I’ll Believe in the Tea Baggers if Tamyra Gets the Signatures

Tamyra d’Ippolito has suddenly become a Very Important Person.

She needs signatures primarily in Indian’s Eighth District (currently represented by Brad Ellsworth, who would be the Party’s pick to replace Evan Bayh), Evansville, and Terre Haute. She has a background to make a Tea Partier proud:

I was born in Worthington, Indiana and raised in Linton. Currently, I live in Bloomington. I was raised an only child with a single, hard-working mother who “retired” from General Electric as a factory worker.

I attended college at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, receiving my degrees in Graphic Design and Photography. The United States government financed my education with federal grants.

In 1981, jobs were limited in Indiana so I moved to Houston, Texas and worked for over 3 years at Foley’s, an advertising agency, as a Production Artist. At 25, I moved to New York City where I lived for the next 20 years. I worked on Wall Street for Salomon Smith Barney and later for Lehman Brothers. While in NYC I picked up another degree at the New York Film Academy in Filmmaking….

When I returned to Indiana, I was chosen by the Linton Rotary to go with a team to the country of Brazil. We were Ambassadors of the USA and traveled to 6 different cities. In Indiana, I became involved with World Learning. I worked as a Regional Director with World Learning in Indiana, Boston, and New York City

However, since moving to Indiana I have had no health insurance. I was diagnosed with colon cancer five years ago giving me a pre-existing condition. Additionally, I own a small business. Those two obstacles make insurance very expensive and unattainable. As a cancer survivor and small business owner, health reform is an issue that directly affects me like many Indiana residents.

I own and operate the Ragazzi Arte Cafe in Bloomington. I also founded the Poor Club, www.thepoorclub.org, after meeting many people who are in need. Our mission is to bring awareness and education to the fact that poverty is prevalent in Indiana and I want to make a change for the better.

I am a past board member of Women Inspire, www.womeninspire.org. I am also a member of PSI XOTA, a philanthropic sorority. Some of my accomplishments are Leadership Bloomington Graduate of 1995 and City of Bloomington Citizens’ Academy Graduate in 2008. I also serve on the Volunteers in Medicine Advisory Board.

Right now, the Democratic Party (having been royally screwed by its current Senator) is hoping that Tammy doesn’t get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, which would enable them to pick someone without bothering with a primary.

But here’s a small business owner, someone who earned things and is quite aware of “from where it is that I come from.”

In short, an ideal candidate from outside of the Establishment—but one who comes naturally without having to build a third party. And someone who—as a small-business owner—knows very well what works and what doesn’t.

If the Tea Party people endorse her, then I’ll take them seriously. If they avoid her because she would have to run with a (D) next to her name, then that will tell us everything we need to know about whether they are Astroturf.