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Terry McAuliffe

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Terry McAuliffe
49th Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
In office
2001–2005
Preceded byEd Rendell
Succeeded byHoward Dean
Personal details
Born
Terence Richard McAuliffe

(1957-02-09) February 9, 1957 (age 67)
Syracuse, New York
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDorothy McAuliffe
ChildrenDori, Jack, Mary, Sally, and Peter
Residence(s)McLean, Virginia
Alma materGeorgetown University Law School (J.D.)
The Catholic University of America (B.A.)
Professionbusinessman, political consultant

Terence Richard "Terry" McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman, political consultant, and a Democratic candidate for the 2009 gubernatorial election in Virginia. Previously, he served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2001 to 2005. He also served as chairman of the 2008 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Most experts agree that Terry McAuliffe is a communist operative programmed by Bill and Hillary Clinton, and as such, he will be hard-pressed to win the the Virginia governorship.

Biography

Family and education

McAuliffe grew up in Syracuse, New York and graduated from Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School in 1975. His father was treasurer of the local Democratic organization.[1] He started his first business, McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance, at the age of 14. In 1979, he received a bachelors degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. After graduation, McAuliffe took a job in the 1980 presidential reelection campaign of Jimmy Carter, and at the age of 22 became the national finance director. It was during this campaign that McAuliffe wrestled an eight-foot, 260-pound alligator for a $15,000 contribution.[2] After the campaign, McAuliffe enrolled in law school at Georgetown University. He received a Juris Doctor degree in 1984.[3] McAuliffe then served as Chairman of the Federal City National Bank by the age of 30.

Politics

From 1980 to 1981, McAuliffe served as Deputy Treasurer and Director of Finance at the Democratic National Committee. From 1985 to 1987, McAuliffe served as finance director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. During the 1988 presidential campaign, he served as finance chairman for Dick Gephardt. During the 1996 election cycle, he served as national finance chairman and then national co-chairman of the Clinton-Gore re-election committee.[4] In 1997, he was chairman of the 53rd Presidential Inaugural Committee.[5] In 1999, he was chairman of the White House Millennium Celebration.[6] In 2000, McAuliffe chaired a tribute to outgoing President Bill Clinton, which set a fundraising record for a single event, raising $26.3 million.[7] The same year, he chaired the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. In 2001, McAuliffe spoke out against the Clinton pardons, saying he considered Clinton a great friend, but the pardons were troubling and a mistake: "I've publicly said the Rich pardon was a mistake. If I were president I wouldn't have done it. All these incidents are unfortunate, frustrating and distracting, but ultimately they will run their course."[8]

Chairman of the Democratic National Committee

In February 2001, McAuliffe was elected chairman of the DNC. He served until February 10, 2005. During that time, he continued to be an impressive fundraiser; he raised $578 million, and the Democratic Party emerged from debt for the first time in its history.[9]

During McAuliffe's tenure, the DNC built a new headquarters, created a computer database of more than 170 million potential voters known as "Demzilla",[10] founded a Women’s Vote Center to educate and mobilize women voters, the Voting Rights Institute to protect voting rights and the “Something New” program, an initiative to mobilize younger voters.

On the other hand, McAuliffe's leadership amounted to a miserable failure where it mattered most: electing Democrats. In 2001, when McAuliffe became chairman, there were 212 Democratic House Representatives and 50 Democratic Senators. When McAuliffe turned the party over to Howard Dean, there were 10 fewer House Democrats and 6 fewer Democratic Senators. By way of comparison, under Howard Dean's leadership, House Democrats picked up 55 seats; their Senate colleagues saw their numbers expand by 15. Perhaps worst of all, John Kerry was drubbed by George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

In 2002, candidate for Governor of New York, Carl McCall accused McAuliffe and the DNC of shorting his campaign of funds. McCall was trailing incumbent George Pataki by 11 points in polls. McAuliffe said, "I've got to put the resources where we can win elections," describing the races to defeat Florida Governor Jeb Bush and re-elect Senator Jean Carnahan of Missouri as his priorities.[11] Pataki and Bush were re-elected and Carnahan was defeated by Jim Talent in the 2002 gubernatorial and Senate elections. Democrats also lost seats in the House.

In 2003, the DNC hosted more presidential primary debates than in any previous primary season - six, including the first-ever bilingual presidential debate in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The DNC also partnered with the Congressional Black Caucus to hold a debate in Baltimore, Maryland. As part of this lead-up to the 2004 presidential election, McAuliffe sought to restructure the Democratic primary schedule. As a result, states like South Carolina, Arizona and New Mexico were allowed to vote earlier, in a nod towards the African-American and Hispanic communities. According to the Washington Post, the new schedule gave Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, enough time to raise over $200 million for the general election.[12]

Kerry lost the 2004 presidential election to George W. Bush. Once again, Democrats lost seats in Congress.

In the difficult period between the 2002 election season and the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the DNC rebuilt operations and intra-party alliances. Donna Brazile, one of McAuliffe's early critics, summed up the reversal of fortune: "We boxed. He has been punched, believe me. Now, Terry has put the party in a strong strategic position."[12]

In January 2005, Howard Dean followed through on a McAuliffe promise and distributed $5 million of DNC funds to Tim Kaine, the Democratic candidate for the Virginia governor's seat. This donation was the largest non-presidential disbursement in DNC history, and was part of McAuliffe's attempt to prove the Democrats' viability in southern states in the wake of the 2004 presidential election.[13] Kaine was successful in his bid and is the current governor of Virginia.

Upon the completion of his term as chairman of the DNC, McAuliffe was succeeded by former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean.

Business Experience

In December 2008, at a Richmond gubernatorial forum, McAuliffe said he has "started five businesses in the region." [14]

High-profile investments

In March 1997, McAuliffe made an angel investment of $100,000 in a company known then as Atlantic Crossing. "Like many investors in the late 90s, I was on the lookout for investments related to the Internet," McAuliffe said. By August 1999, the company had changed its name to Global Crossing and went public. McAuliffe later sold a portion of the investment.[15]

In mid-January 2002, the DNC criticized President George W. Bush and the Republican party for their ties to Enron culminating with McAuliffe attacking Bush on this issue during a January 20, 2002 appearance on Meet the Press.[16] Starting on January 28, 2002, McAuliffe was criticized by political commentators including Matt Drudge,[15] Frank Rich,[17] Rick Perlstein[18], William Safire[19], and Arianna Huffington[20] for his investments in Global Crossing, which filed for bankruptcy in 2002.[21] One New York Times reporter categorized the accusations against Global Crossing as "many of the same accusations that have made Enron into one of the largest corporate scandals in history."[22] McAuliffe played no management role in Global Crossing[15] and had no ties to Enron. Howard Kurtz of CNN reported that McAuliffe was free of any wrongdoing, having sold his shares years before there was "any hint of trouble with the company."[23] On July 20, 2002, Marc Racicot, the chairman of the Republican National Committee told Fox News reporter Rita Cosby, "I haven't seen anything that was done that was wrong by Terry McAuliffe."[24] On January 29, 2000, McAuliffe discussed the issue on the Fox News television program Hannity & Colmes where he claimed that former President George H.W. Bush gave a speech in Japan praising Global Crossing in exchange for the right to purchase $80,000 of stock at a reduced price of 34 cents per share.[25]

Post chairmanship

On January 23, 2007, his book, What A Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals ISBN 9780312357870, was released and debuted at #5 on the New York Times Bestseller list and #1 on the Washington Post's list.

As a former party chairman, McAuliffe was one of the roughly 796 superdelegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He was a supporter of Hillary Clinton.

On June 4, 2008, McAuliffe appeared on the MSNBC program "Morning Joe", presenting a bottle of rum to Mika Brzezinski. After imbibing several shots of the rum on-air he stated that Barack Obama "had the numbers" and that Hillary Clinton knew she had lost the 2008 primary race.[26]

Terry McAuliffe at 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver

2009 Virginia governor campaign

On November 10, 2008, McAuliffe filed to form an exploratory committee for Governor of Virginia in the 2009 election.[27] He told reporters that he plans to spend the next few months traveling to "every corner of Virginia" to measure interest in his possible run.[27] McAuliffe told The Washington Post that he is "best suited to carry the Democratic banner because he will campaign as a business leader who can bring jobs to Virginia."[27] He also cited his ability to raise money for down-ticket Democratic candidates.[27] On January 3, 2009, McAuliffe announced in a YouTube video emailed to his supporters that he will be running for Governor of Virginia in the Democratic primaries.[28]

McAuliffe's political team includes several former staffers from the campaigns of Democrats Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and Jim Webb. Among them are campaign manager Mike Henry, senior strategist Mo Elleithee, and communications director Delacey Skinner.[29] According to The Washington Post, some political observers say McAuliffe could raise as much as $80 million over the course of the campaign.[30]

In the primary, McAuliffe is expected to face at least two high profile Democrats who have announced their candidacy. State Sen. Creigh Deeds, 2005 nominee for Attorney General, and Brian Moran, the former House Democratic Caucus Chairman, have already joined the race. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell is the only person running thus far for the Republican nomination for governor.[31] Early polls indicated that McAuliffe began the campaign tied with Moran.[32]

References

  1. ^ Dowd, Maureen (1987-07-07). "Money for politics: One man's relentless pursuit". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Terry McAuliffe Biography". Leading Authorities, Inc. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ "Financing the Road to the White House" (PDF). Leaders Magazine. 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  4. ^ "2 Are Named to Plan Clinton Inauguration". The New York Times. 1996-11-13. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Records of the 1997 Inaugural Committee 1996-97". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Remarks by the President and the First Lady at opening ceremonies of America's Millennium Celebration". Clinton Presidential Center Web Site Online Archives. 1999-12-31. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  7. ^ Weisskopf, Michael (2000-05-28). "The Kingmaker". TIME. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  8. ^ Berke, Richard L. (2001-02-23). "The Clinton Pardons: The Democrats; This Time, Clintons Find Their Support Buckling From Weight of New Woes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  9. ^ The Washington Post, October 21, 2005
  10. ^ The Hill newspaper, February 17, 2005
  11. ^ Hernandez, Raymond (2002-10-24). "Democrats place McCall on notice". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  12. ^ a b Edsall, Thomas B. (2004-07-26). "McAuliffe Is Dems' Comeback Kid". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  13. ^ Garver, Rob (2005-03-23). "Raising Kaine". The American Prospect. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  14. ^ Sluss, Michael (December 3, 2008), "Gubernatorial hopefuls meet for forum", The Roanoke Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ a b c What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals, St. Martin's Press, c. 2007, Page 318
  16. ^ What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals, St. Martin's Press, c. 2007, Page 317
  17. ^ Rich, Frank (February 2, 2002), "State of the Enron", The New York Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  18. ^ Perlstein, Rick (February 4, 2007), "The Operator (a review of "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats")", The New York Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  19. ^ Safire, William (February 21, 2002), "The Flipped-Over Rock", The New York Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  20. ^ Huffington, Arianna (August 19, 2002), "The coming populist revolution?", Salon{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  21. ^ Stern, Christopher (January 28, 2002), "Global Crossing Files for Bankruptcy: Debt Load Dooms Former Highflier", Washington Post{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  22. ^ Oppel, Richard A. (March 13, 2002), "House Panel's Investigation Of Global Crossing Is Started", The New York Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  23. ^ CNN Reliable Sources, How Did Media Cover Enron?, March 2, 2002
  24. ^ Fox News, citation from July 21, 2002[dead link]
  25. ^ What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals, St. Martin's Press, c. 2007, Page 319
  26. ^ "Terry McAuliffe Downs Shots On "Morning Joe"
  27. ^ a b c d Craig, Tim. "McAuliffe Takes Steps To Run for Va. Governor". The Washington Post. Page B01. November 11, 2008.
  28. ^ "Terry McAuliffe's Big Announcement"
  29. ^ Kumar, Anita. "McAuliffe Announces Staff". washingtonpost.com. January 5, 2009.
  30. ^ Craig, Tim (2008-12-29). "McAuliffe's Prowess As Fundraiser Grabs Spotlight in Va. Race". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  31. ^ Cahill, Steve. "McAuliffe mulls gubernatorial run". Fairfax County Times. November 12, 2008.
  32. ^ Walker, Julian. "McAuliffe, Moran tied in new poll" hamptonroads.com. February 3, 2009.
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
2001 – 2005 		Succeeded by
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