Gephardt cornerstone REP

180 on armenian genocide when hired by turkey this town 166<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt</a>richard Andrew Gephardt (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none !important;">/ˈɡɛphɑːrd/</a>;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[1]</a> born January 31, 1941) is an American politician who served as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">United States Representative</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri" title="Missouri" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Missouri</a> from 1977 to 2005. A member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party(United_States)" title="Democratic Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Democratic Party</a>, he was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_Leader_of_the_U.S.House_of_Representatives" class="mw-redirect" title="Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">House Majority Leader</a> from 1989 to 1995 and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Leader_of_the_U.S.House_of_Representatives" class="mw-redirect" title="Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Minority Leader</a> from 1995 to 2003. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" title="President of the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">President of the United States</a> in 1988 and 2004. Gephardt was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee in 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2008.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[2]</a>Since his retirement from politics, Gephardt has become a significant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbyist" class="mw-redirect" title="Lobbyist" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">lobbyist</a>. He founded a Washington-based public affairs firm, Gephardt Government Affairs, and an Atlanta-based labor consultancy, the Gephardt Group, as well as consulting for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLA_Piper" title="DLA Piper" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">DLA Piper</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTI_Consulting" title="FTI Consulting" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">FTI Consulting</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Sachs" title="Goldman Sachs" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Goldman Sachs</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Forbes-3" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">[</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Forbes-3" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">3]</a> He is also a member of the ReFormers Caucus of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issue_One" title="Issue One" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Issue One</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a><div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; display: table;"><ul style="list-style-image: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#Early_life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Early life</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#Political_career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2Political career</a><ul style="list-style-image: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#House_of_Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.1House of Representatives</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#1988_presidential_campaign" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.21988 presidential campaign</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#House_leadership" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.3House leadership</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#2004_campaign_for_president" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.42004 campaign for president</a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#Political_views" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">3Political views</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#Post-congressional_career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">4Post-congressional career</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">5References</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">6External links</a></li></ul></div><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Early life[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dick_Gephardt&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">edit</a>]</h2>Gephardt was born in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.Louis" title="St. Louis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">St. Louis</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri" title="Missouri" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Missouri</a>, the son of Loreen Estelle (née Cassell) and Louis Andrew Gephardt, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teamsters" class="mw-redirect" title="Teamsters" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Teamster</a> milkman; part of his ancestry is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_American" class="mw-redirect" title="German American" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">German</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a> He graduated from the former Southwest High School in 1958. Gephardt is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Scout_rank(Boy_Scouts_of_America)" class="mw-redirect" title="Eagle Scout rank (Boy Scouts of America)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Eagle Scout</a> and recipient of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Eagle_Scout_Award" title="Distinguished Eagle Scout Award" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Distinguished Eagle Scout Award</a> from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Scouts_of_America" title="Boy Scouts of America" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Boy Scouts of America</a>. He earned his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Science" title="Bachelor of Science" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">B.S.</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University" title="Northwestern University" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Northwestern University</a> in 1962 where he was president of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Theta_Pi" title="Beta Theta Pi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Beta Theta Pi</a>, the student senate, and his freshman class. He earned his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor" title="Juris Doctor" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">J.D.</a> at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan_Law_School" title="University of Michigan Law School" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Michigan Law School</a> in 1965.In 1965, he was admitted to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Bar" class="mw-redirect" title="Missouri Bar" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Missouri Bar</a>. He then entered the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Air_National_Guard" title="Missouri Air National Guard" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Missouri Air National Guard</a>, where he served until 1971.He and his wife Jane have three grown children, Matt, Katie, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrissy_Gephardt" title="Chrissy Gephardt" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chrissy</a>. His brother, Donald L. Gephardt, was the Dean of The College of Fine and Performing Arts at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_University" title="Rowan University" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Rowan University</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassboro,New_Jersey" title="Glassboro, New Jersey" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Glassboro, New Jersey</a>.<h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Political career[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dick_Gephardt&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Political career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">edit</a>]</h2><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">See also: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_history_of_Dick_Gephardt" title="Electoral history of Dick Gephardt" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Electoral history of Dick Gephardt</a></div>Gephardt was Democratic committeeman for the 14th ward in St. Louis from 1968 to 1971, moving up to become 14th ward <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alderman" title="Alderman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">alderman</a> from 1971 to 1976, as part of a group of young aldermen known informally as "The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turks" title="Young Turks" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Young Turks</a>."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 1.6; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">House of Representatives[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dick_Gephardt&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">edit</a>]</h3>In 1976, Gephardt was elected to Congress from the St. Louis-based 3rd District, succeeding 24-year incumbent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Sullivan" title="Leonor Sullivan" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Leonor Sullivan</a>. He was elected 13 more times, opting not to run for reelection in 2004. For most of his Congressional career, Gephardt's National Political Director was St. Louis-based political consultant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Aboussie" title="Joyce Aboussie" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joyce Aboussie</a>. Gephardt voted in favor of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_of_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.Day" title="Passage of Martin Luther King Jr. Day" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">bill</a> establishing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.Day" title="Martin Luther King Jr. Day" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Martin Luther King Jr. Day</a> as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_holidays_in_the_United_States" title="Federal holidays in the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">federal holiday</a> in August 1983 but did not vote on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Restoration_Act_of_1987" title="Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987</a> (or the vote to override <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan" title="Ronald Reagan" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">President Reagan</a>'s veto in March 1988).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[7]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[8]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 1.6; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">1988 presidential campaign[</h3>
Gephardt's early victories did not translate into support in other states, though, and he was not able to raise adequate funds to compete in the Southern primaries. His campaign ran out of money after losing badly in the March "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Tuesday" title="Super Tuesday" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Super Tuesday</a>" primaries, when he won only the Missouri primary. An ad aired by Governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Dukakis" title="Michael Dukakis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Michael Dukakis</a>'s campaign focused on Gephardt's "flip-flopping" voting record and showed a Gephardt look-alike doing forward and backward flips for the camera. Many felt the ad killed any chance Gephardt had of winning the nomination.[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">citation needed</a>] Gephardt dropped out after winning only 13% in Michigan, despite support from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Auto_Workers" title="United Auto Workers" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Auto Workers</a>. Dukakis considered selecting Gephardt as his vice presidential running mate but instead chose <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas" title="Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas</a> Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Bentsen" title="Lloyd Bentsen" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Lloyd Bentsen</a>.Gephardt was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_U.S.presidential_election" class="mw-redirect" title="1988 U.S. presidential election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">1988 presidential election</a>. Gephardt formally announced his candidacy in February 1987—one of the first to do so—and campaigned hard in Iowa, ultimately spending over 100 days in the state. He was stuck in low double digits in polls, but began moving ahead in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa" title="Iowa" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iowa</a> in late December 1987 after running an ad that criticized trade barriers by Korea and Japan as unfair- known as the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiTg7zcNgP0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url("/w/skins/Vector/resources/skins.vector.styles/images/external-link-ltr-icon.svg?b4b84") right center no-repeat; padding-right: 13px;">"Hyundai Ad."</a> Gephardt won the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_caucus" class="mw-redirect" title="Iowa caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iowa caucuses</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota" title="South Dakota" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">South Dakota</a> primary in February while finishing a strong second in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire" title="New Hampshire" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">New Hampshire</a>, making him a serious contender for the nomination.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[10]</a><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 1.6; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">House leadership[</h3><div class="thumb tright" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); clear: right; float: right;"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 222px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dick_Gephardt.jpg" class="image" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Dick_Gephardt.jpg/220px-Dick_Gephardt.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="269" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Dick_Gephardt.jpg/330px-Dick_Gephardt.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Dick_Gephardt.jpg/440px-Dick_Gephardt.jpg 2x" data-file-width="926" data-file-height="1132" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); vertical-align: middle; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /></a><div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dick_Gephardt.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url("/w/resources/src/mediawiki.skinning/images/magnify-clip-ltr.svg?8330e"); display: block; text-indent: 15px; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 15px; height: 11px; user-select: none;" /></div>Portrait of Gephardt from the 1997 Congressional Pictorial Directory</div></div></div>In part due to the visibility gained from his 1988 presidential bid, Gephardt was elected <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_Leader_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" class="mw-redirect" title="Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">majority leader</a> by his House colleagues in June 1989, making him the second-ranking Democrat in the House, behind then-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Speaker</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Foley" title="Tom Foley" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tom Foley</a>. Gephardt served in that position until January 1995.After Foley was unseated in the Republican landslide of 1994 that gave the Republicans a 52-seat majority, Gephardt became the leader of the House Democrats, as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Leader_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" class="mw-redirect" title="Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">minority leader</a>, initially opposite <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich" title="Newt Gingrich" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Newt Gingrich</a> and then, from 1999 onward, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Hastert" title="Dennis Hastert" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dennis Hastert</a>. When Gingrich faced a coup within his own party in 1997, Gephardt could have become Speaker if there had been a floor vote and he gained the support of Republican members dissatisfied with Gingrich, but Gingrich refused to resign and no vote occurred. In the 1996, 1998, and 2000 elections, Gephardt led the Democrats to gains in the House,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-articles.cnn.com-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[11]</a> although they did not retake the majority until 2006, after Gephardt had left Congress.Gephardt became a prolific financial supporter of Democrats around the country in the early 1990s, assembling a team of top fundraising staff who helped him support hundreds of candidates for local and federal office. Although Gephardt worked hard for many of President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Bill Clinton</a>'s programs, he and his union supporters strongly opposed NAFTA and other "free trade" programs, so Clinton relied on Republican support to pass those initiatives. During the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_and_acquittal_of_Bill_Clinton" class="mw-redirect" title="Impeachment and acquittal of Bill Clinton" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">impeachment proceedings of President Clinton</a>, Gephardt led a walkout in the House after a censure motion was ruled irrelevant to the impeachment debate.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[12]</a><div class="thumb tleft" style="margin: 0.5em 1.4em 1.3em 0px; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); float: left; clear: left;"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 222px;">
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dick_Gephardt_1998.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url("/w/resources/src/mediawiki.skinning/images/magnify-clip-ltr.svg?8330e"); display: block; text-indent: 15px; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 15px; height: 11px; user-select: none;" /></div>Gephardt speaking at a vigil for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard" title="Matthew Shepard" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Matthew Shepard</a> in 1998</div></div></div>In 2000, Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore" title="Al Gore" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Al Gore</a> named Gephardt to his short list of possible vice presidential candidates. The other names on the short list were Indiana Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Bayh" title="Evan Bayh" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Evan Bayh</a>, North Carolina Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards" title="John Edwards" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Edwards</a>, Massachusetts Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry" title="John Kerry" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Kerry</a>, Connecticut Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lieberman" title="Joe Lieberman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joe Lieberman</a>, and New Hampshire Governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Shaheen" title="Jeanne Shaheen" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jeanne Shaheen</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[13]</a> Gore eventually selected Lieberman.In the 2002 Congressional midterm elections, Gephardt campaigned on the economy and Social Security, but the continuing resonance of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks" title="September 11 attacks" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">September 11 attacks</a>, the momentum for military action against Iraq, and President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a>'s popularity lead to Republican gains, with the Democrats losing four House seats. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Ford" class="mw-redirect" title="Harold Ford" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Harold Ford</a> of Tennessee called the results an "absolute blowout" and called upon Gephardt to step down, saying that it was time for "new ideas and new faces". Due to his previous success, it has been said that Gephardt would have been easily returned as Minority Leader if he had decided to stay on.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-articles.cnn.com-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[11]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[14]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[15]</a> However, Gephardt, who was planning to run for president in 2004, did not run for reelection as House Minority Leader, stepping down in January 2003. His leadership position was contested by the centrist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Frost" title="Martin Frost" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Martin Frost</a>, the outgoing Democratic Caucus Chair, and the liberal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi" title="Nancy Pelosi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nancy Pelosi</a>, the Minority Whip, who was elected as Gephardt's successor. No longer having Congressional leadership duties freed Gephardt up to concentrate on a 2004 presidential bid.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[16]</a><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 1.6; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">2004 campaign for president[</h3>Gephardt announced his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S.presidential_election" class="mw-redirect" title="2004 U.S. presidential election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">second run for president</a> on January 5, 2003. His successor as Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, endorsed him. His campaign was notable for the high-profile <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_out" title="Coming out" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">coming out</a> of his daughter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrissy_Gephardt" title="Chrissy Gephardt" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chrissy</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People(magazine)" title="People (magazine)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">People</a> magazine, while she was helping him on the campaign trail,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[17]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[18]</a> a subject they also discussed in interviews for the 2007 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film" title="Documentary film" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">documentary film</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Bible_Tells_Me_So" title="For the Bible Tells Me So" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">For the Bible Tells Me So</a>;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[19]</a> he has continued to be an outspoken advocate for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_rights" class="mw-redirect" title="Gay rights" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">gay rights</a> since the campaign.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[20]</a>Although Republicans considered him a formidable candidate, Gephardt was seen by many as too old-fashioned and unelectable.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Swarns-21" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[21]</a> His fundraising efforts were behind those of former <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont" title="Vermont" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Vermont</a> Governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean" title="Howard Dean" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Howard Dean</a> and Senators <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry" title="John Kerry" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Kerry</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards" title="John Edwards" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Edwards</a>, and tied with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lieberman" title="Joe Lieberman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joe Lieberman</a>. Gephardt's support of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Resolution" class="mw-redirect" title="Iraq Resolution" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iraq War resolution</a> hurt him among <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_liberalism_in_the_United_States" title="Modern liberalism in the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">liberal</a> activists. He promoted a form of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care" title="Universal health care" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">universal health care</a>, and was backed by 21 labor unions, but did not have enough support to receive the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL-CIO" class="mw-redirect" title="AFL-CIO" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">AFL-CIO</a>'s endorsement.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Swarns-21" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[21]</a>
The race between Gephardt and Dean became negative, and took an ugly turn in October when a Gephardt staffer reportedly pushed a Dean staffer out of a meeting while calling him a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot(slang)" title="Faggot (slang)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">faggot</a>".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[22]</a> Many press at the event claimed the Dean staffer was picking a fight and that the Gephardt staffer did not make the hurtful comment. Dean chairman <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Trippi" title="Joe Trippi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joe Trippi</a> (who worked for Gephardt in 1988) and Gephardt chairman Steve Murphy became involved in a war of words over the incident, as well as Murphy's allegation that the Dean campaign was bringing in out-of-state non-residents to participate in the caucus. In the final days of the Iowa campaign, both Dean and Gephardt faded, and they finished third and fourth, respectively. Gephardt ended his presidential campaign after that disappointing result.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[23]</a>Throughout early 2003, Gephardt was ahead in polling for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Democratic_caucuses,2004" class="mw-redirect" title="Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2004" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Iowa caucus</a>, but by August Dean had taken the lead, his campaign fueled by antiwar activists. The Gephardt campaign was embarrassed by an early August <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Louis_Post-Dispatch" class="mw-redirect" title="St Louis Post-Dispatch" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">St Louis Post-Dispatch</a> article that revealed that 11 of the 33 "Gephardt team leaders" listed on his Iowa campaign's website actually supported other candidates or were neutral.After he dropped out of the presidential race, Gephardt was mentioned as a possible running mate for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry" title="John Kerry" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Kerry</a>. On March 7, 2004, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico" title="New Mexico" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">New Mexico</a> Governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Richardson(politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bill Richardson (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bill Richardson</a>, also seen as a strong contender for the position, endorsed Gephardt for Vice President. "I think he's the best candidate," Richardson said of Gephardt in an interview with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a>. "There's a good regional balance with Kerry and Gephardt." Kerry announced on July 6, 2004, that he had chosen <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards" title="John Edwards" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Edwards</a> as his running mate. On the same day, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post" title="New York Post" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">New York Post</a> published a headline stating that Gephardt had become Kerry's running mate. The headline was compared to the 1948 "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_defeats_Truman" class="mw-redirect" title="Dewey defeats Truman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dewey defeats Truman</a>" headline in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune" title="Chicago Tribune" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chicago Tribune</a> that incorrectly reported the presidential election results that year. In 2007, it was revealed in Kerry campaign adviser <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Shrum" title="Bob Shrum" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bob Shrum</a>'s book No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner that Kerry wanted to choose Gephardt but was convinced by Shrum and others to choose Edwards.<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsible-rightside-toggle mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible" style="border-spacing: 0px; width: 50em; margin-right: auto; padding: 1px; background: rgb(253, 253, 253); border: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em;"><tbody><tr><th style="border: 1px solid silver; background: rgb(238, 238, 238);"><span class="mw-collapsible-toggle mw-collapsible-toggle-default mw-collapsible-toggle-collapsed" role="button" tabindex="0" aria-expanded="false" style="float: right; user-select: none; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; padding-right: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.2em;">
Dick Gephardt 2004 presidential campaign endorsements</th></tr></tbody></table><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Political views[</h2>After his election to the U.S. House in 1976, Gephardt's political views gradually moved to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_politics" title="Left-wing politics" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">left</a>. Originally, Gephardt was strongly anti-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion" title="Abortion" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">abortion</a> and was viewed as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_conservative" class="mw-redirect" title="Social conservative" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">social conservative</a>. He was initially extremely critical of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Supreme Court's</a> landmark <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v.Wade" title="Roe v. Wade" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Roe v. Wade</a> ruling that legalized abortion. He wrote on the subject in 1984:<blockquote class="templatequote" style="overflow: hidden; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 40px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Life is the division of human <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell(biology)" title="Cell (biology)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">cells</a>, a process that begins with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conception(biology)" class="mw-redirect" title="Conception (biology)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">conception</a>. The (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Supreme Court's</a> abortion) ruling was unjust, and it is incumbent on the Congress to correct the injustice... I have always been supportive of pro-life legislation. I intend to remain steadfast on this issue.... I believe that the life of the unborn should be protected at all costs.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-28" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[28]</a></blockquote>In 1987, when Gephardt decided to run for president, he announced that he would no longer support legislation to restrict abortion rights. He told the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Life" class="mw-redirect" title="Right to Life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Right to Life Committee</a>; "I now do not support any <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Life_Amendment" title="Human Life Amendment" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Constitutional amendment</a> pertaining to the legality of abortion."Gephardt's views on economic policy also changed over the years. He voted for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan" title="Ronald Reagan" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ronald Reagan</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_cuts" class="mw-redirect" title="Tax cuts" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">tax cuts</a> in 1981; in the 2000s, however, he became a staunch opponent of similar tax cuts by President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a>, saying that the enormous surplus created during the administration of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bill Clinton</a> should have been spent on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care" title="Health care" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">health care</a> instead. Gephardt is widely viewed as an economic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populism" title="Populism" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">populist</a>. He supports universal health coverage, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade" title="Fair trade" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">fair trade</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_taxation" class="mw-redirect" title="Progressive taxation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">progressive taxation</a>. Although he once chaired the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrist" class="mw-redirect" title="Centrist" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">centrist</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Leadership_Council" title="Democratic Leadership Council" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Democratic Leadership Council</a>, Gephardt in his later years in Congress distanced himself from the organization, finding his pro-labor views at odds with the DLC's pro-business positions.On October 10, 2002, Gephardt was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq" title="2003 invasion of Iraq" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">invasion of Iraq</a>. He was an early supporter of the war, and cosponsor of the authorization resolution. However, three years later Gephardt said of his support for the war that "It was a mistake ... I was wrong."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[29]</a><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Post-congressional career[</h2>
In his new role as a Washington lobbyist, Gephardt, on behalf of the Republic of Turkey, has been actively lobbying against the House resolution condemning the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide" class="mw-redirect" title="Armenian genocide" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Armenian genocide</a> of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire. While supportive of the resolution while in Congress, he now contends that facts need to be better known before any position is taken on this historical controversy.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[31]</a>On January 3, 2005, Gephardt's three-decade political career ended with the expiration of his 14th term in the House of Representatives. That month, Gephardt started a consulting and lobbying firm, Gephardt Group, of which he is president and CEO.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-30" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[30]</a> Gephardt also joined the international law firm <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLA_Piper" title="DLA Piper" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">DLA Piper</a> as strategic advisor in the government affairs practice group from June 2005 to December 2009. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/richard-gephardt/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url("/w/skins/Vector/resources/skins.vector.styles/images/external-link-ltr-icon.svg?b4b84") right center no-repeat; padding-right: 13px;">[1]</a>Gephardt served on the board of directors of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarq_Corporation" class="mw-redirect" title="Embarq Corporation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Embarq Corporation</a> from June 2007<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[32]</a> to July 1, 2009, when he became a member of the board of directors of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CenturyLink" class="mw-redirect" title="CenturyLink" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">CenturyLink</a>, Embarq's successor corporation.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-CenturyLink-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[33]</a> Gephardt also serves as a director of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centene_Corporation" title="Centene Corporation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Centene Corporation</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company" title="Ford Motor Company" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ford Motor Company</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Aerosystems_Holdings,Inc." class="mw-redirect" title="Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc." style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc.</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Steel_Corporation" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Steel Corporation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Steel Corporation</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-CenturyLink-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[33]</a> He joined Ford's board in 2009.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[34]</a>In July 2007, Gephardt endorsed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton" title="Hillary Clinton" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Hillary Clinton</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton_presidential_campaign,2008" class="mw-redirect" title="Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">for president</a>, leading some to speculate that he was interested in running for vice president in 2008. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLA_Piper" title="DLA Piper" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">DLA Piper</a> become a major donor to Clinton's campaign, donating about $190,000.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[35]</a> Gephardt was mentioned during the summer of 2008 as a possible vice-presidential choice for eventual nominee <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senator" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Senator" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Senator</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Barack Obama</a>.A collection of Gephardt's congressional documents, dating from 1994 to 2004, was processed from 2006 to 2007 by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Historical_Society" title="Missouri Historical Society" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Missouri Historical Society</a> for academic use, with a grant through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Museum_and_Library_Services" title="Institute of Museum and Library Services" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Institute of Museum and Library Services</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-36" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[36]</a> In 2005, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_University_in_St.Louis" title="Washington University in St. Louis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Washington University in St. Louis</a> inaugurated the Richard A. Gephardt Institute of Public Service, which promotes volunteerism and community activism. Since 2005, Gephardt has been a consultant to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Sachs" title="Goldman Sachs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Goldman Sachs</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLA_Piper" title="DLA Piper" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">DLA Piper</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Forbes-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a> Since 2007 he has been a consultant to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTI_Consulting" title="FTI Consulting" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">FTI Consulting</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Forbes-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a>In 2007, Gephardt began serving on the advisory board of the Extend Health insurance company, and then became a member of its board of directors. In 2009, Gephardt advised <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UnitedHealth_Group" title="UnitedHealth Group" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">UnitedHealth Group</a>, one of America's largest private insurers, in waging a strong campaign against a public option for national health care.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[37]</a>In 2010, Gephardt was elected chair of the Board of Trustees of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scripps_Research_Institute" class="mw-redirect" title="The Scripps Research Institute" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The Scripps Research Institute</a>, a nonprofit institute focusing on biomedical research.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-38" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[38]</a>Gephardt has also been significantly involved with the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to a large lobbying contract with the Medicines Company,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-39" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[39]</a> he serves as chair of the Council for American Medical Innovation (CAMI), formed by and affiliated with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhRMA" class="mw-redirect" title="PhRMA" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">PhRMA</a>. In this capacity he hired his own firm to lobby for the organization, to push to extend patents and block <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_drugs" class="mw-redirect" title="Generic drugs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">generic drugs</a> from the market.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Spectacular-40" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[40]</a>Gephardt has also served as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbyist" class="mw-redirect" title="Lobbyist" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">lobbyist</a> for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing" title="Boeing" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Boeing</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[41]</a> He is a labor consultant for Spirit Aerosystems and sits on its board of directors.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-spiritaero_pr-42" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[42]</a> In these roles, Gephardt has presided over an aggressive anti-union campaign that has bewildered many of his traditional political allies. In July 2011, Spirit Aerosystems walked out of negotiations with the union that represents its engineering, technical and professional workforce.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-SPEEA-43" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[43]</a> The union subsequently voted down the company's last contract offer, with 96.5% voting no. The company did not change its contract offer significantly after this rejection and relations with its workforce have been contentious ever since. With negotiations at a standstill, production schedules for 2011 and 2012 were threatened.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Wichita_Eagle-44" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[44]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt#cite_note-Wichita_Business_Journal-45" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[45]</a><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">References</h2>
=ref dems warynyt
China: Communism at 50
U.S.-China Relations, special report from the Asia SocietyWASHINGTON, April 17 -- In a setback for the Clinton administration, the House Democratic leader, Richard A. Gephardt, intends to oppose granting China permanent normal trading privileges, several people familiar with his decision said today.For months, Mr. Gephardt refused to say how he would vote, hesitating to worsen divisions among Democrats on the issue and jeopardize his greater goal of reclaiming the House this fall and becoming speaker.He is expected to announce on Wednesday in St. Louis, his hometown, that alternatives to Congress's annual review of China's trading status fall short of giving lawmakers enough leverage over Beijing's behavior on human rights, religious tolerance and the environment.The timing of the expected announcement is important, since the House began a two-week recess today, and during their time at home, undecided lawmakers will be the target of intense lobbying and advertising campaigns from both sides.The Democratic leader is also expected to tell his rank-and-file to vote their consciences and the best interests of their districts. That would free some of them to vote for the pact, strengthening them in campaigns against pro-trade Republicans this fall.Both sides say the House vote, scheduled for the week of May 22, is too close to call. The Senate is considered certain to back the change.The vote on China's trade status will determine to what degree America benefits from China's expected entry into the World Trade Organization.Mr. Gephardt's decision is a victory for the coalition of labor, environmental and human rights groups, and their allies on Capitol Hill, who oppose the measure as an undeserved reward to a repressive regime."I never had any doubt that Dick would come down on the right side of the issue, where his heart is," said Representative Peter A. DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat who opposes permanent normal trade status for China.It also complicates President Clinton's efforts to rally dozens of uncommitted Democrats to support one of his most important remaining foreign policy goals.Given Mr. Gephardt's stature, his position could give wavering Democrats political cover to vote no on the agreement, which is an important step in China's entry into the World Trade Organization."Obviously, we're disappointed and wished he were able to be for this," Commerce Secretary William Daley, Mr. Clinton's point man on the vote, said in a telephone interview. "But we'll continue to make the case with Democrats and Republicans that this is good for national security and our overall world leadership position."On Friday, Mr. Daley suffered an embarrassment when he was forced to cancel a trip with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to China when most of the dozen invited legislators opted for various reasons to pull out.Mr. Gephardt's decision is not surprising.On virtually every nettlesome trade issue of the Clinton administration, Mr. Gephardt has joined the opposing charge, calling for tougher labor, environmental and human rights standards. He opposed the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, which Mr. Clinton won, and the bill to give the President special authority to negotiate trade accords, which Mr. Clinton lost.Over the years, Mr. Gephardt has voted against granting China normal trading status in the annual review. He is a staunch ally of organized labor, which is aggressively fighting the measure to give China the same permanent lower tariffs the United States gives most every other country.Republicans never took Mr. Gephardt's silence seriously. The No. 2 House Democrat, David E. Bonior of Michigan, is leading the attack against the measure, but top House Republicans, especially Dick Armey of Texas, the majority leader, have always lumped Mr. Gephardt in with its foes.Trade policy has long played in important role in defining Mr. Gephardt's political agenda.The centerpiece of his failed 1988 presidential campaign was a measure that would have forced retaliation against nations that gained large trade surpluses with the United States through unfair means.Mr. Gephardt has recently intensified his courtship of corporate America, especially high-tech companies, to dispel his label as a traditional, old-style Democrat. But many trade advocates said it would have been unfathomable for Mr. Gephardt to switch his trade stripes so quickly."We anticipated this, and the fact Dick is not making this a litmus test is very important to all of us," said Representative Robert T. Matsui of California, the top Democratic vote-counter in favor of the measure.Clearly, the significance of the China vote has weighed on Mr. Gephardt. Last month, he said he was trying to broker a compromise with the administration, labor unions, business groups and House Democrats.Such an alternative, he said, would include "a methodical way" to ensure that China abides by its treaties, a mechanism to evaluate its human rights record and a code of conduct for American companies doing business in China.It would also permit the United States to impose sanctions against China if it violated the agreement, as long as the penalties were consistent with the World Trade Organization rules.But some critics questioned Mr. Gephardt's commitment to finding a third way. He has been dismissive of a popular effort along those lines by Representative Sander M. Levin of Michigan, one of the uncommitted Democrats.===Dick Gephardt.  The former congressman (D-MO) and

presidential candidate was known as a champion of working Americans. But

he became a lobbyist for Corinthian Colleges, whose abuses come down

hard on veterans, single mothers, and others struggling to feed their

families.
<div>....</div><div>While lobbying disclosures are not bill-specific, Bayer lobbied Congress during the first115 and second116 quarters of 2013 on the issue of bee health and specifically had “discussions on EPA regulatory actions involving pollinator protection.” In April 2014, according to Politico, within a week of opening its new “Bee Care Center” in Triangle Park, North Carolina, Bayer increased its lobbying muscle by hiring Cornerstone Government Affairs, a D.C.-based lobby firm, “to help ‘pollinator health and habitat promotion’ after a growing campaign, which includes reports from the European Union, has accused the chemical company of causing large-scale harm to the bee population with its pesticides.”117 Current clients of Cornerstone Government Affairs also include Syngenta and CropLife America (a trade association representing the manufacturers of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals).118 While bee health was not listed as a specific issue on Monsanto’s119 and Syngenta’s120 lobbying records, the documents do indicate that the companies lobbied the Environmental Protection Agency in 2013 on agricultural research, biotech regulations and pesticides. The EPA is currently charged with reevaluating neonicotinoids through its pesticide registration review program, which is not set to be completed until at least 2018.121 </div><div>
</div><div>Despite the EPA’s scientific conclusions,  </div><div>
</div><div>similar to that of the European Food Security Association, on the high risk that neonicotinoids pose to bees,122 the EPA and U.S. Department of Agriculture have indicated that a ban in the U.S. is not necessary.123 This failure to act persists despite leaked documents from EPA that indicate the agency is ignoring warnings from its own scientists about the dangers of the neonic clothianidin. Here is how agriculture journalist Tom Philpott described the leaked memo in 2010: “EPA scientists have essentially rejected the findings of a study conducted on behalf of Bayer that the agency had used to justify the registration of clothianidin. And they reiterated concerns that widespread use of clothianidin imperils the health of the nation’s honeybees.”124 Nevertheless, instead of a ban, the EPA has developed a new pesticide label that will allegedly help to protect bees from toxic exposure to neonicotinoids by prohibiting their use where bees are present. However, the labels ignore the widest application of neonicotinoid pesticides: the seed treatments that enable the uptake of pesticides into the plant and later into pollen and nectar, which are gathered and eaten by bees and other key pollinators. The proposed labels would therefore do little to address the problem of bee declines..... </div><a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/the-costly-lobbying-war-over-america-s-dying-honeybees-20140701">http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/the-costly-lobbying-war-over-america-s-dying-honeybees-20140701</a>July 1, 2014 The insect world's biggest murder mystery is moving to K Street.
Honeybees—pollinators that serve as the matchmakers of the floral kingdom—are dying off in droves, frightening environmentalists and scientists who fear the unfilled natural niche that collapsing bee colonies leave behind. Those concerns hit the national stage last month when President Obama launched a federal investigation to find out what is driving the decline.All of that has made the pesticide industry nervous. Environmentalists have long argued that a widely used class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, are a major cause of bee die-offs. And green groups are hoping that White House attention—combined with a growing body of scientific evidence that points the finger at chemical crop treatments—will lead to an all-out ban on the pesticides.For the industry, that would be a major dent in sales. In 2009, neonics accounted for $2.6 billion in profits industry-wide.In an effort to protect their product, pesticide makers are loading up on high-powered lobbyists. Bayer, the largest manufacturer of neonics, has signed former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt's firm to lobby on the issue, according to disclosure records filed at the end of June. Gephardt himself is listed as a lobbyist for the company, along with his former chief of staff, Thomas O'Donnell, and aide Sharon Daniels.Bayer also signed a contract in April with Cornerstone Government Affairs as part of its honeybee lobbying push.A Bayer spokesperson declined to comment on the message its lobbyists plan to push. But the company confirmed that it recently hired both lobbying firms, and its line on pesticides has been well-publicized."Some critics contend that neonicotinoids may be involved in honeybee losses," Bayer's website proclaims. "However, there has been no demonstrated effect on colony health associated with neonicotinoid-based insecticides."In addition to its honeybee lobbying, Bayer has launched a public-relations offensive. The chemical giant opened the doors to its North American Bee Care Center in North Carolina in April. And last month, Bayer hosted a reception for members of Congress in Washington to talk about its efforts to help honeybees during National Pollinator Week.Bayer isn't the only pesticides maker fixing for a fight. Syngenta, the second-largest neonic manufacturer, is registered to lobby on pesticides. A Syngenta spokesperson said the company actively discusses "the pollinator issue" with government officials.The lobbying push is backed by deep pockets. Bayer ponied up more than $2 million for all of its lobbying efforts in the first quarter of the year, according to lobbying disclosure records. Syngenta, meanwhile, paid out $350,000 in the same interval for total lobbying expenditures.Environmentalists and public-health and food-safety advocates are also shelling out to make the case that pesticides are killing honeybees, but have spent considerably less cash. The Center for Food Safety, which lobbies against neonics, spent only $10,000 total on lobbying efforts in the first quarter of the year. Friends of the Earth, an environmental group, which contends neonics are the leading cause of bee deaths, spent just under $13,000 in the fourth quarter of last year.As long as the cause of the declines remains in question, both sides will continue to make their case to the administration and on Capitol Hill. "This issue isn't going away, and what we're starting to see now is lobbying efforts really ramp up," Larissa Walker, the policy and campaign coordinator with the Center for Food Safety said.The Environmental Protection Agency, which is reviewing neonics, has indicated that it views the link between pesticides and honeybee deaths as far from settled science.A five-year scientific review of the academic literature released last month reported that pollinators are "highly vulnerable" to neonics. Environmentalists seized on the study as the latest evidence that the chemicals are killing bees.Pesticide manufacturers, however, say that's simply not true, pointing instead to a host of other factors as likely reasons for a recent decline in native bee populations. One of those factors is the varroa mite, a parasite that preys on bees by drinking their blood.Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon has put forward legislation that would require EPA to halt use of the pesticides until a conclusive determination over the link between pesticides and bee health has been either established or disproved. The legislation has little chance of passing, but the European Union has already instituted a temporary, two-year ban on the use of the pesticides, and green groups are hoping the U.S. will do the same.Meanwhile, bee declines continue at an alarming rate.Starting in 2006, commercial beekeepers in the U.S. began reporting a loss of nearly one-third of their hives during the winter. Losses last winter were lower than they have been on average during the past eight years. But scientists, beekeepers, and green groups say the rate of decline remains alarmingly high.Researchers have struggled to explain the insect epidemic, but generally cite stressors—including pesticides, parasites, poor nutrition, and genetics—as likely reasons for the decline.Pollination is essential to the survival of crops such as apples, avocados, and lemons. Last month, the White House said bee pollination produces $15 billion worth of agricultural yields annually."We're at a crisis point here," said Lisa Archer, the food and technology program director for Friends of the Earth. "The question now is whether we're going to listen to the alarm bells that are going off."This article appears in the July 2, 2014 edition of NJ Daily.===<a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/gephardt-group/1cfe95b4e8b94d3fb9431e5542e4fb9c">http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/gephardt-group/1cfe95b4e8b94d3fb9431e5542e4fb9c</a>

<h5>Lobbyists Employed</h5>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/richard-gephardt/0db7e3fecdf54600ba87660e8ed24bd7">Richard Gephardt</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/thomas-odonnell/1bc27d9a1ad94c72b07595df95269e39">Thomas O'donnell</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/sharon-daniels/bde844110cf541bc8d3960b36eef32d9">Sharon Daniels</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/andrea-king/1572dc312f5e4025a0f887435b76a171">Andrea King</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/michael-messmer/755214eb8f444e4aaa01e349af3e1941">Michael Messmer</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/joel-freedman/d5d1748df7e04ad885aec8e9261ec897">Joel Freedman</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/janice-oconnell/6c4bbd0707e640dea7f268ed96b1fbb9">Janice O'connell</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/caitlin-donovan/b0759f08fa8a4f4b9af9768c9f5dca6e">Caitlin Donovan</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/catherine-goode/c563a939e610459e9cf146f904b3b8a1">Catherine Goode</a>,</li>

<li><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/individual/scott-brenner/bd0df29dc9fe4654bca15dc1444524eb">Scott Brenner</a>,</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h5>Most Frequently Disclosed Lobbying Issues</h5>

<ul>

<li>Energy & Nuclear Power,</li>

<li>Taxes,</li>

<li>Fed Budget & Appropriations,</li>

<li>Health Issues,</li>

<li>Finance,</li>

<li>Transportation,</li>

<li>Aviation, Airlines & Airports,</li>

<li>Medicare & Medicaid,</li>

<li>Defense,</li>

<li>Insurance</li>

</ul>

</div>

<table class="twoColumn"><thead><tr id="titles"><th class="left">Client</th><th class="right">Amount</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="even"><td><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/peabody-energy/8314ee211d4d427f8903e091266c2960">Peabody Energy</a></td><td class="right">$2,220,000</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/boeing-co/93d723231bec403c9b88d4a0c5260959">Boeing Co</a></td><td class="right">$1,350,000</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>PokerStar</td><td class="right">$1,050,000</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>Medicines Co</td><td class="right">$1,030,000</td></tr><tr class="even"><td><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/waste-management-inc/38dadf9e22d347689cbf730fd6cf511c">Waste Management Inc</a></td><td class="right">$740,000</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>Council for American Medical Innovation</td><td class="right">$730,000</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>Futuregen Industrial Alliance</td><td class="right">$700,000</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/ameren-services/ef0e61abaf4d4b73adbd28e50cd18010">Ameren Services</a></td><td class="right">$635,000</td></tr><tr class="even"><td><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/sicpa-product-security/15168dddc35144cf9fdb9f115a6b824e">SICPA Product Security</a></td><td class="right">$510,000</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td><a href="http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/goldman-sachs/597eccfe48784677a437569ff6293097">Goldman Sachs</a></td><td class="right">$500,000</td></tr></tbody></table>

</div>

</div></div>