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Sam Brownback
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Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12 1956) is the senior United States senator from the U.S. state of Kansas. During 2007, he was a Republican candidate in the 2008 Presidential election.
Personal lifeSam Brownback was born in Parker, Kansas to Nancy and Robert Brownback. He was raised in a farming family in Parker, Kansas; his ancestors settled in Kansas after leaving Pennsylvania following the Civil War. Brownback was state president of Future Farmers of America, and was its national vice president from 1976 to 1977. While at Kansas State University, he was elected student body president and was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho. He received his J.D. from the University of Kansas in 1982.
After college, Brownback spent approximately a year working as a broadcaster; he hosted a weekly half-hour show.
He is married to the former Mary Stauffer, whose family owned and sold a successful media company in 1995. They have five children, including an adopted son and daughter. One of his daughters, Jenna, was adopted from China when she was two years old.
Religious views
Brownback told Rolling Stone that he had moved from mainline Protestantism to evangelicalism before his 2002 conversion to Catholicism, and that in 1994 he became involved with The Fellowship, a conservative Christian U.S. political organization. Raised as a Methodist, Brownback later joined a nondenominational evangelical church, Topeka Bible Church, which he still regularly attends, even though in 2002, he converted to Catholicism. He joined the Church through Opus Dei priest Father C. John McCloskey in Washington DC. Brownback himself, however, is not a member of the Opus Dei organization.
Brownback was a cosponsor of the Constitution Restoration Act, which would have limited the power of federal courts to rule on church/state issues. Brownback told Rolling Stone that he chairs the Senate Values Action Team, an off-the-record weekly meeting of representatives from religious conservative organizations.
Early careerBrownback was an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas before becoming the Kansas secretary of agriculture in 1986. In 1990, he was accepted into the White House Fellow program and detailed to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 1990 to 1991. Brownback then returned to Kansas to resume his position as secretary of agriculture and remained in that position until 1993. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, and next ran in the 1996 special Senatorial election to replace Bob Dole, who had resigned his Senate seat during his presidential campaign, beating appointed Republican Sheila Frahm.
Senate careerBrownback defeated U.S. Senator Sheila Frahm, who had been appointed to fill the seat of U.S. Senator Bob Dole in 1996, when Dole resigned in the middle of his term to campaign for president. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Jill Docking and was elected to a full term in the Senate in 1998. He won a five person re-election in the 2004 Senate election with 69% of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger, Lee Jones, a former Washington, D.C. lobbyist.
Brownback is a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee (where he chaired the Subcommittee on District of Columbia when the Republicans were in the majority), the Joint Economic Committee, and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. He is the current Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, which monitors compliance with international agreements reached in cooperation with Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Brownback had announced that he would not run for reelection in 2010, in accordance with his support of term limits for members of Congress.
In 2000, Brownback and Congressman Chris Smith led the effort to enact the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). President Clinton signed the legislation in October 2000. According to Christianity Today, the stronger enforcement increased the number of U.S. federal trafficking cases eightfold in the five years after enactment.
In 2001 Brownback submitted S.1465[107], which authorized Presidential waivers for foreign aid to Pakistan. S.1465[107] passed by a unanimous unrecorded vote of Senators present. The Pakistani Government utilized the U.S. Foreign Aide, when received from the U.S. Government, in an attempt to bribe Mujahideen and Taliban Militants inside that country. Taliban Commanders and Mujahideen Commander Nek Mohammed openly admitted that they intended to use the foreign aid money to repay loans, which they had received from al Qaeda.
As of August 12, 2007, in the 110th Session of Congress, Brownback has missed 123 votes due to campaigning (39.7 percent) — surpassed only by Tim Johnson|D]]) of South Dakota who due to a critical illness has missed 100% of the votes of the 110th Session, and John McCain (R) of Arizona with 149 votes missed due to campaigning (48.1 percent).
As of 4-14-2008, Brownback has an approval rating of 53%, with 40% disapproving.
Committee Assignments- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Joint Economic Committee
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Positions
Health careIn 2007 Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sponsored an amendment to the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007. The amendment created a prize as an incentive for companies to invest in new drugs and vaccines for neglected tropical diseases. It awards a transferable “Priority Review Voucher” to any company that obtains approval for a treatment for a neglected tropical disease. This provision adds to the market based incentives available for the development of new medicines for developing world diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and African sleeping sickness. The prize was initially proposed by Duke University faculty Henry Grabowski, Jeffrey Moe, and David Ridley in their 2006 Health Affairs paper: "Developing Drugs for Developing Countries.".
Brownback supports a bill that will introduce price transparency to the U.S. health care industry, as well as a bill which would require the disclosure of Medicare payment rate information.
On December 16, 2006, Brownback gave an interview to the Christian Post, stating: "We can get to this goal of eliminating deaths by cancer in 10 years."
ImmigrationBrownback is a controversial figure within Republican circles because his position on immigration is often in conflict with his conservative base. Brownback has a voting record tending toward higher immigration levels and strong refugee protection. Brownback was cosponsor of a 2005 bill of Ted Kennedy and John McCain's which would have created a legal path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already present. He has been criticized by Tom Tancredo for his support for Kennedy and McCain's latest immigration reform bill. Tancredo called him "an extreme opponent of getting tough on illegal immigration." Brownback responded that politicians "must protect our borders, enforce the law, provide legal means for people to work in the United States, and fix a broken system." On June 26, 2007, Brownback voted in favor of S. 1639, the Bush-Kennedy Immigration Amnesty Act of 2007 (officially "A bill to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes."). Brownback supports increasing numbers of legal immigrants, building a fence on Mexican border, and the reform bill "if enforced."
While he initially voted yes on giving guest workers a path to citizenship, the senator later switched his vote on cloture voting "Nay" on June 28, 2007, after previously voting for cloture. Brownback has said that he supports immigration reform because the Bible says to welcome the stranger.
Tax reformIn December 2005, Brownback advocated using Washington, DC as a "laboratory" for a flat tax. He stated, "that making D.C. a test case would, with limited potential for negative impact, provide valuable data about the effects of a flat tax that would prove helpful in determining whether it should be applied nationwide." Some residents of the District believe that the proposed system of taxation would seem to only further what many believe to be the District's taxation without representation. DC mayor Anthony A. Williams said "Leaving aside the merits of this proposal, we continue to resist any efforts on the part of any member of Congress to impose rules and regulations on the people of the District." He was rated 100% by the US COC, indicating a pro-business voting record. He voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment, supports reduction of money spending in federal budget and was rated 100% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record.
He supports two-year limit on welfare benefits.
Iraq
Brownback has stated that he opposed Bush's 2007 troop surge in Iraq and the Democratic Party's strategy of timed withdrawal:
In May 2007 Brownback stated, "We have not lost war; we can win by pulling together" He voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq, voted NO on requiring on-budget funding for Iraq, not emergency funding and voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007.
On June 7, 2007, Brownback voted against the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 when that bill came up for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which Brownback sits. (The bill was passed out of the committee by a vote of 11 to 8.) The bill aims to restore habeas corpus rights revoked by the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
DarfurBrownback visited refugee camps in Sudan in 2004 and returned to write a resolution labeling the Darfur conflict as genocide, and has been active on attempting to increase U.S. efforts to resolve the situation short of military intervention. He is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network, which called him a "champion of Darfur" in its Darfur scorecard, primarily for his early advocacy of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act.
Israel and the PalestiniansIn October 2007, Brownback announced his support for a plan designed by Benny Elon, chairman of Israel's rightwing nationalist NU - NRP party. Elon's positions include dismantling the Palestinian National Authority and refusing a two-state solution. Instead, Judea and Samaria will be annexed by Israel in their entirety, despite the fact that their their non-Jewish inhabitants will not gain citizenship in either Israel or a Palestinian state. Instead, they would be granted citizenship in neighbouring Jordan. Elon argues that this would complete the 1948 Palestinian exodus begun in the 1948 war. An article in Forward quotes Elon's spokesman, Uri Bank, as saying about the plan that it "is the completion of the transfer of [the Palestinian] population that began in 1948".
Intelligent designIn a May 3, 2007 debate among the 10 candidates for the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination, Brownback was one of three who indicated that he did not believe in evolution. Instead, Brownback favors teaching intelligent design in public school science classes via the Teach the Controversy approach:
He has been closely allied to the Discovery Institute, hub of the intelligent design movement, and has argued extensively on their behalf during Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns such as the Santorum Amendment, Teach the Controversy, and the denial of tenure to Institute Fellow and design proponent Guillermo Gonzalez.
AbortionHe is pro-life in all cases, including cases involving rape and incest.
Brownback has stated, "I see it as the lead moral issue of our day, just like slavery was the lead moral issue 150 years ago." On May 3, 2007, when asked his opinion of repealing Roe v. Wade, Brownback said, "It would be a glorious day of human liberty and freedom."
Brownback also stated he "could support a pro-choice nominee" to the presidency, because "this is a big coalition party." His voting record is rated 0% by NARAL, since he has voted 100% pro-life. Brownback has stated that he supports a human life amendment or federal legislation ending abortion.
Stem cell researchBrownback supports adult stem cell research and cord blood stem cells. Brownback appeared with three children adopted from in vitro fertilization clinics to coincide with a Senate debate over the to show his support for the bill and adult stem cell research. The Religious Freedom Coalition refers to children conceived through the adopted in vitro process as "snowflake children." The term, as proponents explain, is an extension of the idea that the embryos are "frozen and unique," and in that way are similar to snowflakes. Brownback supports the use of cord blood stem cell research for research and treatment, instead of embryonic stem cells
Death penaltyBrownback said in an interview, "I am not a supporter of a death penalty, other than in cases where we cannot protect the society and have other lives at stake." In a speech on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he questioned the current use of the death penalty as potentially incongruent with the notion of a "culture of life", and suggesting for its employment in a more limited fashion. However, he voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder and voted NO on maintaining right of habeas corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. These two votes, on the other hand, occurred before his conversion to Catholicism in 2002 -- since his conversion, he has echoed John Paul II's remarks against the death penalty. On Jan. 31, 2007, Brownback introduced the to the Senate: this act would abolish the death penalty under Federal law.
Other issuesOn September 27, 2006, Brownback introduced a bill called the Truth in Video Game Rating Act (S.3935), which would regulate the rating system of computer and video games.
On June 15, 2006, Bush signed into law the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 sponsored by Brownback, a former broadcaster himself. The new law stiffens the penalties for each violation of the Act. The Federal Communications Commission will be able to impose fines in the amount of $325,000 for each violation by each station that violates decency standards. The legislation raises the fine by tenfold.
On September 3 1997, Meredith O'Rourke, an employee of Kansas firm Triad Management Services, was deposed by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs regarding her activities and observations while providing services for the company relative to fund raising and advertising for Brownback. In her deposition, she states that campaign management for Brownback's campaign had provided Triad with a list of current donors, specifically those who had "maxed out" on the federal contribution limit of $2,100. The deposition claims that Triad circumvented existing campaign finance laws by channeling donations through Triad, and also bypassed the campaign law with Triad running 'issue ads' during Brownback's first campaign for the Senate.
He has said he does not believe there is an inherent right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution. He has, however, expressed disapproval of George W. Bush's assertions on the legality of the NSA wiretapping program. Brownback voted "yes" on maintaining current gun laws: guns sold without trigger locks. He opposes gun control.
He does not believe in evolution and supports the idea of teaching intelligence project theory. He was given a 27% rating by the NEA, supporters of teacher's unions. Brownback is a lead sponsor of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 and frequently speaks out against the mail-order bride industry.
Brownback introduced into the Senate a resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 4) calling for the United States to apologize for past mistreatment of Native Americans. He worked with Congressman John Lewis to help win placement of the African American Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C..
Brownback is a supporter of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and voted against the federal expansion of hate crimes to include sexual orientation. He has taken no position on adoption of children by gay families.
Brownback's voting record on civil rights was rated 20% by the ACLU. He voted "yes" on ending special funding for minority and women-owned business and "yes" on recommending a Constitutional ban on flag desecration. He was rated 25% by CURE, indicating anti-rehabilitation crime votes. He voted "yes" on increasing penalties for drug offenses and voted "yes" on more penalties for gun and drug violations.
Brownback voted "no" on banning chemical weapons. Brownback voted "yes" on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act and voted "yes" on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision. In May 2007, Brownback stated, "Iran is the lead sponsor of terrorism around the world." He supports talks with Iran, but no diplomatic relations.
Environmental RecordIn 2005, the conservative organization Republicans for Environmental Protection ("REP") gave Brownback a grade of 7 percent for the 107th United States Congress, during which he cast what REP qualified as pro-environment votes on one of fifteen critical issues. Senator Brownback only voted pro-environment for an amendment to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, offered by Senator Jeff Bingaman, (D-NM), requiring at least 10 percent of electricity sold by utilities to originate from renewable resources.
In 2006, REP gave Brownback a grade of 29 percent for the 109th United States Congress, during which he cast what REP qualified as pro-environment votes on two of seven critical issues. REP criticized Brownback for supporting oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in “sensitive marine waters” in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as for opposing measures designed to increase “efficiency and renewable-resource programs to improve energy security, lower costs, and reduce energy related environmental impacts.” The environmental group League of Conservation Voters rated Brownback at 15 percent for the 109th Congress, citing his lack of support for low-income energy assistance, his lack of support for environmental and natural resources stewardship funding, and his tendency to vote in favor of offshore oil drilling and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
He voted "yes" on reducing funds for road-building in national forests and was rated 0% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes according to that organization. He voted NO on including oil and gas smokestacks in mercury regulations.
2008 Presidential campaignOn December 4 2006, Brownback formed an exploratory committee, thus taking the first steps toward candidacy. He announced his Presidential bid as of December 5, 2006 on his website. His expressed views position him in the social conservative wing of the Republican party. He has also stressed his fiscal conservatism. "I am an economic, a fiscal, a social and a compassionate conservative," he said in December 2006.
On January 20 2007, in Topeka, Brownback announced that he was running for President in 2008.
On February 22 2007, a poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports held that three percent of likely primary voters would support Brownback.
Brownback's close advisors for his presidential bid, as listed by the Washington Post, are David Kensinger, a political consultant who is a former executive director of GOPAC and former Brownback chief of staff; Rob Wasinger, Brownback's chief of staff in 2005; and Paul Wilson, a media consultant with Wilson Grand Communications. Also listed as "playing a key role" was Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza. Also mentioned as a member of Brownback's exploratory committee was Bowie Kuhn, former Major League Baseball commissioner, before his death on March 15, 2007. A conservative Catholic, Brownback enjoys support among the religious right, and focuses his campaign towards this element of society. However, a scandal broke in August 2007 when Pastor Tim Rude, working for the Huckabee campaign attempted to undermine support from Evangelical christians with anti-Catholic comments. Rude sent an email to two evangelical supporters to emphasize that Huckabee was "one of us."
On August 11, 2007, Brownback finished third in the Ames Iowa straw poll with 15.3% of all votes cast. Fundraising and visits to his website declined dramatically after this event, as many supporters had predicted Brownback would do much better, and speculation began that the candidate was considering withdrawing from the campaign. This sentiment increased after his lackluster performance in the GOP presidential debate of September 5, broadcast from New Hampshire by Fox News Channel.
Brownback was endorsed by Frank Pavone, Jack Willke, Alveda King, Stephen McEveety, Norma McCorvey, Thomas S. Monaghan, Michael W. Smith, Angela Baraquio Grey and Stephen Baldwin. Brownback also won support from fellow Kansas lawmakers Senator Pat Roberts and Rep. Todd Tiahrt.
Brownback had stated that if he came in lower than fourth place in the Iowa Caucuses, he would drop out of the Presidential campaign;
Brownback dropped out of the 2008 presidential race on Thursday, October 18, 2007 citing "lack of funds". He also commented, "I wouldn’t debate immigration in the middle of an election cycle." Brownback formally announced his decision on October 19. He later endorsed John McCain for president.
External linksSenate
Presidential
- at the FEC
- at OpenSecrets.org
Biographies, topic pages and databases
Media coverage
- news stories and commentary
- news and commentary
- , Rolling Stone, January 25 2006
- Media Matters, February 14, 2006
- , The Economist, March 9 2006
- May 9, 2006
- and critique by Jerry Coyne
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