- Jim Oberstar
-
Jim Oberstar 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 8th districtIn office
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 2011Preceded by John Blatnik Succeeded by Chip Cravaack Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee In office
January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011Preceded by Don Young Succeeded by John Mica Personal details Born September 10, 1934
Chisholm, MinnesotaPolitical party Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Spouse(s) Jean Kurth Residence Chisholm, Minnesota Alma mater College of St. Thomas, College of Europe, Université Laval, Georgetown University Occupation Politician Religion Roman Catholic James Louis "Jim" Oberstar (born September 10, 1934) is a former U.S. Representative who served in the U.S. Congress from 1975 until 2011[1] as a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. He represented northeastern Minnesota's 8th congressional district, which included the cities of Duluth, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, International Falls, and Hibbing. He was chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 2007 until 2011, and ranking minority member prior to that. In November 2010, he was defeated by a margin of 4,407 votes by political novice and tea party favorite, Republican Chip Cravaack.
Contents
Early life, education and career
Oberstar was born in Chisholm, Minnesota, and still owns his original family home in Chisholm. His father, Louis, was an iron ore miner and the first card-carrying member of the USW on the Iron Range of Minnesota.[2]
Oberstar graduated from Chisholm High School in 1952, and went on to the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas) in St. Paul, Minnesota where he received his B.A. degree in 1956.[1] He received a Master's degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium om 1957,[1] with further study at Université Laval in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C..
He spent four years as a civilian language teacher in the United States Marine Corps, teaching English to Haitian military personnel and French to American Marine officers and noncommissioned officers.[3]
He served on the staff of Minnesota's 8th District U.S. Representative John Blatnik for 12 years, from 1963 to 1974,[1] rising to chief of staff. He was also administrator of the Committee on Public Works for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1974.[1]
U.S. House of Representatives
Oberstar in 2010
Oberstar was first elected as a Democrat to the 94th Congress and was reelected to 17 succeeding Congresses; serving from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 2011.[1]
He is an internationally recognized expert on aviation and aviation safety. He served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during his entire time in the House. (His predecessor Blatnik had chaired the committee during his last two terms in Congress when it was known as the Public Works Committee, with Oberstar as staff administrator). Oberstar was also a member of the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism.
In 1965, Oberstar helped create the Economic Development Administration, the only federal agency devoted to the creation and retention of jobs in economically distressed American communities.[4]
An avid cyclist, Oberstar championed the creation of trails for cycling and hiking to promote active lifestyles. In 2005 he authored, co-sponsored and helped to pass the SAFETEA-LU act, a $295 billion program[5] that funds transportation infrastructure, including highways, bridges, and public transportation, such as subways, buses, and passenger ferries and which includes the Safe Routes to Schools program. At both the 2007 BikeWalk California conference and at other bicycling conferences, Oberstar advocated converting the U.S.'s transportation system "from a hydrocarbon-based system to a carbohydrate-based system."
Oberstar generally had a liberal voting record, but opposed abortion and gun control. The latter stand was fairly common among DFLers outside the Twin Cities, as Minnesota is a "pioneer state" with a long hunting and fishing tradition. Oberstar was the co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, along with Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey. In 2007, Oberstar was one of 16 Democrats who voted against federal funding for stem cell research.[6]
He was rated the third most liberal member of the Minnesota delegation in the 109th Congress, scoring 13% conservative by a conservative group[7] and 86% progressive by a liberal group.[8] Minnesota Congressional Districts shows the scores for the entire delegation.
Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Oberstar brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the U.S. Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.[9] The case, (Conyers v. Bush), was ultimately dismissed.[10]
Within days after the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, Oberstar introduced and succeeded in passing legislation to appropriate $250 million to the Minnesota Department of Transportation to quickly build a replacement bridge.[11]
In 2004 Oberstar led the opposition to the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, a bill that established a regulatory framework for private suborbital spaceflight, arguing that the bill did not sufficiently safeguard passenger and crew safety. "I do not want to see people dead from a space experiment, and then the federal government comes in to regulate".[12]
During his tenure in Congress, Oberstar held leadership positions on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, was House Democratic At-Large Whip, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic Study Group. He also served on the International Relations Committee. He was co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force and was a member of the Upper Mississippi Task Force and the Democratic Homeland Security Task Force. He co-chaired the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus and was a member of the following caucuses: the Bike Caucus; the Caucus for Sustainable Development; the Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety; the Congressional Human Rights Caucus; the Congressional Steel Caucus; the Medical Technology Caucus; the Mississippi River Caucus; the Native American Caucus and the Renewable Energy Caucus.
Awards and honors
In 2009 Oberstar received the Tony Jannus Award for distinguished leadership in the field of commercial aviation.[13] In May 2011, a Great Lakes ore boat, which typically transports taconite from Duluth, Silver Bay and Marquette to steel mills in near Detroit and Chicago was named after him.[2]
Political positions
- Abortion
Oberstar is a pro-life Democrat.[14] Oberstar showed his full support in 2005–2006 to the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).[15] However, Oberstar believes abortion should be allowed if the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape or when the life of the woman is endangered.[16]
- Education
Oberstar is a strong supporter of the Head Start Program, which is a national program from the Department of Health and Human Services to promote school readiness by enhancing social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services.[17] He considers it to be one of most successful federal anti-poverty programs ever created.[18] Oberstar also supports the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which has been a leading voice promoting education and equality for women and girls nationwide;[19] he fully supported the AAUW in 2007 and 2008.[20] Interest groups, like American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), gave him 100 points support.[21] In the early 1980s Oberstar gave federal support to the establishment of the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth to provide applied research and technology development to Minnesota's natural resource based economy.
- Environment
Oberstar was given a rating of 100 by the Environment America and the League of Conservation Voters in 2009.[22] The American Wind Energy Association also gave him a rating of 100 in 2006.[22] He voted to pass the Energy and Environmental Law Amendments which had the goal of establishing a program to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in 2009.[22] He also voted to pass a bill, Trade-in Vouchers for Fuel-Efficient Cars, in 2009 which granted a $3,500 voucher, or document that could be exchanged for services in the place of money, for trading in an old vehicle with at least 4 miles per gallon more, the purpose of which was to increase the purchasing of fuel efficient cars.[22] However, Oberstar went against most Democrats and voted in favor of allowing drilling in ANWR.[23]
- Free Trade Agreements
Oberstar does not support free trade agreements, such as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).[24] He believes that the free trading offers little or no economic opportunity for American workers and producers due to inadequate provisions contained in the agreements.[25]
- Labor
According to his voting record and interest group ratings, Oberstar is a supporter of labor. He was given a rating of 100 by the interest groups AFL-CIO, a voluntary group of labor-unions working to improve the lives of working families.[22] Oberstar was also given a rating of 92 by the American Federation of Government in 2009 and a rating of 90 by the group, Federally Employed Women in 2009.[22] He voted for three unemployment benefits extension bills in 2010 as well as three Employment Discrimination Law Amendments in 2009.[22]
- Taxation
According to Minnesota Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test, Oberstar supports having taxes on corporate earnings, gasoline and cigarettes.[26] In 2008, Americans For Fair Taxation (AFFT), gave Oberstar their lowest possible rating,[27][20] and the National Taxpayers Union gave Oberstar an "F."[20][28]
He supports a tax plan containing tax relief for working families, investment tax credits for small businesses, and support for the states including incentives for transportation construction projects that will immediately put people back to work.[24]
Political campaigns
When John Blatnik opted not to run for a 15th term in 1974, he endorsed Oberstar as his successor. Oberstar won and was reelected 16 times without serious difficulty. Democrats Blatnik and Oberstar held the seat from 1947 until 2011. Oberstar's lowest winning percentage was 59 percent in 1992, but after that, and until 2010, he did not earn less than 60 percent of the vote. He is the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in Minnesota's history, having served in the 94th through the 111th Congresses; from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 2011.
During the 2008 electoral campaign, Oberstar appeared alongside other public officials in a TV ad[29] supporting the reelection of Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, a fellow Democrat.
During the 2006 elections, Oberstar's Republican opponent was former United States Senator Rod Grams, whose home is in the southwestern corner of the 8th. Grams was by far the strongest opponent Oberstar had ever faced, and the first reasonably well-funded Republican to run in the 8th in decades. Although some polls showed Oberstar only ahead by two points, in the end he won by over 30 points and did not lose a single county in his district.
During the 2008 elections, Oberstar's Republican opponent was political neophyte and businessman Michael Cummins. Cummins campaigned throughout the district, but was unable to drum up enough support to pose a serious challenge to the veteran Democratic incumbent. Oberstar won with more than 67 percent of the vote.
During the 2010 elections, Oberstar lost a close race to political newcomer and tea party favorite, Chip Cravaack, who won a plurality of 48 percent of the vote. The race was seen nationwide as a major upset for Democrats.
Electoral history
- 2010
Main article: U.S. House elections, 20102010 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Republican Chip Cravaack 133,474 48.2% Democratic James Oberstar 129,067 46.6% Independence Timothy Olson 11,876 4.3% - 2008
Main article: U.S. House elections, 20082008 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar 240,586 67.6% Republican Michael Cummins 114,588 32.2% others 573 0..2% - 2006
Main article: U.S. House elections, 2006Main article: Minnesota 8th congressional district election, 20062006 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar 194,677 64% Republican Rod Grams 101,744 34% Unaffiliated Harry Welty 6,535 2% Totals ' % - 2004
Main article: U.S. House elections, 20042004 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar 228,509 65% Republican Mark Groettum 112,657 32% Green Van Presley 8,931 3% - 2002
Main article: U.S. House elections, 20022002 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar 193,959 69% Republican Bob Lemen 88,423 31% - 2000
Main article: U.S. House elections, 20002000 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 68% Republican Bob Lemen 26% Independent Mike Darling 5.7% - 1998
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19981998 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 66% Republican Jerry Shuster 26% Reform Stan Estes 5.7% - 1996
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19961996 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 67% Republican Andy Larson 25% Reform Stan Estes 6% - 1994
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19941994 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 66% Independent Republican Phil Herwig 34% - 1992
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19921992 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 59% Independent Republican Phil Herwig 30% PCP Harry Robb Welty 8% - 1992 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 78%
- Leonard J. Richards (DFL), 22%
- 1990
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19901990 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 73% Independent Republican Jerry Shuster 27% - 1988
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19881988 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 74.5% Independent Republican Jerry Shuster 25.5% - 1986
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19861986 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 73% Independent Republican David Rued 27% - 1984
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19841984 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 67% Independent Republican David Rued 32% - 1984 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 65%
- Tom Dougherty (DFL), 33%
- 1982
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19821982 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 77% Independent Republican Marjory L. Luce 23% - 1982 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 87%
- Bernard Sydow (DFL), 13%
- 1980
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19801980 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 70% Independent Republican Edward Fiore 28% SW Ilona Gersh 2% - 1980 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 49%
- Thomas E. Dougherty (DFL), 39%
- 1978
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19781978 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 87% AM John W. Hull 13% - 1976
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19761976 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 100% - 1974
Main article: U.S. House elections, 19741974 Eighth Congressional District of Minnesota Elections Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic James Oberstar ' 62% Republican Jerome Arnold 26% Economic Justice William R. Ojala 10% Independent Robert C. Bester 2% - 1974 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL), 49%
- Tony Perpich (DFL), 29%
- Florian Chmielewski (DFL), 19.5%
Personal life
Oberstar resides with his wife, Jean, in Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., and maintains his boyhood residence in Chisholm, Minnesota.
Boards and other affiliations
- Board Member, Board of Trustees, Kennedy Center, 1995–present
- Board Member, Mineta I.I.STPS Institute, San Jose State, 1995–present.
References
- ^ a b c d e f "OBERSTAR, James Louis – Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000006. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "Ore Boat Renamed After Son Of Iron Ore Miner". Minnesota Progressive Project. May 25, 2011. http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/9263/ore-boat-renamed-after-son-of-iron-ore-miner. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ About Jim Oberstar Accessed August 12, 2006[dead link]
- ^ James L. Oberstar (June 20, 2011). "U.S. Senate Must Act to Continue Support for Agency That Creates Jobs". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-l-oberstar/us-senate-must-act-to-con_b_880708.html. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ Safe Routes to School National Partnership; see also [1]
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll020.xml
- ^ "Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005" (PDF). SBE Council’s Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. June 2006. http://www.sbecouncil.org/uploads/Ratings2005Scorecard.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
- ^ "Leading with the Left". Progressive Punch. http://www.progressivepunch.org. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
- ^ "11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill". ABC News. Associated Press. 2006-04-27. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1898817. Retrieved 2007-02-20.[dead link]
- ^ "Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit". ABC News. Associated Press. 2006-11-06. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2633701. Retrieved 2006-11-28.[dead link]
- ^ "House panel approves bill to provide $250 million for bridge". examiner.com. 2007-08-02. http://www.examiner.com/a-860409~House_panel_approves_bill_to_provide__250_million_for_bridge.html. Retrieved 2007-08-02.[dead link]
- ^ Alan Boyle (2004-11-21). "Space tourism legislation makes comeback". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6540267/.
- ^ Jackovics, Ted (May 7, 2009). "Tony Jannus aviation award goes to Minnesota congressman". The Tampa Tribune.
- ^ "Congressman James L Oberstar – ADDITIONAL ISSUES". Oberstar.house.gov. http://www.oberstar.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={1BDEE04C-F297-42DE-BCCF-878D6B8A4675}&DE={B44FF6DB-238A-4D67-9A01-A89BD254813C}. Retrieved 2010-07-20.[dead link]
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?category=2&go.x=9&go.y=19&can_id=26927&type=category. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Votesmart.org. http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=26927#11301. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "About the Office of Head Start". Acf.hhs.gov. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/about/index.html#purpose. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Congressman James L Oberstar – EDUCATION". Oberstar.house.gov. http://www.oberstar.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={1BDEE04C-F297-42DE-BCCF-878D6B8A4675}&DE={DF931173-A7D7-4CC4-8EDB-34B0D00D6C60}. Retrieved 2010-07-20.[dead link]
- ^ "About". AAUW. http://www.aauw.org/about/index.cfm. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ a b c "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?category=10&go.x=10&go.y=21&can_id=26927&type=category. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?category=27&go.x=14&go.y=13&can_id=26927&type=category. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g -Representative James L. 'Jim Oberstar-Interest Group Ratings.
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2001/roll317.xml
- ^ a b "Congressman James L Oberstar – ECONOMY & JOBS". Oberstar.house.gov. http://www.oberstar.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={1BDEE04C-F297-42DE-BCCF-878D6B8A4675}&DE={32A7F513-5EA6-49E4-94F4-CD4A382B10A6}. Retrieved 2010-07-20.[dead link]
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Voting Record". Votesmart.org. http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=26927&type=category&category=63&go.x=18&go.y=11. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Votesmart.org. http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=26927#11310. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Americans For Fair Taxation:". Fairtax.org. http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_main. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "¿A quién recomiendan los congresistas?" (in Spanish) (Video). YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BtZkdpAkgc. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
External links
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Campaign 2006: Jim Oberstar profile from Minnesota Public Radio
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
John BlatnikMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 8th congressional district
1975–2011Succeeded by
Chip CravaackPolitical offices Preceded by
Don Young
AlaskaChairman of House Transportation Committee
2007–2011Succeeded by
John Mica
FloridaMembers of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota Districts 1-8 (active) 1st district 2nd district 3rd district 4th district 5th district 6th district 7th district 8th district Districts 9-10 and Statewide General Ticket (obsolete) 9th district 10th district General Ticket Categories:- 1934 births
- Living people
- Minnesota Democrats
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
- American Roman Catholics
- People from Chisholm, Minnesota
- University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni
- College of Europe alumni
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