John Doolittle
John Taylor Doolittle is an American politician and attorney. Elected to Congress in 1990, he served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing . In the 109th Congress, he held a leadership role as the Deputy Whip for the Republican party in the House. He was succeeded in the House of Representatives by Tom McClintock. Before being elected to Congress, he had served in the California State Senate from 1984 to 1991.
In the approach to the 2008 election, Doolittle lost support from previous allies and had difficulty in fundraising. He announced that he would not run again. He had been criticized by opponents for improprieties, including using his wife's one-person firm for his political fundraising, as she based her compensation on a percentage of all funds raised, including from his PAC. She made nearly $180,000 in such commissions from 2001 to 2006. His office did not stop using her firm for fundraising until January 2007.
He was under investigation from 2006 to 2010 related to alleged financial improprieties. These included his and his wife's business relations with Jack Abramoff, a prominent Washington, D.C. lobbyist who was found to have defrauded numerous clients, including Indian tribes. During this period, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington listed Doolittle as among the 20 most corrupt congressmen in reports from 2006 to 2009. The US Attorney closed its investigation of Doolittle in 2010 without bringing any charges against him.
Early life and education
Doolittle was born in Glendale, California, on October 30, 1950. He grew up in Cupertino, California, attending local public schools. He graduated from Cupertino High School in 1968. He graduated with honors with a B.A. in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, in Sacramento, in 1978.Before going to law school, Doolittle spent two years as a missionary in Argentina for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which he and his family belonged. Doolittle is married to the former Julia Harlow. They have a son and daughter.
Career prior to the U.S. House
Doolittle entered politics early. Soon after passing the bar, in 1979 Doolittle started work as an aide to California state senator H. L. Richardson, the conservative founder of Gun Owners of America and the Law and Order Campaign Committee.The next year Doolittle decided to run for the state senate, with encouragement from Richardson and other Republicans. Riding on the coattails of Governor Ronald Reagan's victory in the presidential race, in 1980 the 29-year-old Doolittle narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Albert S. Rodda, dean of the state Senate and chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Doolittle won his seat in the California State Senate.
In 1981, the Democratic-dominated state legislature issued a redistricting plan following the 1980 census and congressional reapportionment. It tried to squeeze out Republican lawmakers. The newly drawn district put Doolittle into a predominately Democratic district, where he lost to then-Assemblyman Leroy Greene in 1982 for the state senate. But by a quirk of redistricting rules, Doolittle was able to keep his original seat until 1984. He won another term in the state senate by beating Ray E. Johnson, a Republican turned Independent from Chico. An administrative law judge later found Doolittle guilty of violating campaign finance laws because his campaign had contributed to his Democratic opponent in order to pull votes away from Johnson.
Doolittle easily won re-election in 1988. From 1987 to 1990, he was chairman of the state Senate Republican Caucus.
Initial election and re-elections
In 1990, Republican Norman D. Shumway, also a Mormon, retired from Congress. In the November general election, Doolittle defeated Patty Malberg, a Democrat from Lincoln, getting 51% of the vote, in what was then California's 14th congressional district. The district covered much of the northeastern corner of the state, from the northern suburbs of Sacramento to the Oregon border.Doolittle's district was renumbered as California's 4th congressional district in 1992, following redistricting. He was reelected with 50 percent of the vote, again defeating Malberg. In 1994 he received 60% of the vote and did not face another close race until 2006.
Political positions and actions
In his first years in Congress, Doolittle was a member of the group known as the Gang of Seven, which had a role in exposing the House banking scandal.Doolittle is a staunch conservative. According to the Associated Press, "Doolittle is a generally loyal supporter of the Bush administration—though like many House Republicans he opposes Bush's support for an immigration guest worker program." He is in favor of partial privatization of Social Security, saying he would like to see people "gain ownership over their own funds". He opposes gun control and abortion rights.
After the Republican Study Committee had its funding removed in 1995, Doolittle helped revive it as the "Conservative Action Team." He alternated the chairmanship with Dan Burton of Indiana, Sam Johnson of Texas, and Ernest Istook of Oklahoma until 1999.
In November 1997, Doolittle was one of eighteen Republicans in the House to co-sponsor a resolution by Bob Barr that sought to launch an impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton. The resolution did not specify any charges or allegations. This was an early effort to impeach Clinton, predating the eruption of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. The eruption of that scandal would ultimately lead to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton in 1998. On October 8, 1998, Doolitte voted in favor of legislation that was passed to open an impeachment inquiry. On December 19, 1998, Doolittle voted in favor of all four proposed articles of impeachment against Clinton.
In January 2006, an opinion piece published in The Union newspaper, of Grass Valley, California, quoted Doolittle as saying that "A liberal front is underway to find God and all things pertaining to him unconstitutional."
In February 2006, Doolittle was praised by the El Dorado Irrigation District for his assistance in obtaining federal funds for hydroelectric power projects.
Auburn Dam Project
Doolittle is known for support of the Auburn Dam project, despite environmental concerns. People who opposed construction of the dam were particularly concerned about the uncertainties of the potential effects of such a dam on seismic activity in the area. A mid-1990s preliminary United States Geological Survey report cited concerns about the potential for earthquakes to be caused by that project.Doolittle's stated reason for supporting the Auburn Dam was for flood control of Sacramento. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he portrayed the flooding in New Orleans as an example of why the project was needed. Critics replied that the Gulf Coast, with its hurricane season and the torrential rainfalls associated with it, is not a valid comparison to a region of the country that historically often has droughts. They said that Folsom and Nimbus dams sufficed to control floods in an intense rainy season. Opponents of the project believe that the proposed Auburn Dam will also accelerate urban sprawl east of Sacramento and downriver from the proposed dam. Placer County already has one of the highest growth rates in the country, putting strains on local services and infrastructure, and affecting the environment. Opponents also cited other issues, such as destruction of the canyon environment and loss of habitat for wildlife.
In 1975, the construction of the dam was stopped due to environmental concerns, money issues, and the seismic instability of the proposed dam site. The construction was canceled and the project is abandoned. Much of the preliminary work on the dam can still be seen today. In 2005, Doolittle secured funding for studies to move the project forward.
21st century re-election campaigns
2002
In 2002, Doolittle defeated Republican challenger Dr. Bill Kirby of Auburn, California, 78%–22%. In the general election, Doolittle defeated Mark Norberg, 65%-35%, while raising $1,024,986 compared to Norberg's $8,202.2004
In 2004, Doolittle took in more than $1 million in contributions and received 65% of the vote. His Democratic opponent David Winters raised $2,300; he won 35 percent of the vote.2006
In the Republican primary on June 6, 2006, Doolittle was challenged for his party's nomination by Mike Holmes, the mayor of Auburn. Doolittle raised more than $1.1 million in campaign contributions, more than 14 times the fund of Holmes. Doolittle won the primary with 67% of the vote.In the general election, Doolittle's Democratic opponent was retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Charles Brown. Doolittle agreed to a single debate, on October 11, 2006. Doolittle defeated Brown, getting 49% of the vote to Brown's 46%. Brown defeated Doolittle in Nevada County, but narrowly lost Placer County, the most populated county in the district, and lost the rest of the district.
In January 2007, Doolittle announced ten steps he said he would take to re-establish the confidence of the district in his holding office. He announced the planned changes in an op-ed piece he distributed to newspapers in his district, to attempt to gain free publicity about it.
Legislative record
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
In 2007, Congress took up the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care for about 6 million children and 670,000 adults from families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicare but not enough to afford health insurance. Congressional Democrats and many Republicans tried to expand the coverage of the program to other needy families, but they were opposed by President George W. Bush and other Republicans. In 2006, 5.4 million children were eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid, and 9.4 million total children were uninsured. Such children and their families are often treated in emergency rooms of hospitals, a much more expensive alternative for taxpayers than expanding the SCHIP and similar programs.John Doolittle voted against the first House bill, which passed along party lines. It would have added $47 billion over five years to the $25 billion cost of the program and added about 5 million people to the program, including children, some legal immigrants, pregnant women, and adults aged 18 and 19. The bill was to be financed mainly by an increase in cigarette taxes.
House Democrats, with 45 Republicans, later compromised and passed a bill that expanded the plan by $35 billion and would have insured about 3.5 million more children from families generally making between 250% and 300% of the federal poverty line. Most non-pregnant, childless adults were excluded, as were most legal immigrants and all illegal immigrants. Doolittle voted against the bill.
After President Bush vetoed the bill, Democratic leaders attempted to override the veto with the same bill but failed. Doolittle voted against the bill.
House Democrats attempted to override the veto with a new bill, which acceded to Republican demands for increased checks for citizenship, the quick phasing-out of adult coverage, a hard limit of 300% of the federal poverty level, and funding for families to cover their children through private insurance instead. Angry that the congressional vote was scheduled to proceed despite massive wildfires in California, Republicans blocked the veto override. Doolittle voted with fellow Republicans against the bill.