Misplaced Pages

David Vitter

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Proper tea is theft (talk | contribs) at 17:55, 24 September 2007 (added list of committees). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 17:55, 24 September 2007 by Proper tea is theft (talk | contribs) (added list of committees)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
David Vitter
United States Senator
from Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2005Serving with Mary Landrieu
Preceded byJohn Breaux
Succeeded byIncumbent (2011)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 1st district
In office
May 29, 1999 – January 3, 2005
Preceded byBob Livingston
Succeeded byBobby Jindal
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseWendy Baldwin Vitter
Alma materHarvard University

David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961) is an American Republican politician, currently serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Louisiana. He was formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives, first elected in 1999, to represent the suburban First Congressional District of Louisiana. In July 2007, Vitter was identified as a client of "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey's escort service in Washington, D.C.

Early life, career, and family

Vitter was born in New Orleans to Audrey Malvina St. Raymond and Albert Leopold Vitter. He received a B.A. from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1983; a B.A. from Oxford University in 1985, as a Rhodes Scholar; and a Juris Doctor from the law school of Tulane University in New Orleans in 1988. He was a lawyer and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999, when he entered the U.S. House.

Vitter and his wife Wendy, a former prosecutor, have three daughters, Sophie, Lise, and Airey, and a son, Jack.

House of Representatives

Elections

Vitter won a special election to Louisiana's 1st Congressional District in 1999, succeeding Republican Congressman Bob Livingston, who resigned after an adultery scandal. In the initial vote on May 1, 1999, former Congressman and Governor David Treen finished first with 36,719 votes (25 percent). Vitter was second, with 31,741 (22 percent), and self-styled "white nationalist" David Duke finished third with 28,055 votes (19 percent). Monica L. Monica, a Republican ophthalmologist, had 16 percent; State Representative Bill Strain, a conservative Democrat, finished fifth with 11 percent; and Rob Couhig, a Republican lawyer and the owner of New Orleans's minor league baseball team, had 6 percent. In the special election runoff on May 29, Vitter defeated Treen, 61,661 votes (51 percent) to 59,849 (49 percent).

In 2000 and 2002, Vitter won re-election with over 80 percent of the vote in what has become a safe Republican district.

Political actions and positions

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2007)

In May 2001, Vitter authored an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which required all secondary schools receiving federal funding to permit US military recruitment on school grounds. Some high schools had policies prohibiting organizations that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, such as the US military, from recruiting on their campus. Since the passage of the Vitter Amendment, many high schools run by Quakers and other peace tradition churches have refused to accept federal funding in order to avoid this requirement.

2002 gubernatorial race

In 2002, Vitter was preparing to run for governor in 2003, with the incumbent, Republican Mike Foster prevented by term limits from running again. But in June 2002, shortly before the Louisiana Weekly ran a story about Vitter's alleged relationship with a prostitute, Vitter dropped out of the governor's race, saying he and his wife were dealing with marital problems. "Our counseling sessions have ... led us to the rather obvious conclusion that it's not time to run for governor," Vitter said.

United States Senate

2004 election

In 2004, Vitter ran to replace Democrat John Breaux in the U.S. Senate. Former state Senator Daniel Wesley Richey, a Baton Rouge political consultant, directed Vitter's grassroots organization in the race, with assistance from Richey's longtime ally, former state Representative Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins of Baton Rouge, himself a defeated U.S. Senate candidate in 1978, 1980, and 1996.

During the campaign, Vitter was accused by a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee of having had a lengthy affair with a prostitute in New Orleans. Vitter responded that the allegation was "absolutely and completely untrue" and that it as "just crass Louisiana politics."

On November 2, 2004, Vitter won the Louisiana senatorial jungle primary with 51.0 percent of the vote. The field of opponents including two major Democrats, then Seventh Congressional District Congressman Christopher John, who got 29.4 percent of the vote, and state Treasurer John N. Kennedy (no relation to the Massachusetts Kennedys), who got 15.1 percent.

Vitter was the first Republican in Louisiana to be popularly elected as a U.S. Senator. The previous Republican Senator, John S. Harris, who took office in 1868, was chosen by the state legislature, in accordance with the process used before the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect in 1914.

Currently, David Vitter is a member of the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Political actions and positions

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2007)

Hurricane Katrina

On August 30, 2005, immediately after Hurricane Katrina, while New Orleans' flood levels were still rising in all areas, Vitter made an inaccurate statement that received notable media attention:

In the metropolitan area in general, in the huge majority of areas, it's not rising at all. It's the same or it may be lowering slightly. In some parts of New Orleans, because of the 17th Street breach, it may be rising and that seemed to be the case in parts of downtown. I don't want to alarm everybody that, you know, New Orleans is filling up like a bowl. That's just not happening," said Vitter on August 30.

In early September, Vitter said that he would give "the entire big government organized relief effort a failing grade, across the board." He said that state and local governments shared in the blame as well. Vitter's actions during Hurricane Katrina are described in historian Douglas Brinkley's May 2006 book, The Great Deluge.

In response to gun confiscations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Vitter was the Senate sponsor of the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act, to prohibit federal funding for the confiscation of legally held firearms during a disaster.

Abstinence education

Vitter advocated abstinence-only sex education, emphasizing abstinence while excluding issues involving birth control and safe sex. He said, "Abstinence education is a public health strategy focused on risk avoidance that aims to help young people avoid exposure to harm...by teaching teenagers that saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness."

Same-sex marriage

Vitter believes strongly that marriage is a sacred vow between a man and a woman. In 2003, Vitter proposed to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same sex marriages. In 2004, he said, "This is a real outrage. The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history...We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts’s values." In June 2006, he said "I don't believe there's any issue that's more important than this one ... I think this debate is very healthy, and it's winning a lot of hearts and minds. I think we're going to show real progress." In 2006, he told The Times-Picayune, “I’m a conservative who opposes radically redefining marriage, the most important social institution in human history.”

In October 2005, at a Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee luncheon, Vitter compared gay marriage to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which came through the same geographical areas. Vitter said "It's the crossroads where Katrina meets Rita. I always knew I was against same-sex unions."

2008 endorsement

In March 2007, Vitter announced his support for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid. Vitter has served as the southern regional chair of Giuliani's campaign. On July 11, 2007, the New York Times reported that the chairmanship is in doubt due to the so-called D.C. Madam scandal. A spokesman for Giuliani said Vitter's job is secure. However, a New Orleans City Business reporter wrote that Vitter has been "quietly marginalized" in the campaign.

In announcing the endorsement, Vitter said "I believe the Republican Party needs to always be the party of free market economics and reform. Rudy implemented those principles as Mayor of New York by cutting taxes twenty-three times, making government more efficient and moving welfare recipients into jobs. It’s exactly the kind of conservative reform the federal government needs".

"Obviously, I disagree with Rudy on some significant social issues, and these are very important to me and to many of the people I represent," Vitter said. However, after numerous meetings with Giuliani, Vitter said that "it's very clear to me that he's not running for president to advance any liberal social agenda."

D.C. Madam controversy

In early July 2007, Vitter's phone number was included in a published list of phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates, a company owned and run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, also known as the "D.C. Madam", which is accused by the U.S. government of being a prostitution service. Hustler magazine identified the phone number and contacted Vitter's office to ask about his connection to Palfrey. The following day, Vitter issued a written statement:

This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible. Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there - with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way.

The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was included on phone records dating from his days as a member of the House of Representatives. Phone records show that Vitter's number was called by Palfrey's service five times, the first on October 12, 1999, and the last on February 27, 2001. Two calls were placed while House roll call votes were in progress.

On July 10, 2007, Jeanette Maier, the "Canal Street Madam", alleged that Vitter was a customer on more than one occasion in the 1990s, when Maier was identified by federal prosecutors as operating a $300 per hour brothel. The Times-Picayune reported that "Maier offered no evidence or documents to support her claim." Maier said that Vitter "was not a freak. He was not into anything unusual or kinky or weird," and that he favored one prostitute in particular, Wendy Cortez,, the name of the prostitute with whom Vitter had been accused, during his 2004 campaign, of having had a lengthy affair. Vitter denied that allegation during the campaign. On July 12, Cortez told The Times-Picayune that Vitter was "a regular customer" during his time in the state legislature, but that they "did not have a romantic relationship."

Vitter is unlikely to face criminal charges due to statutes of limitations. Vitter apologized to GOP senate colleagues but avoided the press who repeatedly attempted to talk to him.

In May 1999, Vitter replaced Congressman Bob Livingston after Livingston resigned due to an adultery scandal. Vitter said about Livingston's decision to resign, "It's obviously a tremendous loss for the state .... I think Livingston's stepping down makes a very powerful argument that Clinton should resign as well and move beyond this mess," referring to the Monica Lewinsky scandal of President Bill Clinton. In 2000, his wife, Wendy Vitter, commenting on the same scandal, said, "I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary. If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me," referring to the incident of Lorena Bobbitt severing the penis of her husband and to Clinton's wife, Hillary Clinton.

Reaction

Even though Vitter has admitted to having broken the law, the Louisiana state Republican Party offered guarded support, national Republicans offered forgiveness. The liberal magazine, The Nation, predicted that the Republican Party would be in a "forgiving mood" pointing out if Vitter did step down, Democratic Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco would likely appoint a Democrat to take Vitter's place until a special election took place, thus increasing Democratic control over the Senate.

Marianne Means, a syndicated columnist for Hearst Newspapers, reported that Republican senators gave Vitter a "loud standing ovation" which she characterized as hypocritical by contrasting this with the Republican attitude toward President Clinton's marital infidelity.

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Hustler says it revealed senator's link to escort service". CNN. July 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. "David Bruce Vitter", GeneaNet.com, accessed July 10, 2007
  3. ^ Shailagh Murray, "Senator's Number on 'Madam' Phone List", Washington Post, July 10, 2007
  4. Stuart Rothenberg, "Hot race for Livingston's Louisiana House seat", CNN, April 13, 1999
  5. Kevin Sack, "David Duke Misses Louisiana Runoff but Has Strong Showing", New York Times, May 3, 1999
  6. ^ Jacoby, Mary (October 29, 2004). "There is a house in New Orleans: Rumors involving a prostitute and a secret alliance with neo-Nazi David Duke trail the Republican Senate candidate in Louisiana". Salon.com. Retrieved 2007-07-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. "Laws and Policies Impacting LGBT Youth in Schools". GLSEN. January 23, 2003. Retrieved 2007-07-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. Christopher Tidmore, "The Weekly's inside political track", Louisiana Weekly, March 29, 2004
  9. "The Situation Room; Hurricane Katrina Aftermath; Rescue Efforts and Assessing the Damage", transcript, CNN, August 30, 2005
  10. "Louisiana senior senator turns up heat on Bush: Democrat Landrieu escalates rhetoric against president on Katrina response", Associated Press, September 11, 2005
  11. Vitter, David (June 25, 2007). "Vitter Pushes for Reauthorization of Abstinence Education Program". David Vitter press release. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. Vitter, David and Bunning, Jim (June 21, 2007). "Letter to the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage. (Introduced in House), HJ 56 IH, 108th CONGRESS, H. J. RES. 56 May 21, 2003, Mrs. MUSGRAVE (for herself, Mr. HALL, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, and Mr. VITTER)
  14. "Vitter Statement on Protecting the Sanctity of Marriage". Vitter2004.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
  15. "Senate set to reject gay marriage ban: Backers see 'important debate'; critics blast effort to 'misdirect'", CNN, June 7, 2006
  16. ^ Norrister, Adam (July 11, 2007). "A Senator's Moral High Ground Gets a Little Shaky". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. "Louisiana Senator Compares Hurricanes to Gay Marriage", gayapolis.com, News, posted October 18, 2005; accessed July 10, 2007
  18. "Vitter gets behind Giuliani", CNN, March 12, 2007
  19. Radelat, Ana (July 11, 2007). "Flynt says New Orleans prostitutes told on senator". Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. Crouere, Jeff (July 23, 2007). "Sex scandal dissipates Vitter's political power". New Orleans City Business. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. "Senator David Vitter Announces Support for Rudy Giuliani", Blogs for Rudy, March 12, 2007, accessed July 10, 2007
  22. Joe Stinebaker, "Paul joins race for 2008 GOP nomination", Associated Press, March 12, 2007
  23. Rood, Justin (July 10, 2007). "'Hustler' Call May Have Prompted Vitter Admission". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. Douglass K. Daniel, "Senator's number on escort service list", Associated Press, July 10, 2007
  25. Keith I. Marszalek, "Vitter had five calls with D.C. Madam", New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 11, 2007
  26. Charles Babington, "Escort service called lawmaker 5 times", AP News, July 12, 2007
  27. "Canal Street Madam Says Vitter Was Client". WDSU. July 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. Moran, Kate and Carr, Martha (July 10, 2007). "Madam: Vitter a client at Canal Street brothel". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. Moran, Kate (July 10, 2007). "Former madam says Vitter was a client at Canal Street brothel". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. Alpert, Bruce (July 12, 2007). "Legal trouble unlikely for Vitter". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2007-07-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. "Madam links Sen. Vitter to brothel". LA Times. July 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. Burdeau, Cain (July 11, 2007). "Vitter was client of a New Orleans brothel, madam claims". The Shreveport Times. Retrieved 2007-07-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. Tidmore, Christopher (March 29, 2004). "Congressman Denies Affair With Prostitute". The Louisiana Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. Moran, Kate (July 13, 2007). "Prostitute describes Vitter affair". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2007-07-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. Alpert, Bruce (July 11, 2007). "Vitter unlikely to face criminal charges". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. “Vitter Returns to Senate” Washington Post, July 17, 2007
  37. ^ "Senator's Link to 'D.C. Madam' Exposed". The Associated Press. July 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. Konigsmark, Anne Rochell (December 20, 1998). "A Week Of Crisis Impeachment: The Speakership Livingston's Constituents Decision to resign jolts home district". The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. pp. D4. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  39. Walsh, Bill (July 13, 2007). "Louisiana Republicans offer guarded support for Vitter". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2007-07-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. Radelat, Ana (July 19, 2007). "Vitter tries to move forward". Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2007-07-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. Nichols, John (July 17, 2007). "A "Family Values" Headache for Senate GOP". The Nation. Retrieved 2007-07-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. Means, Marianne (July 23, 2007). "Republicans celebrate hypocrisy". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

U.S. House of Representatives

Template:USRepSuccession box

Unrecognised parameter

Template:Incumbent U.S. Senator box

Louisiana's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Representatives
(ordered by district)
Current United States senators
President: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Chuck Grassley (R)

Template:Persondata

Categories:
David Vitter Add topic