Open Thread for Friday

David Dreier has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since January 1981, representing the 26th District. He was first elected to the U.S. House at age 28 in 1980.

Dreier has served as chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee since 1999. He has also served as chairman of California's Republican Congressional Delegation since 2001. Dreier was a major player in helping elect Arnold Schwarzenegger in California's 2003 recall election, and is a frequent guest on the political talk show circuit.

Throughout his early Congressional service, Dreier established a record as a strong supporter of tax cuts and of President Reagan's anti-Communist foreign policy. One of the youngest as well as the first Californian Rules Chairman in history, Dreier plays a pivotal role in fashioning legislation promoting Republican Party positions on Social Security, child education, taxes, and national security.

In the fall of 2004, Dreier was formally "outed" in print by journalist Doug Ireland in the L.A. Weekly. The L.A. Weekly reported that Dreier has had a romantic relationship with his longtime chief of staff Brad W. Smith, who collects a $156,600 government salary for his services to Dreier. Smith collects the highest possible salary allowed by law for a committee staff member, and is reportedly the highest-paid chief of staff working for any House of Representatives committee chair. ("By comparison," wrote Ireland, "the chief of staff to the chair of the House Judiciary Committee makes $126,000, while the chief of staff to the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee makes just $100,696.")

The "outing" was a result of Dreier coming under increasing scrutiny from gay rights groups because of what they characterize as an anti-gay voting record in Congress, which includes support of the Defense of Marriage Act (signed by President Clinton), as well as votes against gay adoption, and against inclusion of homosexuality as a protected status in hate crime and employment discrimination legislation. As with all "outings" of allegedly anti-gay politicians, the question has arisen as to whether, if the rumors are true, the politician's record reflects hypocrisy, or whether the sexual orientation of politicians is an irrelevant private matter and the "anti-gay" votes merely reflected the wishes of constituents.

His 2004 opponent, Cynthia Matthews, came out of the closet and demanded that Dreier do the same. Dreier did not publicly respond to these charges, which were discussed on local radio programs in his district. In the midst of the controversy, Dreier voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment on September 30, 2004. He explained his opposition to the amendment by stating that he felt the Constitution was not the appropriate tool for restricting rights.

While being hit from the left, Dreier was also attacked from the right, due to what some radio talk show hosts viewed as his support for a lax policy on curbing illegal immigration. Dreier was accused of not supporting reimbursement of expenses incurred by state and local governments to serve illegal immigrants, supporting increases in the numbers of H1B visas allowed for skilled workers, not acting effectively enough in obtaining the extradition of a suspect who allegedly killed a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy, and supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants. The immigration attacks were especially damaging.

The National Republican Congressional Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) against one radio talk show (The "John and Ken Show," on Los Angeles station KFI) alleging that the hosts, employees of Clear Channel Communications, were engaging in an illegal contribution to Matthews' campaign. The hosts held regular anti-Dreier rallies at his Glendora field office, had Matthews on frequently to discuss her positions on immigration, and dissected statements made by Dreier to other media outlets. While Dreier was not the originator of the complaint, and disavowed orchestrating the complaint, many political analysts suspected Dreier's involvement as an attempt to muzzle two critical talk radio hosts. The hosts continued the allegedly infringing activity through the election and on February 24, 2006, the FEC declared that the charges were without merit. In an interview on KABC's Doug McIntyre program, Dreier denied the charges regarding immigration.

Dreier has served for many years as a trustee of Claremont McKenna College. According to Roll Call magazine, Dreier has a personal fortune in excess of $7.5 million.

On October 2, 2005, Dreier announced he would be running for re-election. Flanked by the mayor of the city of San Dimas and the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Dreier will campaign on a platform on being tough on illegal immigration, supporting the War on Terror, and supporting harsher penalties for those who commit crimes against law enforcement. La Cañada businessman Sonny Sardo has announced that he will challenge Dreier for his seat in the June 6, 2006, Republican Primary. Russ Warner, a Democrat, has announced his intention to run against Dreier in the 2006 General Election, as has his 2004 challenger, Cynthia Matthews.

(Source: Wikipedia)