A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since ''senate'' means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class. Two of the first official senates were the Spartan ''Gerousia'' (Γερουσία) and the Roman Senate.

Many countries currently have an assembly named a ''senate'', composed of ''senators'' who may be elected, appointed, have inherited the title, or gained membership by other methods, depending on the country. Modern senates typically serve to provide a chamber of "sober second thought" to consider legislation passed by a lower house, whose members are usually elected.

Overview

The modern word ''senate'' is derived from the Latin word ''senātus'' (senate), which comes from ''senex'', "old man". The members or legislators of a senate are called senators. The Latin word ''senator'' was adopted into English with no change in spelling. Its meaning is derived from a very ancient form of simple social organization in which decision-making powers are reserved for the eldest men. For the same reason, the word ''senate'' is correctly used when referring to any powerful authority characteristically composed by the eldest members of a community, as a deliberative body of a faculty in an institution of higher learning is often called a senate. The original senate was the Roman Senate, which lasted until 580 (various efforts to revive it were made in Medieval Rome). In the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Senate continued until the Fourth Crusade, circa 1202–1204.

Modern democratic states with bicameral parliamentary systems are sometimes equipped with a senate, often distinguished from an ordinary parallel lower house, known variously as the "House of Representatives", "House of Commons", "Chamber of Deputies", "National Assembly", "Legislative Assembly", or "House of Assembly", by electoral rules. This may include minimum age required for voters and candidates, proportional or majoritarian or plurality system, and an electoral basis or ''collegium''. Typically, the senate is referred to as the upper house and has a smaller membership than the lower house. In some federal states senates also exist at the subnational level. In the United States all states with the arguable exception of Nebraska (whose legislature is a unicameral body called the "Legislature" but whose members refer to themselves as "senators") have a state senate. There is also the national-level US Senate. In Australia all states other than Queensland and Tasmania have an upper house known as a legislative council. Several Canadian provinces also once had legislative councils, but these have all been abolished, the last being Quebec's Legislative Council, in 1968. In Germany, all States are now unicameral, with the last upper house (Bavaria) being abolished in 1999.

Senate membership can be determined either through elections or appointments. For example, elections are held every three years for half the membership of the Australian Senate, the term of a senator being six years. In contrast, members of the Canadian Senate are appointed by the Governor General upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, holding the office until they resign, are removed, or retire at the mandatory age of 75. In larger countries, the senate often serves a balancing effect by giving a larger share of power to regions or groups which would otherwise be overwhelmed under strictly popular apportionment.

Alternative meanings

The terms Senate and Senator, however, do not necessarily refer to a second chamber of a legislature:

The Senate of Finland was, until 1919, the executive branch and the supreme court.

In German politics: In the Bundesländer of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg, the Senates (''Senat'' in German) are the executive branch, with Senator (''Senator'') being the holders of ministerial portfolios. In a number of cities, such as Greifswald, Lübeck, Rostock, Stralsund, or Wismar, the city government is also called a Senate. However, in Bavaria, the Senate was a second legislative chamber until its abolition in 1999.

In German jurisdiction: The term Senat (senate) in higher courts of appeal refers to the "bench" in its broader metonymy meaning, describing members of the judiciary collectively (usually five judges), often occupied with of a particular subject-matter jurisdiction. However, the judges are not called "senators". The German term ''Strafsenat'' in a German court translates to ''Bench of penal-law jurisdiction'' and ''Zivilsenat'' to ''Bench of private-law jurisdiction''.

In Scotland, judges of the High Court of Justiciary are called Senators of the College of Justice.

In some, mostly federal countries with a unicameral legislature, some of the legislators are elected differently from the others and are called Senators. In federal countries, such Senators represent the territories, while the other members represent the people at large (this device is used to allow a federal representation without having to establish a bicameral legislature); this is the case with St. Kitts and Nevis, Comoros and Micronesia. In other, non-federal countries, the use of the term Senator marks some other difference between such members and the rest of the legislators (such as the method of selection); this is the case with the States of Jersey, Dominica's House of Assembly and the Saint Vincent House of Assembly.

In Wales, the National Assembly for Wales debating chamber is called the Senedd, pronounced 'Seneth'.

A Senate can also be the ruling body of a university.

References

National senates in the world

Defunct senates

See also

Senator for life

External links

Livius.org: Roman Senate

Senate Category:Legislatures

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Coordinates	52°39′″N20°46′″N
name	Stephen Malkmus
background	solo_singer
birth name	Stephen Joseph Malkmus
alias	SM
born	May 30, 1966Santa Monica, California
origin	Stockton, California
instrument	Guitar, vocals, drums, Bass
genre	Indie rock
label	Matador Records, Domino Records, Drag City
associated acts	Pavement, The Jicks,Silver Jews
website	Official Website
notable instruments	Gibson Les PaulFender JazzmasterFender StratocasterGibson SG }}

Stephen Joseph Malkmus (born May 30, 1966) is an indie rock musician and icon, and a member of the band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.

Biography

Early years

Stephen Malkmus was born in Santa Monica, California on May 30, 1966 to Mary and Stephen Malkmus, Sr. His father was a property and casualty insurance agent. When Stephen Jr. was 8, the family moved upstate to Stockton, where he attended Carpinteria's Cate School and Lodi's Tokay High School. As a teenager, Malkmus worked various jobs, including painting house numbers on street curbs and "flipping burgers or whatever" at a country club. At age 16, he spent the night in jail after consuming alcohol, urinating in the bushes, and walking on the roofs of several residential homes. Later, he was placed on probation for underage drinking, and was also expelled from school "for going to a party in the woods where people were taking mushrooms. I didn’t take them, but some guy narc’d on me."

Malkmus learned the guitar by playing along to Jimi Hendrix's recording of "Purple Haze". During high school, he played in several Stockton-based punk bands: Bag O Bones, The Straw Dogs, and Crisis Alert. After graduation, Malkmus followed in his father's footsteps by attending the University of Virginia, where he majored in history and was a disc jockey for the college radio station WTJU. During this time, Malkmus met fellow WTJU DJs David Berman (who would later front the Silver Jews) and James McNew (of Yo La Tengo). In the late 1980s, he was employed as a security guard at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, along with Berman and Bob Nastanovich.

Career

Malkmus formed Pavement with Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs) while he was living in Stockton during the 1980s. Their first album, ''Slanted & Enchanted,'' was released to critical acclaim, and the band continued to receive attention for subsequent releases. Pavement, and Malkmus in particular, was hailed as spearheading the underground indie movement of the 1990s. In 2001, following the 1999 dissolution of the band, Malkmus released his first self-titled solo album. He also was a member of rock group Silver Jews along with poet/lyricist David Berman. In early 1999 Stephen Malkmus participated in a Sonic Youth side project called Kim's Bedroom that included bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon, guitarist/vocalist Thurston Moore, Chicago avant-garde veteran Jim O'Rourke, and renowned Japanese drummer Ikue Mori; they never released an album, but did play a few live shows. Malkmus is currently frontman of The Jicks.

On May 23, 2003 in Milwaukee, while touring with his new band The Jicks, Malkmus opened the show by saying, "This is off our first record." The band then proceeded to play an evening's worth of Pavement songs, marking the second time Malkmus had played any of his previous band's songs since their 1999 breakup, the first was on April 22, 2002 in São Paulo, Brazil, where he played ''In The Mouth a Desert''.

In 2007, Malkmus provided 3 songs to the Todd Haynes' film ''I'm Not There'', based on the life of Bob Dylan. He contributed on the songs "Ballad of a Thin Man", "Can't Leave Her Behind" and "Maggie's Farm". Malkmus has admitted that he was never "really a really big fan of Dylan," but noted that his involvement with the film had made him listen "to him again a little closer."

Malkmus's fourth studio album with The Jicks, ''Real Emotional Trash'', was released in March 2008.

Pavement reunited in March 2010 and have since embarked on a world tour.

Personal life

Following the dissolution of Pavement, Malkmus moved to Portland, Oregon with his wife, artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins. In 2005, Hutchins gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Lottie. The couple had their second child, called Sunday, in 2007.. In 2011, before the release of ''Mirror Traffic'', Malkmus and his family moved to Berlin.

Malkmus is a sports fan, and is known to play golf and tennis; he also plays second base for the Portland-based Disjecta softball team.

Equipment

Stephen currently plays a 1960's Fender Jazzmaster -- which can be traced back to the ''Brighten The Corners'' era -- a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, and a Fender Stratocaster, which was his guitar of choice during the majority of his time with Pavement. He used a Gibson SG with Pavement during the ''Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'' era. For the 2010 Pavement reunion tour he used his Stratocaster extensively. He has also played a Danelectro Silvertone (Sears model dating to 1962 or 1963) for one-off solo shows.

Typically, he uses an Orange Retro 50 head through a 1970's Marshall 4x12 cabinet when playing live, though he has used various other Orange and Fender amps, including a vintage a Silverface Twin Reverb during the early Pavement years, an Orange OR120 during later Pavement years, and a single channel Orange AD30 with the Jicks. Malkmus's other confirmed (though not constant) gear includes: Z.Vex Fuzz Factory, Diamond J-Drive, Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, T-Rex Replica, Lovetone Big Cheese, Lovetone Meatball, Boss TU-2, Crowther HotCake and Pro Co RAT.

Discography

Albums

With Pavement

See Pavement discography.

With Silver Jews

''Dime Map of the Reef'' (1992) 7"ep

''The Sabellion Rebellion & Old New York'' (1993) 7"

''The Arizona Record'' (1993) 12"

''Starlite Walker'' (1994)

''American Water'' (1998)

''Hot as Hell - Live 1993'' (1999) CD/7" Single

''Tanglewood Numbers'' (appears on "The Farmer's Hotel") (2005)

With The Crust Brothers

''Marquee Mark '' (1998)

With The Jicks

''Stephen Malkmus'' (2001)

''Pig Lib'' (2003)

''Face the Truth'' (2005)*

''Real Emotional Trash'' (2008)

''Mirror Traffic'' (2011)

Note: Even though the Jicks are not credited within the title, the album ''Stephen Malkmus'' is in fact a Jicks recording. Initially, Malkmus simply wanted to call his post-Pavement band the Jicks with no mention of his name, but Matador records resisted the idea and released the album as ''Stephen Malkmus,'' although "the Jicks" is printed on the CD itself. Face the Truth is technically Stephen Malkmus's only true solo affair, though the Jicks do provide instrumentation on nearly every song.

Singles

Discretion Grove (2001) - w/ "Sin Taxi" and "Leisurely Poison" (2001)

Jenny & the Ess-Dog (2001) - w/ "Keep the Faith", "That's What Mama Said" and "Alien Boy"

Phantasies EP (2001) - w/ "Malay Massaker"

Jo Jo's Jacket - w/ "Polish Mule", "The Hook (live)" and "Open and Shut Cases" (2001)

Sex Life of Robinson Crusoe, Pt. 2 (2001) - b-side available only on official site

Us (2003)

Dark Wave (2003) - w/ Pig Lib bonus disc b-sides

Post-Paint Boy (2005)

Baby C'Mon (2005) - w/ "Wow Ass Jeans"

Kindling for the Master EP (2006) - w/ 4 remixes

Cold Son 10" EP (2008) - w/ "Walk Into the Mirror", "Pennywhistle Thunder" and "Carl the Clod"

Gardenia (2008) -w/ "Walk Into the Mirror"

Compilations/Collaborations

''subUrbia Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (1997) - "Unheard Music" (with Elastica)

''At Home With the Groovebox'' (2000) - "Robyn Turns 26"

''All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1'' (2002) - "Good Kids Eggs"

''Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernicklel'' (2002) - "Blue Rash Intact (Quarantined-Hallucinations Due To Severe Allergies)"

''Under the Influence - 21 years of Flying Nun Records'' (2002) - "Death and the Maiden"

''Matador At Fifteen'' (2004) - "It Kills (live)"

''This One's for the Fellows: A Sonic Salute to the Young Fresh Fellows'' (2004) - guitar on "No One Really Knows" (with The Maroons)

''Chokes!'' EP by Silkworm (2007) - guitar on "Spanish Harlem Incident (live)"

''I'm Not There (Music from the Motion Picture)'' (2007) - With [The Million Dollar Bashers]: "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Maggie's Farm"; with Lee Ranaldo: "Can't Leave Her Behind" and "What Kind of Friend is This?" (iTunes only)

Miscellaneous

''The New Yorker College Tour: University of Washington, Seattle: A Conversation with Stephen Malkmus'' (2006)

Music videos

{|class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 | "Discretion Grove" | Grant Gee |- | "Jo Jo's Jacket" | Shynola |- |rowspan="2"| 2003 | "Dark Wave" | Scott Lyons |- | "Baby C'Mon" | Lana Kim & Andy Bruntel |- | 2005 | "Mama" | E.J. McLeavey-Fisher |- | 2008 | "Gardenia" | Daniel Woods |- | 2002 | "Death And The Maiden" | Mitchell Hawkes |- |}

Cover of "Death And The Maiden" by New Zealand band 'The Verlaines'. Available on Flying Num DVD 'Very Short Films'.

References

External links

Official site

Matador Records US record label

Domino Records UK record label

It's a Brand New Era fan site

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:American rock singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:Songwriters from California Category:American indie rock musicians Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:People from Charlottesville, Virginia Category:Musicians from California Category:Musicians from Oregon Category:University of Virginia alumni Category:Pavement members Category:Drag City artists

da:Stephen Malkmus de:Stephen Malkmus es:Stephen Malkmus fr:Stephen Malkmus it:Stephen Malkmus ja:スティーヴン・マルクマス no:Stephen Malkmus pt:Stephen Malkmus ru:Малкмус, Стивен sv:Stephen Malkmus

Coordinates	52°39′″N20°46′″N
name	Marco Rubio
jr/sr
state	Florida
term start	January 3, 2011
alongside	Bill Nelson
preceded	George LeMieux
office2	Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
term start2	January 2, 2007
term end2	January 2, 2009
speaker pro tempore2	Dennis K. Baxley
predecessor2	Allan Bense
successor2	Ray Sansom
state house3	Florida
district3	111th
term start3	January 25, 2000
term end3	January 2, 2009
predecessor3	Carlos Valdes
successor3	Erik Fresen
birth date	May 28, 1971
birth place	Miami, Florida
spouse	Jeanette Dousdebes; 4 children
religion	Roman Catholic
alma mater	University of Florida (B.A.)University of Miami (J.D.)
profession	Lawyer
party	Republican
website	Senator Marco Rubio }}

Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from Florida (2011–present). A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (2007–2009).

Born to a family of Cuban exiles, Rubio was raised in Miami, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Tarkio College and Santa Fe College before graduating from the University of Florida. He earned his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996 while interning for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In the late 1990s he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami. Rubio was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006.

Rubio announced a run for U.S. Senate in May 2009 after incumbent Republican Mel Martinez resigned. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed him in polling for the Republican nomination. Rubio won the Republican nomination after Crist opted instead for an independent run. In a three-way split against Crist and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Rubio won the general election in November 2010 by a 19-point margin.

Rubio has been called the "crown prince" of the Tea Party movement.

Early life

Rubio is the second son and third child of Cuban exiles Mario Rubio (1927–2010) and Oria Garcia (born 1931), and was born in Miami, Florida. His siblings are: Mario (born 1950), Barbara (born 1960) and Veronica (born 1972). Rubio currently attends Christ Fellowship, an evangelical Protestant Church in West Kendall, Fla., where he has attended for the last six years. However, Rubio has been baptized, confirmed, and married in the Catholic Church. Rubio is fluent in Spanish. His father was a bartender and his mother worked as a hotel housekeeper in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rubio lived in Las Vegas from 1979 to 1985, before his family returned to Miami in the summer of 1985.

Education

Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School and graduated in 1989. He then attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship from 1989 to 1990, before enrolling at Santa Fe College. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1993, and his J.D. degree ''cum laude'' from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.

Early political career

Before 2000

While studying law, he interned for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Marco Rubio served as a City Commissioner for West Miami before being elected to the Florida legislature.

Florida legislature (2000–2009)

He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for the 111th district in a special election on January 25, 2000. He has won each of his re-election bids. In November 2006, he was elected Speaker of the Florida State House for the 2006–08 term.

He is the author of the book ''100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future''. This book was compiled from Rubio's travels around the state to gather ideas from citizens. This was done through what Rubio calls "Idearaisers". Many of the issues that he pushed for in his first year as speaker came from ideas in this book. During 2007, Marco Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system. He argued it would reduce property taxes and decrease the size of government.

During his tenure serving as Speaker of the House of Florida, Rubio shared his residence with another Florida State Representative, David Rivera. The two men co-owned a home together in Tallahassee, which later fell into foreclosure after deferring months of mortgage payments. This controversy surfaced in June 2010, during Rubio's run for the US Senate.

U.S. Senate

2010 election

On May 5, 2009, Rubio announced on his website that he planned to run for the United States Senate in 2010 for the Republican seat being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez, who had resigned and been replaced by George LeMieux. Prior to the announcement, he had been meeting with fundraisers and supporters throughout the state. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Governor of his own party, Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed Crist in polling for the Republican nomination.

On April 28, 2010, Crist announced he would be running as an independent, effectively ceding the Republican nomination to Rubio. Several of Crist's top fundraisers, as well as Republican leadership, refused to support Crist after Rubio won the Republican nomination for Senate.

On November 2, 2010, Marco Rubio won the senatorial election with 48.9% of the vote to Crist's 29.7% and Democrat Kendrick Meek's 20.1%. On May 20, 2011 Marco Rubio visited Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuño, and made a statement of wanting to "represent the Puerto Ricans" since he already felt he owed those who had voted for him in the Florida election.

Following his victory in the elections, Rubio soon became the subject of unsupported media driven speculation as a potential GOP candidate for the presidential election of 2012. Rubio stated shortly after taking office that he has no interest in running for president or vice president in 2012.

Tenure

Upon taking office, Rubio hired Cesar Conda, former lobbyist and "top domestic policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney during the first two years of the Bush administration" as his Chief of Staff. Conda is "a well-known and highly regarded policy wonk" with experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government. He is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference.

Committee assignments

Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

*Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet

*Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard

*Subcommittee on Science and Space

*Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security

Committee on Foreign Relations

*Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs

*Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs

*Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection

Select Committee on Intelligence

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Personal life

Rubio married Jeanette Dousdebes, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, in 1997. She is of Colombian descent, and together they have four children named Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic. Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida. While Rubio still attends Catholic Mass, he has attended and donated to the Christ Fellowship Church in West Kendall, Florida for the past several years. This church, one of the largest in the United States, is an evangelical Protestant church. Some critics have speculated that his attendance at both Catholic and Protestant churches is an attempt to court Hispanic voters.

References

External links

Senator Marco Rubio ''official U.S. Senate website''

Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate ''official campaign site''

Category:1971 births Category:American politicians of Cuban descent Category:Candidates in United States elections, 2010 Category:Florida city council members Category:Florida lawyers Category:Florida Republicans Category:Hispanic and Latino American people in the United States Congress Category:Living people Category:Members of the Florida House of Representatives Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Category:Tea Party movement Category:United States Senators from Florida Category:University of Florida alumni Category:University of Miami School of Law alumni Category:Republican Party United States Senators

bg:Марко Рубио cs:Marco Rubio de:Marco Rubio es:Marco Rubio fr:Marco Rubio ko:마르코 루비오 it:Marco Rubio ja:マルコ・ルビオ no:Marco Rubio pl:Marco Rubio pt:Marco Rubio sh:Marco Rubio sv:Marco Rubio zh:馬克羅·魯比奧

Coordinates	52°39′″N20°46′″N
{{infobox senator | name	Lindsey Graham
jr/sr	Senior Senator
state	South Carolina
party	Republican
term start	January 3, 2003
alongside	Jim DeMint
preceded	Strom Thurmond
succeeded	Incumbent
state2	South Carolina
district2	3rd
term start2	January 3, 1995
term end2	January 3, 2003
preceded2	Butler Derrick
succeeded2	J. Gresham Barrett
birth date	July 09, 1955
birth place	Central, South Carolina
occupation	Attorney
residence	Seneca, South Carolina
alma mater	University of South Carolina (B.A., J.D.)
religion	Southern Baptist
website	Senator Lindsey Graham
Branch	United States Air Force
Serviceyears	1982 – 1988 (active)1988 – present (reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps
Battles	Gulf WarIraq WarWar in Afghanistan
Awards	}}

Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .

Early life, education and career

Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, where his parents, Millie and Florence James Graham, ran a liquor store, the Sanitary Cafe. After graduating from D. W. Daniel High School, Graham became the first member of his family to attend college and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. When he was 21 his mother died, and his father died 15 months later. Because his sister was left orphaned, the service allowed Graham to attend University of South Carolina in Columbia so he could be near home and care for his sister, whom he adopted. During his studies, he became a member of the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi.

Graham graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Psychology in 1977 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a J.D. in 1981. Upon graduating, Graham was sent to Europe as a military prosecutor, and eventually entered private practice as a lawyer.

Military service

Graham decided to join the United States Air Force in 1982, and served on active duty until 1988. Following his departure he stayed in the military, joining the South Carolina Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force Reserve. During the Gulf War, he was recalled to active duty, serving as a Judge Advocate at McEntire Air National Guard Station in Eastover, South Carolina, where he helped brief departing pilots on the laws of war.

In 2004, Graham received a promotion to Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves at a White House ceremony officiated by President George W. Bush.

Graham served in Iraq as a reservist on active duty for short periods during April and two weeks in August 2007, where he worked on detainee and rule-of-law issues. He also served in Afghanistan during the August 2009 Senate recess.

Through 2010, Graham served as a senior instructor for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Air Force.

South Carolina House of Representatives

In 1992, Graham was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from a district in Oconee County, and served one term.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

During his service in the House, Graham served on the following committees:

Committee on International Relations, 1995–1998

Committee on Education and the Workforce, 1995–2002

Committee on the Judiciary, 1997–2002

Committee on Armed Services, 1999–2002

In Congress, Graham became a member of the Judiciary Committee during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998. Graham opposed some articles, but vigorously supported others. In January and February 1999, after two impeachment articles had been passed by the full House, he was one of the managers who brought the House's case to Clinton's trial in the Senate which did not convict Clinton.

U.S. Senate

Committee assignments

Committee on Armed Services

*Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

*Subcommittee on Personnel (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Committee on the Budget

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

*Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery (Ranking Member)

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight

Committee on the Judiciary

*Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts

*Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law

*Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights

Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Special Committee on Aging

Previous assignments

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2003–2005

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 2007–2009

Select Committee on Intelligence, 2007–2009

Caucus memberships

International Conservation Caucus

Senate National Guard Caucus (Co-Chair)

Sportsmen's Caucus

Graham is a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute.

Alito confirmation hearings

During the Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for the nomination of Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court, a question arose concerning Alito's membership in a Princeton University organization which some said was sexist and racist. Alito "deplored" racist comments made by the organization's founder. While Graham said that Alito may be saying this because he wanted the nomination, he concluded that he had no reason to believe that because "you seem to be a decent, honorable man." Alito's wife and sister characterized Graham's statements as supportive.

Political positions

Though Graham's stances are often politically conservative, he has gained a reputation for sometimes speaking out against or criticizing the party line, as well as being open to making economical decisions, such as was demonstrated with his support for bank bailouts. Graham notably supported John McCain's presidential bid in 2000, and served as national co-chairman of McCain's 2008 presidential bid.

Free speech

During an appearance on ''Face the Nation'' on April 3, 2011, Graham "suggested that Congress take unspecified though formal action against the Koran-burning by Florida preacher Terry Jones," in light of an attack on United Nations personnel triggered by Jones' actions. In asserting that "Congress might need to explore the need to limit some forms of freedom of speech," Graham argued that "Free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war," and claimed that "during World War II, we had limits on what you could say if it would inspire the enemy."

Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, Graham was one of the Gang of 14 senators to forge a compromise that brought a halt to the continued blockage of an up or down vote on judicial nominees. This compromise negated both the Democrats' use of a filibuster and the Republican "nuclear option" as described in the media. Under the agreement, the Democrats would retain the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and three conservative Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) would receive a vote by the full Senate.

Detainee interrogations

In July 2005, Graham secured the declassification and release of memoranda outlining concerns made by senior military lawyers as early as 2003 about the legality of the interrogations of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay.

In response to this and a June 2004 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing detainees to file habeas corpus petitions to challenge their detentions, Graham authored an amendment to a Department of Defense Authorization Act attempting to clarify the authority of American courts which passed in November 2005 by a vote of 49-42 in the Senate despite opposition from human rights groups and legal scholars because of the lack of rights it provides detainees.

Graham has said he amended the Department of Defense Authorization Act in order to give military lawyers, as opposed to politically appointed lawyers, a more independent role in the oversight of military commanders. He has argued that two of the largest problems leading to the detainee abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib were this lack of oversight and troops' confusion over legal boundaries.

Graham further explains that military lawyers had long observed the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Convention, but that those provisions had not been considered by the Bush administration in decisions regarding the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay. He has claimed that better legal oversight within the military’s chain of command will prevent future detainee abuse.

The Graham amendment was itself amended by Democratic Senator Carl Levin so that it would not strip the courts of their jurisdiction in cases like ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'' that had already been granted cert; this compromise version passed by a vote of 84-14, though it did little to satisfy many critics of the original language. The Graham-Levin amendment, combined with Republican Senator John McCain's amendment banning torture, became known as the Detainee Treatment Act and attempted to limit interrogation techniques to those in the U.S. Army Field Manual of Interrogation. Verbal statements by Senators at the time of the amendment's passage indicated that Congress believed that Levin's changes would protect the courts' jurisdiction over cases like ''Hamdan'', though Levin and his cosponsor Kyl placed in the Congressional Record a statement indicating that there would be no change.

In February 2006, Graham joined Senator Jon Kyl in filing an amicus brief in the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case that argued "Congress was aware" that the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 would strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction to hear "pending cases, including this case" brought by the Guantanamo detainees.

In a May 2009 CNN interview, Graham referred to the domestic internment of German and Japanese prisoners of war and US Citizens as a model for domestic detention of Guantanamo detainees by saying, "We had 450,000 Japanese and German prisoners housed in the United States during World War II. As a nation, we can deal with this."

Immigration reform

Graham has been a supporter of "comprehensive immigration reform" and of S. 2611, the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill of 2006 as well as S. 1348 of 2007, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007.

His positions on immigration, and in particular collaborating with Senator Ted Kennedy, earned Graham the ire of conservative activists. Graham responded by saying, "We are going to solve this problem. We're not going to run people down. We're not going to scapegoat people. We're going to tell the bigots to shut up, and we're going to get this right." The controversy prompted conservative activists to support a primary challenge in 2008 by longtime Republican national committeeman Buddy Witherspoon, but Graham won the nomination by a large margin.

On July 28, 2010, however, Graham seemed to offer multiple concessions to the more conservative wing of his party when, during an interview on the Fox News Channel program ''On The Record With Greta Van Susteren'', he suggested that U.S. citizenship as an automatic birthright — guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution — was "a mistake", that the Constitution should be amended to reflect this view, and that any child born of illegal immigrants inside the borders of the United States should themselves be considered illegal immigrants. "Birthright citizenship I think is a mistake," explained Graham. "We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child's automatically not a citizen." He did not suggest, however, what his alternate criteria would be - if any - for gaining citizenship by birth. He continued to suggest that all immigrants should be compelled by law to learn English, another new position for Graham.

Second Amendment

Graham has been given an A rating by the NRA and a B rating by the Gun Owners of America.

Health care

Graham opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Graham is a cosponsor of the Healthy Americans Act.

Same-sex marriage

As a member of the House of Representatives, in 1996 Graham voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. As a Senator, in 2004 he voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment. He received a rating of 0% from the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign in each reporting period from 1995-2008, with the exception of 1999, when he received a rating of 9%.

Climate change

On December 10, 2009, Graham co-sponsored a letter to President Barack Obama along with Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman announcing their commitment to passing a climate change bill and outlining its framework. Graham has been identified as a leading supporter of passing a climate change bill and was thought to be a likely sponsor for the final bill. The Senators have identified a green economy, clean air, energy independence, consumer protection, increasing nuclear power and regulating the world's carbon market as the key features to a successful climate change bill. In response to Senate Democrats shifting their priorities to immigration issues, a reaction to Arizona's passage of an anti-undocumented immigrant law, Senator Graham withdrew his support for the climate bill, leaving its passage in doubt.

In June 2010, however, Graham told reporters that "The science about global warming has changed. I think they've oversold this stuff, quite frankly. I think they've been alarmist and the science is in question. The whole movement has taken a giant step backward." He also stated that he planned to vote against the climate bill that he had originally co-sponsored, citing further restriction of offshore drilling added to the bill and the bill's impact on transportation.

Foreign policy

Graham has supported an interventionist foreign policy. On November 6, 2010 at the Halifax International Security Forum, he called for a pre-emptive military strike to "neuter" the Iranian regime. He has also argued that "the U.S. needs to keep at least 10,000 troops in Iraq into 2012," saying that "If we're not smart enough to work with the Iraqis to have 10,000 to 15,000 American troops in Iraq in 2012, Iraq could go to hell."

In August 2011, Graham co-sponsored with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Senate Resolution 175, wherewith he contended that "Russia's invasion of Georgian land in 2008 was an act of aggression, not only to Georgia but to all new democracies." The claim that Russia instigated the aggression in South Ossetia, however, has been contradicted by many observers, including a European Union investigation. The resolution passed unanimously.

He is an advisor to the Atlantic Bridge.

Political campaigns

In 1994, Graham was elected to the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district in the northwestern part of the state after 20-year incumbent Butler Derrick retired. With U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond campaigning on his behalf, Graham won by a large margin, becoming the first Republican to represent this district since 1877. The margin came as something of a surprise; none of the 3rd's living residents had ever been represented by a Republican before. In his first reelection bid, in 1996, Debbie Dorn, daughter of longtime 3rd District congressman W.J. Bryan Dorn and Derrick's niece, challenged Graham. However, Graham turned back this challenge fairly easily, winning by almost 20 points. He was unopposed for reelection in 1998 and handily defeated an underfunded Democrat in 2000.

In 2002, upon Thurmond's retirement, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent, Alex Sanders, the former president of the College of Charleston. Graham became South Carolina's first new Senator since 1965, and the state's first freshman Republican Senator since Reconstruction when sanctions were imposed on South Carolina by Radical Republicans. Graham served as Junior Senator for only two years, serving with U.S. Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings. Graham became Senior Senator in 2005 when Jim DeMint won election to Hollings's seat. In 2008, Graham was easily reelected against North Myrtle Beach native Bob Conley.

Electoral history

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ : Results 1994–2000 !|Year ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |1994 | | | | align="right" |59,932 | |40% | | | | align="right" |90,123 | |60% | | | | | | |* |- |1996 | | |Debbie Dorn | align="right" |73,417 | |39% | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |114,273 | |60% | | |Lindal Pennington | |Natural Law | align="right" |1,835 | align="right" |1% | |- |1998 | | |''(no candidate)'' | align="right" | | | | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |129,047 | |100% | | |Write-ins | | | align="right" |402 | align="right" |<1% | |- |2000 | | |(On United Citizens line)(Total) | align="right" |64,9172,25367,170 | |29% 1%30% | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |150,180 | |68% | | |Adrian Banks | |Libertarian | align="right" |3,116 | align="right" |1% | |*

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ Senate elections in South Carolina (Class II): Results 2002–2008 !|Year ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |2002 | | | | align="right" |487,359 | |44% | | | | align="right" |600,010 | |54% | | |Ted Adams | |Constitution | align="right" |8,228 | align="right" |1% | | |Victor Kocher | |Libertarian | align="right" |6,648 | align="right" |1% | |* |- |2008 | | | | align="right" |785,559 | |42% | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |1,069,137 | |58% | | |Write-ins | | | align="right" |608 | align="right" |<1% | | | | | |

Personal life

Graham has never been married and, when questioned by Robert Draper of the ''New York Times'', said, "I know it's really going to upset a lot of gay men—I'm sure hundreds of them are going to be jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge—but I ain't available; I ain't gay. Sorry."

References

External links

United States Senator Lindsey Graham ''official U.S. Senate site''

Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate ''official campaign site''

Profile from the ''Senate Republican Caucus''

Profile at SourceWatch

"Swing Conservative: The perilous bipartisanship of Lindsey Graham." ''Washington Monthly'', April 2005

"The American Ghosts of Abu Ghraib", Sam Provance, ''Consortium News'', March 27.2007

{{U.S. Senator box | before=Strom Thurmond | after= Incumbent | state=South Carolina | class=2 | years=2003–present | alongside=Ernest Hollings, Jim DeMint}}

Category:1955 births Category:American military personnel of the Iraq War Category:American prosecutors Category:Living people Category:International Republican Institute Category:Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Category:People from Pickens County, South Carolina Category:South Carolina lawyers Category:South Carolina Republicans Category:Southern Baptists Category:United States Air Force officers Category:United States Senators from South Carolina Category:University of South Carolina alumni Category:Republican Party United States Senators

de:Lindsey Graham fr:Lindsey Graham la:Lindsey Graham nl:Lindsey Graham no:Lindsey Graham pl:Lindsey Graham pt:Lindsey Graham ru:Грэм, Линдси sh:Lindsey Graham fi:Lindsey Graham sv:Lindsey Graham

Coordinates	52°39′″N20°46′″N
Name	Rand Paul
Jr/sr	United States Senator
State	Kentucky
Term start	January 3, 2011
Preceded	Jim Bunning
Alongside	Mitch McConnell
Birth date	January 07, 1963
Birth place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Occupation	Ophthalmologist
Alma mater	Baylor University(1981–1984) Duke University (M.D., 1988)
Religion	Presbyterian(Baptized Episcopalian)
Website	Senator Rand PaulRand Paul 2010
Residence	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Party	Republican
Spouse	Kelley Ashby Paul(m. 1990)
Relations	Ron PaulCarol Wells Paul(parents)
Children	William, Robert, and Duncan }}

Randal Howard "Rand" Paul (born January 7, 1963) is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian. He is the son of Republican Congressman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas and had never previously held political office. Paul first received national attention in 2008 when making political speeches on behalf of his father. Rand Paul is the first United States Senator in history to serve alongside a parent in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine, Paul has been a practicing ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, Kentucky, since 1993, and established his own clinic in December 2007. In 1994, he founded Kentucky Taxpayers United, of which he is still the chairman.

In August 2009, Paul officially announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky. Paul won the Republican Party's nomination in May 2010, defeating Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson. In the General Election, Paul defeated Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway on November 2, 2010. As a supporter of the Tea Party movement, Paul has been vocal in advocating for term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and the Read the Bills Act, in addition to the widespread reduction of federal spending and taxation. He has gained prominence for his independent positions on many political issues, often clashing with both Republicans and Democrats.

Early life and education

Randal Howard Paul was born on January 7, 1963 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Carol Wells Paul and Ron Paul. Paul's father is a physician and U.S. Representative of Texas's 14th congressional district. The middle child of five, his siblings are Ronald "Ronnie" Paul Jr., Lori Paul Pyeatt, Robert Paul and Joy Paul-LeBlanc. Paul was baptized in the Episcopal Church and became a Christian as a teenager. Despite his father's libertarian views and strong support for individual rights, the novelist Ayn Rand was not the inspiration for Paul's first name; he went by "Randy" while growing up. His wife shortened his name to "Rand".

The Paul family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas in 1968, where Rand was raised and Ron began his medical practice and for an extent of time was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County. When Paul was 13, his father was elected to the United States House of Representatives. In his teenage years, Paul studied the Austrian economists that his father respected, as well as Ayn Rand. Paul went to Brazoswood High School and was on the swimming team and played defensive back on the football team. Paul attended Baylor University from fall 1981 to summer 1984. Paul was enrolled in the honors program at Baylor, and had scored approximately in the 90th percentile on the Medical College Admission Test. During Paul's time at Baylor, he was involved in the swim team and Young Conservatives of Texas and was a member of a secret organization known as the NoZe Brotherhood. Paul left Baylor early when he was accepted into the Duke University School of Medicine, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1988 and completed his residency in 1993.

Personal life

In Atlanta, Paul met Kelley Ashby, a Rhodes College English major. Paul and Ashby were married on October 20, 1990, and moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, less than from her hometown of Russellville, Kentucky, in 1993.

Kelley Paul is a freelance writer, and she manages payroll and marketing communications for Paul's surgical practice. The couple have three sons: William, Duncan, and Robert.

Medical career

Paul has held a state-issued medical license since moving to Bowling Green in 1993. He received his first job from Dr. John Downing of Downing McPeak Vision Centers, which brought him to Bowling Green after completing his residency. Paul worked for Downing for about five years before parting ways. Afterwards, he went to work at the Gilbert Graves Clinic, a private medical group in Bowling Green, for 10 years before creating his own practice in a converted one-story house across the street from Downing's office. After his election to the U.S. Senate, Paul merged his practice with Downing's medical practice. Paul has had two malpractice lawsuits filed against him since 1993. Paul was cleared in one case and the other was settled for $50,000. Regardless, his medical work has been praised by Downing and Paul has medical privileges at two Bowling Green hospitals. Paul specializes in cataract and glaucoma surgeries, LASIK procedures, and corneal transplants.

As a member of the Bowling Green Noon Lions Club, Paul founded the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic to help provide eye surgery and exams for those who cannot afford to pay. He is a regular presenter at the annual Men's Health and Safety Day conference held by The Medical Center of Bowling Green since 1998. In 1999 Paul founded the Non-profit organization National Board of Ophthalmology (NBO).

Board certification

In 2010 the ''Louisville Courier-Journal'' reported that Paul, who described himself as a "board-certified" ophthalmologist, was not certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO). In 1995, Paul passed the American Board of Ophthalmology boards earning his certification under the ABO for a term of one decade. In 1997, after a dispute with the American Board of Ophthalmology over recertification requirements, Paul, along with 200 ophthalmologists formed the National Board of Ophthalmology (NBO). A spokesperson for the American Board of Medical Specialties stated: "He [Paul] is not board-certified."

Paul's ABO certification lapsed on December 31, 2005, and Paul has since been certified by the NBO. ABO administrator Beth Ann Slembarski says that over 95 percent of the nation’s practicing ophthalmologists have American Board of Ophthalmology certification. Regardless of his additional certifications, Paul has been licensed by the state to practice medicine in Kentucky since 1993, and his license is in good standing with no history of disciplinary action. The Courier-Journal reported: "There is no indication that Paul isn't qualified to practice ophthalmology."

Political activism

As founder and chairman of the anti-tax organization Kentucky Taxpayers United (KTU) since 1994, Paul regularly presents "taxpayers' friend" awards to state legislators. KTU, which regards itself as nonpartisan, but is criticized for being ideological and conservative, examines legislator records on taxation and spending to inform voters where their own lawmakers stand on the issues. Paul's editorial commentary on behalf of KTU has been published and recognized in the ''Kentucky Post''.

KTU sponsors the Taxpayer's Pledge of Americans for Tax Reform, encouraging politicians to pledge publicly to vote uniformly against tax raises. Nine of fifteen Northern Kentucky legislators signed the pledge, such as Senator Dick Roeding and Representative Royce Adams in 1996. In 2000, these legislators considered a hotel room tax hike (favored by Governor Paul Patton for helping expand the Dr. Albert B. Sabin Convention Center in nearby Cincinnati), even though the increase might "incur the wrath of Paul's group," as two newspapers put it.

Paul stated that Patton's argument for "revenue recovery" was merely a euphemism for taxes and said that KTU would fight reelection of any pledge-breakers; Adams requested in writing that Paul's group release him from his pledge, stating that it only applied to his first term. By the close of session in April, the tax increase had failed, although Patton had achieved most of his intended budget; Paul stated legislators were pressured to finalize the budget by deadline rather than to "face accusations of shutting down government."

Paul often speaks on his father's behalf, and he and his son William attended the third Republican presidential debate of 2007 in New Hampshire, as well as campaigned door-to-door in the state for his father. At a New Hampshire rally with 250 in attendance (plus 30 members of his own family), Paul repeated a campaign meme by pretending to take a call from Rudy Giuliani during his remarks, and joking that Giuliani needed campaigners and wanted to borrow the Paul family.

On December 16, 2007, the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Paul spoke at Faneuil Hall in favor of small government principles, calling for what CNN termed a "modern day revolution." He continued campaigning across the country for his father in 2008, traveling as far as Montana.

Paul has authored a book entitled ''The Tea Party Goes to Washington'', released on February 22, 2011, which defends the Tea Party movement.

Electoral history

Primary campaign

In the beginning of 2009, Paul was the focus of an online grassroots movement to draft him in a bid to replace beleaguered Republican Kentucky senator Jim Bunning. The news of his potential candidacy became a topic of national interest and was discussed in the ''Los Angeles Times'' and locally in the Kentucky press. Commenting on Paul's possible candidacy, Congressman Ron Paul noted that "Should Senator Bunning decide not to run, I think Rand would make a great U.S. Senator."

On May 1, 2009, Paul officially confirmed that if Bunning, whose fundraising in 2009 has matched his poor numbers in opinion polling for the 2010 election, declined to seek a third term, he would almost certainly run in the Republican Party primary to succeed him, and formed an exploratory committee soon after, while still promising to stay out of the race if Bunning had ultimately decided to run for re-election. Paul made this announcement on MSNBC's ''The Rachel Maddow Show'', though the news was first broken by a local Kentucky news site.

On July 28, 2009, Bunning announced that he would not run for re-election, after facing insufficient fundraising. This announcement left only Paul and Secretary of State Trey Grayson as the remaining candidates for the Republican nomination, with Paul announcing on August 5, 2009 that he would officially run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. The announcement was made through a series of national TV events, radio, and other programs, as well as through newspapers in Kentucky.

Early fundraising success

On August 20, 2009, Paul's grassroots planned a moneybomb to kick off his campaign for United States Senate. The official campaign took in $433,509 in 24 hours. According to Paul, This set a new record in Kentucky's political fundraising history in a 24-hour period.

A second "moneybomb" was held on September 23, 2009, to counter a D.C. fundraiser being held for primary opponent Trey Grayson, by 23 Republican United States Senators, 17 of whom voted for the bank bailout. The theme was a UFC "fight" between Paul and "We the People" vs. Trey Grayson and the "D.C. Insiders." The money bomb ended up raising $186,276 for Paul in 24 hours on September 23; bringing Paul's Senate campaign's total raised to over one million. Later in the campaign, Paul claimed his pledge to not take money from lobbyist and Senators who voted for the bailout was only a "primary pledge" and Paul later held a DC fundraiser with the same Senators who were the target of the September 23, 2009 "moneybomb." Paul ended up raising some $3 million during the primary period.

Primary victory

Although Grayson was considered the frontrunner in July 2009, Paul found success characterizing Grayson as a "career politician" and challenging Grayson's conservatism. Paul ran an ad in February that made an issue out of Grayson's September 2008 admission that he voted for Bill Clinton when he was 20 years old. Although the Paul campaign later removed the video from YouTube, Paul's Democratic general election competitor put it back up on October 20 after Paul had taken exception to the Democrat making an issue out of Paul's own college-age actions. James Dobson, a Christian evangelical figure, endorsed Grayson on April 26 based on the advice of what Dobson described as "senior members of the GOP", but on May 3 the Paul campaign announced that Dobson had changed his endorsement to Paul after Paul and some Paul supporters had lobbied Dobson insisting on Paul's social conservative bona fides.

On May 18 Paul won the Republican Senatorial primary by a 23.4% margin, meaning he would face the Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, in the November 2 general election.

General campaign

On June 28, 2010, Rand Paul supporters held their first post-primary online fundraising drive, this time promoted as a "money blast."

BP oil spill comments

On May 21, 2010, Paul generated some controversy by characterizing statements made by Obama administration officials regarding the BP oil spill cleanup as sounding "un-American". Paul said: }} Paul may have been referring to a statement by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who said "our job is basically to keep the boot on the neck of British Petroleum to carry out the responsibilities that they have, both under the law and contractually to move forward and to stop this spill." Salazar's remark was later slightly misquoted as "boot on the throat" by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Gibbs clarified at the same press conference, when asked if this metaphor did not imply hostility to BP, "I think the President accurately conveyed in his remarks yesterday that we are going to do everything humanly possible, and ensure that BP is doing everything humanly possible, to deal with this as comprehensively and as quickly as they can."

Private property and civil rights

Paul criticized the ''Bowling Green Daily News'' on May 30, 2002 for supporting the Fair Housing Act. He explained that "a free society will abide unofficial, private discrimination, even when that means allowing hate-filled groups to exclude people based on the color of their skin." On May 19, 2010, Paul stated that he favors 9 out of 10 titles of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but had he been a senator during 1960s, he would have raised some questions on the constitutionality of Title II of the Act, which prohibits private businesses who provide public accommodations from discriminating on the basis of race, religion, or national origin against their customers, arguing that it infringes upon constitutional freedoms. Paul stated on National Public Radio, "I'm in favor of everything with regards to ending institutional racism". Paul favors community and neighborhood pressure to persuade private businesses, rather than federal laws that he argued might violate the constitution. Paul said he abhors racism, and he would have marched with Martin Luther King Jr. to repeal Jim Crow Laws. Paul's comments on Title II of Civil Rights Act of 1964 stirred controversy and brought concern among Republican party insiders about his viability in the general election. Paul later released a statement declaring that he would have voted for the Act and stated "unequivocally ... that I will not support any efforts to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964". Paul stating that while he "abhors racism," he doesn't like the idea of the federal government determining who a business may serve. Amid a flurry of controversy, Paul became the first American politician to cancel an appearance on ''Meet the Press'' in their 64-year history. Additionally, RNC Chairman Michael Steele, publicly denounced him, saying that Paul's opposition to the Civil Rights Act is a "misplaced" philosophy for the 21st Century.

Paul addressed his feelings about intentions of the legislation relating to public offices, stating that he "overwhelmingly agrees with the intent of the [Civil Rights Act] which was to stop discrimination in the public sphere and halt the abhorrent practice of segregation and Jim Crow laws," and that Constitutional challenges to the law have been settled by the courts.

College activities

On August 9, 2010, an article was published in ''GQ'' profiling Paul's activities as an undergraduate student at Baylor University. The article noted that during Paul's time at Baylor, he became a member of the NoZe Brotherhood, a college secret society described as a cross between Yale's Skull & Bones and the Harvard Lampoon. The group had an anti-authoritarian bent that often mocked Baylor's strict atmosphere of religiosity, and two years before Paul's arrival, the group had been banned from campus for being, in the words of Baylor's president at the time, "lewd, crude, and grossly sacrilegious." The article also included an account from an anonymous woman who said she was on the swim team with Paul, describing an incident in which Paul and one of his friends from the NoZe Brotherhood had tied her up, blindfolded her, ordered her to take bong hits, and took her to a creek where she was urged to worship a deity called "Aqua Buddha". The woman, who did not allege any wrongdoing on Paul's part, called the incident "sadistic" and "messing with my mind", but also a "joke". Nevertheless, the story received widespread media coverage. A few days later, the woman clarified that she was not physically forced to do anything and that she played along with the prank, and said the whole thing had been blown out of proportion. Coverage of the story died down after Paul denied he had kidnapped anyone or forced anyone to take drugs or worship a so-called "Aqua Buddha". However, coverage of the event was subsequently revived in mid-October when ''Politico'' ran a new story on the topic, this one quoting articles from a 1983 NoZe newsletter as well as a different classmate's claim that in those days "Randy smoked pot, he made fun of Baptists." Within the week, Paul's opponent ran a TV ad asking why Paul had belonged to a group that had mocked Christianity and Christ and had tied up a woman and made her worship "Aqua Buddha". The story received widespread national media attention after a contentious October 17 debate between Paul and Conway in which the two candidates sparred extensively over the accusations and exchanged many insults. Paul refused to shake his opponent's hand after the debate had concluded.

Endorsements

Paul has secured endorsements from several public figures and political organizations. They include the Downsize DC Foundation, Concerned Women for America, Gun Owners of America, Steve Forbes, FreedomWorks, Club for Growth, James Dobson, Sarah Palin, Jim DeMint, Cathy Bailey, Jim Bunning, Erick Erickson, National Federation of Independent Business, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, National Right to Life, US Chamber of Commerce, National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition, Mike Huckabee, and Tony Perkins/FRC Action PAC.

U.S. Senate career

Tenure

Paul was sworn in on January 5, 2011 along with his father, marking the first time in congressional history that a child served in the Senate while the parent simultaneously served in the House of Representatives. He was assigned to serve on the Energy and Natural Resources, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business committees. Paul also formed the Senate Tea Party Caucus with Jim DeMint and Mike Lee as its inaugural members. Paul’s first legislative proposal was to cut $500 billion from federal spending in one year. This proposal includes cutting the Department of Education by 83 percent and the Department of Homeland Security by 43 percent, as well as folding the Department of Energy into the Department of Defense and eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Seven independent agencies would be eliminated and food stamps would be cut by 30 percent. Under Paul’s proposal, defense spending would be reduced by 6.5 percent and international aid would be eliminated. He later proposed a five-year budget plan that he believed would balance the budget.

In February, Paul was one of two Republicans to vote against extending three key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act (roving wiretaps, searches of business records, and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves" — individuals not linked to terrorist groups). In May, he remained the last senator opposing the PATRIOT Act, and was ultimately defeated on May 26.

On March 2, Paul was one of nine senators to vote against a stopgap bill that cut $4 billion from the budget and temporarily prevent a government shutdown, citing that it did not cut enough from the budget. One week later, Paul voted against the Democratic and Republican budget proposals to keep funding the federal government, citing that both bills did not cut enough spending. Both bills failed to pass the senate. He later voted against stopgap measures on March 17 and April 8, both of which passed the senate. On April 14, Paul was one of 19 senators to vote against a budget that cut $38.5 billion from the budget and fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year. Paul voiced opposition to U.S. intervention in the Libyan civil war and has criticized President Obama for not gaining congressional consent for Operation Odyssey Dawn. During the debt ceiling crisis, Paul stated that he would only support raising the debt ceiling if a balanced budget amendment was enacted. Paul was a supporter of the Cut, Cap and Balance Act, which was tabled by the Democrats. On August 3, Paul voted against a bill that would raise the debt ceiling.

Committee assignments

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

*Subcommittee on Energy

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

*Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight

*Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

*Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Political views

Paul supports term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and the Read the Bills Act, in addition to the widespread reduction of federal spending and taxation. He has gained prominence for his independent positions on many political issues, often clashing with both Republicans and Democrats.

Abortion and bioethics

Paul is opposed to abortion and supports a Human Life Amendment and a Life at Conception Act. He also opposes abortion in cases of rape and incest, but supports use of the morning-after pill. He opposes federal funding for abortion. He takes a states' rights position, favoring the overturn of ''Roe v. Wade'' and allowing states to decide on the legality of abortions without federal involvement.

According to the Paul campaign, Paul received a 100% pro-life score on a Kentucky Right to Life survey and indicated on the survey that he opposed human cloning. This was disputed by Kentucky Right to Life, however, who endorsed Paul's primary opponent instead and claimed that Paul did not, in fact, answer the cloning question.

Campaign finance reform

Paul opposes the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and has called it a "dangerous piece of legislation". Instead, he supports regulating the contracts given out by Congress and placing limits on corporations receiving government contracts. Paul opposes legislation limiting the amount of money individuals, corporations, and organizations can give to candidates. Additionally, Paul has proposed "mandating a clause in all federal contracts over $1 million that requires the recipient to pledge not to lobby government or contribute to campaigns during the terms of the contract."

Civil liberties

Paul opposes the USA PATRIOT Act, including warrantless searches and breach of individual privacy.

Economics and tax cuts

Paul has been a longtime opponent of the bank and auto industry bailouts.

He also opposes the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and the Federal Reserve's control of the money supply and interest rates. He has advocated allowing the free market to regulate interest rates, and supports Congress' constitutional role in controlling the money supply. Paul endorses H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, a bill, introduced by his father, mandating an audit of the Federal Reserve. Although Paul would abolish the Federal Reserve, he supports transparency and accountability of the semi-private institution. Additionally, Paul opposes inflation and supports "restoring the value of the dollar that has devalued by approximately 95% since the Federal Reserve's inception in 1913".

Paul supports tax cuts and a Balanced Budget Amendment, and has criticized both Republicans and Democrats on deficit spending.

In October 2010 the Kentucky coordinator for Americans For Fair Taxation stated that Paul would "vote for the FairTax", which would replace federal income taxes with a 23% national consumption tax and includes rebate provisions for taxes on all money spent up to the poverty line. The Associated Press confirmed with a representative of the Paul campaign that the statement fairly reflected Paul's position, but the next day Paul distanced himself from the proposal, saying that while he supports tax reform in general, he hasn't committed to the proposal, adding that it is "a little complicated to administer" and that "it would probably work better at the state level than the national."

Education

Paul supports returning control of education to local communities and parents and thus eliminating the federal Department of Education, but he says that some functions of the Department of Education, such as disbursing student loans and Pell Grants, should be transferred to other departments instead of being eliminated. Paul opposes federal regulation of homeschooling.

Energy

Paul supports allowing the free market to compete and dictate which forms of energy to use. He opposes subsidizing energy companies, and would support allowing tax breaks for companies that produce alternative energy such as wind, solar, or geothermal. He has said that subsidizing the energy industry will only add incentive for companies to lobby the federal government.

Health care

Paul opposes federal government involvement in health care. He would repeal the HMO Act of 1973 that "drives a wedge between the patient and [one's] doctor". He believes that government has driven up the cost of health care and causes the quality and coverage to decrease. Paul would support a free market approach to health care, including tax deductions for medical expenses. He opposes federal regulations discouraging businesses from providing coverage. He supports Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). On Medicare, Paul has suggested higher deductibles as well as changes to premiums or eligibility rules as ways to address what he sees as the program's looming financial problems, saying "You want to have more participation by the person who's receiving the entitlement... by that I mean that they need to be more involved with some sort of economic transaction every time they use their entitlement, and that means they have to bear more of the burden." Paul also stated that he does not support such changes for current retirees or people nearing retirement.

Illegal immigration

Paul has proposed adding security to the border by installing an electronic fence and helicopter stations to respond to breaches. He opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. Paul has said that courts should review the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," to conclude whether or not it should apply to the children of illegal immigrants. If court challenges fail, Paul would support a constitutional amendment that would deny citizenship to children of illegal immigrants who are born in the United States.

Medical marijuana

Paul believes the issue of medical marijuana is a states' rights issue and that the federal government should not interfere. In August, the Associated Press reported that Paul said he was opposed to the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but the Paul campaign says he was misquoted. Though Paul describes himself as a "social conservative," he was nonetheless described by the AP reporter as holding "libertarian leanings on drugs" and believing some drug sentences were too harsh.

Foreign policy and national defense

Paul holds that the primary Constitutional function of the federal government is national defense, and that the greatest national security threat is the lack of border security. He supports eliminating issuance of visas to people from “about ten rogue nations.” He supports trying terrorists caught on the battlefield in military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Paul believes that when the United States goes to war, Congress must declare war as mandated by the United States Constitution.

During his 2010 Senate campaign Paul questioned the idea that U.S. Middle East policy is "killing more terrorists than it creates." He supported the war in Afghanistan and opposed rapid withdrawal from Iraq. He says he would have voted against the invasion of Iraq and questioned whether the intelligence was manipulated."

He also spoke against U.S. overseas military bases.

Same-sex marriage

Paul opposes same-sex marriage, but believes the issue should be left to the States to decide.

Second Amendment

Paul would oppose all gun control legislation, a position he says is supported by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

References

External links

Senator Rand Paul ''official U.S. Senate website''

Official Campaign Website

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