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Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 18th District of Texas. Nicknamed Hurricane Sheila by her critics.

Born in Queens, New York, she graduated from Jamaica High School and earned a B.A. in political science from Yale University in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1975. Jackson-Lee was a Houston, Texas municipal judge from 1987-90 and was a member of the Houston city council from 1990-94.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee is married to Dr. Elwyn C. Lee, Vice Chancellor of the University of Houston System.

Controversy

Publicity-Seeking

To her critics, Jackson Lee is well known in Houston and on the national scene for her reputation as a publicity hound - a reference to her tendency to volunteer unsolicited on-camera commentary and press statements on virtually all common and sometimes bizarre political issues such as a 2003 request to use more African American-sounding names when naming hurricanes and tropical storms, hence her nickname. Jackson Lee volunteered herself as an unsolicited advocate for the father of Elian Gonzales in the international custody controversy and reportedly spends hours seeking out prime seating locations in the House of Representatives chamber to increase her camera visibility for special events such as the State of the Union address. She was also one of the few members of congress to come to the defense of Michael Jackson during an ongoing criminal investigation of the pop star. She also attracted controversy in 2003 by meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and offering to sponsor a visit for the controversial leader to the United States.

Keeping with her camera-friendly reputation, Jackson Lee is one of the few members of Congress outside of the leadership who seeks time for a House floor speech almost every day. The congresswoman's reputation as a "floor hog" has also given rise to a humorous betting game among Capitol Hill staffers in other member's offices in which quarters are deposited into a jar each time she speaks. The office staff in possession of the jar when a whole day goes by without Jackson Lee speaking wins and gets to keep the contents.

Sheila-isms

Jackson Lee's penchant for misspeaking (called Sheila-isms in Houston political circles, similar to Bushisms) has also made her the object of ridicule from the political right, especially over a well publicized episode in which she asked NASA scientists if the Mars Pathfinder robot probe had photographed the location of the 1969 Moon Landing. In early 2004 Jackson Lee praised the Houston Super Bowl for upholding "family values," seemingly unaware of the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction that marred the event. More recently, conservative talk radio heckled Jackson Lee's claim "I came here as a slave, and I deserve to vote" during the 2005 challenge of the electoral votes from Ohio.

Reputation as an Elitist

According to the gossip column of the Houston Press, Jackson Lee has also reportedly been involved in several altercations with airline flight personel over her requests for a complimentary upgrade to first class based on her celebrity. The Press reports one altercation, which Jackson Lee later denied, she loudly derided a staffer over her travel arrangements:

"You don't understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen"

Another altercation onboard an airplane was reported by The Hill. During a full flight on Continental Airlines Jackson Lee was denied a complimentary upgrade to first class. According to a witness interviewed by the Capitol Hill newpaper, "When she saw that she had to sit with other people, she started shouting that she was in Congress and worked hard. She was really loud. Everybody in the plane could hear.”

The Press further reports that Jackson Lee has a reputation on capitol hill as a "high-maintenance" employer and has exhibited one of the largest staff turnover rates for years . Several former employees have cited her demeanor and incidents such as the travel arrangement altercations as a major reason why so many staffers leave her office. The Houston Chronicle reported that one staffer even quit after she threw a cell phone at him.

Adding to her reputation as an elitist, she was criticized after an investigative reporter from the conservative magazine the Weekly Standard photographed her using a chauffeur to travel the distance of approximately one block from her congressional office to the U.S. Capitol Building entrance. The Capitol Hill magazine Roll Call reported a couple weeks later that Jackson Lee was seen pressuring her driver to tailgate another member of Congress through a security checkpoint.

Use of the Race Card

Other critics have charged Jackson Lee with frequent political race baiting to obtain political goals. In a publicized 2002 incident Jackson Lee became engaged in a shouting match with Republican Dana Rohrabacher, the Chairman of the NASA subcomittee, after Rohrabacher ruled her out of order for exceeding her allotted time for questions. Jackson Lee snapped back at Rohrabacher, "I'm the only member that you comment on. It may be that I'm the only African-American woman sitting here." Jackson Lee also accused the Houston Republican Party of racism after an email it sent to members criticizing the local Democrat congressional delegation included a photograph of her but not the Democrat "white male" members from other Houston districts.

External links

• Official website
• Driving Miss Sheila in the Houston Press'

• 1950 births
• Members of the U.S. House of Representatives