Name	Republican Party
Logo
Colorcode	#FF5663
Chairperson	Reince Priebus (WI)
Leader1 title	Senate Leader
Leader1 name	Mitch McConnell (Minority Leader) (KY)
Leader2 title	House Leader
Leader2 name	John Boehner (Speaker) (OH) Eric Cantor (Majority Leader) (VA)
Leader3 title	Chair of Governors Association
Leader3 name	Rick Perry (TX)
Founded	1854
Predecessor	Whig PartyFree Soil Party
Headquarters	310 First Street NEWashington, D.C. 20003
Student wing	College Republicans
Youth wing	Young Republicans Teenage Republicans
Ideology	Modern: American conservatism Social conservatism Fiscal conservatism Economic liberalism Libertarian conservatism Historical: Abolitionism Classical liberalism Internal factions: Conservatives Moderate Republicans Libertarian RepublicansHistorical factions:Radical Republicans Carpetbagger Scalawags Stalwarts Half-Breeds Rockefeller Republicans
International	International Democrat Union
Blank1 title	Unofficial colors
Blank1	Red
Blank2 title	Political position
Blank2	Center-right
Seats1 title	Seats in the Senate
Seats1
Seats2 title	Seats in the House
Seats2
Seats3 title	Governorships
Seats3
Seats4 title	State Upper House Seats
Seats4
Seats5 title	State Lower House Seats
Seats5
Website
Country	United States }}

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP (Grand Old Party). The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S. political spectrum and is considered center-right, in contrast to the center-left Democrats.

In the 112th Congress, elected in 2010, the Republican Party holds a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, and a minority of seats in the Senate. The party holds the majority of governorships, as well as the majority of state legislatures, and control of one chamber in five states.

History

Founded in Northern States in 1855 by anti-slavery activists, modernizers, ex-Whigs and ex-Free Soilers, the Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to the dominant Democratic Party and the briefly popular Know Nothing Party. Initially, the formation of the Republican Party was championed by Samuel Bowles III, publisher of the influential Springfield, Massachusetts daily newspaper, ''The Republican''. On Friday, Sept. 21, 1855, the headline in The Republican read: “The Child is Born!” This marked the birth of the Republican Party, which took its name from Bowles' newspaper. By 1858, the Republicans had taken control of many Northern States' governments. In 1860, Bowles was on the train to the convention in Chicago. His friend, Springfield lawyer George Ashmun, was elected chairman of the convention that would eventually nominate Abraham Lincoln for president. The Republican Party first came to power in 1860 with the election of Lincoln to the Presidency and Republicans in control of Congress and the northern states. It oversaw the saving of the union, the destruction of slavery, and the provision of equal rights to all men in the American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877.

The first official party convention was held on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. The Republicans' initial base was in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. With the realignment of parties and voters in the Third Party System, the strong run of John C. Fremont in the 1856 Presidential election demonstrated it dominated most northern states. Early Republican ideology was reflected in the 1856 slogan "free labor, free land, free men." "Free labor" referred to the Republican opposition to slave labor and belief in independent artisans and businessmen. "Free land" referred to Republican opposition to plantation system whereby the rich could buy up all the good farm land and work it with slaves, leaving the yeoman independent farmers the leftovers. The Party had the goal of containing the expansion of slavery, which would cause the collapse of the Slave Power and the expansion of freedom. Lincoln, representing the fast-growing western states, won the Republican nomination in 1860 and subsequently won the presidency. The party took on the mission of saving the Union and destroying slavery during the American Civil War and over Reconstruction. In the election of 1864, it united with pro-war Democrats to nominate Lincoln on the National Union Party ticket. The party's success created factionalism within the party in the 1870s. Those who felt that Reconstruction had been accomplished and was continued mostly to promote the large-scale corruption tolerated by President Ulysses S. Grant ran Horace Greeley for the presidency. The Stalwarts defended Grant and the spoils system; the Half-Breeds pushed for reform of the civil service. The GOP supported business generally, hard money (i.e., the gold standard), high tariffs to promote economic growth, high wages and high profits, generous pensions for Union veterans, and (after 1893) the annexation of Hawaii. The Republicans supported the pietistic Protestants who demanded Prohibition. As the Northern post-bellum economy boomed with heavy and light industry, railroads, mines, fast-growing cities and prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to sustain the fast growth. Nevertheless, by 1890 the Republicans had agreed to the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Commission in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. The high McKinley Tariff of 1890 hurt the party and the Democrats swept to a landslide in the off-year elections, even defeating McKinley himself.

After the two terms of Democrat Grover Cleveland, the election of William McKinley in 1896 is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a realigning election. McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the Panic of 1893, and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit. The Republicans were cemented as the party of business, though mitigated by the succession of Theodore Roosevelt who embraced trust busting. He later ran on a third party ticket of the Progressive Party and challenged his previous successor William Howard Taft. The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of opposition to the League of Nations, high tariffs, and promotion of business interests. Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover were resoundingly elected in 1920, 1924, and 1928 respectively. The Teapot Dome scandal threatened to hurt the party but Harding died and Coolidge blamed everything on him, as the opposition splintered in 1924. The pro-business policies of the decade seemed to produce an unprecedented prosperity until the Wall Street Crash of 1929 heralded the Great Depression.

The New Deal coalition of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excepting the two-term presidency of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. African Americans moved into the Democratic Party during Roosevelt's time. After Roosevelt took office in 1933, New Deal legislation sailed through Congress at lightning speed. In the 1934 midterm elections, 10 Republican senators went down to defeat, leaving them with only 25 against 71 Democrats. The House of Representatives was split in a similar ratio. Republicans in Congress heavily criticized the "Second New Deal" and likened it to class warfare and socialism. The volume of legislation, and the inability of the Republicans to block it, soon elevated the level of opposition to Roosevelt. Conservative Democrats, mostly from the South, joined with Republicans led by Senator Robert Taft to create the conservative coalition, which dominated domestic issues in Congress until 1964. The Republicans recaptured Congress in 1946 after gaining 13 seats in the Senate and 55 seats in the House.

The second half of the 20th century saw election or succession of Republican presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The Republican Party, led by House Republican Minority Whip Newt Gingrich campaigning on a ''Contract with America'', was elected to majorities to both houses of Congress in the Republican Revolution of 1994. The Senate majority lasted until 2001, when the Senate became split evenly but was regained in the 2002 elections. Both Republican majorities in the House and Senate were held until the Democrats regained control in the mid-term elections of 2006. In the 21st century, the Republican Party has been defined by social conservatism, a preemptive war foreign policy intended to defeat terrorism and promote global democracy, a more powerful executive branch, supply-side economics, support for gun ownership, and deregulation.

In the Presidential election of 2008, the party's nominees were Senator John McCain, of Arizona, for President and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for Vice President. They were defeated by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. In 2009, Republicans Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell were elected to the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia and in 2010, Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts special Senate election. Their victories were harbingers of a GOP landslide in fall 2010, retaking control of the House, increasing their number of seats in the Senate, and gaining a majority of state governor seats. Overall 2010 was a historic election for the Republican Party. The Republicans gained 680 seats, the biggest gain by either party since 1966, which surpassed Democratic gains in the election of 1974. Republicans now hold approximately 3,890 of the total state legislative seats in the U.S., about 53 percent. That is the most seats in the GOP column since 1928. The Republicans will now control at least 54 of the 99 state legislative chambers, the highest number since 1952.

Name and symbols

The party's founding members chose the name "Republican Party" in the mid-1850s as homage to the values of republicanism promoted by Thomas Jefferson's Republican party. The idea for the name came from an editorial by the party's leading publicist Horace Greeley, who called for, "some simple name like 'Republican' [that] would more fitly designate those who had united to restore the Union to its true mission of champion and promulgator of Liberty rather than propagandist of slavery." The name reflects the 1776 republican values of civic virtue and opposition to aristocracy and corruption.

The term "Grand Old Party" is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the abbreviation "G.O.P." (or "GOP") is a commonly used designation.

The traditional mascot of the party is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in ''Harper's Weekly'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol. In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic rooster. This symbol still appears on Indiana, New York, and West Virginia ballots.

After the 2000 election, the color red became associated with the GOP, although the party has not officially adopted it. That election night, for the first time, all of the major broadcast networks used the same color scheme for the electoral map: states won by Republican nominee George W. Bush were colored red, and states won by Democratic nominee Al Gore were colored blue. Although the assignment of colors to political parties is unofficial and informal, they have come to be widely recognized by the media to represent the respective political parties ''(see Political color and Red states and blue states for more details)''.

Structure and composition

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Its current chairman is Reince Priebus. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House or otherwise by the Party's state committees. The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the Republican National Convention, raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level, there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.

The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate fundraising and strategy committees. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) assists in House races, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates, while the Republican Governors Association (RGA) assists in state gubernatorial races; it is currently chaired by Governor Rick Perry of Texas.

Ideology and political positions

The Republican Party includes fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, neoconservatives, moderates, and libertarians. Prior to the formation of the conservative coalition, which helped realign the Democratic and Republican party ideologies in the mid-1960s, the party historically advocated classical liberalism, paleoconservatism, and progressivism.

Economic policies

Republicans emphasize the role of free markets and individual achievement as the primary factors behind economic prosperity. To this end, they favor laissez-faire economics, fiscal conservatism, and the promotion of personal responsibility over welfare programs.

A leading economic theory advocated by modern Republicans is supply-side economics. Some fiscal policies influenced by this theory were popularly known as Reaganomics, a term popularized during the Presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan. This theory holds that reduced income tax rates increase GDP growth and thereby generate the same or more revenue for the government from the smaller tax on the extra growth. This belief is reflected, in part, by the party's long-term advocacy of tax cuts. Many Republicans consider the income tax system to be inherently inefficient and oppose graduated tax rates, which they believe are unfairly targeted at those who create jobs and wealth. They believe private spending is usually more efficient than government spending. Republicans oppose the estate tax.

Most Republicans agree there should be a "safety net" to assist the less fortunate; however, they tend to believe the private sector is more effective in helping the poor than government is; as a result, Republicans support giving government grants to faith-based and other private charitable organizations to supplant welfare spending. Members of the GOP also believe that limits on eligibility and benefits must be in place to ensure the safety net is not abused. Republicans introduced and strongly supported the welfare reform of 1996, which was signed into law by Democratic President Clinton, and which limited eligibility for welfare, successfully leading to many former welfare recipients finding jobs.

The party opposes a government-run single-payer health care system, believing such a system constitutes socialized medicine and is in favor of a personal or employer-based system of insurance, supplemented by Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid, which covers approximately 40% of the poor. The GOP has a mixed record of supporting the historically popular Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs. Congressional Republicans and the Bush administration supported a reduction in Medicaid's growth rate; however, congressional Republicans expanded Medicare, supporting a new drug plan for seniors starting in 2006. In 2011, House Republicans overwhelmingly voted for a proposal named The Path to Prosperity and for major changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and the 2010 Health Care Legislation. Many Republicans support increased health insurance portability, laws promoting coverage of pre-existing medical conditions, a cap on malpractice lawsuits, the implementation of a streamlined electronic medical records system, an emphasis on preventative care rather than emergency room care, and tax benefits aimed at making health insurance more affordable for the uninsured and targeted to promote universal access. They generally oppose government funding for elective abortions.

Republicans are generally opposed by labor union management and members, and have supported various legislation on the state and federal levels, including right to work legislation and the Taft-Hartley Act, which gives workers the right not to participate in unions, as opposed to a closed shop, which prohibits workers from choosing not to join unions in workplaces. Some Republicans are opposed to increases in the minimum wage, believing that such increases hurt many businesses by forcing them to cut jobs and services, export jobs overseas, and raise the prices of goods to compensate for the decrease in profit.

Separation of powers and balance of powers

Many contemporary Republicans voice support of strict constructionism, the judicial philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted narrowly and as close to the original intent as is practicable rather than a more flexible "living Constitution" model. Most Republicans point to Roe v. Wade as a case of judicial activism, where the court overturned most laws restricting abortion on the basis of a right to privacy inferred from the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Some Republicans have actively sought to block judges whom they see as being activist judges and have sought the appointment of judges who claim to practice judicial restraint. Other Republicans, though, argue that it is the right of judges to extend the interpretation of the Constitution and judge actions by the legislative or executive branches as legal or unconstitutional on previously unarticulated grounds. The issue of judicial deference to the legislature is a matter of some debate — like the Democrats, most Republicans criticize court decisions that overturn their own (conservative) legislation as overstepping bounds and support decisions that overturn opposing legislation. Some commentators have advocated that the Republicans take a more aggressive approach and support legislative supremacy more firmly.

The Republican Party has supported various bills within the last decade to strip some or all federal courts of the ability to hear certain types of cases, in an attempt to limit judicial review. These jurisdiction stripping laws have included removing federal review of the recognition of same-sex marriage with the Marriage Protection Act, the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance with the Pledge Protection Act, and the rights of detainees in Guantanamo Bay in the Detainee Treatment Act. The Supreme Court overruled the last of these limitations in ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld''.

Compared with Democrats, many Republicans believe in a more robust version of federalism with greater limitations placed upon federal power and a larger role reserved for the States. Following this view on federalism, Republicans often take a less expansive reading of congressional power under the Commerce Clause, such as in the opinion of William Rehnquist in ''United States v. Lopez''. Many Republicans on the more libertarian wing wish for a more dramatic narrowing of Commerce Clause power by revisiting, among other cases, ''Wickard v. Filburn'', a case that held that growing wheat on a farm for consumption on the same farm fell under congressional power to "regulate commerce ... among the several States".

President George W. Bush was a proponent of the unitary executive theory and cited it within his signing statements about legislation passed by Congress. The administration's interpretation of the unitary executive theory was called seriously into question by ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'', where the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that the President does not have sweeping powers to override or ignore laws through his power as commander in chief, stating "the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails". Following the ruling, the Bush administration has sought Congressional authorization for programs started only on executive mandate, as was the case with the Military Commissions Act, or abandoned programs it had previously asserted executive authority to enact, in the case of the National Security Agency domestic wiretapping program.

Environmental policies

Some Republicans are skeptical of anthropogenic global warming and question scientific studies on the impact of human activity on climate change. Instead, they assert that global warming is part of a natural cyclical phenomenon, or is caused by a number of other alternative factors. The Republican Party has supported the protection of the environment. Republican President Theodore Roosevelt was a prominent conservationist whose policies eventually led to the creation of the modern U.S. National Park Service. President Richard Nixon was responsible for establishing the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. More recently, California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the support of 16 other states, sued the Federal Government and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the right to set vehicle emission standards higher than the Federal Standard, a right to which California is entitled under the Clean Air Act.

This association however has shifted as the Democratic Party came to also support environmentalism. President George W. Bush has publicly opposed ratification of the Kyoto Protocols on the grounds that they unfairly targeted Western industrialized nations such as the United States while giving developing Global South polluters such as China and India a pass. Democratic President Bill Clinton also never sent the Kyoto treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification as he also thought it unfair to the United States.

In 2000, the Republican Party adopted as part of its platform support for the development of market-based solutions to environmental problems. According to the platform, "economic prosperity and environmental protection must advance together, environmental regulations should be based on science, the government’s role should be to provide market-based incentives to develop the technologies to meet environmental standards, we should ensure that environmental policy meets the needs of localities, and environmental policy should focus on achieving results processes."

The Bush administration, along with several of the candidates that sought the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008, supported increased Federal investment into the development of clean alternative fuels, increased nuclear power, and well as fuels such as ethanol, as a way of helping the U.S. achieve energy independence, as opposed to supporting less use of carbon dioxide-producing methods of generating energy. McCain supports the cap-and-trade policy, a policy that is quite popular among Democrats but much less so among other Republicans. Most Republicans support increased oil drilling in currently protected areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a position that has drawn sharp criticism from some activists.

Social policies

Social services

Republicans tend to favor faith-based initiatives. There are some exceptions, especially in the Northeast and Pacific Coast states.

Race

They are generally against affirmative action for women and some minorities often describing it as a quota system, believing that it is not meritocratic and that is counter-productive socially by only further promoting discrimination. Many Republicans support race-neutral admissions policies in universities but support taking into account the socioeconomic status of the student.

Capital punishment

Most of the GOP's membership favors capital punishment and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime.

Gun rights

Republicans generally support gun ownership rights and oppose laws regulating guns, although some Republicans in urban areas sometimes favor limited restrictions on the grounds that they are necessary to protect safety in large cities.

Education

Most Republicans support school choice through charter schools and school vouchers for private schools; many have denounced the performance of the public school system and the teachers' unions. The party has insisted on a system of greater accountability for public schools, most prominently in recent years with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Many Republicans, however, opposed the creation of the United States Department of Education when it was initially created in 1979.

Some in the religious wing of the party support voluntary organized prayer in public schools and the teaching of intelligent design in science classes.

Abortion and related issues

A majority of the GOP's national and state candidates are pro-life and oppose elective abortion on religious or moral grounds.

Although the GOP has voted for increases in government funding of scientific research, some members actively oppose the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research beyond the original lines because it involves the destruction of human embryos (which many consider ethically equivalent to abortion), while arguing for applying research money into adult stem cell or amniotic stem cell research. The stem cell issue has garnered two once-rare vetoes on research funding bills from President Bush, who said the research "crossed a moral boundary".

Marriage

The 2004 Republican platform expressed support for the Federal Marriage Amendment to the United States Constitution to define marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman. Generally speaking, most Republicans have opposed government recognition of same-sex unions such as with same-sex marriage. This opposition formed a key method of energizing conservative voters, the Republican base, in the 2004 election. A ''New York Times'' and CBS News collaborative poll released in April 2009 reported that 18% of Republicans favored recognition of same-sex marriage. An August 2010 Fox poll found 19% support. Historically, most Republicans have opposed LGBT people serving openly in the military and supported the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. However, majorities of 52% and 58% among Republicans in both 2004 and 2009 opposed the policy and supported open enlistment, according to Gallup polling.

Groups pushing for LGBT issues inside the party include Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud. Fox News national exit polls of self-described LGBT voters found that 24% voted Republican in 2004 and in 2006. That value was 19% and 31% in 2008 and 2010, respectively.. In 2011, 28 % of Republicans supported gay marriage .

National defense and military spending

Although the Republican Party has always advocated a strong national defense, historically they disapproved of interventionist foreign policy actions. Republicans opposed Woodrow Wilson's intervention in World War I and his subsequent attempt to create the League of Nations. They were also staunchly opposed to intervention in World War II until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Dwight Eisenhower

In 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower was drafted by the Republican party to counter the candidacy of non-interventionist Senator Robert Taft. Eisenhower's campaign was a crusade against the Truman administration's policies regarding "Korea, Communism and Corruption."

Ronald Reagan

Attack on Grenada

On October 25, 1983, Ronald Reagan ordered ''Operation Urgent Fury'', a U.S. invasion of the small, Caribbean island of Grenada, where a 1979 ''coup d'état'' had established an independent non-aligned Marxist-Leninist government. This was the first major military operation conducted by U.S. forces since the Vietnam War. Several days of fighting ensued, resulting in 19 American fatalities and 116 wounded American soldiers.

Cold War

Reagan escalated the Cold War, accelerating a reversal from the policy of détente which began in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Reagan then ordered a massive buildup of the United States Armed Forces

Covert operations

Under a policy that came to be known as the Reagan Doctrine, Reagan and his administration also provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist resistance movements in an effort to "rollback" Soviet-backed communist governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

George H. W. Bush

Invasion of Panama

In 1989, Manuel Noriega, the military leader of Panama, nullified the results of a presidential election and suppressed an October military coup attempt and massive civilian protests against him. After a U.S. serviceman was shot by Panamanian forces, President George H. W. Bush ordered the United States invasion of Panama by 24,000 troops to remove Noriega from power. As a result, Guillermo Endara, the winner of the earlier election, became president; Noriega was flown to Miami, where he was convicted under an earlier indictment for drug trafficking.

Gulf War 1990–91

On August 1, 1990, Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. President Bush formed an international coalition and secured UN approval to expel Iraq. On January 12, 1991, Congress voted approval for a military attack, Operation Desert Storm, by a narrow margin, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. The vote in the House was 250–183, and in the Senate 52–47. In the Senate 42 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted yes to war, while 45 Democrats and two Republicans voted no. In the House 164 Republicans and 86 Democrats voted yes, and 179 Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent voted no. The war was short and successful, but Hussein was allowed to remain in power. Arab countries repaid all the American military costs.

In the 1990s, Republicans opposed the intervention of the United States in the Balkans under President Bill Clinton and in 2000, George W. Bush ran on a platform that opposed these types of involvement in foreign conflicts.

George W. Bush

Invasion of Afghanistan

After the September 11 attacks in 2001 in New York, Bush launched the War on Terrorism, in which the United States led an international coalition invaded Afghanistan, the base of terrorist Osama bin Laden. This invasion led to the toppling of the Taliban regime. The U.S killed bin Laden in 2011.

Invasion of Iraq

In 2003, George W. Bush launched the invasion of Iraq, in conjunction with coalition partners, most notably Great Britain. The invasion was described by Bush as being part of the War on Terrorism. Saddam Hussein was captured and executed, but his supporters staged an insurgency that dragged on for years. It was a major election issue in 2004 (when Bush was reelected) and in 2006 and 2008 (when the Democrats won).

Policies

As a result, some in the Republican Party support unilateralism on issues of national security, believing in the ability and right of the United States to act without external support in matters of its national defense. In general, Republican thinking on defense and international relations is heavily influenced by the theories of neorealism and realism, characterizing conflicts between nations as struggles between faceless forces of international structure, as opposed to being the result of the ideas and actions of individual leaders. The realist school's influence shows in Reagan's Evil Empire stance on the Soviet Union and George W. Bush's Axis of evil.

Republicans secured gains in the 2002 and 2004 elections, with the War on Terror being one of the top issues favoring them. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, some in the party support neoconservative policies with regard to the War on Terror, including the 2001 war in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The doctrine of preemptive war, wars to disarm and destroy potential military foes based on speculation of future attacks rather than in defense against actual attack, has been advocated by prominent members of the Bush administration, but the war within Iraq has undercut the influence of this doctrine within the Republican Party. Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York at the time of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, has stated his support for that policy, saying America must keep itself "on the offensive" against terrorists.

The George W. Bush administration took the position that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to unlawful combatants, saying they apply to soldiers serving in the armies of nation states and not terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda. The Supreme Court overruled this position in ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'', which held that the Geneva Conventions were legally binding and must be followed in regards to all enemy combatants. Prominent Republicans such as Senator John McCain, Governor Mike Huckabee, and Representative Ron Paul strongly oppose the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, which they view as torture.

Other international policies

Israel

The Republican leadership supports a strong Israel, but supports efforts to secure peace in the Middle East between Israel and its Islamic neighbors.

Trade

The party, through former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, has advocated reforms in the United Nations to halt corruption such as that which afflicted the Oil-for-Food Program. Most Republicans oppose the Kyoto Protocol. The party promotes free trade agreements, most notably North American Free Trade Agreement, Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement and now an effort to go further south to Brazil, Peru and Colombia, although some have a protectionist view of trade.

Immigration

Republicans are divided on how to confront illegal immigration between a platform that allows for migrant workers and easing citizenship guidelines, and border enforcement-first approach. In general, pro-growth advocates within the Republican Party support more immigration, and traditional or populist conservatives oppose it. In 2006, the White House supported and Republican-led Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform that would eventually allow millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens, but the House, also led by Republicans, took an enforcement-first approach, and the bill failed to pass the conference committee.

Political status of Puerto Rico

The Republican Party has expressed its support for the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico to exercise their right to determine a future permanent non-territorial political status with government by consent, full enfranchisement and to be admitted to the union as a fully sovereign U.S. state. Puerto Rico has been under U.S. sovereignty for over a century and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917; but the island’s ultimate status still has not been determined and its 3.9 million residents still do not have voting representation in their national government. The following is the appropriate section from the 2008 party platform (unchanged from the 2004 and 2000 platforms).

We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state after they freely so determine. We recognize that Congress has the final authority to define the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with government by consent and full enfranchisement. As long as Puerto Rico is not a state, however, the will of its people regarding their political status should be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S. government.

Voter base

, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents.

''Business community''. The GOP is usually seen as the traditionally pro-business party and it garners major support from a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small businesses. Republicans are about 50 percent more likely to be self-employed, and are more likely to work in the area of management.

''Gender''. Since 1980, a "gender gap" has seen slightly stronger support for the GOP among men than among women. In the 2006 House races, 43% of women voted for GOP, while 47% of men did so. In the 2010 midterms, the "gender gap" was reduced with women supporting GOP and Democratic candidates equally 49% to 49%.

''Race''. While historically the party had been supporters of rights for blacks since the 1860s, it lost its leadership position; the GOP has been winning under 15% of the black vote in recent national elections (1980 to 2008). The party has recently nominated African American candidates for senator or governor in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, though none were successful. In the 2010 elections, two African American Republicans were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Republican Party abolished slavery under Abraham Lincoln, defeated the Slave Power, and gave blacks the vote during Reconstruction in the late 1860s. Until the New Deal of the 1930s, blacks supported the GOP by large margins. Most black voters switched to the Democratic Party in the 1930s when the New Deal offered them employment opportunities, and major figures, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, began to support civil rights. They became one of the core components of the New Deal Coalition. In the South, blacks were able to vote in large numbers after 1965, when a bipartisan coalition passed the Voting Rights Act, and ever since have formed a significant portion (20-50%) of the Democratic vote in that region.

In recent decades, the party has been moderately successful in gaining support from Hispanic and Asian American voters. George W. Bush, who campaigned energetically for Hispanic votes, received 35% of their vote in 2000 and 44% in 2004. The party's strong anti-communist stance has made it popular among some minority groups from current and former Communist states, in particular Cuban Americans, Korean Americans, Chinese Americans, and Vietnamese Americans. The election of Bobby Jindal as Governor of Louisiana has been hailed as pathbreaking. He is the first elected minority governor in Louisiana and the first state governor of Indian descent. In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain won 55% of white votes, and 31% of Hispanic votes, compared to just 4% of African American votes. In the 2010 House election, the GOP won 60% of the white votes, 38% of Hispanic votes, while winning only 9% of the African American vote.

For decades, a greater percentage of white voters identified themselves as Democrats, rather than Republicans. However, since the mid-1990s whites have been more likely to self-identify as Republicans than Democrats.

''Family status''. In recent elections, Republicans have found their greatest support among whites from married couples with children living at home. Unmarried and divorced women were far more likely to vote for Kerry in 2004.

''Income''. Low-income voters tend to favor the Democratic Party while high-income voters tend to support the Republican Party. President George W. Bush won 41% of the poorest 20% of voters in 2004, 55% of the richest twenty percent, and 53% of those in between. In the 2006 House races, the voters with incomes over $50,000 were 49% Republican, while those under were 38%.

''Military''. Republicans hold a large majority in the armed services, with 57% of active military personnel and 66% of officers identified as Republican in 2003.

''Education''. Self-identified Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to have 4-year college degrees. The trends for the years 1955 through 2004 are shown by gender in the graphs below, reproduced from a book published by Joseph Fried. These graphs depict results obtained by Fried from the National Election Studies (NES) database.

Regarding graduate-level degrees (masters or doctorate), there is a rough parity between Democrats and Republicans. According to the Gallup Organization: "[B]oth Democrats and Republicans have equal numbers of Americans at the upper end of the educational spectrum — that is, with post graduate degrees..." Fried provides a slightly more detailed analysis, noting that Republican men are more likely than Democratic men to have advanced degrees, but Democratic women are now more likely than Republican women to have advanced degrees.

Republicans remain a small minority of college professors, with 11% of full-time faculty identifying as Republican.

''Age''. The Democrats do better among younger Americans and Republicans among older Americans. In 2006, the GOP won 38% of the voters aged 18–29.

''Sexual Orientation''. Exit polls conducted in 2000, 2004 and 2006 indicate that about one quarter of gay and lesbian Americans voted for the GOP. In recent years, many in the party have opposed same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes laws, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, while supporting the use of the don't ask, don't tell policy within the military. Some members of the party, particularly in the Northeast and Pacific coast, support civil unions and adoption rights for same-sex couples. The opposition to gay rights largely comes from the socially conservative wing of the party.

''Religion''. Religion has always played a major role for both parties but, in the course of a century, the parties' religious compositions have changed. Religion was a major dividing line between the parties before 1960, with Catholics, Jews, and Southern Protestants heavily Democratic, and Northeastern Protestants heavily Republican. Most of the old differences faded away after the realignment of the 1970s and 80s that undercut the New Deal coalition. Voters who attend church weekly gave 61% of their votes to Bush in 2004; those who attend occasionally gave him only 47%, while those who never attend gave him 36%. Fifty-nine percent of Protestants voted for Bush, along with 52% of Catholics (even though Kerry was Catholic). Since 1980, large majorities of evangelicals have voted Republican; 70–80% voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and 70% for GOP House candidates in 2006. Jews continue to vote 70–80% Democratic. Democrats have close links with the African American churches, especially the National Baptists, while their historic dominance among Catholic voters has eroded to 54-46 in the 2010 midterms. The main line traditional Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians) have dropped to about 55% Republican (in contrast to 75% before 1968). Their church memberships have declined in that time as well as the conservative evangelical churches have grown. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are overwhelmingly Republican and vote in line with the Christian right - George W. Bush received 89% of the Mormon vote. Bush also received almost 80% of the Muslim vote in the 2000 Presidential election. However, his support among Muslims declined sharply and, by the 2004 election, at least half of those voters supported Democratic candidate John Kerry or a third party candidate.

''Location''. Since 1980, geographically the Republican "base" ("red states") is strongest in the South, the Midwest, and Mountain West. While it is weakest on the Pacific Coast and Northeast this has not always been the case; historically the northeast was a bastion of the Republican Party with Vermont and Maine being the only two states to vote against Franklin Roosevelt all four times. The Midwest has been roughly balanced since 1854, with Illinois becoming more Democratic and liberal because of the city of Chicago (see below) and Minnesota and Wisconsin more Republican since 1990. Ohio and Indiana both trend Republican. Since the 1930s, the Democrats have dominated most central cities, while the Republicans now dominate rural areas and the majority of suburbs.

The South has become solidly Republican in national elections since 1980, and has been trending Republican at the state level since then at a slower pace. In 2004, Bush led Kerry by 70%-30% among Southern whites, who made up 71% of the Southern electorate. Kerry had a 70-30 lead among the 29% of the voters who were black or Hispanic. One-third of these Southern voters said they were white evangelicals; they voted for Bush by 80-20; but were only 72% Republican in 2006.

The Republican Party's strongest focus of political influence lies in the Great Plains states, particularly Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, and in the Mountain states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah (Utah gave George W. Bush more than 70% of the popular vote in 2004). These states are sparsely populated with few major urban centers, and have majority white populations, making it extremely difficult for Democrats to create a sustainable voter base there. Unlike the South, these areas have been strongly Republican since before the party realignments of the 1960s. The Great Plains states were one of the few areas of the country where Republicans had any significant support during the Great Depression.

''Conservatives and Moderates''. Republican "conservatives" are strongest in the South, Mountain West and Midwest, where they draw support from social conservatives. The "moderates" tend to dominate the party in New England, and used to be well represented in all states. From the 1940s to the 1970s under such leaders as Thomas E. Dewey, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller, and Richard Nixon, they usually dominated the presidential wing of the party. Since the 1970s, they have been less powerful, though they are always represented in the cabinets of Republican presidents. In Vermont, Jim Jeffords, a Republican Senator became an independent in 2001 due to growing disagreement with President Bush and the party leadership. In addition, moderate Republicans have recently held the governorships in several New England States, while Lincoln Chafee, a former moderate Republican senator is currently the independent governor of Rhode Island. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, and Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts are notable moderate Republicans from New England. From 1991 to 2007, moderate Republicans served as Governor of Massachusetts.

Some well-known conservative radio hosts, including national figures such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Laura Ingraham, Michael Reagan, Howie Carr, and Michael Savage, as well as many local commentators, support Republican causes, while vocally opposing those of the Democrats.

Trends

, the Republican Party had remained fairly cohesive, as both strong economic libertarians and social conservatives opposed the Democrats, whom they saw as the party of bloated and more secular, liberal government. Yet, some libertarians have argued that the GOP's policies have grown increasingly restrictive of personal liberties, and has contributed to increasing corporate welfare and national debt. Some social conservatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the party's support for economic policies that they see as sometimes in conflict with their moral values.

State and territorial parties

Alabama Republican Party

Republican Party of Alaska

Arizona Republican Party

Republican Party of Arkansas

California Republican Party

Colorado Republican Party

Connecticut Republican Party

Republican State Committee of Delaware

Republican Party of Florida

Georgia Republican Party

Hawaii Republican Party

Idaho Republican Party

Illinois Republican Party

Indiana Republican Party

Republican Party of Iowa

Kansas Republican Party

Republican Party of Kentucky

Republican Party of Louisiana

Maine Republican Party

Maryland Republican Party

Massachusetts Republican Party

Michigan Republican Party

Republican Party of Minnesota

Mississippi Republican Party

Missouri Republican Party

Montana Republican Party

Nebraska Republican Party

Nevada Republican Party

New Hampshire Republican State Committee

New Jersey Republican State Committee

Republican Party of New Mexico

New York Republican State Committee

North Carolina Republican Party

North Dakota Republican Party

Ohio Republican Party

Oklahoma Republican Party

Oregon Republican Party

Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania

Rhode Island Republican Party

South Carolina Republican Party

South Dakota Republican Party

Tennessee Republican Party

Republican Party of Texas

Utah Republican Party

Vermont Republican Party

Republican Party of Virginia

Washington State Republican Party

West Virginia Republican Party

Republican Party of Wisconsin

Wyoming Republican Party

Republican Party of American Samoa

District of Columbia Republican Committee

Guam Republican Party

Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party

Republican Party of Puerto Rico Republican Party of the Virgin Islands

See also

Factions in the Republican Party (United States)

List of African American Republicans

List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets

Political party strength in U.S. states

Republican in Name Only

South Park Republican

Libertarian Republican

International Democrat Union

Footnotes

References

''American National Biography'' (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries.

Aistrup, Joseph A. ''The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South'' (1996)

Barone, Michael. ''The Almanac of American Politics 2010: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (2009).

Black, Earl and Merle Black. ''The Rise of Southern Republicans'' (2002)

Brennan, Mary C. ''Turning Right in the Sixties: The Conservative Capture of the GOP'' (1995)

Conger, Kimberly H. ''The Christian Right in Republican State Politics'' (2010) 202 pages; focuses on Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri

Crane, Michael. ''The Political Junkie Handbook: The Definitive Reference Books on Politics'' (2004) covers all the major issues explaining the parties' positions

Donald, David. ''Lincoln'' (1999)

Ehrman, John, ''The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan'' (2005)

Frank, Thomas. ''What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'' (2005)

Frum, David. ''What's Right: The New Conservative Majority and the Remaking of America'' (1996)

Gould, Lewis. ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans'' (2003)

Jensen, Richard. ''Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854–1983'' (1983)

Judis, John B. and Ruy Teixeira. ''The Emerging Democratic Majority'' (2004) two Democrats project social trends

Kleppner, Paul, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), applies party systems model

Lamis, Alexander P. ed. ''Southern Politics in the 1990s'' (1999)

Levendusky, Matthew. ''The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans'' (Chicago Studies in American Politics) (2009)

Mayer, George H. ''The Republican Party, 1854–1966.'' 2d ed. (1967)

Perlstein, Rick. ''Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus'' (2002) broad account of 1964

Perlstein, Rick. ''Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America'' (2009)

Reinhard, David W. ''The Republican Right since 1945'' (1983)

Rutland, Robert Allen. ''The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush'' (1996)

Sabato, Larry J. ''Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election'' (2005)

Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. ''The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future'' (2001) textbook.

Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, Jr. ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2000'' (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). Essays on the most important election are reprinted in Schlesinger, ''The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history'' (1972)

Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775–2000'' (2001), long essays by specialists on each time period:

*includes: "'To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs;": 1820–1865 by Joel H. Silbey; "Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885" by Michael F. Holt; "The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910" by Peter H. Argersinger; "Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930" by Richard Jensen; "The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955" by Anthony J. Badger; "The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980" by James T. Patterson; and "Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000" by Byron E. Shafer

Shafer, Byron and Richard Johnston. ''The End of Southern Exceptionalism'' (2006), uses statistical election data & polls to argue GOP growth was primarily a response to economic change

Steely, Mel. ''The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich'' Mercer University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-86554-671-1.

Sundquist, James L. ''Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States'' (1983)

Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America'' (2004).

External links

Republican National Committee — Official website

Senate Republican Conference

House Republican Conference

National Republican Senatorial Committee

National Republican Congressional Committee

Republican Governors Association

Republican State Leadership Committee

National Black Republican Association

Republicans Abroad International

Young Republican National Federation

College Republican National Committee

2008 National Platform (PDF), *HTML version

2004 National Platform

Category:International Democrat Union member parties Category:Political parties established in 1854 Category:Political parties in the United States

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Name	Ice Cube
Background	solo_singer|birth_name O'Shea Jackson
Alias	Cube, Don Mega
Born	June 15, 1969 Los Angeles, California
Origin	South Central Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop, gangsta rap, political hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actor, film director, screenwriter
Years active	1984–present
Label	Priority (1987–1996)Lench Mob (1994–present)EMI (1987–present)
Associated acts	N.W.A, C.I.A., Scarface, Da Lench Mob, Westside Connection, Public Enemy, WC and the Maad Circle, Game
Website	}}

Ice Cube (born O'Shea Jackson; June 15, 1969) is an American rapper, actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema. Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series ''Barbershop'' and the TBS series ''Are We There Yet?'', both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character.

Early life

O'Shea Jackson was born on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, in the South Central area, the son of Doris Jackson (née Benjamin), a hospital clerk and custodian, and Hosea Jackson, who worked as a groundskeeper at UCLA. According to a 2005 interview with Teenink, O'Shea's half-sister was murdered by her boyfriend in a murder-suicide when he was 12 years old . His cousin is Teren Delvon Jones, also known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, who is a part of the rap group Hieroglyphics and who has also worked with Gorillaz; and Kam of rap group The Warzone. At 16, Ice Cube developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School's keyboarding class. He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied Architectural Drafting. With friend Sir Jinx, Ice Cube formed the C.I.A., and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. Young Cube was fourteen years old when he met Dre, nineteen. Dre soon entered the recording industry involved with the World Class Wreckin' Cru recording records. Dre saw Cube's potential as a writer and had him helping Dre in writing Wreckin Cru's big L.A. hit track, "Cabbage Patch" as well as joining Cube on a side partnership the duo called Stereo Crew by which they produced a twelve-inch record, "She's a Skag" released on Epic Records in 1986.

Music career

N.W.A

In 1987, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre released the single ''My Posse'', under the alias CIA. After the collaboration, Ice Cube showed Eazy-E the lyrics to "Boyz-n-the-Hood". Eazy-E, although initially rejecting the lyrics, eventually recorded the song for ''N.W.A. and the Posse'', the debut album for the group N.W.A that included him, Dre, and other rappers MC Ren and DJ Yella.

By this point Ice Cube was a full-time member of N.W.A along with Dr. Dre and MC Ren. Ice Cube wrote Dr. Dre and Eazy-E's rhymes for the group's landmark album, ''Straight Outta Compton'', released in 1988. However, as 1990 approached, Ice Cube found himself at odds with the group's manager, Jerry Heller, after rejecting Heller's proposed contract terms.

Since Ice Cube wrote the lyrics to approximately half of both ''Straight Outta Compton'', and Eazy-E's solo album, ''Eazy-Duz-It'', he was advised of the amounts he was truly owed by Heller, and took legal action soon after leaving the group and the label. In response, the remaining N.W.A members attacked him on the EP ''100 Miles and Runnin''' and on their next and final album, ''Efil4zaggin'' (''Niggaz4life'' spelled backwards).

Solo career

In late 1989, Ice Cube recorded his debut solo album in Los Angeles with the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy's production team). ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' was released in May 1990 and was an instant hit, riding and contributing to the rising tide of rap's popularity in mainstream society. The album was charged with controversy, and he was accused of misogyny and racism. Subsequently, Ice Cube appointed the female rapper Yo-Yo (who appeared on ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'') to the head of his own record label and helped produce her debut album, ''Make Way for the Motherlode''. This was followed by a critically acclaimed role as 'Doughboy' in John Singleton's hood-based drama, ''Boyz n the Hood''. In the same year as ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'', Ice Cube released the acclaimed EP, ''Kill At Will'' which sold well, becoming the first hip hop EP to go both Gold and Platinum.

His 1991 follow-up, ''Death Certificate'' was regarded as more focused, yet even more controversial, and critics accused him again of being anti-white, misogynist, and antisemitic. The album is thematically divided into the 'Death Side' ("a vision of where we are today") and the 'Life Side' ("a vision of where we need to go"). It features "No Vaseline", a scathing response to N.W.A's attacks and "Black Korea," a track regarded by some as prophetic of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, but also interpreted as racist by many; it was still being cited years after its release. Ice Cube toured with Lollapalooza in 1992, which widened his fan base.

Ice Cube released ''The Predator'' in November 1992. Referring specifically to that year's Los Angeles riots, in the first single, "Wicked", he rapped "April 29 was power to the people, and we might just see a sequel". ''The Predator'' debuted at number one on both the pop and R&B; charts, the first album in history to do so. Singles from ''The Predator'' included "It Was a Good Day" and the "Check Yo Self" remix, and the songs had a two-part music video. The album remains his most successful release, with over three million copies sold in the US. However, after ''The Predator'', Ice Cube's rap audience diminished. ''Lethal Injection'' which was released in the end of 1993 and represented Ice Cube's first attempt at imitating the G-Funk sound of Dr. Dre's ''The Chronic'', was not well received by critics. He had more successful hits from ''Lethal Injection'', including "Really Doe", "Bop Gun (One Nation)", "You Know How We Do It" & "What Can I Do?". After 1994, he took a hiatus from music and concentrated on film work and developing the careers of other rap musicians, Mack 10, Mr. Short Khop, Kausion, and Da Lench Mob.

In 1994, Ice Cube had reunited with former N.W.A member Dr. Dre, who was now part of Death Row Records, in their duet "Natural Born Killaz". In 1998, he released his long-awaited solo album, ''War & Peace Volume 1''. The delayed ''Volume 2'', was released in 2000. The albums featured appearances from Westside Connection as well as a reunion with fellow N.W.A members, Dr. Dre and MC Ren, though many fans maintained that the two albums were not on par with his past work, especially the second volume. In 2000, Ice Cube also joined Dr. Dre, Eminem & Snoop Dogg on the Up In Smoke Tour.

In 2006, Ice Cube released his seventh solo album, ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'', on his Lench Mob Records label, debuting at number four on the Billboard Charts and selling 144,000 units in the first week. The album featured production from Lil Jon and Scott Storch, who produced the lead single "Why We Thugs". He released his eighth studio album, Raw Footage, on August 19, 2008, featuring the controversial single "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It".

On Oct 12, 2009 he released a non-album track called 'Raider Nation' in tribute to the Oakland Raiders' football team he supports.

On May 11, 2010, Ice Cube released a 30 for 30 documentary, "Straight Outta L.A.", for ESPN on the relationship between the gangster rap scene in Los Angeles and the tenure of the Raiders there. He has been voted as eighth of MTV's "greatest emcees of all time."

Westside Connection

In 1996, Ice Cube formed Westside Connection with Mack 10 and WC, and together they released an album called ''Bow Down''. Most of the album was used to engage in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry of the 90s. The album's eponymous single reached number 21 on the singles charts, and the album itself was certified Platinum by the end of 1996. With ''Bow Down'', Westside Connection brought their own agenda to the hip hop scene. Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC had grown tired of being overlooked by most East Coast media outlets; the album was designed to instil a sense of pride in West Coast rap fans and to start a larger movement that some people who felt underappreciated might identify with. Songs like "Bow Down" and "Gangstas Make the World Go 'Round" make reference to this. Ice Cube would also eventually make amends with Eazy-E shortly before the latter's death in 1995.

After a seven-year hiatus, Westside Connection returned with their second effort ''Terrorist Threats'' in 2003. The album fared well critically, but its commercial reception was less than that of ''Bow Down''. "Gangsta Nation" was the only single released from the album, which was produced by Fredwreck and featured Nate Dogg; it was a radio hit. After a rift between Ice Cube and Mack 10 about Ice Cube's commitments to film work rather than touring with the group, Westside Connection disbanded. WC, however, did release a new solo album on Lench Mob Records entitled ''Guilty by Affiliation'' on August 14, 2007.

Collaborations

In 1992 Ice Cube assisted on debut albums from Da Lench Mob (''Guerillas in tha Mist'', 1992) and Kam (''Neva Again'', 1993), both of which enjoyed critical acclaim and some moderate commercial success. He handled most of the production on ''Guerillas in tha Mist''.

In 1993, Lench Mob member, J-Dee, was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder, and Ice Cube did not produce their next album, ''Planet of tha Apes''. Around this time in 1993, he also worked with Tupac Shakur on his album ''Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.,'' appearing on the track "Last Wordz" with Ice-T. He also did a song with Dr. Dre for the first time since he left N.W.A: "Natural Born Killaz", for the ''Murder Was The Case'' soundtrack, and also contributed to the ''Office Space'' soundtrack. He also featured on Kool G Rap's song "Two To The Head" from the Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album "Live And Let Die". Ice Cube appeared on the song "Children of the Korn" by the band Korn, as well as assisting in recording a Korn cover of Wicked, and lent his voice to British DJ Paul Oakenfold's solo debut album, ''Bunkka'', on the track "Get Em Up".

2004–2010

In 2004, his hit singles "Check Yo Self", "It Was a Good Day" and affiliated song "Guerrillas in tha Mist" with Da Lench Mob appeared on popular video game ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' on fictional radio station Radio Los Santos.

In late 2005, Ice Cube and R. J. Cutler teamed up to create the six-part documentary series titled ''Black. White.'', which was broadcast on cable network FX. In May 2006 Ice Cube complained that Oprah Winfrey would not welcome him and other rappers on her show. Ice Cube's other movie projects include ''Teacher of the Year'', released in 2007, and ''The Extractors'', released in 2008.

He has signed on to star in and produce ''Welcome Back, Kotter'', a big-screen adaptation of the 1970s television series. Ice Cube will play the title character, originally portrayed by Gabe Kaplan and his film company, Cube Vision Productions, has sealed a deal with Dimension Films to bring the show to the big screen.

In a London interview he revealed he is in talks of a collaboration with Gorillaz after speaking to frontman Damon Albarn.

In October 2006 Xzibit, Lil Jon and WC from the Westside Connection honoured Ice Cube at VH1's Annual Hip Hop Honors, performing some classic Ice Cube tracks, and Ice Cube also performed "Why We Thugs" and "Go To Church" from his album ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'', where the New York crowd were greeted with Cube's vintage Cali sound. After launching that comeback album, Ice Cube toured across the world to promote it. The tour is known as "Straight Outta Compton Tour", and accompanying him is his friend and fellow rapper WC from the Westside Connection. Some places he has recently performed include the Paradiso in Amsterdam and various venues in England. After touring the U.S. and Europe, he performed all around Australia, from Sydney's Enmore Theatre to The Forum Arena in Melbourne, before heading to Japan.

Ice Cube collaborated with Tech N9ne on the song "Blackboy" that appears on Tech N9ne's July 2008 album ''Killer''. The eighth Ice Cube studio LP, titled ''Raw Footage'', was released on August 19, 2008, and featured the singles Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It and Do Ya Thang. Ice Cube appeared on a song by rapper The Game titled "State of Emergency" off The Game's Album, L.A.X. In 2009, Ice Cube performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and will return to perform at the 2011 festival.

Despite rumors of conflicts with other rappers in 2010, Ice Cube stated in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid on Sirius Shade 45 that he has "no beef."

Ice Cube's ninth studio album I Am the West was released on September 28, 2010. Ice Cube has stated this album has a different direction than any one of his other albums. He received beats from West coast veteran producers such as DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, E-A-Ski, and Sir Jinx, not having worked on a solo album with the latter in nearly 20 years. The album was released independently under his label Lench Mob. Ice Cube has stated that "being independent is beautiful because we can do things 'out the box' that record companies would usually frown at. Instead of working from a ready-made cookie-cutter marketing plan, we can tailor make a marketing plan specifically for me."

In 2011 he will reunite with N.W.A members MC Ren & Dr. Dre on T-Boz's debut studio album Still Cool on the track "From The South To the Wild Wild West".

Other ventures

Film and television career

Following his role as 'Doughboy' in ''Boyz N The Hood'', in 1992 he starred alongside Ice-T, and Bill Paxton in Walter Hill's action film, ''Trespass'', and then in ''The Glass Shield''.

Ice Cube was offered a co-star role with Janet Jackson in the 1993 romantic film Poetic Justice, but he refused the role, which was given to Tupac Shakur instead.

John Singleton had encouraged Ice Cube to try his hand at screenwriting, telling him, "If you can write a record, you can write a movie." With this encouragement, Ice Cube wrote the screenplay for what became the 1995 comedy ''Friday'', in which he also starred, alongside then up-and-coming comedian Chris Tucker. ''Friday'' earned $28 million worldwide on a $3.5 million budget, and spawned two sequels, ''Next Friday'' and ''Friday After Next''. (On March 9, 2011 he announced that he was making the final sequel called Last Friday). That year, he also starred in his second collaboration with John Singleton, ''Higher Learning'', as world-weary university student "Fudge"; a role for which he earned award nominations.

In 1997 Ice Cube starred in the action thriller Dangerous Ground as a South African exiled to America who returns 15 years later. He also had a supporting role in the film ''Anaconda'' that same year. He wrote, executive produced, and made his directorial debut in ''The Players Club'' in 1998, and in 1999 starred alongside George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in the critically acclaimed ''Three Kings''. In 2000, he wrote and appeared in the ''Friday'' sequel ''Next Friday''. In 2002, Ice Cube starred in the commercially successful movie ''Barbershop'', as well as ''All About the Benjamins'' and the third film in the ''Friday'' trilogy, ''Friday after Next'' (which he again wrote). In 2004, he appeared in ''Barbershop 2: Back in Business'', and ''Torque''; in 2005 he starred in the action movie ''XXX: State of the Union'', as well as the comedies ''Are We There Yet?'' and ''Are We Done Yet?'', co-starring Nia Long.

In early April 2007 Ice Cube was a guest on Angie Martinez' Hot97 radio show and stated that he was interested in bringing back Chris Tucker as Smokey in a possible ''Friday'' sequel, but that was only possible "if New Line cuts the cheque." In an interview with BlackFilm.com, Ice Cube stated that he would be interested in involving all major characters from the ''Friday'' franchise in a possible sequel, but added "I know I'm not going to get Chris [Tucker] back, but I'd love to get everybody else back."

''In the Movies'' is a compilation album of Ice Cube songs that have appeared in movie soundtracks, which was released on September 4, 2007.

Ice Cube and basketball star LeBron James have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James's life. Ice Cube's ''Are We There Yet'' television series premiered on TBS on June 2, 2010. Based on the 2005 feature film of the same name, the show revolves around a family adjusting to the matriarch's new husband (Terry Crews) and trying to deal with normal family situations. On August 16, 2010, ''Are We There Yet?'' was renewed for 90 additional episodes. In an August 2010 interview with UrbLife.com, Ice Cube expressed excitement about the show being picked up for the run, which will pan out to around six seasons. He also credits Tyler Perry for opening the door for him at TBS.

Clothing line

Ice Cube has licenced a clothing line, SOLO by Cube, which features hooded sweatshirts with built-in headphones in the hood strings.

Personal life

Family

He married Kimberly Woodruff in 1992, with whom he has four children (three boys, one girl) - O'Shea Jr., Darrel, Shareef and Karima.

A father of four, Ice Cube was asked by Fresh Air's Terry Gross to provide some perspective on the relationship between his work and his family. When asked whether or not he allowed his children to listen to his music, he responded: "What's worked for me is instilling in my kids a level of self-respect," helping them to understand the content of not just music but the violence found on the evening news. When asked what he tells his children about profanity, he recalled telling his kids that there are "appropriate times to use any kind of language.... Adults should never hear you use these words. If you want to use these words around your friends, that's really on you." Ice Cube is also the father of rappers OMG and Doughboy, who were featured on his album, I Am the West.

Religion

In an interview with British newspaper ''The Guardian'', Ice Cube stated that he is a Muslim, having converted sometime in the 1990s. He described his Muslim faith as a simple, personal one that does not involve attending prayer services or following rituals. Although he has spoken favorably of the Nation of Islam, he denied ever being in the organization.

Discography

; Studio albums

1990: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''

1991: ''Death Certificate''

1992: ''The Predator''

1993: ''Lethal Injection''

1998: ''War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)''

2000: ''War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)''

2006: ''Laugh Now, Cry Later''

2008: ''Raw Footage''

2010: ''I Am the West''

; Other albums

1994: ''Bootlegs & B-Sides''

1997: ''Featuring…Ice Cube''

2001: ''Greatest Hits''

2007: ''In the Movies''

2008: ''The Essentials''

Filmography

As an actor

Films

Year 1991 1992 1993 1995 1995 1995 1997 1997 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 2001 2002 2002 2002 2004 2004 2005 2005 2007 2008 2008 2009 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012

Title	|	Role	Other notes
''Boyz n the Hood''	|	Darin "Doughboy" Baker	Main Role
''Trespass (1992 film)	Trespass''	|	Savon	Main Role
''CB4''	|	himself	Cameo
''The Glass Shield''	|	Teddy Woods	Main Role
''Higher Learning''	|	Fudge	Main Role
''Friday (film)	Friday''	|	Craig Jones	Main Role
''Dangerous Ground''	|	Vusi Madlazi	Main Role
''Anaconda (film)	Anaconda''	|	Danny Rich	Main Role
''The Players Club''	|	Reggie	Minor Role
''I Got The Hook Up''	|	Gun Runner	Minor Role
''Three Kings (1999 film)	Three Kings''	|	SSgt. Chief Elgin	Main Role
''Thicker Than Water (1999 film)	Thicker Than Water''	|	Slink	Supporting Role
''Next Friday''	|	Craig Jones	Main Role
''Ghosts of Mars''	|	James 'Desolation' Williams	Main Role
''All About The Benjamins''	|	Detective Bucum	Main Role
''BarberShop (film)	BarberShop''	|	Calvin Palmer	Main Role
''Friday After Next''	|	Craig Jones	Main Role
''Torque (film)	Torque''	|	Trey	Main Role
''BarberShop 2: Back in Business''	|	Calvin Palmer	Main Role
''Are We There Yet?''	|	Nick Persons	Main Role
''XXX: State of the Union''	|	Darius Stone	Main Role
''Are We Done Yet?''	|	Nick Persons	Main Role
''First Sunday''	|	Durell	Main Role
''The Longshots''	|	Curtis Plummer	Main Role
''Janky Promoters''	|	Russell Redds	Main Role
''Lottery Ticket (film)	Lottery Ticket''	|	Jerome "Thump" Washington	Supporting Role
''New Year's Eve (film)	New Year's Film''	|	Police Officer	Supporting Role
''Rampart (film)	Rampart''	|	TBA	TBA
''Last Friday''	|	Craig Jones	Main Role pre-production
''21 Jump Street''	|	Capt. Dickson	Main Role

Television

Year 2010–present

Title	|	Role	Other notes
''Are We There Yet? (TV series)	Are We There Yet?'' TV series	|	Terrence	Recurring Role

Video games

Year 2010

Title	|	Role	Other notes
''Call of Duty: Black Ops	|	Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group>SOG multiplayer announcer	Voice actor

As director/writer/producer

''Friday'' (1995) writer, executive producer

''Dangerous Ground'' (1997) executive producer

''The Players Club'' (1998) writer, director, executive producer

''Next Friday'' (2000) writer, producer

''All About The Benjamins'' (2002) writer, producer

''Friday After Next'' (2002) writer, producer

''BarberShop 2: Back in Business'' (2004) executive producer

''BarberShop: The Series'' (2005) executive producer

''Are We There Yet?'' (2005) producer

''Beauty Shop'' (2005) executive producer

''Black. White.'' (2006) executive producer

''Are We Done Yet?'' (2007) producer

''Friday: The Animated Series'' (2007) executive producer

''Pirate Island'' (2008) producer

''The Longshots'' (2008) producer

''First Sunday'' (2008) producer

''Straight Outta L.A.'' (2010) director

''Are We There Yet?'' (TV series) (2010) executive producer

''Last Friday'' (2012) writer, executive producer

Awards

Film award history

Ice Cube has received nominations for several films in the past. To date, he has won two awards:

2000: Blockbuster Entertainment Award: Favorite Action Team (for ''Three Kings'')

2002: MECCA Movie Award: Acting Award

Music awards

VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006

* 2006 Honoree Snoop Dogg

BET Hip-Hop Awards 2009

* I Am Hip-Hop Award

References

External links

Ice Cube Bio

Ice Cube: The Ten Greatest Rapper/Actors

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from California Category:African American Muslims Category:Converts to Islam Category:African-American film producers Category:African American film actors Category:African American rappers Category:American music video directors Category:American screenwriters Category:Capitol Records artists Category:N.W.A members Category:Priority Records artists Category:Rappers from Los Angeles, California Category:Ruthless Records artists

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Name	Slim Thug
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Stayve Jerome Thomas
Birth date	September 08, 1980 Houston, Texas
Genre	Hip hop Gangsta rap
Height	6'6
Years active	1998–present
Label	Swishahouse, Boss Hogg Outlawz, Interscope, E1
Associated acts	Bun B, Chalie Boy, Chamillionaire, Dice, Z-RO, Yelawolf, Mike Jones, T.I., Pharrell, Gwen Stefani
Website	www.immahogg.com }}

Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known as Slim Thug, Boss Hogg or Thug Boss, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the popular single from rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'".

Early life

Slim Thug grew up in Houston's Northside neighborhood of Homestead/Scenic Woods. Slim says that his rap name come from the fact that as a teenager, he was very tall and skinny before he filled out. He stands 6'6" tall. The Thug part comes from people's assumptions of him due to his fresh braids and sunglasses. At age 17, he performed freestyle raps at local high school parties. He began his rap career with Swishahouse in the late 1990s. After realizing how much money he could make distributing his own mixtapes, he parted ways with Swishahouse on good terms and formed his own independent label, Boss Hogg Outlawz. Thomas bought two record stores and worked in real estate.

Music career

Already Platinum (2005-2008)

Slim Thug's debut album with Star Trak Entertainment & Interscope Records, ''Already Platinum'', was released in July 2005 after many delays. It premiered on #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and sold 130,000 copies in its first week. Singles included "3 Kings" (featuring T.I. and Bun B), and "I Ain't Heard of That" (featuring Pharrell and Bun B). Slim Thug appeared on Still Tippin' with Mike Jones and Paul Wall, Beyoncé Knowles's #1 single "Check on It" and Gwen Stefani's "Luxurious". With the Boss Hogg Outlawz, Slim Thug released three albums, ''Boyz N Blue'' (2004), ''Serve & Collect'' (2007) and ''Back by Blockular Demand: Serve & Collect II'' (2008). He left Interscope Records in 2008.

Boss of All Bosses (2009)

Slim Thug's second solo album ''Boss of All Bosses'' was released in 2009. Although not as successful as his debut album ''Boss of All Bosses'' debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 copies sold in the first week released. It included the single "I Run".

Tha Thug Show (2010-present)

Slim Thug is third studio album ''Tha Thug Show''. His first single was "''Gangsta''" which featured Z-Ro. His second single featured rapper/singer B.o.B entitled "''So High''". It was released November 30, 2010.

Other Ventures

Acting career

In October 2009 he appeared on The Daily Show, in a parody discussing the effects of the recession upon wealthy rappers such as himself. The skit was filmed in part at The Lion's Den Recordings in Houston, Texas.

Personal life

Slim Thug dated singer LeToya Luckett until 2006. He claimed the two broke up as a result of his cheating and child with another woman.

According to MTV News, Lupe Fiasco's video for "Hip Hop Saved My Life" was based on Slim Thug's life story. "It is based on Slim Thug," Fiasco revealed. On June 7, 2010, Vibe released controversial statements Slim Thug had made regarding treatment of black men by black and white women saying "it’s hard to find [a successful black man] so Black women have to bow down and let it be known that they gotta start working hard; they gotta start cooking and being down for they man more. ...White women treat they man like a king."

The article stirred many varied reactions from bloggers and online commentators. Cultural critic and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill, singers Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods, and Talib Kweli have all responded publicly to his comments.

Discography

;Studio albums

2005: ''Already Platinum''

2009: ''Boss of All Bosses''

2010: ''Tha Thug Show''

Awards and Nominations

MTV Video Music Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Still Tippin'"
align=center	"Check On It"

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:E1 Music artists

cs:Slim Thug de:Slim Thug es:Slim Thug fr:Slim Thug it:Slim Thug nl:Slim Thug no:Slim Thug pl:Slim Thug pt:Slim Thug fi:Slim Thug sv:Slim Thug

Image name	Alan Grayson high res.jpg
name	Alan Grayson
state	Florida
district	8th
term start	January 3, 2009
term end	January 3, 2011
preceded	Ric Keller
succeeded	Daniel Webster
party	Democratic Party
birth date	March 13, 1958
birth place	New York City, New York
alma mater	Harvard College (A.B.)Harvard Kennedy School (M.P.P.)Harvard Law School (J.D.)
profession	Attorney
residence	Orlando, Florida
spouse	Lolita Grayson
website	www.graysonforcongress.com
religion	Judaism

Alan Mark Grayson (born March 13, 1958) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

The district includes just over half of Orlando, including Downtown, Winter Park, significant portions of unincorporated Orange County, as well as Celebration, Walt Disney World and parts of Lake County, Marion County and Ocala. Grayson was defeated for re-election in 2010 by Republican Daniel Webster.

Early life and education

Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science in 1975 and worked his way through Harvard College as a janitor and nightwatchman, graduating with an A.B. ''summa cum laude'' in economics in 1978. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was in the top 1% of his class. He returned to Harvard for graduate studies. In 1983, he earned a J.D. ''magna cum laude'' from Harvard Law School and Masters of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, he completed the course work and passed the general exams for a Ph.D. in government.

Grayson wrote his masters thesis on gerontology and in 1986, he helped found the non-profit Alliance for Aging Research (AAR) in Washington, D.C., and served as an officer of the organization for more than twenty years.

Law career

Grayson was employed as a law clerk at the Colorado Supreme Court in 1983, and at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals from 1984 to 1985, where he worked with judges Abner Mikva, Robert Bork, and two judges who later joined the U.S. Supreme Court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. He was an associate at the Washington D.C. firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson for five years, where he specialized in contract law.

In 1991 he founded the law firm Grayson, Kubli which concentrated on government contract law. He was a lecturer at the George Washington University government contracts program and a frequent speaker on the topic. In the 2000s, he worked as a plaintiffs' attorney specializing in whistleblower fraud cases aimed at Iraq war contractors. One contractor, Custer Battles, employed individuals who were found guilty of making fraudulent statements and submitting fraudulent invoices on two contracts in 2003 the company had with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. On behalf of his clients, Grayson filed suit under the False Claims Act and its ''qui tam'' provisions. The jury verdict was more than $13 million, which was upheld on appeal in April 2009. The case remains the only successful prosecution of those who profited illegally from the war in Iraq. The Iraq war contractor fraud case brought Grayson his first national attention. In 2006, a ''Wall Street Journal'' reporter described Grayson as "waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq" and as a "fierce critic of the war in Iraq" whose car displayed bumper stickers such as "Bush lied, people died".

President of IDT Corp.

Grayson made his fortune as the first president of IDT Corporation (International Discount Telecom), which pioneered competition and discount pricing in the long-distance telecommunications industry and became a $2-billion-a-year Fortune 1000 company.

U.S. House of Representatives

Grayson is considered a progressive Democrat and he represented a district that was historically Republican. He supported Barack Obama in 2008. He was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which he was vice-chairman.

Committee assignments

Committee on Financial Services

*Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises

Committee on Science and Technology

*Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

*Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Legislation head sponsored by Grayson

Pay For Performance Act (H.R. 1664)

Public Option Act (H.R. 4789)

War Is Making You Poor Act (H.R. 5353)

Shareholder Protection Act (H.R. 4790)

Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (H.R. 2564)

Political positions

Federal Reserve transparency

During his first term in office, Grayson supported Ron Paul's Audit the Fed legislation. Grayson gained attention for exchanges with Federal Reserve System Vice Chairman Donald Kohn and Inspector General Elizabeth A. Coleman. The 5-minute examination of Coleman in the House Financial Services Committee was posted on the Congressman's official YouTube page. As of December 2010, it has been viewed more than 3.4 million times.

In March 2009, following the AIG bonus payments controversy, Grayson joined with fellow freshman Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut to introduce the Grayson-Himes Pay for Performance Act, legislation to require that all bonuses paid by companies that had received funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 be "based on performance". The bill was co-sponsored by eight other members of the House. On March 26, the bill was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 38-22 and on April 1, the bill was passed by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 247-171.

Grayson was a co-sponsor of the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009, which would provide additional provisions to audit the Federal Reserve, including removing several key exemptions.

Economic stimulus

Grayson made it a priority to increase the amount of federal money coming back to the 8th Congressional District. He often said that people in the 8th District have been "exporting taxes and importing debt." During his first year in office, the amount of federal grant dollars returning to the district nearly doubled (98% increase). The Congressman established a grant notification system. The system notifies subscribers immediately when a federal grant opportunity in their areas of interest becomes available. He also hired a full-time grants coordinator, who focused solely on helping people navigate the federal grants process.

Congressman Grayson twice broke ranks with Democratic leadership and joined Republicans to oppose the raising of the federal debt limit (Roll no. 46, 2/4/10, Roll no. 988 12/16/09). He said at the time of the February vote, "We need to live within our means. We need to eliminate wasteful spending. If we did those two simple things, we would not need to raise the debt limit."

Grayson supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and has been outspoken in favor of extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have lost their jobs. The Congressman argues that the government has never cut off unemployment insurance when the unemployment rate was higher than eight percent. Grayson also voted for the FDA Oversight of Tobacco Products, which gives the FDA power to regulate tobacco products.

On a September 2009 ''Alex Jones Show'' segment, Grayson criticized Federal Reserve Chair Bernanke's senior adviser Linda Robertson, saying "Here I am the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist, this lobbyist, this K-Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics!" Robertson had previously worked as a lobbyist for Enron. Grayson's language was widely criticized as inappropriate, and Grayson apologized.

Health care reform

In response to Republican arguments that the Obama administration's preferred health care bill was too long and complicated, Grayson on March 9, 2010, introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act (sometimes called the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act), a short four-page bill which would allow all citizens and permanent residents of the United States to buy into the public Medicare program at cost. The bill immediately attracted high praise from the progressive blogosphere, and even critics of public health care plans conceded its "nearly irresistible" simplicity. The bill attracted 82 co-sponsors and was referred to the Ways and Means Committee.

Grayson later voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. He voted in support of Eliminating Adjustments of Medicare Rates of Payment. He also voted against Republican substitutes for the health care amendment and insurance law amendments.

Civil rights

Grayson voted in support of the Hate Crimes Expansion Act, which expands the definition of hate crimes and strengthens enforcement of hate crime laws. He also voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Grayson supported the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that allows victims of wage discrimination to sue for punitive damages.

Environment

Grayson voted for the House's 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act (also known as the Cap and Trade Bill). A main reason he supported it was the promise from the White House and the Speaker of the House for a $50 million "Hurricane Research Center" in Central Florida, paid for with research dollars set aside in the bill. Grayson noted after the passage of the ACES Act his concern about our dependence on foreign oil, the need to promote green technologies and renewable energy sources, and the job creation from the bill (an estimated 95,000 jobs in Florida). "This bill unleashes American ingenuity to solve the energy crisis. It lets us solve our problems by being Americans and thinking our way out of it. We will become an international energy power," he said in a news release.

The BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected Florida's number one industry, which is tourism. The lack of a relief well prevented company officials from shutting down the leak immediately. Instead, it took months to drill a new relief well, while millions of gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf each week. In response, Grayson introduced the Emergency Relief Well Act (H.R. 5666). It requires that an emergency relief well be drilled at the same time as any new exploratory well.

Defense

Congressman Grayson has been an outspoken critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In May 2010, he introduced the "War Is Making You Poor Act" (H.R. 5353). The bill requires the President to fund the wars from the Department of Defense's FY '11 base budget of $550 billion. It uses the $159 billion in "supplemental funding" to eliminate federal income taxes for everyone's first $35,000 a year. The bill does not necessitate an end to the wars or mandate a cut-off date. In addition to the tax cuts, the bill cuts the federal deficit by $15.9 billion.

The Congressman has tried to combat wasteful spending by government defense contractors by introducing his "Gold Plating Amendment." The amendment requires that cost or price account for half of the evaluation of bids for defense contracts. The law at the time allowed for cost to account for only one percent of the evaluation. The amendment passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2647) in June 2009. However, the language was stripped from the final bill during the conference committee between Senate and House leaders. Congressman Grayson worked successfully to get the amendment inserted into the IMPROVE Acquisition Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 28, 2010.

Grayson voted for the 2009-2010 Defense Appropriations, which authorizes $681 billion of appropriations for the Department of Defense. He also supported the 2009-2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Authorizations, which provided $46.18 billion in appropriations for 2009-2010.

Combating Federal Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

Grayson has worked to combat federal waste, fraud, and abuse. In the September 6, 2009 edition of The New York Times, columnist Gretchen Morgenson thanked Congressman Grayson for uncovering the fact that, due to the federal bailout of mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae, taxpayer money had been funding the legal defense fees for former top executives at the institution. Grayson requested information about these legal costs after a June 2009 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. The Congressman’s work uncovered that, between September 6, 2008 and July 21, 2009, taxpayers spent $6.3 million defending Fannie Mae executives Franklin Raines, J. Timothy Howard, and Leanne Spencer. Taxpayers paid an additional $16.8 million to cover legal expenses of workers at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Fannie’s former regulator.

In September 2009, Congressman Grayson used a parliamentary maneuver called an “extension of remarks” to provide crucial instruction on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, a bill that, among other things, included a provision that prohibited funding for ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). Grayson’s extension of remarks directed that the legislation defund ''any'' organization that cheats the federal government, not just ACORN. The defunding measure passed the House with a final vote of 253-171. Grayson also encouraged the public to report companies covered by the bill and set up a method to report offending companies via his Congressional web site.

“Teach the Constitution Week”

On September 14, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Grayson’s “Teach the Constitution Week” resolution (H.Res. 686). The bill urged high schools to spend one week each September teaching the United States Constitution to high school seniors and also encouraged students to petition the government on an issue of personal importance to them to demonstrate their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States. The non-partisan resolution was passed by a voice vote and featured 222 co-sponsors.

New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act

On the 40th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Grayson’s New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 (H.R. 2245). The bill asked the President to present Congress’s highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins, as well as John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Only about 200 medals have ever been awarded in the country’s history. The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 passed the House unanimously on July 20, 2009.

Controversial public remarks

Grayson quickly gained a reputation as an elected official who was "not shy about his opinions." He was unrestrained in his criticism of right-wing positions, politicians, and pundits, particularly those employed by and/or frequently appearing on Fox News Channel. His sharp characterizations in public remarks earned him national attention both positive and negative.

Health care

In September 2009, during the debates leading to the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act by the House in November, Grayson summed up the "Republican health care plan" as "'Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.'" His remarks were widely condemned by Republican politicians but, according to Grayson, were well received by his constituents. Grayson reported that his comments resulted in over 5,000 campaign contributions and that the positive emails he received outnumbered the negative ones by a four-to-one margin; the comments also generated funds from the Democratic National Committee towards his upcoming 2010 campaign race. Grayson raised $347,000 for his reelection campaign during the third quarter, much of it attributed to his remarks.

He defended his comment and in a House Floor speech stated, “I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America." Grayson, who is Jewish by birth, apologized to the Anti-defamation League for those offended by his generic use of "holocaust". He also maintained that Congressional Republicans have failed to offer a feasible plan. In October 2009 he launched www.NamesOfTheDead.com, a website to "memorialize Americans who die because they don’t have health insurance." He subsequently read stories of the dead submitted through the ''Names of the Dead'' site on the House floor.

Political campaigns

Grayson is the second Democrat to represent this district since its formation after the 1970 census (it was the 5th District from 1973 to 1993 and has been the 8th District since 1993). The only other Democrat to represent this district, Bill Gunter, gave it up after only one term to run for the United States Senate in 1974.

2006

In 2006, Grayson first entered into electoral politics, losing the 2006 Democratic primary for Florida's 8th Congressional District to Charlie Stuart, a prominent local businessman and center-right Democrat. Stuart went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Congressman Ric Keller. In late 2007, Grayson announced that he would run again for the 8th District seat, and again faced Stuart in the primary. During the primary, his campaign retained the services of Bill Hillsman.

2008

In the August 26, 2008 Democratic primary, Grayson prevailed, receiving 48.5% of the vote. Stuart trailed with 27.5%, with three other candidates splitting the remaining 24%. During the general election campaign, Grayson maintained a consistent lead over Keller, who had barely eked out renomination in the Republican primary over attorney Todd Long. On Election Day, Grayson received 172,854 votes, or 52%, to Keller's 159,490 votes, or 48%. Although Keller won three out of four counties in the district, Grayson won by a margin of 55% to 45% in Orange County, home to Orlando and by far the largest county in the district. Grayson was also helped by a massive voter registration drive by the Democratic Party in the 8th District that gave Democrats a slight edge in registered voters.

2010

Grayson was challenged by Republican nominee Daniel Webster, Florida TEA Party nominee Peg Dunmire, Independent candidate George Metcalfe, and write-in Florida Whig Party candidate Steve Gerritzen.

Grayson ran a September 2010, commercial calling Webster a "draft-dodger," (Webster had received student deferments and a draft classification as medically unfit for service), and a later 30-second commercial calling Webster "Taliban Dan" and warning viewers that "Religious fanatics try to take away our freedom, in Afghanistan, in Iran and right here in Central Florida." Grayson's ads were criticized for editing video mid-sentence to make Webster appear to be saying things he did not say. Grayson released a toned-down version without the edited video or Taliban references in early October.

Grayson was targeted by conservatives and conservative groups in commercials and the media, and on the Internet. On Glenn Beck's radio show, Sarah Palin agreed with a co-host's remark, "It’s okay if the Republicans lose every seat in the Senate and the House except for one. As long as that one is Alan Grayson losing." Conservative Newsweek columnist George Will called Grayson "America's worst politician." Grayson was also heavily targeted in attack ads funded by groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the 60 Plus Association. The Chamber of Commerce ads were in turn criticized by Grayson and his supporters as "deeply dishonest".

Grayson was endorsed by 8th District resident, former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (D-CO), who characterized Webster as having "13th-century views" on women's issues. Former DNC Chair and Vermont governor Howard Dean called Grayson a "healthcare hero." Grayson received more votes for "progressive hero" from Democracy for America than any other candidate in the country. Moveon.org, in an appeal to its members, termed Grayson "a populist hero who's never afraid to call out the pernicious corporate influence in Washington."

Grayson conceded the race on the evening of November 2 after Webster showed a clear lead. Election results were: Grayson 38% Webster 56%

2012

On the evening of July 11, 2011, Grayson announced in an e-mail to supporters and via Daily Kos that he planned to run once again for Congress.

Personal life

Grayson was ranked as the 11th-wealthiest member of Congress in 2010, based on financial disclosure forms with a minimum net worth of $31.41 million, according to ''Roll Call''. Grayson disclosed that his attorney fees and costs for the war contractor case had exceeded $4 million.

While pursuing the whistleblower cases, Grayson worked from a home office in Orlando, where he lives with his wife and five children.

References

External links

Alan Grayson for U.S. Congress ''official campaign site''

Alan Grayson: "Bipartisanship Has Become Code Word for Appeasement" - video report by ''Democracy Now!''

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:American businesspeople Category:American health activists Category:The Bronx High School of Science alumni Category:Florida Democrats Category:Florida lawyers Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Category:John F. Kennedy School of Government alumni Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Category:Whistleblowing

de:Alan Grayson he:אלן גרייסון pl:Alan Grayson sh:Alan Grayson sv:Alan Grayson

name	Đorđe Balašević
background	solo_singer
birth date	May 11, 1953
birth place	Novi Sad, SR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
origin	Novi Sad, Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia)
genre	Pop rock, rock, chanson, folk rock
occupation	Singer, songwriter
instrument	Vocals, guitar
years active	1977–present
label	ZKP RTLJ, Jugoton, PGP-RTB, Diskoton, UFA Media, Hi-Fi Centar, Salayka
associated acts	Žetva, Rani Mraz }}

Đorđe Balašević (Serbian Cyrillic: Ђорђе Балашевић, born May 11, 1953 in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, then Yugoslavia) is a prominent Serbian singer-songwriter. Balašević started his career in the 1977 as a member of the pop rock band Žetva, before leaving to form the pop rock band Rani Mraz. After releasing two albums, Rani Mraz disbanded, and Balašević started a successful solo career, spanning up to the present. While initially performing pop rock, in his later career he often used elements of rock, chanson and folk music, while his lyrics often dealt with romantic, humorous or political- and social-related themes.

Early biography

Balašević was born to a Serbian father, Jovan Balašević, and to Veronika Dolenec, half Hungarian, half Croatian from Rasinja near Koprivnica, Croatia. He has a sister, Jasna. His grandfather's surname was Balašev, but in 1941 the grandfather changed it to Balašević in order to avoid magyarization.

The younger Balašević grew up in Jovana Cvijića street in Novi Sad, in the same house where he currently lives with his three children and his wife Olivera (born Savić in Zrenjanin on April 29, 1959), who was a ballerina and a member of gymnastics national team. He started writing poetry in primary school. He left high school in the third year (because, in his words, he hated subjects like mathematics, physics and chemistry) but managed to get a high school diploma as part-time student and passed the preliminary exam for the university study of geography. He never graduated from the university, but instead joined the band Žetva (''Harvest'') in 1977.

Musical career

Early career: Žetva and Rani Mraz

After Balašević joined the group, Žetva recorded a tango-oriented humororus hit single "U razdeljak te ljubim" ("I Lay a Kiss on Your Parting"), which was sold in more than 180,000 copies.

In 1978, he left Žetva and together with Verica Todorović formed the band Rani Mraz (''Early Frost''). The band had its début at the 1978 music festival in Opatija with the song "Moja prva ljubav" ("My First Love"). Rani Mraz had unsteady lineup and numerous changes in it, managing, however, to gain huge popularity with Balašević's pop rock-oriented songs released on 7" singles. During the same year, former Suncokret members Biljana Krstić and Bora Đorđević joined the band (forming the most famous Rani Mraz lineup), and together they recorded "Računajte na nas" ("Count on Us") (written by Balašević), a song celebrating the young generation's adoption of the communist revolution. The song became popular with both the communist authorities and the people, becoming an anthem of the Yugoslav youth.

After just few months of cooperation, Verica Todorović and Bora Đorđević left the band (Đorđević forming his famous hard rock band Riblja Čorba), so Biljana Krstić and Balašević recorded Rani Mraz's first album ''Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu'' (''To my Mom instead of Prom Photo in the Shop-Window'') on their own with the help of studio musicians.

At the 1979 Split music festival Balašević won the first prize with the single "Panonski mornar" ("Pannonian Sailor"). A few months later, Rani Mraz sold out Belgrade's Dom Sindikata Hall eight times in a row. In 1980, Balašević served in the Yugoslav People's Army in Zagreb and Požarevac, where he had a role in the TV show ''Vojnici'' (''Soldiers''), but also found time to write song "Zbog tebe" ("Because of You") for Zdravko Čolić and lyrics for several songs recorded on Srebrna Krila album ''Ja sam samo jedan od mnogih s gitarom'' (''I'm only One of Many with a Guitar'').

By the end of 1980, Balašević and Krstić released their second and final album under the name Rani Mraz, with a symbolic title ''Odlazi cirkus'' (''The Circus Is Leaving'') The album reaffirmed Balašević's status and delivered several hit songs, one of them being "Priča o Vasi Ladačkom" ("Story of Vasa Ladački") which went on to become one of Balašević's signature songs. However, Rani Mraz officially dissolved shortly afterwards.

Solo career

Early solo career

He started his solo career in 1982 with the album ''Pub'' (''Jack'') which was well received. Shortly after he had a role in the TV series ''Pop Ćira i pop Spira'' recorded after Stevan Sremac's novel of the same title. During the following 1982/1983 tour he sold out Belgrade's Sava Center hall for the first time. His Sava Center concerts would become his trademark in years to follow. The next two albums ''Celovečernji the Kid'' (''Wholeevening The Kid''), released in 1983 and ''003'', released in 1985 followed the same path of success and Balašević established himself as respectable singer-songwriter.

Late 1980s

The next album, ''Bezdan'' (''Abyss''), released in 1986, was a milestone in Balašević's career. The record was produced by Đorđe Petrović and arrangement was done by Aleksandar Dujin. Those two would be the key associates of Balašević for the next 20 years and substantially influence his work. They became the backbone of Balašević's supporting band The Unfuckables (although this is just a nickname, as he performs under his own name and the support band is never billed) and a part of his stage appearance.

The next album was his first live album ''U tvojim molitvama - Balade'' (''In Your Prayers - Ballads''). The album was recorded during his concerts in Zetra hall in Sarajevo, Ledena dvorana and Šalata in Zagreb, Sava Centar in Belgrade and Studio M in Novi Sad in 1986 and 1987. Apart from his well-known previous songs, the album featured a previously unrecorded track "Samo da rata ne bude" ("Just Let There be no War"). The song features a large children's choir which, together with lyrics warning about the war (which indeed will start three years later), delivers a hymn of pacifists throughout, then still existing, SFR Yugoslavia.

The same sensation of imminent disaster predominates his next album ''Panta Rei'' released in 1988. The song "Requiem" was dedicated to late Josip Broz Tito, while satire "Soliter" caricatures Yugoslavia as a high-rise in which only façade still holds while foundations slide.

The guitarist Elvis Stanić took part in recording of the album ''Tri posleratna druga'' (''Three Afterwar Friends'') in 1989, and the violin and saxophone player Josip "Kiki" Kovač joined The Unfuckables on the album ''Marim ja...'' (''I do care...'') released in 1991.

War years and after

As the Yugoslav wars began, Balašević withdrew to isolation. He was forced to stop collaborating with Croatian artists such as Elvis Stanić and his tempo of one album per year was disrupted. His next album ''Jedan od onih života...'' (''One of Those Lives...'') released in 1993 featured songs such as "Krivi smo mi" ("It's Our Fault") and "Čovek sa mesecom u očima" ("The Man with the Moon in the Eyes") which heavily criticised and denounced the ongoing war.

After a long pause, he issued ''Na posletku...'' (''After all...'') in 1996. The change in sentiment was obvious: ''Na posletku...'' was mostly folk rock-oriented. Nearly all instruments on this album are acoustic, the violin becomes dominant and woodwind instruments are heavily used.

During the 1990s Balašević engaged in broad criticism of the current political situation in Serbia, Slobodan Milošević and the Socialist Party of Serbia. ''Devedesete'' (''Nineties''), released in 2000, was his most politically involved album. Balašević openly made fun of Milošević with the song "Legenda o Gedi Gluperdi" ("The Legend of Geda the Stupid"), criticized police officers who defended the corrupt system by confronting demonstrating youth in "Plava balada" ("The Blue Ballad"), looked back to the 1990s with disgust in the title song "Devedesete", supplied young demonstrators with an anthem "Živeti slobodno" ("To Live Freely"), reaching out to his lost friends in Croatia and Bosnia with "Sevdalinka", but still preserving patriotism with "Dok gori nebo nad Novim Sadom" ("While the Sky is Burning Above Novi Sad"), a song about the 1999 NATO bombing of Novi Sad. This album clearly marked the atmosphere in Serbia in the year when Slobodan Milošević lost power.

After this open engagement in politics, he returned to romance. The album ''Dnevnik starog momka'' (''Diary of an Old Bachelor'') released in 2001 comprises 12 songs, each having a female name as its title, and each addressing a different girl. Balašević repeatedly stated that the girls and songs are pure fiction, and the song titles form the acrostic "Olja je najbolja" ("Olja is the Best"), Olja being the nickname of his wife Olivera Balašević.

His latest album ''Rani mraz'' released in 2004 follows the folk rock style developed on ''Na posletku...''. The album's subtitle was ''Priča o Vasi Ladačkom.../Muzika iz nesnimljenog filma'' (''Story of Vasa Ladački.../Music from the Film that was not Filmed'') referring to Rani Mraz 1980 ballad Priča o Vasi Ladačkom which went on to become one of Balašević's signature pieces, and to the film which should have been based on the song and filmed by Balašević and actor and film director Ljubiša Samardžić (the disagreement between Balašević and Samardžić led to two films based on the same story: Samardžić's entitled ''Jesen stiže, dunjo moja'', released in 2004, and Balašević's ''Kao rani mraz'', released in 2010).

Concerts

His concerts are known to last for more than four hours at a time, are almost always sold out, and his fans are extremely faithful to his work and his performances.

Apart from his very large opus and loyal fans, he has a custom of making long pauses between songs and commenting on current events. Therefore his concerts are more of a cabaret than pop concerts in the common sense of the word.

His first concert in Zagreb after the war (in Ledena dvorana hall, capacity 10,000 people) on December 13, 2002, was sold out three months in advance, so another one had to be scheduled for the next day. That one was also sold out, an achievement rarely seen in Zagreb.

His traditional New Year's concerts in "Sava Center" hall in Belgrade (capacity 3,672 seats) are traditionally sold out too. He sold out "Sava Center" for the first time in the 1982/1983 season, started his regular New Year's concerts in 1986 and in the 1990s and 2000s he was performing up to 11 evenings in a row (4 concerts in a row in 1993/1994 , 10 in 1996/1997 , 9 in 1997/1998 , 7 in 1998/1999 , 11 in 2001/2002)

Fans

During the rise of the Internet in the 1990s, Balašević fans formed two Internet fan clubs named Balasevic Fan Klub and (ne)normalni balaševićevci. The latter club went so far to form a tribute band called (Ne)normalni bend which at first played at meetings of club members, but as of 2006 tours Serbia and sometimes other countries playing Balašević's songs.

He has a particularly large group of fans in parts of former Yugoslavia other than Serbia, so he frequently tours Slovenia and Croatia. Although there is a number of his older fans who were "infected" during 1980s, most of his fans are "younger than some of his songs" as he likes to say and were recruited during the war. During war years he was not welcome in Croatia because of his Serbian descent and residence, but his concerts in the Slovenian cities of Ljubljana and Maribor were attended by large groups of (mostly younger) Croatians, who often outnumbered Slovenians. His war-time concerts (like the one on April 2, 2000, in Budapest were attended by both Croats and Serbs from all parts of each of the two countries ).

At that time, a small group of people from Split (calling themselves Optimists) became famous for traveling large distances to attend his concerts as he couldn't perform in their town. They became a symbol for the devotion of Balašević's fans. Balašević finally performed in Split on December 16, 2004.

Politics

Since one of his first songs "Računajte na nas", Balašević has been politically involved. Together with another early single "Tri put sam video Tita" ("I Saw Tito Three Times"), these songs summed up his early political position: pan-southslavic, patriotism and Titoism, although he sometimes confronted with hard line conservatives for playing rock music which was perceived as western influence.

During the second half of the 1980s, new feelings started to emerge from his songs. Bitterness and depression (culminating in the songs "1987" and "Samo da rata ne bude" released in 1987 and with the album ''Panta Rei'' released in 1989) were harbingers of the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia which ensued in the first half of the 1990s. His songs and stage speeches began showing disillusionment and sadness over the fact that bloodshed was possible in the Yugoslavia he once admired. He summed up that overall feeling in a sentence of his book ''Tri posleratna druga'': "While we were growing up, the biggest insult for us was when dark emigrant forces called our homeland an unnatural, artificial creation. When we grew up, the biggest insult for us was when we realised that was true." He openly criticized the negative and destructive aspects produced by the changes in the political and economic systems, and the Serbian, Croatian and Slovene nationalism.

In the ensuing war years, Balašević had some serious problems with the regime of Slobodan Milošević because he refused to join the army and openly stated his opposition to the regime. At his concerts he often criticized and made fun of Milošević and other Serbian politicians. The pressure on him escalated after 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, when his family fled to Maribor, Slovenia, but he remained in their family house in Novi Sad so that he could not be accused of fleeing the city in the times of trouble.

In 2000, he took part in demonstrations during and following the downfall of Slobodan Milošević.

In 1996, he became the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador for his antiwar statements during the Yugoslav wars and held the first postwar concert in Sarajevo as the first Serbian artist visiting war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Controversy

Being actively involved in commenting society and being such a high-profile celebrity in countries of former Yugoslavia, it was easy for Balašević to become controversial.

In 1991, when Croatia and Slovenia were on the verge of declaring independence from SFRY, he performed a song named "Bluz za braću Slovence" (trans. "Blues for Slovenian Brothers") where he openly criticised Slovenes for their plans to secede from Yugoslavia, going so far as to even make fun of them. Later he apologised for that song and his family even lived in Maribor for some time.

Some critics state that in his song "Ne lomite mi bagrenje" ("Don't Break my Locusts") released on his 1986 album ''Bezdan'' he was metaphorically speaking against Albanian terror over Serbs in the conflict on Kosovo. Balašević later explained, "It is not a song about ethnicities, but rather about good and evil, and I don't regret anything. I called Evil by its full name even when others praised it. [referring to Milošević regime]". Later, in late 1990s, he stated, "I didn't know Serbs would become Shiptars to Shiptars. That turned around. We are the ones who break locusts now, but I can't take the blame for that".

In 2006, after Montenegro declared independence from The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Balašević's letter to Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović in which Balašević congratulates Đukanović on the independence of Montenegro was published in Blic.

Personal life

Balašević currently lives in Novi Sad, in the same house where he grew up, with his three children and his wife Olivera (born Savić in Zrenjanin), who was a ballerina and a member of gymnastics national team.

Legacy

The 1998 book ''YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike'' (''YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music'') features two Đorđe Balašević solo albums, ''Bezdan'' (ranked #25) and ''Pub'' (ranked #66), and one he released with Rani Mraz, ''Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu'' (ranked #44).

On the 2006 B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list the song "Priča o Vasi Ladačkom" was polled #13. Although originally released by Rani Mraz, on the list the song is credited to Balašević only.

In 2007, twenty-one bands from Balašević's native Novi Sad, including Zbogom Brus Li, Pero Defformero, Super S Karamelom and others, recorded a tribute album to Balašević entitled ''Neki noviji klinci i...''.

Discography

With Žetva

Singles

"U razdeljak te ljubim" / "Srce mi je kao ratar" (1977)

With Rani Mraz

Studio albums

''Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu'' (1979)

''Odlazi cirkus'' (1980)

Singles

"Moja prva ljubav" / "Kristifore crni sine..." (1978)

"Računajte na nas" / "Strašan žulj" (1978)

"Oprosti mi Katrin" / "Život je more" (1978)

"Panonski mornar" / "Moja draga sad je u Japanu" (1979)

"Lagana stvar" / "Prvi januar (popodne)" (1979)

"Tri puta sam video Tita" / Tri puta sam video Tita - instrumental" (1981)

Solo

Studio albums

''Pub'' (1982)

''Celovečernji The Kid'' (1983)

''003'' (1985)

''Bezdan'' (1986)

''Panta Rei'' (1988)

''Tri posleratna druga'' (1989)

''Marim ja...'' (1991)

''Jedan od onih života...'' (1993)

''Na posletku...'' (1996)

''Devedesete'' (2000)

''Dnevnik starog momka'' (2001)

''Rani mraz'' (2004)

Live albums

''U tvojim molitvama - Balade'' (1987)

''Da l' je sve bilo samo fol?'' (1997)

Compilations

''Najveći hitovi'' (1991)

''The Best Of Vol. 2 (87 - 92)'' (1993)

''Ostaće okrugli trag na mestu šatre'' (2003)

Singles

"Ljubio sam snašu na salašu i druge priče" (1978)

"Hej čarobnjaci svi su vam đaci" / "Hej čarobnjaci svi su vam đaci - instrumental" (1982)

"1987." / "Poluuspavanka" (1987)

Tribute albums

''Neki noviji klinci i...'' (2007)

Books

''Računajte na nas'' - book of poems

''I život ide dalje'' - collection of columns

''Jedan od onih života'' - novel

''Dodir svile'' (1998) - book of poems

''Tri posleratna druga'' - novel

''...i od dva-tri akorda (jer ni ne umem bolje ja...)'' - book of poems

''Kao rani mraz'' - screenplay for movie

References

http://www.oaza.rs/muzika/djole/tekstovi/pesme_d_levo.htm

http://www.balasevic.net/izdanja/albumi.htm

External links

Balasevic blog Balašević best blog Balasevic.com Balašević Internet fan club Balasevic.net (ne)normalni balasevicevci Balasevic akordi i tekstovi Balasevic akordi i tekstovi Balasevic.info www.balasevic.info Cuspajz.com Đorđe Balašević song lyrics Đorđe Balašević & Panonska mornarica, photo gallery Osijek 28.11.2010.

Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:People from Novi Sad Category:Serbian male singers Category:Serbian rock singers Category:Serbian singer-songwriters Category:Serbian writers Category:Serbian novelists Category:Serbian poets Category:Yugoslav musicians Category:United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassadors

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