Houston, Jim Talent and Jean Carnahan Have A Problem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 9 2002
P.O.C. THOMAS L. KNAPP
THOMASLKNAPP@YAHOO.COM
314-721-3960
WWW.TAMARAMILLAY.ORG


HOUSTON, JIM TALENT AND JEAN CARNAHAN HAVE A PROBLEM

Candidates for federal office don't make it to Texas County very often, so Tamara Millay wasn't surprised to get a supportive earful from the residents of Houston, Missouri.

Millay, the Libertarian Party's candidate for U.S. Senate, visited Texas County on Saturday, September 7, campaigning in Houston and Licking. Volunteers distributed brochures door to door in several neighborhoods while Millay, with LP activist Bea Jordan as her guide, visited with voters at a local auction and in several downtown shops.

What she found was a warm reception for the Libertarian philosophy of limited government.

"It seems like Jim Talent will say just about anything to get elected," remarked one voter. Another opined that "this war fever seems more like an attempt to distract our attention from the economy than anything else."

"This year's Senate campaign is largely being conducted on television and in the cities," says Millay. "My opponents don't seem to have noticed the rural dissatisfaction with politics as usual. They don't make it to places like Houston. Or Dixon. Or Fair Grove."

Millay, who lives in St. Louis, has made it a point to visit rural communities and ask residents for their support, a strategy that she believes will pay off in November. Current polls show the U.S. Senate contest too close to call, and Millay's vote totals could represent the balance of power as Jim Talent and Jean Carnahan scramble for advantage in a tight race. "I don't have to go to Washington in order for my campaign to be successful," she says. "My goal, short of winning, is to campaign effectively enough to force the other candidates to come after 'my' votes by getting right on the issues that matter to Missourians. If they won't do that, they don't deserve those votes."

"I don't remember the last time a Senate candidate came around here," said one Houstonian, enjoying a drink at Forbes' Pharmacy's soda fountain. "As a matter of fact, I don't know if one _ever_ has," he continued, scratching his head.

Millay chatted with the pharmacy's owner about the ill effects of government intervention in medicine, then moved on to RR Pawn, where she examined a 9mm pistol and commiserated with customers about Missouri's draconian laws against concealed carry. She noted her opponents' anti-gun records. As a Senator, she promised, she'd work to repeal and preempt unconstitutional "victim disarmament" laws and restore the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.

The Libertarian Party is Missouri's -- and the nation's -- third largest political party. More than 500 Libertarians currently serve in public office, including Chillicothe, Missouri mayor Jeff Foli. The LP is running nearly 2000 candidates for public office this year, about 50 of them in Missouri.