Nick Rahall
Template:TOCnestleft Nick Rahall is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 3rd district of West Virginia.
U.S. Representative Nick J. Rahall, II, a West Virginia native who represents his state’s Third Congressional District, currently serves as the Ranking Member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and served the last four years as the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, on which he was a Member for 34 years.
First elected in 1976, Rahall is currently serving his 18th term in the House of Representatives, and is recognized as the youngest elected longest serving member in the history of the House.[1]
Background
Rahall was born and raised in southern West Virginia
A 33rd degree Mason, Rahall is a life member of the National Rifle Association, Elks, Moose, and the NAACP, and was made an honorary member of the United Mine Workers of America in 2003. Before his election to Congress, he made a career as a businessman and served as staff assistant for U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd. He is married to the former Melinda Ross of Ashland, Kentucky.[2]
2002 trip to Iraq
In 2002 Virginia Democratic Party Congressman Nick Rahall (also of Lebanese descent), asked James Abourezk to accompany him on an humanitarian mission to Iraq. Abourezk then invited Institute for Policy Studies Fellow Saul Landau to accompany them.
Harold Samhat, a retired Arab American businessman also joined the delegation as did Knight Ridder correspondent Warren Strobel.
Saul Landau wrote an extensive report[3]on the trip for The Progressive, November 2002.
What lessons has Saddam learned from the Gulf War? Landau asked Abourezk.
We'll see, but I'm not optimistic, Abourezk replied. We have to talk Iraqi officials into doing something they don't want to do: Readmit the U.N. weapons inspectors Clinton ordered to leave in 1998. Otherwise, Bush'll bomb the shit out of the Iraqis..]
Rahall told Wadah Kasimi, the Iraqi official in charge of their visit, to cancel the visit to alleged sites of weapons of mass destruction because, said Abourezk, we wouldn't know a Vaseline-making plant from an anthrax factory, so why bother?
On the first day, the delegation visited the offices of Dr. Omed Mubarak, Iraqi minister of health. He explained how the U.S. and British delegates that sit on the UN committee overseeing the sanctions destroy the integrity of our health system by vetoing our access to crucial parts of chemotherapy cocktails and surgical equipment because they might have military use.
Voted against cutting funding for ACORN
In September 2009, following the lead of their Senate colleagues, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to cut off funds to ACORN. the vote was 345-75. All of the 75 were Democrats, and included Nick Rahall. [4]
Calling on Israeli Govt. to lift Gaza Travel Ban
On Dec. 22, 2009, thirty-three U.S. Representatives wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling on her to request that the Israeli Government end the ban on student travel from Gaza to the West Bank. Nick Rahall was one of the signatories of the letter.[5] The entire letter together with a complete list of signatories can be read by clicking here.
Supported Lifting the Gaza Blockade
On Jan. 27, 2010, U.S. Representatives Keith Ellison and Jim McDermott led 52 other members of Congress in signing a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, calling for him to use diplomatic pressure to resolve the blockade affecting Gaza. Nick Rahall was one of the signatories of the letter. [6] The entire letter together with a complete list of signatories can be read by clicking here.
Egyptian visit
"Just weeks" after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, Keith Ellison traveled to Egypt as part of a congressional delegation.
The March 2012 delegation met with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and other high-ranking Egyptian government officials. While in Egypt, Nancy Pelosi and Members of Congress also met with civil society and religious minority leaders.
In addition to Leader Pelosi, other Members of the Congressional delegation were: Congressman George Miller of California, Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Congressman Nick Rahall of West Virginia, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York, and Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota.[7]
PDA connection
In June 2013 Progressive Democrats of America assigned activists to deliver their material to almost every US Congressman and several Senators. Charlie Del Papa was assigned as contact for Rep. Rahall.[8]
JStreet 2014 endorsement
The socialist infiltrated, anti-Israel "two state solution" JStreet PAC endorsed Nick Rahall in his 2014 Congressional race. [9]
ARA endorsement, 2012
The Alliance for Retired Americans endorsed Nick Rahall in 2012.[10]
ARA PAF endorsement, 2014
The Alliance for Retired Americans Political Action Fund endorsed Nick Rahall in 2014.[11]
Blue Dog Coalition
By 2014, the Blue Dog Coalition was a shell of its former self, shrunken to just 15 members because of political defeat, retirements after redrawn districts left them in enemy territory and just plain exhaustion from the constant battle to stay in office. Several are not running for reelection in November, and a few others are top targets of Republicans.
In danger of losing even more clout, the leading Blue Dogs are regrouping and rebuilding. They are adding four members to their ranks in February — Reps. Ron Barber (Ariz.), Cheri Bustos (Ill.), Nick Rahall (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) — and angling to play a key role in bipartisan talks over the next few years in the belief that the polar tension in the Capitol will thaw.[12]
Arab American Institute
As of January 2018 Nick Rahall served on the Board of the Arab American Institute.
External links
References
- ↑ official Congressional bio, accessed August 16, 2011
- ↑ official Congressional bio, accessed August 16, 2011
- ↑ http://www.mafhoum.com/press4/118S29.htm
- ↑ [http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/09/the_75_democrats_who_are_prose.html American Thinker, September 18, 2009 The 75 Democrats who are pro-sex slave ACORN defenders By Ethel C. Fenig]
- ↑ John Dingell's House website: Letter to Hillary Clinton, Dec. 22, 2009
- ↑ The Minnesota Independent: Ellison, McCollum and Oberstar urge Obama to lift Gaza blockade, Jan. 26, 2010 (accessed on March 14, 2011)
- ↑ Press release, 03.14.12Pelosi, Congressional Delegation Arrive in Egypt
- ↑ PDA June 2013 Educate Congress Digest
- ↑ J Street The political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans
- ↑ PAF
- ↑ PAF
- ↑ WaPo, Blue Dog Democrats, whittled down in number, are trying to regroupBy Paul Kane January 15, 2014