Kent Conrad
Kent Conrad was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States on March 12th, 1948 and is the Politician. At the age of 76, Kent Conrad biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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Kent Conrad, a former American politician who was a Senator from North Dakota, was born on March 12, 1948.
He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the Democratic Party's North Dakota affiliate.
He was first elected to the Senate in 1986 and spent 12 years as Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee. Conrad announced on January 18, 2011, that he was resigning from politics and would not seek reelection in 2012.
In a statement, he said that it was more important that "I spend my time and resources focusing on solving the country's budget deficit rather than being distracted by another campaign." Heidi Heitkamp, a fellow Democrat, was elected to replace him. Conrad is currently co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center's Commission on Retirement Protection and Personal Savings.
He is also a member of Issue One's ReFormers Caucus.
In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Early life
Conrad was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, son of Abigail and Gaylord E. Conrad. He was orphanaged at an early age and then raised in Bismarck by his grandparents. He attended Roosevelt Elementary, Hughes Junior High, and Wheelus Air Base high school in Tripoli, Libya, before graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy. He went back to Stanford to college and received an M.B.A. from The George Washington University.
Personal life
Conrad has been married twice. Pam Schafer, the brother of former US Secretary of Agriculture and former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer; they have a daughter named Jessamyn. Jessamyn Conrad is the author of What You Should Know About Politics.... However, Don't, a ostensibly nonpartisan political primer that was lauded by Barack Obama and Bob Dole.
Conrad married Lucy Calautti, his 1986 Senate campaign manager who now works as a lobbyist for Major League Baseball, on February 14, 1987.
Early political career
After graduating from college, Conrad became a civil servant, working as an assistant to the North Dakota State Tax Commissioner, Byron Dorgan, who later became his colleague in the Senate. Conrad made his first entry into politics when he ran unsuccessfully for the North Dakota Auditor's office in 1976. In 1980 Conrad succeeded Dorgan as Tax Commissioner. Conrad was state tax commissioner until 1986, when he ran for the Senate.
U.S. Senate career
In April 2006 Time named Conrad one of "America's 10 Best Senators". That same year The American commended him for his knowledge of economic issues. Conrad endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.
Conrad was a leading member of the "Gang of 10", a conservative group that pushed for much greater offshore drilling in sensitive environmental areas. He was well known for using charts as visual aids when speaking in the Senate, which earned him the nickname "Godfather of Charts."
In the 2009 negotiations over reforming America's healthcare system, Conrad strongly opposed a "public option." The AFL-CIO announced it would fund a primary challenge to Conrad in 2012 if he continued to oppose a public option.
On September 29, 2009, Conrad voted with Senate Finance Committee Republicans against an amendment to a health care bill that would have provided for a public option. He was supportive of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which places limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.
Conrad is more politically conservative than most Democrats. He voted consistently in favor of banning the partial-birth abortion medical procedure. He also opposes public funding of abortion, but voted in favor of lifting the ban on abortions on military bases. Conrad has a mixed record on gay rights. While he personally opposes gay marriage, he voted against a proposed constitutional ban on it and has supported bills that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. On January 31, 2006, Conrad was one of four Democrats to vote in favor of confirming Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
On April 17, 2012, Conrad, a strong supporter of the Simpson-Bowles plan, announced his plan to offer a version of it that he, as a member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, helped to develop. Lawmakers on the Senate Budget Committee could be forced to vote or modify the plan.
Conrad was known for his deep understanding of monetary policies and budget issues. He identifies as a "deficit hawk", supporting a balanced federal budget, but continues to support farm subsidies. He voted against Republican proposals to repeal the estate and alternative minimum taxes. He supported lower middle-class taxes, but increased taxes for people making more than $1 million per year. In 2010 he supported extending the expiring Bush tax cuts "at least until the economy is clearly recovering."
Conrad was very vocal in his opposition to the spending policies of the George W. Bush administration. He contended that Bush worsened the national debt. Conrad also opposed most free-trade measures and strongly supported subsidies to family farmers.
In 1991 Conrad voted against approving the use of military force in Iraq. He was one of only 23 senators to vote against the war resolution of 2002. While he initially voted in favor of the USA PATRIOT Act, he has opposed warrantless wiretapping and government's continued use of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
In June 2008 it was reported that Conrad had received mortgages on favorable terms for a second home and an apartment building due to his association with Countrywide Financial CEO Angelo R. Mozilo. Conrad acknowledged that he had spoken with Mozilo by phone. In an April 23, 2004, email about one of Conrad's loans, Mozilo encouraged an employee to "make an exception due to the fact that the borrower is a senator." Conrad denied any prior knowledge of such treatment and gave the mortgage discount to charity. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Conrad. In August 2009, after a yearlong inquiry, the Ethics Committee exonerated Conrad of any unethical behavior in his dealings with Countrywide.