add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
MedXray Physicians: Kirsten Erickson, MD medx-ray.com | Kirsten Skov - Publications [Advanced Therapeutics : BC Cancer Research bccrc.ca | Yoga Studio :: Instructors :: Kirsten Gerding satoriyogastudio.com |  Truth In Cosmetic Surgery Blog: Kirsten Dunst Doesn't Read My Blog cosmeticsurgerytruth.blog... |
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand (pronounced Jilla-brand), born December 9, 1966 is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the junior United States Senator from New York. She was elected twice to the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 20th congressional district from January 3, 2007 to January 26, 2009. She was the first female representative of the district and the first Democrat to represent the district since Edward W. Pattison left office in 1979. She was also a member of the Blue Dog Coalition during her tenure in the House.[1] On January 23, 2009, Gillibrand was appointed by Governor David Paterson to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who assumed the office of United States Secretary of State in the Obama administration. As a member of the House, Gillibrand was widely considered to be a centrist Democrat,[2] appealing to Republican and conservative Democratic voters in upstate New York.[3][4] Now that Gillibrand represents the entire state of New York, however, her voting record is among the top 20 most liberal in the U.S. Senate.[5] She is the second female U.S. Senator from New York.
[edit] Early years and educationA member of a politically active family, Kirsten Rutnik was born and raised in Albany, New York. Her parents are Douglas P. Rutnik, a lobbyist with ties to powerful Republicans[6] and former attorney with the public defender's office, and Polly Noonan Rutnik, also an attorney.[7] Gillibrand's maternal grandmother, Dorothea "Polly" Noonan (1915–2003), was a women's rights activist who founded the Albany Democratic Women's Club and was a confidant of Albany mayor Erastus Corning.[8][9] "As a 10-year-old girl," Gillibrand later said, "I would listen to my grandmother discuss issues and she made a lasting impression on me."[10] After attending Albany's Academy of the Holy Names, she graduated in 1984 from Emma Willard School in Troy, New York,[4] the first school in the country to provide girls the same educational opportunities given to boys.[11] Known at Dartmouth College as Tina Rutnik,[2] she majored in Asian studies and graduated magna cum laude.[4] While in college, Gillibrand was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and studied abroad in both Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. She is semi-fluent in Mandarin Chinese and habitually incorporates Chinese words and phrases into her normal vocabulary. Her Chinese name is Lu Tianna (陆天娜).[12] She received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the UCLA School of Law in 1991.[4] She interned for Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) during college, and served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Roger Miner.[2] [edit] Legal careerDuring the Clinton administration, Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Andrew Cuomo.[2] She worked on HUD's Labor Initiative and its New Markets Initiative as well as on TAP's Young Leaders Of The American Democracy, on strengthening Davis-Bacon Act enforcement, and on drafting new markets legislation for public and private investment in building infrastructure in lower income areas.[1] As an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell and a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner,[8] Gillibrand worked on a wide range of legal and policy-related issues. She handled many pro bono cases, including abused women and their children, and tenants seeking safe housing after lead paint and unsafe conditions were found in their homes.[1] Gillibrand was the Chair of the Women's Leadership Forum Network and was on the Boards of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee and the Commission on Greenway Heritage Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley. She also served on the Advisory Board for the Brennan Center for Justice.[citation needed] [edit] Political career[edit] U.S. House of RepresentativesIn 2006, Gillibrand defeated four-term Republican incumbent, John E. Sweeney, in New York's 20th congressional district election by a margin of 53%-47%. She co-founded the Congressional High Tech Caucus with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) at the beginning of the 110th Congress.  Gillibrand won her bid for re-election in 2008 and enjoyed a sophomore surge, defeating challenger Alexander "Sandy" Treadwell 62%-38%. During the campaign, she was criticized for hosting fundraisers in London, England, and Paris, France.[13] While the fundraisers were legal and contributions only came from American citizens living abroad, some critics claimed that her actions were hypocritical since during her first campaign, she had criticized Sweeney for hosting an out-of-state fundraiser for the 2006 election.[14] She voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 both times it came before the House. Per The New York Times: “Gillibrand’s opposition to the bailout bill seemed to be focused on its approach, rather than the idea of helping Wall Street firms. That plan was later scrapped by the Treasury secretary at the time, Henry M. Paulson Jr., in favor of direct equity investments — which seem to be more along the lines of what Ms. Gillibrand had advocated.” [15] Media reports of her relationship with colleagues in the New York congressional delegation have been contradictory. During the spectacle surrounding Gillibrand's eventual appointment to the United States Senate in January 2009, progressive commentators like Politico's Glenn Thrush and New York Times editorialist (and Caroline Kennedy proponent) Maureen Dowd claimed that Gillibrand was "unpopular" and was known within her delegation by the unflattering nickname "Tracy Flick", after the Reese Witherspoon character from the movie Election.[16][17] However, other reports suggest that while her popularity is limited geographically within her state—the majority of New York's congressional districts are concentrated downstate, in the highly populated New York metropolitan area — Gillibrand enjoys good relationships with fellow upstate delegates.[18][19] Recently, 11 members of the NY Congressional Delegation, including 5 from the NYC area, endorsed her 2010 Senate campaign. [20] During her tenure in the House, she would travel the Washington Metro with her son Theodore and drop him off at the congressional day care center before proceeding to work.[10] She has also posted her daily schedules, earmark requests and financial disclosure forms on her website.[21][22] As a result of her appointment to the U.S. Senate, Gillibrand's Congressional seat was filled by a special election. The winner of the special election was Democrat Scott Murphy. [edit] U.S. Senate On December 1, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama announced his choice of Hillary Rodham Clinton, the junior U.S. Senator from New York, as United States Secretary of State. Clinton's nomination was confirmed by the Senate and she resigned her Senate seat on January 21, 2009, creating a vacancy in the Senate to be filled by appointment by Governor David Paterson until a special election in 2010 for the balance of Clinton's term, which ends in 2012.[3] Gillibrand had been rumored by the media as one of several people, including Caroline Kennedy and New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, to be under consideration as Clinton's replacement.[23] On January 23, Paterson announced his selection of Gillibrand as the junior Senator from New York.[24] In attendance were Al D'Amato, in whose office she interned and who is one of only three living former Senators from New York (along with Clinton and James L. Buckley),[25] and other New York State officials and some members of the New York Congressional delegation. Gillibrand officially took office on January 27, taking the oath of office from Vice President Joe Biden.[26] The choice of Gillibrand was met with both praise and criticism. New York Democratic Representative Carolyn McCarthy, a vocal supporter of gun control who reportedly considered challenging Gillibrand in the 2010 primary because of this issue,[27] expressed strong objections to the appointment of anyone with a 100% positive rating from the NRA.[28] Senator Chuck Schumer, also a strong gun control advocate, supported the appointment and urged McCarthy to give Gillibrand a chance.[28] McCarthy has since said she will not run for the seat.[29] The New York Immigration Coalition also objected to the appointment based upon Gillibrand's views on immigration reform.[27] President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid all expressed their support for the appointment.[30][31] A Quinnipiac Poll in January 2009 showed that a plurality (46%) of New Yorkers polled expressed approval of Gillibrand's appointment to the Senate, but when asked if they have a favorable opinion of Gillibrand, 63% said they do not know enough about her yet.[32] A Siena College poll at the same time showed twice as many respondents had a favorable opinion of her as had an unfavorable one (30–14%), but also reported a majority of respondents having neither a favorable nor unfavorable opinion.[33][34] Gillibrand is viewed by some as a rising star in the Democratic Party with a bright political future,[35] as alluded to by Governor Paterson in his appointment of her to fill Clinton's seat.[36] In May 2008, she was mentioned by The New York Times as one of several new Representatives who as potential governors could become the first female President of the United States.[37] Friends have also commented that Gillibrand may eventually rise to the presidency.[2] [edit] Committee assignmentsFollowing her swearing in, Gillibrand was assigned to the following Senate committees:[38]
[edit] Electoral history
Main article: New York 20th congressional district election, 2006 Gillibrand ran in New York's 20th Congressional District against four-term Republican incumbent John E. Sweeney. The suburban and rural district was among the more Republican in the Northeast. Sweeney had a politically conservative/libertarian stance, and had not faced a serious opponent for election in any of his previous House races. Gillibrand won the election by a 6% margin over Sweeney.[39]
Main article: New York's 20th congressional district election, 2008 Gillibrand ran for re-election in November 2008, easily defeating Republican challenger Sandy Treadwell to hold her seat.[39]
As New York election law allows fusion voting, Gillibrand ran under the aegis of both the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party in her two elections to the House. The pooled vote totals for candidates are listed first, and the split of the votes among the parties they ran as is listed beneath.
* Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, there were 14,579 blank, void, and write-in ballots (6%). In 2008, the figures were separated, and there were 22,973 blank ballots, 26 void ballots, and 35 write-in votes (8%). [edit] Controversy Regarding Prior Representation of Tobacco CompanyDuring her employment as an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell, Gillibrand represented Philip Morris (now Altria Group) from 1995 to 1999, during major litigation including defense of civil lawsuits and FBI criminal probes. When this became an issue during the 2008 election, Gillibrand freely discussed her Philip Morris work with the Albany Times-Union, saying that she had voted in favor of all three anti-tobacco bills in that session of Congress, that she did not try to hide her work for Philip Morris and had spoken about it before to other reporters. She said that most of her work consisted of assisting the company in assembling documents in response to subpoenas, stating " I don't think clients you represented as an associate are relevant, I think how you vote is relevant." The newspaper added that as an associate she had no control over the cases she was assigned. Gillibrand's comment was echoed by Bill Corr, then executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and later appointed Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services by President Obama, who said "What's important to us is how she votes."[41] This work again became an issue after she joined the Senate, when on March 27, 2009, The New York Times ran a front page article detailing her work defending Philip Morris. The article stated that while it is expected that junior associates work for the clients assigned to them, associates at Davis Polk were given the option to refuse to represent Philip Morris if they had a moral or ethical objection, a policy that was not uncommon at law firms handling tobacco industry work.[42] The Times said Gillibrand was closely involved in key tobacco-related litigation, including aiding Philip Morris' controversial attempts to suppress health information collected by its German lab, the Institut für biologische Forschung. Company officials also requested her advice on content of public statements regarding their products and practices. The article went on to state that during her 2008 reelection campaign, Gillibrand received $18,200 in campaign donations from tobacco companies and their executives, putting her among the top dozen House Democrats for such contributions.[42] In their earlier article, the Times Union had published a figure of at least $23,200 received from Philip Morris and its executives.[41] When the article was published, Gillibrand used ads on Google to point to statements on the issue found on her web site. She and her supporters stated she had a 100% anti-tobacco voting record as a Congresswoman and as a Senator, citing her 2007, 2008 and in 2009 votes for a bill that would increase the tax on cigarettes by 61 cents to $1 per pack and raise taxes on other tobacco products to offset an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, as well as her co-sponsorship of a bill to mandate U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco products, which would further regulate tobacco marketing and sales, require larger warnings, and increase tobacco companies' disclosure requirements.[43] Due to Gillibrand's strong anti-tobacco stances as Representative and Senator, Brian Keeler at the liberal blog Huffington Post called the New York Times article a "classic hit piece".[43] [edit] Political viewsDuring her tenure in the House of Representatives, Gillibrand was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition[1] and was considered a centrist,[3][4][44] Gillibrand has received an 8% rating from the American Conservative Union,[45] 70% from Americans for Democratic Action,[46] and 90% from the American Civil Liberties Union.[47] OnTheIssues.org rates Gillibrand as a "Populist-Leaning Liberal."[48] [edit] AbortionGillibrand supports abortion rights,[4] stem cell research, and the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act. She also opposes attempts to partially privatize Social Security. [edit] HomeownersSince her appointment to the US Senate, in addition to supporting the president's recovery plan[49] and budget[50], Senator Gillibrand has co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act[51], voted for cramdown to allow judges to write down mortgages of struggling homeowners[52] and has pledged support for a not-for-profit public option to compete with private health insurers.[53] [edit] Gun rightsGillibrand was an outspoken advocate of gun rights in the House of Representatives. She received a 100% positive rating from the National Rifle Association,[54] and sponsored an amendment to the 2008 Farm Bill that would have allowed expanded hunting on public lands.[54] Gillibrand has also worked to strengthen the Carolyn McCarthy and NRA-endorsed National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Act.[55] While addressing a rally hosted by the Reverend Al Sharpton in Harlem the day after being appointed to her Senate seat, Gillibrand stated "there might well be" differences between the NRA platform and perceived needs for gun control in inner-city neighborhoods and suggested that she would be flexible in addressing those discrepancies.[56] She has continued to describe herself as an advocate of gun rights, saying two days later, "I very much believe in protecting hunters' rights, and I've always believed in protecting hunters' rights", but maintaining that "there's enormous space for common ground" between her advocacy of gun rights and those who desire to curb gun crime through controlling firearm sales and ownership.[57] She has also acknowledged that she keeps guns in her home for protection. "If I want to protect my family, if I want to have a weapon in the home, that should be my right." Gillibrand has vowed to work in the Senate to reduce gun trafficking and gun violence.[58] Carolyn McCarthy has been supportive of Senator Gillibrand’s efforts to propose and pass anti-gun trafficking legislation in the Senate, saying Gillibrand “has a great gun bill, and we’re going to be working closely together on that.”[59] Gillibrand also opposed federal legislation that would have expanded opportunities for concealed carry (S. 845).[60][61] [edit] ImmigrationGillibrand firmly opposed granting amnesty and non-emergency taxpayer benefits to illegal immigrants as a Representative.[62] She also opposed giving federal contracts to employers who have hired illegal immigrants and supported increasing the number of border patrol agents.[62] Breaking with former Governor Eliot Spitzer on the issue of illegal immigration, she opposed his plan to issue New York State drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.[63] She has also criticized the H-2A Visa system, proposing that farmers be supplied with “legal workers when they cannot find Americans to fill their labor needs.”[62] Gillibrand believes in making English the official language of the United States.[62] Gillibrand now opposes deporting illegal immigrants and cutting off funds to sanctuary cities. She still, however, opposes giving driver's licences to illegal immigrants. She supports an earned path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. [64] She is a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act would provide amnesty to any undocumented immigrants under the age of 35 who first entered the United States before the age of 16, has been in the country for at least the last five years, and has earned a high school diploma or GED in the United States and the DREAM Act would retroactively repeal the federal law that prohibits state colleges and universities from giving undocumented immigrant students in-state tuition rates that seeks to make it easier for undocumented immigrant students to further their education and put them on a path to citizenship[65] and supports a moratorium on home raids until comprehensive immigration reform is passed.[66] [edit] LGBT issuesGillibrand favors legalizing civil unions across the country and leaving the issue of same-sex marriage up to the States, once stating, “All [the] things that we give to married couples, committed gay couples should be eligible for. And then the question of whether you call it a marriage or not, what you label it, that can be left to the states to decide.”[67] In 2007, Gillibrand received an 80 out of 100 rating from the LGBT advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign—the lowest score out of New York’s Democratic representatives.[68] She declined to cosponsor legislation repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. She voted against legislation to grant same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and permanent residents the same immigration status of married couples.[69] Gillibrand first announced her support of same-sex marriage shortly before her re-election to the House in 2008.[70] On the morning of her appointment to the Senate, she called the Empire State Pride Agenda[71] to reiterate her full support for same-sex marriage.[67] According to the ESPA, as a member of the Senate, Gillibrand will also support a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.[71] On April 16, 2009, Gillibrand endorsed Governor Paterson's proposed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, saying, "New York and the nation are ready to start a new chapter. The time has come for full marriage equality. I commend the Governor for his leadership on this important issue. If Iowa can do it, so can we."[72] In July, 2009, Senator Gillibrand announced she was considering introducing an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would impose an 18-month moratorium on the discharge of gays serving in the military.[73] She ultimately decided against introducing the amendment, as she could not win 60 votes for passage, but was able to secure the commitment of the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the fall.[74] [edit] TaxesShe opposes the No Child Left Behind Act, because she believes it "places an unmanageable strain on country and school budgets".[75] She supports doubling the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and eliminating or permanently fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax.[75] [edit] Economic crisis measuresDuring the height of the economic crisis in 2008, Gillibrand opposed the Bush administration's corporate rescue plans with her vote in the House of Representatives, calling them "fundamentally flawed".[76] However, she did vote for the automobile industry bailout in December 2008.[77] In 2009, as Senator, Gillibrand voted for the $850 billion stimulus plan backed by the Obama administration, although political opponent Carolyn McCarthy, who represents New York's 4th congressional district in the House, mistakenly claimed that Gillibrand opposed it, incorrectly stating that the senator-designate had already voted against the bill.[78] At a press conference on January 25, 2009, Gillibrand said that during her first week in the Senate, she would work to ensure that the stimulus bill included relief funds for New York state.[79] Gillibrand was not among the group of moderate senators led by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska that worked on revising and paring down the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in early February 2009, instead opting to urge the bill's swift passage.[80] [edit] ACORNOn September 14, 2009, the U.S. Senate voted 83-7 to strip federal housing funds from ACORN in the wake of the exposure of certain controversial acts allegedly committed by members of the organization; Gillibrand was one of only seven senators who voted against the bill.[81] The senator's staff explained her vote, stating that "Sen. Gillibrand believes that eliminating funding for the important programs that ACORN provides would be harmful to the thousands of hard-working New Yorkers who need extra assistance in the middle of this economic crisis."[82] [edit] Personal lifeGillibrand lives in Hudson, a small city 35 miles (56 km) south of Albany. She splits her time between Hudson and Washington, D.C., with her husband, British national[2] and venture capital consultant[10] Jonathan Gillibrand, and their two sons.[4] Their older child, Theodore, was born in 2004. On May 15, 2008, Gillibrand gave birth to her second child, Henry Nelson Gillibrand, making her the sixth woman to have a child while serving as a member of Congress.[83] Her House colleagues gave her a standing ovation[10] for working until the day she gave birth.[4] [edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York | Female members of the United States House of Representatives | New York lawyers | American Roman Catholics | Irish-American politicians | People from Albany, New York | People from Columbia County, New York | University of California, Los Angeles alumni | Dartmouth College alumni | Women in New York politics | Female United States Senators | United States Senators from New York | Appointed United States Senators | 1966 births | Living people | Female lawyers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
