James Patrick "Jim" Moran Jr. (born May 16, 1945 in Buffalo, New York
) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing Virginia's 8th congressional district.
Early life
Moran was
born in Buffalo, New
York and grew up in Natick, Massachusetts
, a western suburb of Boston
. He
was a
boxer. His brother,
Brian Moran, is a former member of the
Virginia House of Delegates and
was an unsuccessful
primary
candidate for
Governor of
Virginia in the
2009
election.
He
attended Marian High School in
Framingham,
Massachusetts
before earning a B.A. in
economics (1967) at the College of the
Holy Cross
, and a Master of Public
Administration (1970) at the University of
Pittsburgh
.
Young Moran secured an
internship in
financial management at the
Department
of Health, Education, and Welfare, and spent five years there
as a budget officer.
He was a senior specialist for budgetary and
fiscal policy at the Library of Congress
, and then on the staff of U.S. Senate Committee on
Appropriations (1976–1979) under
Warren Magnuson's sponsorship.
Voters
elected him to the Alexandria, Virginia
, City Council in
1979. He was
deputy mayor
1982–1984, when he resigned as part of a
Nolo contendere plea bargain to a
misdemeanor conflict of interest charge, which
courts later erased. In 1985 Moran was elected
Mayor of Alexandria.
Congress
In 1990, Moran won the Democratic nomination for the 8th District.
Due to his popularity as mayor of Alexandria, he defeated 10-year
incumbent
Republican Stanford Parris by seven points.
Mary "Mame" Reiley was instrumental in persuading
(then) Mayor Moran to run for Congress in 1989 later serving as his
communications director
during the campaign, and eventually serving as his
chief of staff from 1991 to 1996. After the
1990 Census gave Virginia one more House
seat, most of the 8th's Republican areas were
drawn into the new 11th District, and
Moran hasn't faced serious opposition since. The
2000 Census gave Virginia no new House seats,
but shifted districts westward, giving Moran heavily Democratic
Reston and an
oddly
shaped 8th district.
He is a member of the
House
Appropriations Committee.
In 1998, during the
Monica Lewinsky
scandal, Moran was one of 31 House
Democrats who voted with Republicans to launch a formal
impeachment inquiry into
President Bill Clinton.
On October 10, 2002, Jim Moran was among the 133 members of the
House voting against authorizing the
invasion of Iraq.
Politically, Moran is a
New Democrat,
and is affiliated with the
Democratic Leadership Council.
On economic issues he often breaks with his party, supporting
Dominican
Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and other
free trade agreements, harsher
bankruptcy laws, and increased restrictions on
the right to bring
class action
suits. However, he strongly supports
gay
rights and
gun control, and voted
against the
Defense of Marriage
Act. At different times he has voted to ban
flag-burning and
partial-birth abortions, though he
has reversed his positions on both issues.
He
cosponsored failed bills in 2005 to provide the District of
Columbia
with a House seat
and to prohibit slaughter of
horses.
Moran appeared on
The Colbert
Report as part of the series "
Better Know a District". During the
appearance he described himself as "gentle," but later jokingly
punched Colbert in the face after Colbert called Moran a
"coward."
Congressman Moran has publicly expressed enthusiasm for policies to
redistribute wealth and
income.Now in the last seven years we have had the highest
corporate profit ever in American history. Highest corporate
profit! We’ve had the highest productivity! The American worker has
produced more per person at any time, but it hasn’t been shared,
and that’s the problem because we have been guided by a Republican
administration who believes in this simplistic notion that people
who have wealth are entitled to keep it and they have an antipathy
towards the means of redistributing wealth.
In May 2009, Moran introduced a bill that would restrict
broadcast advertisements for
erectile dysfunction or
male enhancement medication. He
claimed that such ads were
indecent and
should be prohibited on
radio and
television between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm,
in accordance with
Federal Communications
Commission policy.
Darfur
On April
28, 2006, Moran, along with four other members of Congress and six
other activists, was arrested for disorderly conduct in front of
the Sudanese
embassy in
Washington. They were protesting the alleged role of Sudan's
government in
ethnic cleansing in
Darfur. According to the
San Francisco Chronicle, "Their
protest and
civil disobedience
was designed to embarrass the
military dictatorship's ongoing
genocide of its non-
Arab citizens."
Controversies
Assaults and threats
After then-Congressman Stan Parris, during the
1990 campaign, called him soft on
Saddam Hussein, Moran threatened to
assault Parris.
In the run up to the first
Persian Gulf
War in 1991, Moran had declared his support for President
George H. W. Bush.
When the vote came, he changed his mind and voted with the
Democrats against the U.S. troop commitment. Afterwards, when he
passed
journalist J. Michael
Waller on the street, Waller made a wisecrack about Moran's
flip flop. Moran shouted at him
repeatedly, grabbed him, and shouted some more - demanding to know
his name and employer. When Moran later gave his version of the
confrontation on a radio
talk show. When
Waller called in to complain of
defamation, Moran left.
In 1995, on the floor of the
U.S. House of Representatives, he
threatened to slug Rep.
Dan Burton,
R-Indiana
, then
chairman of the U.S.
House
Committee on Government Reform. "You pull that again and I'll
break your nose!"
His
1998 opponent (and
also
2000 opponent),
Demaris Miller (Mrs.
James C. Miller III) reported that Moran began to
lunge at her during a 1998 campaign forum, but stopped
himself.
Later in 1995 he attacked fellow Rep.
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-California
. Once outside the House chamber, Moran threw
a punch that Cunningham blocked. Colleagues and U.S. Capitol Police
restrained them.
In about 2000 he got into a scuffle with an eight year old boy in
Alexandria, whom he accused of attempting to
carjack him.
Also in about 2000 Mary Moran, his wife, called Alexandria
police accusing him of assaulting her. No charges
were filed, but she filed for
divorce the
following day.
Comments regarding Jews
Prior to
the 2003 invasion of Iraq he
told an antiwar audience in Reston, Virginia
on March 3, 2003, that "If it were not for the
strong support of the Jewish community for
this war with Iraq
, we would
not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are
influential enough that they could change the direction of where
this is going, and I think they should."
Moran said his comments were taken out of context, and he had said
the same about the
Catholic Church
and
Southern Baptist
Convention at three antiwar forums.Berlau, John. "Moran can't
keep his tongue tied: there is growing alarm about Rep. Jim Moran's
habit of uttering offensive statements about Jews and Israel,
apologizing for his remarks, then doing it all over again. (The
nation: anti-semitism)." Insight on the News 19.9 (April 15, 2003):
34(2). General OneFile. Gale.
Fairfax County Public Library.
/find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>. Gale Document
Number:A100111693. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
The
National Jewish
Democratic Council criticized Moran's comments. Senate Minority
Leader
Tom Daschle said Moran's comments
were "unfounded, baseless, and way out of line." House Democratic
leader
Nancy Pelosi said Moran's
comments have "no place in the Democratic Party."
Joe Lieberman called the comments "deeply
offensive and morally wrong."
Writing in the December 22, 2003 edition of
The Nation, Letty Cottin
Pogrebin charged that "Representative James Moran of Virginia
stirred up another incendiary canard — Jewish influence — by
attributing America's war with Iraq to 'the strong support of the
Jewish community.'" According to a
Gallup
Poll, the vast majority of Jewish Americans oppose the war,
even the minority of
Republican Jews.
According to an article about Moran by
Alexander Cockburn in
The Nation, reporters like Robert Kaiser in
the
Washington Post have
described the
neoconservative lobby
that supported the Iraq war, which includes such prominent Jewish
neocons as
Richard Perle,
Paul Wolfowitz, and
Douglas Feith;
The
Forward reported that Jewish groups, such as
Workmen's Circle, were angry at the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
for supporting the war; and the
American Jewish Congress supported
the war.
In the
House elections of
2004 Moran for the first time faced a Democratic
primary challenger,
Andy Rosenberg. 58.5 percent of the district
voted for Moran versus 41.5 percent for Rosenberg. Moran went on to
be reelected to the U.S. Congress in the
general election for his eighth term.
In September 2007, Moran again angered Jewish organizations. In an
interview with
Tikkun,
Moran said, "Jewish Americans, as a voting bloc and as an influence
on American
foreign policy, are
overwhelmingly opposed to the war," more than any other ethnic
group. "But
AIPAC is the most
powerful lobby and has pushed this war from the beginning. I don’t
think they represent the mainstream of American Jewish thinking at
all, but because they are so well organized, and their members are
extraordinarily powerful — most of them are quite wealthy — they
have been able to exert power. The reason I don’t hesitate to speak
out about AIPAC’s influence — notwithstanding the fact that I’ll be
accused of being
anti-Semitic every
time I suggest it — is that I don’t think AIPAC represents the
mainstream of American Jewish thinking.
The National Jewish Democratic Council responded "Rep. Moran’s comments are not only incorrect and irresponsible – they are downright dangerous.” The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington complained that "[Moran] uses clearly anti-Semitic images such as Jewish control of the media and wealthy Jews using their wealth to control policy."
Earmarks
The June
10, 2006, edition of the Arlington Sun reported that the
previous evening Moran had told a crowd of 450 at the Arlington
County
Democratic Committee's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner that if
Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives in the
2006 midterm elections,
he would use his seniority to secure more
money for his congressional district. He stated, "When I
become chairman [of the
Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies], I'm going to earmark the shit out of it."
This assertion resulted in nationwide negative publicity for Moran
after
conservative columnist Robert Novak
repeated the story in his
syndicated column. Moran's office issued a statement
asserting that he had made his remark in jest and that he remains
committed to
fiscal
responsibility. (Moran is the 10th most senior of 37 Democrats
on the committee, but did not become an Appropriations
subcommittee
chairman after the Democrats took control of the House in 2007.)
This assertion resulted in nationwide negative publicity for Moran
after conservative columnist
Robert
Novak repeated the story in his
syndicated column.
Moran's office issued a statement asserting that he had made his
remark in jest and that he remains committed to fiscal
responsibility. (Moran did not become chairman of any subcommittees
of the Appropriations Committee as a result of the Democrats taking
control of the House in 2007.)
On June 19, 2006,
The Washington
Post reported that Moran supports
earmarks for "Project M", a technology
involving
magnetic levitation.
To date, the project has received $37 million in earmarks. This
project was designed to keep
submarine
machinery quieter, keep
Navy
SEALs safer in their boats, and protect
Marines from
roadside bombs.
The Pentagon
, however, has said that it has no use for the
project. The owner of Project M's
prime contractor, Vibration & Sound
Solutions Ltd., has given $17,000 to Moran's campaign.
Comments regarding House Majority Leader election
Moran and
newly elected Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi both supported
John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania
, for House
Majority leader, but Steny Hoyer,
D-Maryland
was elected.Moran said, "Some of the
freshmen who came in with some naïvete are understanding the
meaning [of Pelosi’s endorsement]...They'll screw themselves for
the rest of their lives." He subsequently alleged that some members
had told both candidates that they would support them, saying, "We
know who they are."
Incident with U.S. Capitol Police
On
Inauguration Day, January 20,
2009, Moran got into an argument with a
U.S. Capitol
Policeman when Moran's wife tried to enter the Capitol
unescorted during a lockdown situation just after President
Barack Obama had entered the Capitol
.
PMA Group
The
FBI
was investigating the
PMA Group in 2009.Over ten years,
the
lobbying firm's clients had made
$997,348 in
campaign donations
to Congressman Moran.In 2007 and 2008, PMA's clients were awarded
$137 million in federal
government contractsed
earmarks in the
House
Appropriations Committee,of which Moran is a senior member. The
House Ethics Committee is
investigating three members of the
House
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Moran,
Peter J. Visclosky (D-Indiana), and Chairman
John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) who steered business to PMA's clients and whose
campaign coffers benefited from the generosity of PMA and its
clients.But members of the ethics committee
themselves depend on Murtha's subcommittee for $59 million in
proposed earmarks for FY2010, including $9.5 million for Chairman
Zoe Lofgren (D-California)
Financial conflicts of interest
During his time in the House, Moran has been involved in a few
controversies related to personal financial dealings with
lobbyists and business interests. He was the chief
Democratic sponsor of the
bankruptcy
reform bill (that made it more difficult for a bankrupt person
to escape his debts), after a major
credit
card issuer gave him a large home
equity
loan under
unusually favorable
terms. Moran contended in press accounts that his support for
the bankruptcy bill had nothing to do with this loan.
Personal
The Moran family endured daughter Dorothy's struggle with
brain cancer (1994–1996), until her
recovery.
Elections to the House of Representatives
| 1992 8th Cong Dist |
James P. Moran |
Kyle E. McSlarrow |
Alvin O. West |
Write-in |
|
Democrat |
Republican |
Independent |
|
|
138,542 |
102,717 |
5,601 |
266 |
|
56.06% |
41.56% |
2.27% |
0.11% |
| 1994 8th Cong Dist |
James P. Moran |
Kyle E. McSlarrow |
R. Ward Edmonds |
William C. Jones |
Write-in |
|
Democrat |
Republican |
Independent |
Independent |
|
|
120,281 |
79,568 |
1,858 |
868 |
98 |
|
59.35% |
39.26% |
0.92% |
0.43% |
0.05% |
| 1996 8th Cong Dist |
J P MORAN JR (D) |
J E OTEY (R) |
R W EDMONDS (V) |
S J GROSSWALD (I) |
C S SEVERANCE (I) |
WRITE INS |
Total |
|
152,334 |
64,562 |
6,243 |
5,239 |
740 |
303 |
229,421 |
|
66.40% |
28.14% |
2.72% |
2.28% |
0.32% |
0.13% |
|
| 1998 8th Cong Dist |
J P MORAN JR (D) |
D H MILLER (R) |
WRITE INS |
Total |
|
97,545 |
48,352 |
390 |
146,287 |
|
66.68% |
33.05% |
0.27% |
|
| 2000 8th Cong Dist |
J P Moran JrDemocrat |
D H MillerRepublican |
R V CrickenbergerIndependent |
R L HerronIndependent |
Write Ins |
Vote Totals |
|
164,178 |
88,262 |
3,483 |
2,805 |
471 |
259,199 |
|
63.3% |
34.1% |
1.3% |
1.1% |
0.2% |
|
| 2002 8th Cong Dist |
J P Moran JrDemocrat |
S C TateRepublican |
R V CrickenbergerIndependent |
Write Ins |
Total |
|
102,759 |
64,121 |
4,558 |
361 |
175,922 |
|
59.81% |
37.32% |
2.65% |
0.21% |
|
| 2004 8th Cong Dist |
J P Moran JrDemocratic |
L M CheneyRepublican |
J T HuryszIndependent |
Write Ins |
Total |
|
171,986 |
106,231 |
9,004 |
698 |
287,919 |
|
59.73% |
36.90% |
3.13% |
0.24% |
|
2006
| 2006 8th Cong Dist |
J P Moran JrDemocratic |
T M OdonoghueRepublican |
J T HuryszIndependent |
Write Ins |
Total |
|
144,700 |
66,639 |
6,094 |
476 |
217,909 |
|
66.40% |
30.58% |
2.80% |
0.22% |
|
In 2006, Moran was re-elected with 66 percent of the vote,
defeating
Republican Thomas
O'Donoghue, (31 percent) and
Independent candidate
Jim Hurysz (3 percent). 221,802 of 413,013
registered voters
turned out, or 53.70%.
2008
| 2008 8th Cong Dist |
James P. "Jim" Moran, Jr. |
Mark W. Ellmore |
J. Ron Fisher |
Write In |
|
Democrat |
Republican |
Independent Green |
|
|
222,986 |
97,425 |
6,829 |
957 |
|
67.94% |
29.68% |
2.08% |
0.29% |
Candidates for this District in 2008 include Ron Fisher (
Independent Green), Ellmore (R), and Jim
Moran (D). Moran beat a primary challenger with 86% of the vote. In
the
November 4 General
Election, Moran beat
Mark Ellmore
67.94 percent to 29.68 percent. He received 222,986 votes, while
Ellmore and Fisher received 97,425 and 6,829 votes, respectively.
957 write-in votes were cast.
Committee assignments
References
- Duration: 47 seconds
- Jim Doyle, Five members of Congress arrested over Sudan
protest, San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2006.
Accessed 25 September 2006.
- CNN.com - Lawmaker under fire for saying Jews
support Iraq war - Mar. 12, 2003
- Retiring Senator blasts AIPAC influence Mid-East
Realities
- In Defense of the Law of Return
- http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=26677
- 'No place in the Democratic Party,' Alexander Cockburn, The
Nation, March 31, 2003, p. 8
- The Israel Lobby—and the Interview with Cong. Jim
Moran, Michael Lerner, Tikkun, September 2007.
- Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com
-
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2JiNzBmOWVjMzQ4M2MwZGYyZTBhNmU2NTdhM2RiZTA=
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