Jan Schakowsky
Jan Schakowsky | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 9th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 1999 | |
Opponent | Joel Pollak (R) |
Preceded by | Sidney Yates |
Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Robert Creamer |
Residence | Evanston, Illinois |
Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.Sc.) |
Occupation | nonprofit program coordinator |
Janice D. "Jan" Schakowsky (born May 26, 1944) American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing Illinois's 9th congressional district(map). The district includes many of Chicago's northern suburbs, including Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Rosemont. It also includes a large portion of Chicago's North Side bordering Lake Michigan.
Personal background
Schakowsky was born in 1944 in the city of Chicago of Russian origin,[1]origin and graduated from the University of Illinois. She was Program Director of Illinois Public Action, Illinois' largest public interest group, from 1976 to 1985. She then moved to the Illinois State Council of Senior Citizens as executive director for five years until 1990, when she was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. She served there for four terms.
Sidney Yates, who had represented the 9th District since 1949 (except for an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1962), had announced in 1996 that he wouldn't run for re-election in 1998. Schakowsky easily won the Democratic primary, which all but assured her of election in the heavily Democratic 9th. She won in November with 75 percent of the vote and has easily won reelection four times with 70 percent or more of the vote. She is only the third person to represent the district since 1949.
U.S. Congress
Schakowsky is by some accounts the most[2] left-wing member of the current US Congress. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She frequently gains ratings of between 90 and 100 from liberal and progressive interest groups and lower ratings from conservative groups. She called the 2009 tax day Tea Party protests "despicable."[3]
Schakowsky has been known for her support of women's issues while in Congress,[citation needed] and is a close friend of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D, CA). She reportedly phoned every female partner of a law firm in Chicago during her first run for office in 1998,[citation needed] and has gained national acclaim for her fundraising prowess.
The Nation endorsed her for vice president in the United States presidential election, 2004, stating that she is 'the truest heir to Paul Wellstone in the current Congress'.[4] She was, however, not selected as John Kerry's running mate.
In response to concerns about electoral irregularities in the state of Ohio during the 2004 presidential election, Schakowsky was one of 31 members of the United States House of Representatives who voted not to accept Ohio's electoral votes.[5]
Schakowsky has been outspoken in her opposition to the Iraq War. She was one of the earliest and most emphatic supporters of U.S. Senator Barack Obama prior to his victory in the 2004 Illinois Democratic primary election, and actively supported his bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.[6]
In hearings held by the House Energy and Commerce Subcomittee in July 2006, Schakowsky expressed concern that a report from the National Academy of Sciences showing discrepancies among scientists studying global warming might be "used in a way to discredit the whole notion that our country and the rest of the industrialized and developing world ought to do anything about global warming".[7]
In late 2007, Schakowsky added her name as a co-sponsor of HR 333, which sought to file articles of impeachment against United States Vice President Dick Cheney.
Schakowsky has also been an outspoken critic of Blackwater Worldwide in conjunction with her vocal opposition to the Iraq War. In 2008, she spoke at DePaul University in Chicago, IL with Jeremy Scahill about his book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
Schakowsky indicated interest in replacing Barack Obama in the United States Senate.[8] Before his arrest, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had reportedly been considering Schakowsky among at least six candidates to fill the vacancy. Schakowsky was one of the first figures in Illinois to voice interest in running in a special election to replace Obama.[9]
In April 2009, she stated her support for two-tier health care, or a so-called "public option", in the United States, arguing that it would put health insurance companies out of business and lead to single-payer health care, which she supports.[10]
She was strongly critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which places limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.
She is being challenged in the 2010 mid-term elections by Republican nominee Joel Pollak.
Committee assignments
Party leadership and caucus memberships
- Chief Deputy Whip
- Steering and Policy Committee
- Founding member of the Out-of-Iraq Caucus
- Democratic Vice Chair of the bipartisan Women's Caucus
CIA's Secret Program Investigation
In July 2009, as Leon Panetta, CIA Director, announced the existence of a secret CIA program running since 2001[11], deliberately hidden from Congress, Rep. Janice Schakowsky endorsed the called for a full investigation and accountability for those involved in hiding the information from Congress.[12][13]
Husband's Bank Fraud and Tax Evasion Convictions
On March 11, 2004, Schakowsky's husband, lobbyist Robert Creamer, the executive director of the Illinois Public Action Fund, was indicted in federal court on 16 counts of bank fraud involving three alleged check-kiting schemes in the mid-1990s, leading several banks to experience shortfalls of at least $2.3 million.[14] In August 2005, Creamer pleaded guilty to one count of failure to collect withholding tax, and bank fraud for writing checks with insufficient funds. All of the money was repaid. Schakowsky was not accused of any wrongdoing.[15] Schakowsky served on the organization's board during the time the crimes occurred,[16] and Schakowsky signed the IRS filings along with her husband.[17] U.S. District Judge James B. Moran noted no one suffered "out of pocket losses," and Creamer acted not out of greed but in an effort to keep his community action group going without cutting programs, though Creamer paid his own $100,000 salary with fraudulently obtained funds.[18] On April 5, 2006, Creamer was sentenced to five months in prison and 11 months of house arrest.[19] Creamer served his five-month incarceration at the Federal Correction Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana and was released on November 3, 2006.[20]
Target of alleged extortion attempt involving Turkish agents
Sibel Edmonds claims that Rep Schakowsky was the target of an extortion attempt by Turkish agents.[21]
Electoral history
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Janice D. Schakowsky | 107,878 | 75% | Herbert Sohn | 33,448 | 23% | Michael D. Ray | Libertarian | 3,284 | 2% | ||||
2000 | Janice D. Schakowsky | 147,002 | 76% | Dennis J. Driscoll | 45,344 | 24% | ||||||||
2002 | Janice D. Schakowsky | 118,642 | 70% | Nicholas M. Duric | 45,307 | 27% | Stephanie "Vs. The Machine" Sailor | Libertarian | 4,887 | 3% | ||||
2004 | Janice D. Schakowsky | 175,282 | 76% | Kurt J. Eckhardt | 56,135 | 24% | ||||||||
2006 | Janice D. Schakowsky | 122,852 | 75% | Michael P. Shannon | 41,858 | 25% | * | |||||||
2008 | Janice D. Schakowsky | 178,829 | 75% | Michael B. Younan | 52,841 | 22% | Morris Shanfield | Green | 7,969 | 3% | ||||
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, write-ins received 3 votes.
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References
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/09/glenn-beck-admonished-by_n_386221.html
- ^ http://www.govtrack.us/congress/spectrum.xpd
- ^ "Schakowsky: Tea parties 'despicable'", by Eric Zimmerman, The Hill, April 16, 2009.
- ^ http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=1295
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll007.xml
- ^ "Obama's Day in Iowa", by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, January 4, 2008.
- ^ http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=072606G
- ^ "Schakowsky among those wanting Senate seat". Associated Press. 2008-11-05. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
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(help) - ^ Shakowsky throws her hat in, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), December 12, 2008.
- ^ The health-care shuffle, Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 16, 2009
- ^ "Russia Today What did CIA lie About?" , July 10, 2009
- ^ "CIA Mislead Congress?", interview MSNBC, July 9, 2009.
- ^ " Intelligence Agencies going rogue?" , interview MSNBC, October 10, 2009.
- ^ Robinson, Mike (2004-03-11). "Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's husband indicted". Associated Press.
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- ^ Associated Press (2005-08-31). "Congresswoman's husband pleads guilty to two felonies". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
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- ^ Flannery, Mike (2006-04-05). "Congresswoman's Husband Gets Jail Time For Bank Fraud". WBBM TV CBS 2 Chicago.
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- ^ Newbart, Dave (2004-03-12). "Schakowsky's husband indicted in bank fraud". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
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- ^ [1]
- ^ Korecki, Natasha (2006-04-06). "Schakowsky's husband given 5 months for check-kiting: Prosecutors sought 3 years for bank fraud that aided nonprofit". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
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- ^ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
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- ^ Who’s Afraid of Sibel Edmonds?
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
External links
- Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky official U.S. House website
- Jan Schakowsky for Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky column archives at The Huffington Post
- Schakowsky, Jan Patriot Corporations, The Nation, January 19, 2006
- Interviews
- Interview: Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, BuzzFlash, February 2001
- Radio interview by professor Robert W. McChesney on Media Matters, July 26 2009
- 1944 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- Members of the Illinois House of Representatives
- Politicians from Cook County, Illinois
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Women state legislators in Illinois
- People from Evanston, Illinois
- Delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention