What's the background on Steny Hoyer?

[The Backlash Cometh]

This is the second time I've heard the name come up and both times have been unfavorable:

House leader: Colbert was an 'embarrassment'
From Associated Press
September 26, 2010 12:49 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House's No. 2 Democratic leader said Sunday that comedian Stephen Colbert's testimony last week on immigration was "inappropriate" and "an embarrassment."

Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California invited Colbert to appear before the House Judiciary Committee. But other Democrats weren't happy about her decision.

The committee chairman, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., asked Colbert to leave the room at the beginning of the hearing because the comedian had no expertise in farm labor issues or immigration policy.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland told "Fox News Sunday" he thought the episode was more of an embarrassment to Colbert than to the House. But, he added, "I think it was inappropriate" that he testified.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20100926/46b825a3-4023-4e93-a128-7cb7f63476c2

[notadmblnd]

1. Stephen asked them to listen to his testomony with an open mind

and they just don't get it. What do Conyers and Hoyer have in common? is it that they're both old as the hills and need to retire? Their minds were totally closed off to what Stephen had to say.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Hoyer does come across old school.

Just the kind of thing that turns off the under fifty crowd. Which happens to be Colbert's audience.

[notadmblnd]

11. I resemble that remark.

I'm over 50 and I love Stephen. I think he's genius! I think you should change your statement to the "over 70s crowd".

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. Under 70's crowd?

I'm over 50 and I like Colbert too, but I wasn't sure I was part of his established demographics.

Maybe we should make it a rule that if you have shown no sign of altruistic qualities, that you shouldn't be allowed to hold public office after the age of 70?

[Bitwit1234]

13. I have known Steny Hoyer as a politician for 40 years

if you needed something go to him he got the job done. His constituents loved him and most still do. You are correct in the fact that he might not like the openness of types like Colbert, sometimes I find him not funny. Jon Stewart is more my type. I suppose it is just a matter of what you do and don't like. BUT AS A DEMOCRATIC POLITICIAN I'LL TAKE HOYER AND MUKOWSKI FROM MARYLAND TO HELP YOU GET SOMETHING DONE ANY TIME. I don't live there anymore but they were both helpful to my family. No questions asked they went to bat.

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. Maybe he should stick to Maryland, then?

[Individualist]

3. He's a DLC tool

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251151&kaid=106&subid=122

[elleng]

4. Not my favorite, but not my district, either.

Hoyer is a prolific fundraiser for House Democrats. He is the top giver to fellow party members in the House. He has given over $1 million to the party and individual candidates over the current election cycle as of July 14, 2008, according to CQ Moneyline.<14>

In March 2007, the Center for Public Integrity reported that Hoyer's political action committee "raised nearly $1 million for congressional candidates by exploiting what experts call a legal loophole." The Center reported:

Campaign finance disclosure records show that the Maryland Democrat used his leadership political action committee — AmeriPAC — as a conduit to collect bundles of checks from individuals, and from business and union interests. He then passed more than $960,000 along to 53 House candidates and another quarter of a million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, data compiled from the Center for Responsive Politics Web site show. Federal law generally prohibits political action committees, including leadership PACs, which are run by politicians, from receiving more than $5,000 each year from a single donor or giving more than $10,000 to a single candidate ($5,000 each for the primary and the general election). But Hoyer collected as much as $136,000 from one labor union committee and distributed more than $86,000 to a single Congressional race.<15>

The only media to cover the report, the Capital News Service (Maryland), quickly pointed out how common and legal the practice is:

"That's like saying somebody who deducts mortgage interest on their taxes is exploiting a tax loophole," said Nathaniel Persily, a campaign finance expert and University of Pennsylvania Law School professor. "What exactly is the problem?" "Bundling is very common," said Steve Weisman, of the George Washington University's Campaign Finance Institute. What Hoyer, a lawyer, did was perfectly legal, the Federal Election Commission said, too. In fact, his insistence on detailed reporting made tracking the funds easier.<16>

n March 2010, Rep. Eric Massa resigned from Congress against allegations of sexual harassment of his staff members. The House Ethics Committee is actively investigating at what point Hoyer found out about the allegations surrounding Rep. Massa, as Hoyer never reported the allegations. In the course of the investigation, several Hoyer aides were interviewed by the House Ethics Committee.<17><18>

2008 election
Hoyer won re-election against Republican Collins Bailey in November 2008 by a 74%-26% vote.<19>

In June 2010, Hoyer brought up the idea that Congress would only temporarily extend middle-class tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of the year. He suggested that making them permanent would cost too much. President Obama wants to permanently extend them for individuals making less than $200,000 a year and families making less than $250,000.<20>

Privacy: Hoyer claimed to oppose providing immunity to telecom companies but has come under fire for negotiating a bill, described by Senators Patrick Leahy and Russ Feingold as a "capitulation", that would provide immunity to any telecom company<22> that had been told by the Bush administration that their actions were legal.<23><24><25><26> “No matter how they spin it, this is still immunity,” said Kevin Bankston, a senior lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy rights group that has sued over President Bush's wiretapping program. “It’s not compromise, it’s pure theater.” <27>
In a USA Today opinion piece regarding health care reform that was published August 10, 2009, Steny Hoyer wrote that "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American."<28>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steny_Hoyer

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. This is not good.

Here in Florida he is alleged to have offered inducement money to a Democrat to get him to make a run for a Senate race next year rather than to challenge the Democrat incumbent in the primaries this year. The Republicans tried to over-blow the situation and it might have worked if it weren't that the candidate had an integrity issue and probably wouldn't have won anyways.

This intrusion is not good since Hoyer would have given a good chunk of change to someone that wouldn't pass national muster.

I just really hate it when rich Democrats from other states can have such an impact in my own backyard. Literally.

[asdjrocky]

5. Rich, old and closed minded?

Sums up almost everyone in the Senate and most in the House as well.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Sounds like he's a rainmaker, which makes him dangerous.

[Justitia]

8. He says things that rub me the wrong way, but he has a long record of the right votes.

He is strongly pro-choice, has a really good record on civil rights, education & healthcare.

So, sometimes he says stuff I bristle at, but he is a consistent, reliable vote.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Then he should learn to do his homework before spreading his

money around.

[Justitia]

10. Yeah, he's a politician, but maybe you should do your homework on his voting record.

I used to get annoyed by him, but then I educated myself as to how he behaves when it matters.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. And what do you think this thread is all about?

You had how many years to get acquainted with this guy?

[southernyankeebelle]

12. That is his opinion. I like Hoyer and he is a good democratic. I loved Colbert performance in

congress. As far as embarassing himself I would like to say that teapublicans do that every day.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

14. I think of Hoyer as the true Dem center

Draw a line bisecting the party and you'll hit Steny.

I'm not a big fan or a big detractor.

[name not needed]

16. Congress doesn't need Colbert to make an embarrassment of themselves.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Best comment thus far.