Rabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("68747")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/United_States_Army">Army
The United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
during his senior year of high school, where he served as a
bomb disposalBomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
technician.
He attended Kent State University Stark in North Canton, Ohio and Siena Heights College in
Adrian, MichiganAdrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 21,574 at the 2000 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district.-Description:...
, on an ROTC scholarship, earning a
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in business administration in 1976. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a US Army Officer, serving as a tank
platoon leaderA platoon leader or platoon commander is the officer in command of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer — a second or first lieutenant, or an equivalent rank. He is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant...
and a computer research and development specialist, among other command roles. He left the Regular Army in 1980 with the rank of captain. He later moved to
Vista, CaliforniaVista is a city in North San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate....
, a suburb of San Diego, where he now lives.
Issa made his fortune through his company, Directed Electronics Incorporated, that is most famous for its flagship product, the "Viper" car alarm. It bears one notable siren that is a recording of Issa's voice, "please step away from the car." As of 2004, Directed Electronics was North America's largest
aftermarketAftermarket may refer to:* Aftermarket , the addition of non-factory parts, accessories and upgrades to a motor vehicle.* After-market , any market where customers who buy one product or service are likely to buy a related, follow-on product...
automotive electronics manufacturer. Issa divested all personal interest in Directed Electronics after being elected to public office, but is the richest member of the House and the second richest in all of the 111th Congress.
Issa is married to Kathy and has a son, William who is in his late 20s.
First campaign
Issa's first campaign for elected office came in 1998, when he sought the Republican nomination for
United States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
to run against incumbent Democrat
Barbara BoxerBarbara Levy Boxer is an American Democratic politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. She holds the record for the most popular votes in a statewide contested election in California, having received 6,955,728 votes in her 2004 re-election over former Republican...
. He backed the campaign with $12 million of his personal wealth, but lost the
primary electionA primary election , also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election...
to
California State TreasurerThe California State Treasurer is responsible for the state's investment and finance. The post has more narrow responsibilities and authority than the California State Controller...
Matt FongMatthew Kip Ling Fong is a Republican political leader from California and former state Treasurer. He is a leading Asian Pacific American Republican leader in the United States....
. Fong's campaign raised $3 million from contributions and complained that Issa's wealth made for an uneven playing field (Issa had only $400,000 in contributions). An Issa spokesman countered that the money was needed to compensate for Fong's statewide name recognition. Fong prevailed in the open primary by a margin of 22 percent to 20 percent for Issa. A San Francisco exit poll suggested that large numbers of Asian-Americans had crossed party lines to vote for Fong.
House of Representatives
Two years after Issa's failed Senate bid, Congressman
Ron PackardRonald C. Packard, D.M.D. is a retired Republican politician from California who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001.-Biography:Packard was born in Meridian, Idaho, where he grew up...
, a nine-term incumbent, announced his retirement. Issa capitalized on his name recognition from the 1998 Senate race, and won the Republican primary against State Senator Bill Morrow. This win was tantamount to election in the heavily Republican district (only the
Orange CountyOrange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,846,293, though a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,010,759, making it the second most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and...
-based 48th District is considered more Republican). During his 2002 run for re-election, the Democrats failed to field a candidate, and his closest competition was from
LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
Karl Dietrich. A
write-in candidateA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
from that election, Mike Byron, went on to become the Democratic challenger in 2004..
Issa currently serves on the U.S. House Committee on International Relations, the House Judiciary Committee, and the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He serves as the ranking member of the Oversight Subcommittee on Domestic Policy and has also played an active legislative role on the issues of immigration,
intellectual propertyIntellectual property is a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law...
protection, and the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Most recently, Issa mounted an unsuccessful campaign to join the ranks of the House GOP leadership hierarchy. He finished third of the four candidates vying for the chairmanship of the House Republican Policy Committee, and was ultimately passed over in favor of Thaddeus McCotter of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Gubernatorial recall
Issa came to national prominence when he contributed over $1.6 million to help fund a signature-gathering drive for the petition to recall
Gray DavisJoseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003. Davis is a Democrat who was often known as a moderate...
. At the time he made the contribution, it was widely believed that Issa intended to place himself on the ballot to replace Davis. However, following the entrance of fellow Republican
Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the state of California....
into the race, two days before the filing deadline, a tearful Issa announced that he would not run. Issa later said that his mission had been accomplished since Davis was recalled and he wanted to continue representing his district in Congress and work towards
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
peace.
For the recall election, Issa endorsed Schwarzenegger. However, at one point in the campaign he actually suggested that people should vote against recalling Davis, concerned that Schwarzenegger and fellow Republican
Tom McClintockThomas Miller McClintock II is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 4th congressional district...
would split votes and install Democratic lieutenant governor
Cruz BustamanteCruz Miguel Bustamante is an American politician. He was the 45th Lieutenant Governor of California, a former Speaker of the State Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party...
as Davis' successor
Middle East involvement
As one of the few Arab-Americans in Congress, Issa has had a significant but sometimes controversial role in U.S. peace initiatives in the Middle East. He traveled to
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
and
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
in an effort to negotiate the end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2003, he appeared at a Washington rally by Iranian groups protesting against the Islamic government in
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
.
Activist
Debbie SchlusselDebbie Schlussel is an American attorney, film critic, political commentator, and a blogger who focuses particularly on Islam and American Muslims. Her writing frequently targets the largely Muslim population of Detroit suburb, Dearborn, Michigan, which she refers to as "Dearbornistan"...
wrote a column calling him "Jihad Darrell", charging that he sympathized with
HezbollahHezbollah is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon. Hezbollah is now also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics...
despite its being listed by the U.S. government as a
terroristTerrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.At present, there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism...
organization. Issa denied this; he later speculated that Schlussel's column might have inspired an aborted
Jewish Defense LeagueThe Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"....
plot in 2001 to bomb his district office in San Clemente. JDL leader Irving Rubin was arrested along with
Earl KrugelEarl Leslie Krugel was the West Coast coordinator of the Jewish Defense League. In 2001, he was sentenced to prison on charges of terrorism after he confessed plotting, with the group's leader, Irv Rubin, to blow up the office of Arab-American congressman Darrell Issa and the King Fahd mosque in...
in connection with the plot, which reportedly had focused on other targets before shifting to Issa's office.
Issa voted "yes" for the use of military force in Iraq (2002)
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=16553&type=category&category=47&go.x=18&go.y=12 and
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
.
On June 16, 2006 he voted to reject setting timetables for withdrawal from Iraq and on December 14, 2005 he voted for the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.
On April 5, 2007, Issa met with Syrian president Bashar Assad to discuss Middle East issues, one day after Assad met with House Speaker
Nancy PelosiNancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
. Pelosi's visit brought strong criticism from Republicans, including President Bush.
Political views
Issa has generally conservative political views. He is generally
pro-lifeThe pro-life movement is a political and social movement focused chiefly around opposition to abortion, and especially support for the criminalization of abortion. Those involved in the movement generally maintain that human fetuses and embryos are persons, and that therefore they have a right to...
, but has supported
stem cellStem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types. Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Canadian...
research, saying that "The promise of stem cells to provide innovative treatments and cures warrants investment in more advanced research"
http://issa.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.View&Issue_id=30e7b3e4-e62f-4939-b74f-5838aaba851b&CFID=13424721&CFTOKEN=47735344.
He voted for the authorization (and later reauthorization) of the PATRIOT Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=16553
He has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
http://www.atr.org/current-taxpayer-protection-pledge-signers-th-a2851
He has opposed attempts to ease restrictions on illegal immigration such as the
blue card- Disambiguity :In Queensland, the blue card is another term for the Working with Children Check which is undertaken by the Commission for Children and Young People. The term blue card also refers to a card required by construction workers in Queensland. Additionally there are other Working with...
system, saying that it provides amnesty for illegal immigrants
http://issa.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.View&Issue_id=cd3a1282-ecaf-4b8c-9b59-fe6b4b860198&CFID=13424721&CFTOKEN=47735344.
He supports efforts to reduce
greenhouse gasGreenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The main greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emission, but also believes that " the science community does not agree to the extent of the problem or the critical threshold of when this problem is truly catastrophic."
http://issa.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.View&Issue_id=69e0e896-8706-4170-b0da-0ea287008217&CFID=13424721&CFTOKEN=47735344
He has been critical of No Child Left Behind, supporting a modification that would, in his words, "give states the freedom to adopt best practices for their students by returning flexibility and control to the educators and parents who are the real experts on education"
http://issa.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.View&Issue_id=aad9cb4d-bd08-4eb9-9a1a-2c5680e7bd95&CFID=13424721&CFTOKEN=47735344.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Ranking Member)
- As Ranking Member of the full committee, Rep. Issa may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees
- Committee on the Judiciary
U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, or the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement entities...
- Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary.-Jurisdiction:From the House Rules:...
- Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy
Allegations of criminal involvement in early years
In 1971, Issa allegedly stole a Dodge sedan from an Army post near Pittsburgh. The allegation was made by a retired Army sergeant, and published in a 1998 newspaper article. Issa denied the allegation. No charges were filed.
In 1972, Issa and his brother allegedly stole a red Maserati sports car from a car dealership in Cleveland. He and his brother were indicted for car theft, but the case was dropped.
Also in 1972, Issa was convicted in Michigan for possession of an unregistered gun. He received three months probation and paid a $204 fine.
On December 28, 1979, Issa and his brother allegedly faked the theft of Issa's Mercedes Benz sedan. Issa and his brother were charged for felony auto theft, but the case was dropped by prosecutors for lack of evidence. Later, Issa and his brother were charged for misdemeanors, but that case was not pursued by prosecutors. Issa accused his brother of stealing the car, and said that the experience with his brother was the reason he went into the car alarm business.
A day after a court order was issued, giving Issa control of automotive alarm company A.C. Custom over an unpaid $60,000 debt, Issa allegedly carried a cardboard box containing a handgun into the office of A.C. Custom executive, Jack Frantz, and told Frantz he was fired. In a 1998 newspaper article, Frantz said Issa had invited him to hold the gun and claimed extensive knowledge of guns and explosives from his Army service. In response, Issa said, "Shots were never fired. ... I don't recall having a gun. I really don't. I don't think I ever pulled a gun on anyone in my life."
Blackwater controversy
On February 7, 2007, during a hearing in which four mothers, wives, and daughters of four security guards killed in Iraq testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Issa made controversial remarks, implying that the hearing was partisan and insinuating that the women's testimony was written by their attorney. The families have sued
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
-based
Blackwater USAXe Services LLC is a private military company founded as Blackwater USA in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. In October 2007, the company was renamed Blackwater Worldwide and was colloquially referred to as "Blackwater"...
, the company that employed their relatives as security guards, to gain information about the circumstances surrounding the men’s deaths, and to seek compensatory damages. Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky of
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
lambasted Issa saying, "I also wanted to take exception to questions about who wrote this, first of all, because I think clearly the implication was that somehow these wonderful women could not possibly have written that wonderful, heartfelt testimony and that it took a lawyer in order to put it together and I resent that very much."
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/11/blackwater.lawsuit/index.html
9/11 victims
In April 2008, Issa said that the federal government "just threw" buckets of cash at New York for the
September 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners...
"that had no
dirty bombThe term dirty bomb refers to a speculative radiological weapon which combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. Though an RDD would be designed to disperse radioactive material over a large area, a bomb that uses conventional explosives would likely have more immediate lethal...
in it, it had no
chemical munitionsChemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons to kill, injure, or incapacitate an enemy....
in it." He went on: "I have to ask ... why the firefighters who went there and everybody in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus this being primarily a state consideration."
Politicization of Tim Russert's death
On June 17, 2008, a few days after the sudden death of
Tim RussertTimothy John Russert was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program...
, the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
took up a resolution to honor his memory. Many congressmen gave brief speeches in praise of Russert. However, Issa used his speech to push for domestic oil drilling, saying "We are going to miss Tim Russert when it comes to the people on both sides of the issue of why we have ... $5 gasoline and $135 oil. I think Tim Russert would have been just the right guy to hold people accountable, who would talk about the 68 million acres [280,000 km²] that are, quote, inactive, while in fact 41 million [170,000 km²] are under current lease and use and are producing millions of barrels of oil and natural gas a day."
2008 House election
In 2008, Issa breezed through a challenge from the Democratic candidate Robert Hamilton, prevailing by a 20 point margin in a year that, on the whole, favored Democrats. He was widely expected to win the election, considering that the 49th district has a fairly high
PVIThe Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
rating of R+10.
External links