Saturday, December 15, 2007

Members of the Judiciary Committee: How They Voted and Quick Profiles

House Judiciary Committee: Haven't they already voted for impeachment?

Full list of members of House and How They Voted: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1037.xml

Note: a "Yes" vote is a vote against consideration of Kucinich's impeachment resolution, and thus, it is a vote AGAINST impeachment. 162 members voted "Yes" (135 D, 27 R) and 251 voted "NO" (86 D, 165 R), while 19 did not vote (11 D, 8 R). Of members of the House Judiciary Committee, the vote was 29-11 in favor of impeachment.

The bill is apparently now in the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, a subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee. These members are red in their entries below. These voted 10-3 in favor of impeachment.

For purposes of analysis of the list below, of 540 members of Congress, including nonvoting delegates, there are 90 women, 43 African-Americans, 30 Latinos, six Asians, five Arab-Americans, three (or four?) gays, 5 Christian Scientists, 11 Mormons, 43 Jews, one Muslim, two Buddhists, one atheist, and possibly one Scientologist.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee, by party, vote on tabling H Res 799, "Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors" (full bill text at link) and geographical area:

Democrats-

YES (against impeachment): (9)
Northeast: Delahunt (MA-10), Nadler (NY-8)
Midwest:
South: Boucher (VA-9), Wasserman Schultz (FL-20), Davis (AL-7)
West: Lofgren (CA-16), Berman (CA-28), Schiff (CA-29), Sánchez (CA-39)

NO (for impeachment): (14)
Northeast: Weiner (NY-9)
Midwest: Sutton (OH-13), Conyers (MI-14), Gutiérrez (IL-4), Baldwin (WI-2), Ellison (MN-5)
South: Scott (VA-3), Watt (NC-12), Johnson (GA-4), Wexler (FL-19), Cohen (TN-9), Jackson Lee (TX-18)
West: Sherman (CA-27), Waters (CA-35)

Republicans-

YES (against impeachment): (2)
Northeast:
Midwest: Chabot (OH-1)
South:
Coble (NC-6)
West:

NO (for impeachment): (15)
Northeast:
Midwest: Jordan (OH-4), Pence (IN-6), Sensenbrenner (WI-5), King (IA-5)
South: Forbes (VA-4), Goodlatte (VA-6), Keller (FL-8), Feeney (FL-24), Gohmert (TX-1), Smith (TX-21)
West: Cannon (UT-3), Franks (AZ-2), Lungren (CA-3), Gallegly (CA-24), Issa (CA-49)

District and Member info: Complete Wikipedia Congress Members List

Democrats YES (against impeachment):

Bill Delahunt (MA-10) elected 1996: South Boston suburbs, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard. Washington house shared with fellow members of Congress George Miller, Chuck Schumer, and Dick Durbin.

Jerrold Nadler (NY-8) elected 1992: Lower Manhattan (including World Trade Center), Upper West Side, part of Brooklyn. Jewish. Nadler is chairman of the
Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. This committee is in charge of the bill at the current time.

Rick Boucher (VA-9) elected 1982: Southwestern Virginia. Major university in district (Virginia Tech).

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) elected 2004: Western and southern suburbs of Fort Lauderdale (northern Miami metropolitan area). Jewish. Campaign co-chair for Hillary Clinton. Younger (born 1966).

Artur Davis (AL-7) elected 2002: Tuscaloosa, Selma. District is 62% African-American. Major university in district (U. of Alabama). Former civil rights lawyer. African-American. Endorsed Barack Obama for president.

Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) elected 1994: San Jose (not Silicon Valley area). District is 38% Latino. Worked on attempted Nixon impeachment as aide to Rep. Don Edwards.

Howard Berman (CA-28) elected 1982: Los Angeles eastern San Fernando Valley (The Valley), part of Hollywood area. District is 56% Latino. Jewish. Voted for war in Iraq.

Adam Schiff (CA-29) elected 2000: Los Angeles suburbs, Pasadena, Glendale. District is 26% Latino and 24% Asian. University in district (Caltech, low enrollment). Jewish. A "Blue Dog" conservative Democrat.

Linda Sánchez (CA-39) elected 2002: Southern Los Angeles County suburbs. District is 61% Latino. Latino. Younger (born 1969).

Democrats NO (for impeachment):

Anthony Weiner (NY-9) elected 1998: Southern Queens. District is 15% Asian and 14% Latino, but is one of the whiter districts in New York City. Jewish. Succeeded Chuck Schumer in Congress. Former housemate of Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

Betty Sutton (OH-13) elected 2006: west and south suburbs of Cleveland, Akron city. Younger (born 1963).

John Conyers (MI-14) elected 1964: West side of Detroit, Dearborn (35% Arab), south suburbs. District is heavily African-American. Second most senior member of the House (after John Dingell). Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Only remaining Judiciary Committee member to have voted for the impeachment of Richard Nixon in committee and ranked #13 on Nixon's famous Enemies List. Introduced impeachment of Ronald Reagan in 1983 over Grenada invasion. Has called for censure of Bush and Cheney in report: The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retributions and Cover-ups in the Iraq War (full text at link). His wife Monica, as a member of the Detroit City Council, participated in a unanimous vote recommending impeachment of Bush and Cheney on May 16, 2007.

Luís Gutiérrez (IL-4) elected 1992: District is 75% Latino. Latino. Supporter of independence for Puerto Rico.

Tammy Baldwin (WI-2) elected 1998: Madison area, large rural area around it to Illinois border. One of three (four?) gay members of Congress (others are Barney Frank, Larry Craig, possibly David Dreier). Younger (born 1962). Cosponsor of impeachment, as well as H Res 589, impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (no longer in office). Large university in district (U. of Wisconsin)

Keith Ellison (MN-5) elected 2006: Minneapolis city. Large university in district (U. of Minnesota)? African-American. The only Muslim (Sunni) member of Congress. Cosponsor of impeachment resolution.

Bobby Scott (VA-3) elected 1992: Richmond city, rural part to southeast connecting to Norfolk city. District is heavily African-American. African-American and Asian, only Filipino in Congress.

Mel Watt (NC-12) elected 1992: Charlotte city, narrow rural extension to Winston-Salem city. District is 45% African-American. African-American.

Hank Johnson (GA-4) elected 2006: east suburbs of Atlanta. District is heavily African-American. African-American and one of two Buddhist members of Congress, a member of Sōka Gakkai. Replaced Cynthia McKinney, who he narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary. Cosponsor of impeachment resolution.

Robert Wexler (FL-19) elected 1996: Suburbs in Palm Beach County (northern Miami metro area). Jewish. Strong supporter of impeachment.

Steve Cohen (TN-9) elected 2006: City of Memphis. District is majority African-American. Jewish (white). Cosponsor of impeachment resolution.

Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18) elected 1994: City of Houston. District is majority African-American. African-American. Cosponsor of impeachment resolution.

Brad Sherman (CA-27) elected 1996: City of Los Angeles, western San Fernando Valley (The Valley), Sherman Oaks, Burbank. District is 37% Latino and 11% Asian. Jewish.

Maxine Waters (CA-35) elected 1990: City of Los Angeles, south-central. District is 34% African-American, 47% Latino. African-American. Cosponsor of impeachment resolution.

Republicans YES (against impeachment):

Steve Chabot (OH-1) elected 1995: Cincinnati city and west suburbs. "Manager" in Clinton impeachment trial.

Howard Coble (NC-6) elected 1984: Winston-Salem suburbs, large rural area.

Republicans NO (for (!?!) impeachment):

Jim Jordan (OH-4) elected 2006: Lima, Mansfield, Findlay, large rural area. Younger (born 1964).

Mike Pence (IN-6) elected 2000: Anderson, Muncie, Richmond, large rural area. University in district (Ball State). Claimed a Baghdad market he visited with John McCain on a photo-op was "like Indiana in the summertime". After the protective US forces were withdrawn from the area, the bazaar merchants were massacred by insurgents.

Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-5) elected 1978: Milwaukee north and west suburbs. Chairman of Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2006 elections, succeeding Henry Hyde. Introduced USA PATRIOT Act. Somewhat wealthy (net worth $12 million).

Steve King (IA-5): Western third of Iowa. Heavily rural, Omaha suburbs (Council Bluffs). A rabid immigration hard-liner, accusing illegal aliens of drunk driving, drug trafficking, murder, rape, and pedophilia in a Des Moines Register op-ed piece about the May 1 immigrant rallies in 2006. Said Abu Ghraib "amounts to hazing", Iraq "less dangerous than Washington DC".

Randy Forbes (VA-4) elected 2000: Rural southeast Virginia, some Richmond and Norfolk suburbs. Chairman of "Congressional Prayer Caucus" opposing restrictions on prayers led by faculty in public schools.

Bob Goodlatte (VA-6) elected 1992: Roanoke, rural Shenandoah Valley to north. Christian Scientist.

Ric Keller (FL-8) elected 2000. Orlando area (swing district). Younger (born 1964). In February 2007 on the floor of the House, supported withdrawal from Iraq.

Tom Feeney (FL-24) elected 2002. Space Coast area (swing district). Was Florida State Speaker of the House in 2000, supported halting recount. Worked previously in electronic voting machine industry. Implicated in Jack Abramoff scandal.

Louie Gohmert (TX-1) elected 2004: Northeast Texas, Longview, Tyler.

Lamar Smith (TX-21) elected 1986: Central Texas between Austin and San Antonio with suburbs of each. Christian Scientist. Ranking minority (Repulbican) member of Judiciary Committee.

Chris Cannon (UT-3) elected 1996: Provo area. Claimed to be most Republican district in Congress. Mormon. Descendant of George Quayle Cannon, 19th Century Latter Day Saints president and founder of famous Utah political family. University in district (Brigham Young).

Trent Franks (AZ-2) elected 2002: Phoenix suburbs, Lake Havasu City, Hopi Reservation. Former director of Arizona Family Research Institute, a James Dobson-affiliated Christian Right organization. Has 100% rating from the Club for Growth, a hardline corporatist Republican lobbying organization which targets insufficiently conservative Republican members of Congress for elimination in primaries.

Dan Lungren (CA-3) elected 1978 (in Long Beach, left Congress 1989), 2004 (new district): Sacramento suburbs, rural area to Nevada border. Moved here after Long Beach congressional district became too Democratic for him to win.

Elton Gallegly (CA-24) elected 1986: Inland Santa Barbara and Ventura counties including homes of Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson. A swing district. District is 22% Latino.

Darrell Issa (CA-49) elected 2000: Oceanside and Vista in San Diego County, Temecula in Riverside County. Arab-American (father was Orthodox Christian from Lebanon). One of wealthiest members of Congress. Money is self-made from car alarm sales: he is the voice which says "Warning, you are too close, this vehicle protected by Viper." In 1970s, was repeatedly suspected by police of involvement in car thefts. Big supporter of campaign to recall Governor Grey Davis, considered running himself but abruptly withdrew, endorsing Arnold Schwarzenegger. Subject of 2001 assassination attempt by ultra-Zionist Jewish Defense League terrorists. Received campaign donation from Brent Wilkes, who was convicted for bribery of former Rep. Randy Cunningham.