| Revision as of 19:55, 21 February 2007 editGetaway (talk | contribs)3,917 edits Jerimee please give a REASON for your reverts. Please show good faith. The quote is sourced, relevant, notable and comes directly from Brownback. You need a reason other than you just don't like it← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:10, 21 February 2007 edit undoJerimee (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users560 edits rvt POV edit (see talk)Next edit → | ||
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| Born in ] and raised in ], Sam Brownback was born to a farming family of ] descent who settled in Kansas after leaving ] following the ] <ref> </ref>. Brownback was state president of ], and eventually went on to become the national vice president from 1976-1977.<ref>]: </ref> While at ], he was elected student body president and was a member of ]. He received his ] from the ] in 1982. | Born in ] and raised in ], Sam Brownback was born to a farming family of ] descent who settled in Kansas after leaving ] following the ] <ref> </ref>. Brownback was state president of ], and eventually went on to become the national vice president from 1976-1977.<ref>]: </ref> While at ], he was elected student body president and was a member of ]. He received his ] from the ] in 1982. | ||
| After college, Brownback spent a year working as a ]; he hosted a weekly half-hour show. |
After college, Brownback spent a year working as a ]; he hosted a weekly half-hour show.<ref> </ref><ref></ref> | ||
| He was an attorney in ]<ref> </ref> before becoming the Kansas secretary of ] in 1986. In 1990, he was called upon to be a ] for the Class of 1990-1991, detailed to the ]. After serving in that capacity for one year at the ], Brownback returned to Kansas to resume his position as secretary of agriculture and remained in this position until 1993. He was elected to the ] in 1994, but served there for only one term as he decided to enter into the special Senatorial election in November 1996 to replace ], who had resigned his Senate seat during his presidential campaign. | He was an attorney in ]<ref> </ref> before becoming the Kansas secretary of ] in 1986. In 1990, he was called upon to be a ] for the Class of 1990-1991, detailed to the ]. After serving in that capacity for one year at the ], Brownback returned to Kansas to resume his position as secretary of agriculture and remained in this position until 1993. He was elected to the ] in 1994, but served there for only one term as he decided to enter into the special Senatorial election in November 1996 to replace ], who had resigned his Senate seat during his presidential campaign. | ||
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| Raised as a ], Brownback later joined a nondenominational evangelical church, and in 2002 he became ]. He joined the Catholic Church through ] member Father ] in Washington DC<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9178374/gods_senator/</ref><ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2069194</ref>. However, Brownback himself is not a member of Opus Dei organization<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601616_pf.html</ref>. | Raised as a ], Brownback later joined a nondenominational evangelical church, and in 2002 he became ]. He joined the Catholic Church through ] member Father ] in Washington DC<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9178374/gods_senator/</ref><ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2069194</ref>. However, Brownback himself is not a member of Opus Dei organization<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601616_pf.html</ref>. | ||
| ==Senate Career== | |||
| ⚫ | According to the American Conservative Student Union, Senator Brownback has missed over half of the votes on the Senate Floor in 2007.<ref>http://www.absentcongress.org/kansas_senate_brownback.htm</ref> | ||
| ==Views== | ==Views== | ||
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| On ], 2006, ] ] signed into law the ] sponsored by Brownback, a former broadcaster himself, and endorsed by ] ] of ] who authored a similar bill in the ]. The new law stiffens the penalties for each violation of the Act. The ] will be able to impose fines in the amount of $325,000 for each violation by each station, which violates ] standards. The legislation raises the fine by a tenfold increase.<ref>Combs, Roberta. , ''Washington Weekly Review'', June 17, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Bill Number S. 193 | work=Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate) from Congressional THOMAS DB| url=http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bill.xc?billnum=S.193&congress=109 | accessdate=April 11 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> | On ], 2006, ] ] signed into law the ] sponsored by Brownback, a former broadcaster himself, and endorsed by ] ] of ] who authored a similar bill in the ]. The new law stiffens the penalties for each violation of the Act. The ] will be able to impose fines in the amount of $325,000 for each violation by each station, which violates ] standards. The legislation raises the fine by a tenfold increase.<ref>Combs, Roberta. , ''Washington Weekly Review'', June 17, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Bill Number S. 193 | work=Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate) from Congressional THOMAS DB| url=http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bill.xc?billnum=S.193&congress=109 | accessdate=April 11 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | According to the American Conservative Student Union, Senator Brownback has missed over half of the votes on the Senate Floor in |
||
| ==2008 Presidential campaign== | ==2008 Presidential campaign== | ||
Revision as of 20:10, 21 February 2007
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Template:Future election candidate
| Sam Brownback | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Kansas | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 7 1996–Serving with Pat Roberts | |
| Preceded by | Sheila Frahm |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent (2011) |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | american |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Brownback |
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback (born September 12 1956) is the senior United States senator from the U.S. state of Kansas. On January 20 2007 he announced his intentions to seek the Republican Party's nomination for President in the 2008 Presidential election.
Biography
Born in Garnett, Kansas and raised in Parker, Kansas, Sam Brownback was born to a farming family of German descent who settled in Kansas after leaving Pennsylvania following the Civil War . Brownback was state president of Future Farmers of America, and eventually went on to become the national vice president from 1976-1977. 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 a year working as a broadcaster; he hosted a weekly half-hour show.
He was an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas before becoming the Kansas secretary of agriculture in 1986. In 1990, he was called upon to be a White House Fellow for the Class of 1990-1991, detailed to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. After serving in that capacity for one year at the White House, Brownback returned to Kansas to resume his position as secretary of agriculture and remained in this position until 1993. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, but served there for only one term as he decided to enter into the special Senatorial election in November 1996 to replace Bob Dole, who had resigned his Senate seat during his presidential campaign.
Brownback won the primary by defeating U.S. Senator Sheila Frahm, a former Lieutenant Governor, who had been appointed to temporarily fill the Senate seat. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Jill Docking and was elected to a full term in the Senate in 1998. He won re-election in the 2004 Senate election with 69% of the vote, easily defeating his Democratic challenger, Lee Jones, a former Washington, D.C. lobbyist who was considered less than viable, especially after losing the Democratic Primary.
Brownback is a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee (where he chairs the Subcommittee on District of Columbia), 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 has announced that he would not run for reelection in 2010, in accordance with his support of term limits for members of Congress. He is married to the former Mary Stauffer, heiress to a Topeka, Kansas newspaper fortune. The couple are the parents of five children (three daughters and two sons; two of the children are adopted).
Raised as a Methodist, Brownback later joined a nondenominational evangelical church, and in 2002 he became Catholic. He joined the Catholic Church through Opus Dei member Father C. John McCloskey in Washington DC. However, Brownback himself is not a member of Opus Dei organization.
Senate Career
According to the American Conservative Student Union, Senator Brownback has missed over half of the votes on the Senate Floor in 2007.
Views
Brownback told Rolling Stone that he had also moved from mainline Protestantism to evangelicalism, and that in 1994 he became involved with The Family or The Fellowship, a deliberately low profile network of mostly Christian conservative activists and politicians.
Brownback defines himself as a social conservative. He cites former Senator Jesse Helms as a model. He is strongly pro-life, having referred to the number of abortions in the United States since Roe v. Wade as "a holocaust." Columnist George Will has quoted Brownback and stated:
- And he says the youngest voters, ages 18 to 25, are the most pro-life cohort. They were born, he (Brownback) says, when abortion rates were highest, so 'many of them feel they're the survivors of a holocaust: one in four of their compatriots are not here.' Actually, almost one in three: the abortion rate peaked in 1983 at 30.4 percent.
Brownback was a co-sponsor of the Constitution Restoration Act, which would have limited the power of federal courts to rule on church/state issues. The legislation had little chance of passing, but it served to rally support from religious conservatives. Brownback told Rolling Stone that he chairs the Senate Values Action Team, an off-the-record weekly meeting of representatives from religious conservative organizations.
Brownback is an opponent of same-sex marriage and other legislation favored by gay rights organizations. He is in favor of an amendment to the Constitution banning not just same-sex marriage but civil unions.
He favors teaching intelligent design in public school science classes via the Teach the Controversy approach:
There's intelligence involved in the overall of creation. . .I don't think we're really at the point of teaching this in the classroom. I think what we passed in the U.S. Senate in 2002 is really what we should be doing, and that is that you teach the controversy, you teach what is fact is fact, and what is theory is theory, and you move from that proceedings, rather than from teaching some sort of different thought. And this, I really think that's the area we should concentrate on at the present time, is teaching the controversy.
— Senator Sam Brownback, Larry King Live, CNN, August 23, 2005
While believing there is no inherent right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution, he expresses disapproval of President Bush's assertions on the legality of the NSA wiretapping program. In accordance with his Roman Catholic beliefs (after he converted in 2002), he has, however, taken a moderate approach to capital punishment. 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.
Senator Brownback has stated that he opposes President Bush's proposed 2007 troop surge in Iraq and the Democrats so-called "cut and run" strategy:
It does mean that there must be bipartisan agreement for our military commitment on Iraq. We cannot fight a war with the support of only one political party. And it does mean that the parties in Iraq--Sunni, Shi’a and Kurds--must get to a political agreement, to a political equilibrium. I think most people agree that a cut and run strategy does not serve our interest at all, nor those of the world, nor those of the region, nor those of the Iraqi people. So I invite my colleagues, all around, particularly on the other side of the aisle, to indicate what level of commitment they can support."
— Senator Sam Brownback, U.S. Senate floor speech, January 16, 2007
According to an Associated Press report by reporter Laurie Kellman, "Brownback appeared with three children adopted from in vitro fertilization clinics" to coincide with a Senate debate over the Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005 to show his support for the bill and adult stem cell research and to demonstrate his belief that these children and others like them, conceived through in vitro fertilization, may not exist today if as embryos they were used in embryonic 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 cells for research and treatment, instead of embryonic stem cells and was one of the sponsors of the bill in the Senate.
Brownback 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. 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.
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he worked with Senator Ted Kennedy on legislation that imposed stricter entry standards at the borders of the United States. Brownback worked with Congressman John Lewis to help win placement of the African American Museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Brownback is also trying to introduce price transparency to the US health care industry, as well as a bill which would require the disclosure of Medicare payment rate information.
In 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."
Brownback has attempted to curb the abuse sometimes suffered by mail order brides in the United States at the hands of their American spouses as a lead sponsor of the controversial International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 and by frequently speaking out against the industry.
On 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, President George W. Bush signed into law the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 sponsored by Brownback, a former broadcaster himself, and endorsed by Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan who authored a similar bill in the United States House of Representatives. 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, which violates decency standards. The legislation raises the fine by a tenfold increase.
2008 Presidential campaign
On December 4 2006, Brownback formed an exploratory committee, thus taking the first steps toward candidacy. He has 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.
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 is Bowie Kuhn, former Major League Baseball commissioner.
On January 20 2007, in Topeka, Brownback announced that he was running for President in 2008. If elected President in 2008, Brownback will have been a United States Senator for 12 years, equivalent to two full terms as senator.
References
- Swarns, Rachel L. Kansas Senator Announces Bid for Presidency, New York Times, January 21, 2007
- Associated Press, Brownback announces Presidential Campaign, January 20 2007
- Brownback Presidential Campaign reprint of Weekly Standard article Eastland, Terry, Mr. Compassionate Conservative, The Weekly Standard, Volume 011, Issue 44, August 7, 2006
- Future Farmers of America: Prominent Former Members
- Brownback Presidential Campaign reprint of Weekly Standard article Eastland, Terry, Mr. Compassionate Conservative, The Weekly Standard, Volume 011, Issue 44, August 7, 2006
- Kapochunas, Rachel. Brownback, Set to Launch GOP White House Bid, Will Fight from the Right, CQPolitics.com January 18, 2007
- Brownback Presidential Campaign reprint of Weekly Standard article Eastland, Terry, Mr. Compassionate Conservative, The Weekly Standard, Volume 011, Issue 44, August 7, 2006
- http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9178374/gods_senator/
- http://www.slate.com/id/2069194
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601616_pf.html
- http://www.absentcongress.org/kansas_senate_brownback.htm
- Sharlet, Jeff. "God's Senator", Rolling Stone, January 25, 2006.
- MSNBC: George F. Will: Brownback's Plans for 2008, June 12 2005
- Intelligent Design in American Classrooms? CNN Larry King Live, August 23, 2005.
- The Washington Post: David S. Broder: Bucking Bush on Spying, February 9 2006
- Sentencing Law and Policy (Blog by Douglas A. Berman): Senator Brownback questions death penalty and culture of life, February 3 2006
- Senator Sam Brownback office, Brownback on Iraq and Troop Surge, Calls for bipartisanship, diplomatic efforts, January 17, 2007, Washington, D.C.
- Kellman, Laurie (2006-07-18). "Bush Veto Expected for Stem Cell Bill". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - WEEK ENDING [[MAY 27]] [[2005]]; STEM CELLS AND SNOWFLAKE BABIES". Religious Freedom Coalition. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - >"LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - WEEK ENDING [[MAY 27]] [[2005]]; STEM CELLS AND SNOWFLAKE BABIES". Religious Freedom Coalition. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - The New York Sun: White House Ready To Veto Senate's Stem Cell Decision, July 18 2006
- The Washington Post: Policy Adrift on Darfur, page A25, December 27 2005.
- DarfurScores.org: Champions of Darfur, operated by the Genocide Intervention Network, site accessed 21 August 2006
- PR Newswire: Senators and Hospital Groups Support New GPO Transparency Initiative, July 12 2005
- US Senator Sam Brownback press release: Brownback Introduces Medicare Payment Rate Disclosure Act, April 7 2006
- The New York Sun: D.C. May Be Flat Tax Laboratory, November 30 2005
- DCist: A Flat Tax for the District?, December 2 2005
- Vatican Radio: Mail Order Nightmares
- Combs, Roberta. Christian Coalition of America, Washington Weekly Review, June 17, 2006
- "Bill Number S. 193". Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate) from Congressional THOMAS DB. Retrieved April 11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - "Favorite of religious right moves toward White House bid" by ''Associated Press''. CNN, December 4 2006.
- http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/06/ap3304345.html
- " Sam Brownback's Inner Circle" by Chris Cillizza . Washington Post.com , December 5 2006.
- Matt Stearns & David Goldstein, Wichita Eagle, Sam Brownback forms exploratory committee, December 5, 2006
- http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2774442
External links
Official
- Official Senate website
- Brownback for President official website
- United States Congress. "Sam Brownback (id: B000953)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Records
- FEC Disclosure - Sam Brownback presidential campaign finance reports and data
- FEC Disclosure - Sam Brownback senate campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues - Sam Brownback issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org - Sam Brownback campaign contributions for the 2001-2006 Senate election cycle
- Project Vote Smart - Sam Brownback profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Sam Brownback profile
- Washington Post Voting Record - Sam Brownback
Articles
- The New York Times - Sam Brownback News news stories and commentary
- God's Senator: Who would Jesus vote for? Meet Sam Brownback, Rolling Stone, January 25 2006
- Brownback questions the legality of warrantless domestic spying program
- The Wilberforce Republican: Sam Brownback is redefining the Christian right, The Economist, March 9 2006
- Senator Brownback speaks about the genocide in Darfur and his efforts in Congress to halt the violence November 24 2005
- Central Asia: US Helsinki Commission concerned about SCO's influence
- Nermeen Shaikh, indepth AsiaSource interview with Senator Sam Brownback
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJim Slattery | United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Kansas 1995–1996 |
Succeeded byJim Ryun |
| Preceded bySheila Frahm | United States Senator (Class 3) from Kansas 1996– |
Succeeded byIncumbent |
| Kansas's current delegation to the United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| Senators |
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| Representatives (ordered by district) |
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| Current United States senators | ||
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| President: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Patty Murray (D) | ||
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- United States Senators from Kansas
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