Allyson Schwartz

Allyson Schwartz

Template:TOCnestleft Allyson Y. Schwartz was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 13th district of Pennsylvania. Schwartz retired from Congress in 2014, after serving her fourth term. The 13th District includes both the close-knit neighborhoods of Northeast Philadelphia and the first ring suburbs of Montgomery County.

Background

Prior to her service in Congress, Schwartz was a leading healthcare executive in Philadelphia. From 1990 to 2004, she served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, where she was considered one of the most accomplished legislators for her ability to forge bipartisanship relationships. She earned a B.A. from Simmons College in Sociology and a Masters of Social Work from Bryn Mawr College. She is married and has two grown sons.

Schwartz cites the influences of her father, a Korean War veteran, and her mother, a Holocaust survivor, as the source of her commitment to public service.

New Democrat Coalition

The New Democrat Coalition was founded in 1997 by Representatives Cal Dooley (California), James P. Moran (Virginia) and Timothy Roemer (Indiana) as a congressional affiliate of the avowedly centrist Democratic Leadership Council, whose members, including former President Bill Clinton, call themselves "New Democrats." In November 2012, the New Democrat Coalition announced the election of its new leadership team. New Dems elected Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03) as the Chair and re-elected Reps. Jim Himes (CT-04), Rick Larsen (WA-02), and Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) as Vice Chairs and added Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11) as a Vice Chair.

Opposed Blum

"Meet the young Max Weiner," Feltonville's Cindy Engst tells her neighbors as she introduces Jeff Blum, one of three Democrats running in the hot 4th Senatorial District primary in Pennsylvania 1990. "He's the consumer candidate, like Max was."

"Happy Mother's Day!" exclaims Allyson Schwartz, a Blum rival, as she hands out Mother's Day cards to women entering a Northeast Philadelphia diner. Only two women in the Senate. Vote for a woman for some new leadership, OK?"

CLUW connection

Coalition of Labor Union Women activist Cindy Bass is a policy formulator and community activist, in Philadelphia. She is the Senior Policy Advisor on Urban and Domestic Policy to Congressman Chaka Fattah. Prior to joining Congressman Fattah’s staff, Ms. Bass was Special Assistant to then State Senator Allyson Schwartz, who is now a member of Congress as well.

New Democrat Coalition

Since 2009, Congresswoman Schwartz has served as Vice Chair of the moderateNew Democrat Coalition, which proposes centrist, smart, and innovative policies to encourage economic growth and opportunity in America. She has consistently worked with business leaders to develop proposals and policies that create jobs and allow small businesses to thrive in our global economy.

Pro-Israel

As the highest ranking Jewish member in the Pennsylvania Delegation, Schwartz has a deep and personal commitment to strengthening America’s relationship with Israel and promoting ties between the two democratic nations. She serves as a member of the Democratic Israel Working Group and the U.S.-Israel Security Caucus.

DSA support in 2004

In 2004 DSA targeted local races where control of state houses were up for grabs and where statewide electoral-vote outcomes hinged on successful local district turnouts.

Comrades are also supporting state Senator and health activist Allyson Schwartz in her effort to win the open 13th CD seat left by Joe Hoeffel, who is—also with DSA support—challenging Republican incumbent Senator Arlen Specter....”

In Democratic Socialists of America's Democratic Left Winter 2004/2005, Theresa Alt wrote;

We reported on the candidates that DSAers were supporting in the last issue of Democratic Left. How did they do?

Pennsylvania presents a mixed picture. Long-time progressive state legislator Allyson Schwartz easily won an open U.S. House seat, and Lois Murphy only narrowly lost her race for congress in one of the closest races in the country. Unfortunately, healthcare and education advocate Tim Kearney and newcomer Ginny Schraeder lost handily to much better funded Republican insiders..

21st Century Democrats support

21st Century Democrats is a Political Action Committee that has stood for Progressive causes for over 20 years. Founded in 1986 by Institute for Policy Studies affiliate, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Democratic Socialists of America affiliates, former Texas Agriculture Secretary Jim Hightower, and former Illinois Congressman Lane Evans. Its three main goals are to help elect progressive candidates, train young people about grassroots organizing, and lastly, to continue to support our elected officials after Election Day "through our comprehensive progressive network".

Long time Board chair was Democratic Socialists of America member Jim Scheibel, a former Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The mission of 21st Century Democrats is to build a "farm team" of progressive populists who will be the future leaders of the Democratic Party.

In each election cycle, we endorse a diverse array of candidates who exemplify our values and show unusual promise to advance our progressive goals. We invest in some of the most competitive races as well as in some of the most challenging – those in which the candidates are outstanding but the traditional Democratic supporters are most reticent. We back candidates in primaries as well as general election races, and we focus the bulk of our resources on electing challengers and protecting vulnerable incumbents.

Allyson Schwartz was endorsed by 21st Century Democrats in the 2005 election cycle.

ARA endorsement, 2012

The Alliance for Retired Americans endorsed Allyson Schwartz in 2012.

EMILY's List

Schwartz has been supported by EMILY's List during her campaigning.

National Muslim Democratic Council

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi headlined a Democratic Party fundraiser with leaders of Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood front groups in May of 2012.

The invitation-only fundraiser was sponsored by Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; Andre Carson, D-Ind.; and Steve Israel, D-N.Y., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and took place on the evening of May 16, 2012, at the W Hotel in Washington D.C.

In attendance were about 20 members of a Syrian dissident group and 10 officials representing Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas front groups. Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Executive Director Nihad Awad was perhaps the most prominent attendee and played a key role in organizing the event.

CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007-2008 Holy Land Foundation Hamas money-laundering trials, was described in FBI testimony as having been created by Hamas. In a 2007 federal court filing, prosecutors described CAIR as conspiring with other branches of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists.

The FBI officially severed relations with CAIR in 2008 because of its ties to Hamas.

Awad has openly championed Hamas and defended suicide bombings as "legitimate resistance."

Also in attendance was Jamal Barzinji, a founding father of the Muslim Brotherhood in America and co-founder of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), an incubator for Islamic radicalism in North America. MSA was the forerunner of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).

Barzinji was named in a federal affidavit as being closely associated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. His name appears in a global phone book of Muslim Brotherhood members recovered by Italian and Swiss authorities in Nov. 2001 from the home of Al-Taqwa Bank of Lugano founder Youssef Nada, one of the leaders of the international Muslim Brotherhood.

During the fundraiser, Pelosi sat at the same table with Awad and Barzinji.

Speaking to the attendees in her 10-minute address, she said the Democratic Party should become the natural home of Muslim-Americans, because Republicans fan the flames of "Islamophobia." She focused exclusively on Islamophobia, a term devised by radical Islamists and their apologists to silence critics, while avoiding any mention of terrorism carried out by Islamists in the United States.

Also speaking were Israel, Ellison, Carson, and Reps Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn. Israel and Murphy were said to have been the most vehement among the members of Congress in attendance in terms of their incendiary accusations of Republican-incited Islamophobia. One observer said that it was striking that "there was not a scintilla of comments in defense of U.S. national security." However, they welcomed each of the Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood front groups represented at the event into the "Democratic community" without any mention of their well-documented terror links.

Following the speeches, a prominent attorney, Mazen Asbahi publicly rose to announce the creation of a new organization called the National Muslim Democratic Council (NMDC). Asbahi was Barack Obama's 2008 Muslim outreach director but was forced to step down when his prior association with a radical Muslim cleric, Jamal Said, became public. Said was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial.

The NMDC seeks to "maximize American Muslim support for Democratic candidates and policies."

External links

• Schwartz's website with the House

References

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