the people of Wyoming," she said. "They're the ones that sent me there, so they'll ultimately be the people I work for."

 

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