Carl Levin

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Carl Levin
Senior Senator from Michigan
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 15, 1979 Serving with Debbie Stabenow
Preceded by	Robert P. Griffin
Born	June 28, 1934 (1934-06-28) (age 73) Detroit, Michigan
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Barbara Halpern-Levin
Alma mater	Swarthmore College Harvard Law School
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Jewish
Website	Carl Levin

Carl Milton Levin (born June 28, 1934) is a Democratic United States Senator from Michigan and is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He has been in the Senate since 1979 and Michigan's senior senator since 1995. He is the longest-serving US Senator ever to represent Michigan. Levin has been speculated as a possible vice president choice for Barack Obama.

[edit] Biography

Levin was born in Detroit to Jewish parents Bess Levinson and Saul R. Levin.^[1] He attended Detroit public schools and graduated from Swarthmore College in 1956 and from Harvard Law School in 1959. Soon after earning his law degree, he was admitted to the Michigan bar and opened a practice in Detroit, where he still lives. He received honorary degrees from Michigan State University in 2004 and Wayne State University in 2005.

He was state assistant attorney general and general counsel for the Michigan civil rights commission from 1964-67. He was special assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan and chief appellate defender for the city of Detroit from 1968-69. He was a member of the Detroit City Council 1969-77, the last four years as council president.

[edit] United States Senate

[edit] Committee Assignments

• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Committee on Armed Services (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Airland (Ex-Officio)
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities (Ex-Officio)
  • Subcommittee on Personnel (Ex-Officio)
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support (Ex-Officio)
  • Subcommittee on SeaPower (Ex-Officio)
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces (Ex-Officio)
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
  • Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
  • Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

[edit] Elections

He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978, defeating Senate Minority Whip Robert P. Griffin.

Levin faced a tough reelection bid against former astronaut Jack R. Lousma, winning by only four points. However, he routed Congressman Bill Schuette in 1990, and was reelected in 1996 and 2002 against only nominal Republican opposition. In 2002, Levin garnered 61% of the vote against Republican Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski despite the then-high popularity of President George W. Bush and the GOP and a close gubernatorial race that year.

[edit] 2008 re-election campaign

On December 4, 2006, Levin announced that he will run for a sixth term in the 2008 election. [1] Republicans, Jack Hoogendyk[2] and Bart Baron[3] are petitioning to run against Levin.

[edit] Electoral history

2002 Michigan United States Senatorial Election

1996 Michigan United States Senatorial Election

1990 Michigan United States Senatorial Election

1984 Michigan United States Senatorial Election

1978 Michigan United States Senatorial Election

[edit] Policy and bills

[edit] Armed Services

Senator Levin and Senator John Warner (R-VA) listen to Admiral Mike Mullen's Senate confirmation hearing for becoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Levin is currently the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He has served as the Democrats' ranking member on the committee since January 7, 1997. Levin previously chaired the committee when the Democrats were the majority party in the Senate, January 3-20, 2001 and June 6, 2001–January 6, 2003. He has pushed for less secrecy in government, working to declassify many documents, particularly where claims of ties between Iraq and al-Qaeda are concerned.

Levin voted against sending troops to Iraq and has repeatedly called on the Bush administration to provide a timetable for the withdrawal of troops.

Levin has argued strongly that the War in Iraq is a diversion from the War on Terror. On CNN on November 14, 2005, Levin said that "before the war, the President was saying that you cannot distinguish between Saddam Hussein and Iraq. As a matter of fact, he said that so often that he tried to connect Saddam Hussein with the attackers on us, on 9/11, so often, so frequently and so successfully, even though it was wrong, that the American people overwhelmingly thought, because of the President's misstatements that as a matter of fact, Saddam Hussein had participated in the attack on us on 9/11. That was a deception. That was clearly misinformation. It had a huge effect on the American people."

Some have argued that this contradicts with statements he made before the March 2003 beginning of major combat in Iraq. On CNN's Late Edition on December 16, 2001, he said that "The War against terrorism will not be finished as long as [Saddam Hussein] is in power." And as the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said during a hearing on September 19, 2002 that "We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region."

Levin believes that in order to improve the military, that the United States needs to shut down more installations and get rid of excess infrastructure. Under his leadership, the Committee of Armed Forces passed the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act, which closed some military bases.

Iraq's prime minister, Nuri Maliki, has hit back at senior US politicians who have called for him to be removed from office. He singled out senators Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin. He said the Democratic senators were acting as if Iraq was "their property" and that they should "come to their senses" and "respect democracy".^[2]

[edit] Education

Levin was a strong supporter of the creation of The Department of Education. Over the years, Levin has introduced legislation and amendments to improve education, including an amendment that greatly reduced class sizes to help teachers better focus on the needs of each specific child. Levin was a hesitant sponsor of the No Child Left Behind Act, and still believes that the United States Congress should examine the effects of the Act. Levin was also disappointed with the final draft of the No Child Left Behind Act because it cut much of the increased funding for children with disabilities that was initially promised.

[edit] Energy

Senator Levin has directed the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to investigate whether Department of Energy policies have caused a rise in the price in crude oil. He also led an investigation in 2001 to try to discover the cause of the spike in gasoline prices that summer.

Levin has opposed raising mandatory automobile fuel efficiency standards. [4]

Carl Levin and the Congress had been working to pass a comprehensive energy bill for nearly three years. In past years it has proven difficult for the House of Representatives and Senate to agree on an energy bill that balances the need for reliable and affordable energy with the obligation to protect the environment and public health. In 2005, Congress passed the 2005 Energy Policy. The law increases the federal investment in advanced vehicle technologies, which is intended to improve fuel economy; bans drilling in the Great Lakes; takes steps intended to improve the reliability of our electrical grid; and makes energy conservation and efficiency a central component of our national energy strategy.

Levin led opposition in the Senate to the Rahall Energy Policy Bill (H.R. 6), but lost 65-27.

[edit] Environment

Levin is working to prevent garbage from Canada (typically about 160 trucks per day) from being disposed of in Michigan.

Levin wrote legislation in the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act, creating a program for the research and construction of fuel-cell vehicles.

In 1999 Carl Levin obtained $56 million for the Detroit Riverfront Project. The funds will be used in part to acquire land for a major five-mile walkway and greenway along the Detroit River. The Detroit Riverfront has been contaminated for decades with pollutants from factories that once operated there.

[edit] Ethics

Senator Levin has been very concerned with the ethics of the federal government. He authored the Competition in Contracting Act, which has led to significant reductions in federal procurement costs. He also authored Whistleblower Protection Act, which protected federal employees who expose wasteful and unnecessary practices.

Senator Carl Levin announces at a press conference regarding his opposition to the War in Iraq and his willingness to vote "No" on the authorization to give President George W. Bush the right to invade Iraq.

[edit] Health care

Levin has worked with other senators to make health care affordable to all citizens. He supported a Patients' Bill of Rights to reduce the ability of Managed care organizations to affect medical decisions. That legislation has not yet become law because the House and the Senate have not agreed on one version.

Levin is an advocate for stem-cell research because of its potential to cure diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's.

[edit] Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act

Tax me if you can: Carl Levin initiated the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act^[3] against tax havens^[4] like Liechtenstein.^[5] The initiative is opposing the position: Tax me if you can.^[6] For the state of the initiative against tax avoidance and tax evasion registred as S-681, and the complementary initiative H.R.2136, see: http://www.thomas.gov

[edit] Miscellaneous

Levin is a critic of the New Hampshire presidential primary's first-in-the-nation status, saying a more diverse state (such as his own Michigan) should hold their contest first.

In April 2006, Levin was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators."[5]

The American Civil Liberties Union gave him a 78% on civil liberties issues from 2005-2005.

Levin has been rated F by Gun Owners of America. He was one of the 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment.

He is almost always seen wearing his glasses at the end of his nose, which has drawn much humorous attention. In response, he lightheartedly joked that the late Senator Strom Thurmond (while he was in office) would have never worn his glasses because they "make him look old."[6] Daily Show host Jon Stewart refers to him both as the "kindly old shoemaker", and "Grandpa Munster".

[edit] Family

Levin's family has long been active in Michigan politics.

His older brother, Sander M. Levin, has represented Michigan's 12th congressional district in the House of Representatives since 1983. Sandy's son (Carl's nephew) Andy Levin was a policy analyst for the AFL-CIO and later ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan Senate. Carl's uncle Theodore Levin, was a chief judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Carl's first cousin Charles Levin was a Michigan Supreme Court judge; another, first cousin, Joseph Levin, was a candidate for the House.

Carl Levin married Barbara Halpern in 1961 and they have three daughters: Kate, Laura, and Erica.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Carl Levin

• United States Senator Carl Levin, U.S. Senate site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• New York Times — Carl Levin News collected news and commentary
• Michigan Democratic Party
• Michigan Liberal's Senior Senator section
• Friends of Senator Carl Levin, Campaign site

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