Paul Broun

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Paul Broun, Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  July 25, 2007
Preceded by	Charlie Norwood
Born	May 14, 1946 (1946-05-14) (age 63) Atlanta, Georgia
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Niki Broun
Residence	Athens, Georgia
Alma mater	University of Georgia
Occupation	physician
Religion	Baptist

Paul Collins Broun, Jr. (born May 14, 1946^[1]) is a Republican United States Representative from Georgia's 10th congressional district. He is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Science & Technology Committee.

[edit] Personal Life

Broun was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Democratic Georgia state senator Paul Broun, Sr. (1916–2005), who represented Athens and the surrounding area from 1963 to 2001. The younger Broun is a graduate of the University of Georgia at Athens and earned his Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Broun and his wife, the former Niki Bronson, have two adult daughters and a teenaged son.

[edit] Political Career

Broun grew up as a Democrat, but became a Republican sometime in the 1980s. He was previously a candidate for the U.S. House in 1990, losing to Democratic incumbent Richard Ray, and for the U.S. Senate in 1996, losing the Republican primary.^[2]

Broun was one of the top two vote-getters in a June 2007 special congressional election to fill the seat vacated by the late Charlie Norwood. The first place finisher, State Senator Jim Whitehead, more than doubled Broun's vote total, and Broun had only 198 votes more than the third-place finisher.

In the runoff campaign, Whitehead angered some voters by failing to appear at a debate held in Athens and then by referring to his alma mater, the University of Georgia, as a "liberal bastion" that should be eliminated, save for the football team.^[3] In the runoff election held on July 17, 2007, Broun upset Whitehead by 0.8 percent, fewer than 400 votes. After the votes were certified, Whitehead declined to ask for a recount despite the narrow margin.^[3] On July 25, 2007, Broun was sworn in by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.^[4]

[edit] Legislation

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (September 2008)

Broun introduced a military anti-pornography bill into the House of Representatives. The bill is meant to stem the sales of pornography on U.S military installations. This bill basically notes that the there should be no loopholes in a former piece of legislation (Title 10 of the United States code), effectively banning military personnel from viewing pornography (Now entitled the "Military Honor and Decency Act").^[5] According to Broun's website, legislation will only be passed based on his "Four Way Test", which includes, "1) Is it moral/right?, 2) Is it constitutional?, 3) Is it necessary?, and 4) Is it affordable?".^[1]

On September 29, 2008, Broun voted against H.R. 3997, the economic relief or "bailout" plan addressing the recent economic crisis.^[6]

In May 2009, Broun proposed legislation that 2010 be proclaimed "The Year Of The Bible".^[7]

In June 2009, Broun voted against a climate change bill, calling entire concept of global warming a "hoax" perpetuated by the scientific community. ^[8]

[edit] Committee Assignments

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
• Committee on Science and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
  • Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (Ranking Member)

[edit] Remarks Comparing Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler

On November 10, 2008, one week after the 2008 presidential election, Broun drew national attention^[9] when he criticized then President-elect Barack Obama's call for a civilian national security force, suggesting that Obama might use it to establish a Marxist dictatorship.^[10]

In an interview with the Associated Press, Broun said, "That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did. When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist." Broun later clarified his statement by saying, "We can't be lulled into complacency. You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential of going down that road."^[10]

Broun cited a July 2008 speech by Obama in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate had said, "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." A spokesman for Obama indicated that he had been referring to a civilian reserve corps intended to handle postwar reconstruction efforts, such as rebuilding infrastructure. The Bush administration has endorsed this idea,^[10] and a Civilian Response Corps, described as similar to the one proposed by Obama,^[11] was formed in 2006 by the Bush Administration after a bipartisan Congressional vote.

[edit] Further Statements

The following day, November 11, Broun seemingly backed away from his statements, saying on WGAC radio, "I regret putting it that way," and "I apologize to anyone who has taken offense at that."^[12][9] Broun nevertheless asserted that Obama "is extremely liberal" and "has promoted a lot of socialistic ideas, and it just makes me concerned."

His remarks in the radio interview were at first interpreted in the press as an apology.^[13] However, Broun's office later said he was "not taking back anything he said" and a spokeswoman said, "We have not issued any official apology” for the remarks.^[14][11] The spokeswoman said Broun stood by a written statement he had issued in which he criticized Obama for having "socialist views" and raised what the Atlanta Journal Constitution described as "ominous concerns" about the civilian force.^[11] The news release read in part, "I firmly believe that we must not fall victim to the 'it can't happen here' mentality. I adhere to the adage 'eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.'" Broun also said that his comments had been sensationalized by the media.^[15]

[edit] Reactions

Broun's fellow lawmakers criticized his remarks. Republican U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss both expressed disagreement with his comments, while state Democratic Party spokesman Martin Matheny accused Broun of "playing to the extremes" at a time “when Americans are coming together to celebrate history and renew America's promise." and that "Broun's neo-McCarthyism has no place in today's political environment."^[9]

[edit] Remarks Calling Global Warming "a Hoax"

While arguing, unsuccessfully, against the American Clean Energy and Security Act on June 26, 2009, Broun stated that "Scientists all over this world say that the idea of human induced global climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community. It is a hoax. There is no scientific consensus."^[16] The comment received some applause, but prompted other representatives to vote for the bill. "Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, said he switched sides after listening to, as he said, "the Flat Earth Society" -- Republicans who maintained that global warming remained a theory, not a proven scientific fact."^[17]

[edit] References

[edit] External Links

• U.S. House website

• Paul Broun at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Paul Broun, M.D. for Congress campaign site
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Paul Broun profile