Avery Kerman
akerman@uwyo.edu
Liz Cheney is running for U.S. Congress to fill the seat in the House of Representatives that Cynthia Lummis, current representative for Wyoming, will not be seeking re-election for. A plethora of people are running against Cheney in the primary, including Tim Stubson, Leland Christensen, Jason Senteney, Charlie Tyrrel and Mike Konsmo.
Cheney sat down with the Branding Iron Friday to answer a selection of questions.
Q: Why do you want to be a member of Congress?
A: I think that we are at a really crucial time for the state of Wyoming. If you look at the last seven and a half years of the Obama Administration, I don’t think that there is a state in the country that has been hurt more than we have. The federal government is encroaching in every aspect of our lives. Particularly here in Wyoming, it is the policies by the federal government that have to do with the natural gas industry and the efforts of the Obama Administration to kill the coal industry. But there’s been onslaught across the board of our First and Second Amendment rights, so I think that we are at a real crucial moment where it’s important to have people stand up and fight on behalf of these freedoms. I believe that it is necessary to have someone in Washington that can really bring a national focus and attention to these issues and someone who can hit the ground running, and I know that I can do that. Also, I just feel strongly that we have an obligation because we are so blessed to live in this state and this country. When you see the country going in a direction that is very damaging and wrong, I think we all have an obligation to stand up and do whatever we can to try to stop that and get us back on a better path.
Q: Who is your biggest influence?
A: That’s hard to pick. Everything from my kids, I have 5 kids, and certainly as a mom you learn things from your kids every single day. My husband is, obviously. My mom and dad as well, in terms of my earliest experiences in politics were campaigning with my parents across Wyoming. Having the chance to see first-hand how our system works and to understand what it takes to get involved and engaged has been a huge influence on me. I think also when I look at my dad’s career in particular, the role that he played after 9/11, and standing up for what he thought was necessary for the nation even during times when it seemed impossible. I think it was a real lesson of learning the courage of your convictions. I think that is something too often in politics where people stick their finger in the wind to see how the winds blowing and the changing their position based on that, I think that is fundamentally dishonest. So having the example of how he operated was really an important example for me.
Q: In your opinion, what is the purpose of the federal government?
A: I think that we have to look to the Constitution, and the Constitution is really rare in enumerating the powers that the federal government is supposed to be exercising. What I think is happening today is that our federal government has gone way beyond that. When you have an administration in Washington that in ideological reasons, in my view, is targeting the coal industry and making it clear it will kill that industry is fundamentally unconstitutional. It is certainly not what the framers anticipated or would have agreed with. So I think that the most important thing that the federal government should do is defend the nation. Too often today the federal government is getting involved in things it shouldn’t be, and it is failing to the most important things that it should do. In fact, if you look at the defense of the nation, we’ve got these threats, especially from Islamic terrorism that are rising rapidly as well as other countries around the world like Iran, North Korea, and at the same our military is declining because of budget cuts mostly. I don’t historically if we have ever been in that situation before with this massive threat level rising while at the same time our capacity decreased. I think fundamentally we have to have the federal government focused on that and rebuilding our military so that it can defend the nation. It has other roles too obviously. Another area that I feel it is failing right now is the issue in securing the borders and immigration. I think that we have a president that doesn’t want to enforce the laws. If he doesn’t agree with it, he just decides not to enforce it. Again, I think that is fundamentally unconstitutional.
Q: Who is your favorite politician in US history?
A: Picking only one is hard. I think Abraham Lincoln, when you look at the challenges and crises he led the nation through, we were blessed to have him. But it is really hard to pick just one because when you go back to the founding of the country and the miracle of the really small group of men that were living in the backwater of the British empire that they made the greatest revolutionary history and what it means to have individual rights. I also think I would look toward people like Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt. I think that what is really important today is to have the young people today study great Americans. The most interesting thing for me when I am reading history and learning about it, is the men and women who made the history and to learn about people, who as individuals, made such a huge change. I think sometimes it can be really frustrating when you think ‘wow, there are so many people in this country, how can I make a difference?’ But when you look at every great thing that has been accomplished, it has been individual people getting up and deciding to make a difference. And I think you have to look at the history of Wyoming and the people who settled here and who fundamentally embodied grit, courage, and freedom. They came here looking for a better life. So I think it is impossible to pick one.
Q: What do you bring to the table that the other candidates may not?
A: I think that because this is such a crucial moment, we have to have someone representing us in Washington that will bring a national spotlight to these issues. For example, one who can lead to reduce the size and authority of the EPA and who has experience standing up for these issues on the national stage. Wyoming only gets one seat in the 435 of the House, so you need to send a Republican who can lead on these issues, someone who will have the courage of his or her convictions. Someone who can stand up even when there is criticism. Someone who has proved they can fight for Wyoming on these issues. There’s also the threat on the national security so we need to have a representative that can restore the military and do what’s necessary to defend the nation. My experience in national security can certainly enable me to do that. I’ve worked on U.S. policy in the Middle East for over 25 years now and the state department as well as private practice and my non-profit organizations. I’ve focused on national security issues and how they relate to our nation.
Q: What are the top three issues in Wyoming you will address?
A: Certainly the issue of what we need to do to restore the ability of the energy industry, to get access to the resources and to play the role we can play in terms of energy independence for the nation. Helping to defend our agriculture industry against the same kind of onslaught. There are a range of issues to deal with that involve our fundamental freedoms. Another issue is immigration. In terms of doing what is necessary to ensure who is coming into the country and making sure ISIS isn’t able to infiltrate our energy programs. There’s a whole set of issues that have to do with freedom, like restoring the rights of our state and the individuals of our state. It’s hard to only name three.
Q: How do you plan on dealing with the Wyoming fiscal crisis? Will Wyoming have to find a new number one source of income that is not coal?
A: I think that the priority is to restore the coal industry. I think that so much of the fiscal crisis we face as a state is due to Washington D.C. Again; we’ve lived through market cycles and the booms and busts of the energy industry ever since there’s been an energy industry in Wyoming. So I think people are used to that. What’s happening now is the market cycle is being exacerbated by these policies out of Washington. So I believe the solution is to change the policies in Washington and pull back the intervention that has been so damaging. I fundamentally believe that if our coal industry and our fossil fuels industry as a whole are allowed to do their work without this heavy hand of the federal government, that we will be able to recover and be able to be a model for the whole country. I think fighting in Washington for responsible energy policy that takes advantage of the tremendous natural treasure we have here in fossil fuels is the right answer and will go a long way in Wyoming’s fiscal situation recover.
Q: How would you keep UW a strong fixture, with budget and department cuts in the midst?
A: I think that the University of Wyoming is a jewel. It has been a tremendous resource, not just for Wyoming, but students around the nation and the world. I think that protecting and defending the university is really important. I think that we won’t be in the fiscal situation that we are in if we are able to change some of the policies in Washington. I’m honored to serve on the International Board of Advisers here, and I think that my experience, whether through international studies or looking at the research on clean coal technology, there are tremendous strides being made here. We need to protect and defend the university as well as get the word out that it is such a world-class institution.
Q: People who identify as LGBTQ can still be fired based on their sexual orientation in Wyoming. How do you plan to address the lack of LGBTQ non-discrimination bills?
A: I think that a lot of that will be a state issue and won’t become an issue at the federal level. The Supreme Court issued a decision on gay marriage last year, which is at the federal level. Now that it is the supreme law of the land, I don’t know that it will continue to be an issue on the federal level.
Q: You attempted to run for office in 2013; however, there was backlash due to your Game and Fish license with false information. How do you plan to overcome this image you might have with Wyomingites?
A: I have been very pleased and honored this time around to have so many people from around the state sign on to the campaign. I ended my Senate campaign because of something that happened in my family with one of my kids. If anything, the reasons that I got into that race are more critically important now in terms of helping Wyoming to recover from the Obama era. There were people who joined my campaign this time who were with me last time, people who sat last time, and people who have come up to me to tell me they were with Mike Enzi last time but are with me this time. There’s been a real outpouring, which I am pleased to see. My 5 kids are the fifth generation in our family to be Wyomingites on my mom’s side and the fourth on my dad’s. Every single day we deal with the same issues that moms and dads across the state do. One of these issues is common core. In Teton County, where my kids are in school, they have just adopted at the elementary level common core methods for the first time this year. I am very concerned on what that means the kids are learning in school. I’m honored to be in the race and I am honored to see the outpouring across the state.
Q: What is the biggest political lesson you learned from your father’s career?
A: First of all, having the chance as such a young girl, I was 11 when he first ran for office here, to see politics up-close and to see what it meant to travel around the state. We traveled in an RV; my grandpa drove, and my job was to hand out buttons. It was a family affair. I think from his campaigns I learned that you have to earn your vote and meet with people to understand what their concerns are. I learned that you have to stand up for what is right, no matter what criticism comes. You shouldn’t shift your political position with the wind, and do what is right for the people of Wyoming. I feel blessed to have seen that lesson from him from seeing how he operated throughout his career.
A: If you could give your children one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: It’s hard to think of just one. I would say to be honest and do what you know is right. Have the courage of your convictions. It’s important for people to know that your word is your bond. Work hard and find a job that you love. If you’re willing to work hard enough, anything is possible. It’s important for my kids, and everybody’s kids, to know that the horizon is limitless and if you’re willing to work hard and put your mind to without being discouraged, you can get it. I learn lessons from my kids everyday.
Q: Why should people vote for you?
A: We are living in a very critical moment for our state, and our freedoms are under assault. If we don’t stand up and fight back we might not recognize our state and nation. Our freedoms don’t preserve themselves. It requires the participation of our citizens of our state and nation to fight for them. In this moment we need someone to bring a national spotlight to these issues in Wyoming if we are going to have the opportunity to do that. I know I can do that.
