Post by Cody Shea on Dec 7, 2005 23:48:53 GMT -5
[EXCERPT TAKEN FROM 'CODY SHEA' WIKIPEDIA ENTRY]
Cody Shea
Cody Shea (born March 13th, 1960) is the senior U.S. Senator from North Carolina, having served since 2002. Shea was the Minority Leader until resigning from the position after the controversial nomination of Judith Brown to the Supreme Court and supposedly avoiding calls from other Senate Democrats for a filibuster. Despite controversy and numerous confrontations with Senate Republicans, the White House, and his own party, Shea is nonetheless regarded as a strong personality and respected politician on the Hill.
Childhood and family
Cody Shea was born in Abingdon, Virginia to Martin Shea and Dawn Murphy Shea. He spent his formative years in Charlotte, North Carolina. His father was a union organizer for the UAW and his mother was a postal employee. Shea attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1981, and then went on to earn his Ph. D in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. While at Cornell, Shea met and married his first wife, student environmental activist Julie Townsend.
Following graduation, Shea returned to North Carolina to follow in father's footsteps and become active in union politics while wife Julie attended numerous conferences in Latin America to discourage developing nations from clear-cutting. After being married nearly three years and having spent little time together, the two decided to amicably separate. They remain close friends.
His second wife, Elena Mary Grindstaff, he met in 1996 while he served as a State Senator in North Carolina. Elena, the cousin of fellow State Senator James Dewy Grindstaff, was the editor of a regional fashion magazine and met Shea at a social gathering in Raleigh, NC. After a short courtship the two married in late 1997. In the time between their marriage and eventual divorce in 2002, the North Carolina media portrayed the two as the classic 'angry couple' who routinely insulted one another and made wild public spectacles. However, this perception was not entirely the invention of the media, rather an assertion based on a few documented incidents. The two, but more so Shea, were known for having fiery tempers and a flair for the melodramatic.
Shea's home is an estate house in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
State Senate Career
In 1995, Shea, at the behest of many friends and supporters, ran as a Democrat for the North Carolina State Senate seat in his native Mecklenburg county. Using many of the skills he had developed as an organizer, Shea was able to conduct a successful campaign that got him elected with a 56% majority.
During his eight year stint as a State Senator, Shea made a name for himself as a strong supporter of social spending, education spending, and most importantly labor reform. The strides Shea made in the legislature concerning the state's treatment of unions is still considered quite remarkable, especially considering the strong opposition by pro-business Republicans and their powerful lobbies.
Shea's time in the State Senate was not without its share of scandals, however. Numerous rumors circulated of Shea verbally, and occasionally physically, abusing members of his staff during his infamous rages. No staff member came forward to corroborate these allegations, but the turnover rate for staff members of Shea's office were the highest ever recorded in North Carolina.
Early U.S. Senate Career
After eight years of service in the North Carolina State Senate, in 2002 Shea was tapped by the Democratic Party to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. His Republican opponent, Attorney General Helen Fullray, proved to be a formidable political adversary, but because of Shea's popularity among the working-class and youth voters from his State Senate career he claimed victory with 54% of the vote.
For the next three years ('02 - '05) Shea made few waves in the U.S. Senate and usually deferred to the decisions of the Democratic leadership. Many speculate he was given strict instructions by the DNC to keep himself in check or face possible reprimand, while others claim he spent this time gathering together a strong coalition of center-left Senate Democrats.
In August of 2005, Shea was elected to the position of Senate Minority Leader after a compromise with members of the far-left wing of the party and his own coalition of the party center.
Minority Leader
Almost immediately after his nomination Shea found himself having to go on the offensive concerning a Supreme Court nomination. After being unable to strike a compromise for a nominee with Senate Republicans and a representative of the Bush administration, many Dems saw the nomination of Joseph Meinz as a form of punishment and demanded a filibuster. Though initially reluctant, Shea eventually agreed and called for the filibuster, despite threats from the right of the 'nuclear option'.
Unfortunately, despite the filibuster holding the victory became decidedly hollow for Shea and the Senate Democrats when it was revealed that had an up-or-down vote been allowed Meinz would still not have made it due to a mass defection by members of the far-right of the Senate Republicans led by Sen. James T. Copeland (R-VA). The situation became widely viewed as a public relations failure for the Dems, who were seen as using the filibuster carelessly and without cause. Much of the blame for this was placed on the shoulders of the new Minority Leader, especially by his opponents within the Democratic Party.
Following the failed Meinz nomination the President's second nominee was Judith Brown, another staunch conservative who Democrats disapproved of. Again, the burden fell on Shea to find a way to block her nomination. This time, however, he focused on a close examination of the nominee's past. At Brown's nomination hearing Shea made the startling revelation of having obtained evidence of a real estate deal between Brown's husband and a former defendant who'd stood before Brown during her time as a District Circuit Court Judge. However, no direct connections between Judge Brown's rulings and the deal could be made and thus Brown was able to avoid being criminally liable and President Bush refused to withdraw her from nomination.
With the scandal having essentially blown over, the calls came again for Shea to organize a filibuster. This time he was steadfastly against the idea, more weary perhaps because of the previous debacle. Thus, without a filibuster to block it, a vote was had and Judith Brown secured her position on the Supreme Court. Once again, the failure of the Democrats was laid entirely on Shea's shoulders.
Other than the Supreme Court dramas, Shea's short term as the Minority Leader was characterized by heavy politicking and lobbying within his party and with centrist Republicans. He helped pass the Farm Subsidies Reform Act and the Buffalo Commons Act by marshalling support of his center-left coalition and bringing over key Republican votes to the table.
Resignation and Re-Election
In early 2006, calls from several fellow Democrats, especially the wildly popular Sen. Franklin S. Mulvaney Sarpa (D-MI) came for Shea to resign from the post. Citing his re-election campaign as a greater priority, Shea agreed and resigned from the position of Minority Leader. He was succeeded by Sen. Sarpa, who would later himself resign.
After resigning, Shea turned his full attention back home where he faced a re-election campaign against Congresswoman Lynette Sheridan. For a long time the polls remain deadlocked, but after a controversial tape supposedly distributed by the Sheridan campaign leaked, the polls turned decidedly in Shea's favor. The tape was vicious in accusing Shea of being excessively liberal, even socialist. The ad was viewed as mean-spirited and entirely unnecessary by the voters in North Carolina. Despite numerous claims that they had no part in making or distributing the tape, the Sheridan campaign never really recovered and Shea was handily re-elected for another term.
Current U.S. Senate Career
Since re-election Shea has continued to be a standout member of the core of the Senate Democrats. He still holds a great amount of sway and has used it on some occasions against the agenda of the Warder administration. Despite this he has been quoted as saying that he finds Warder a more 'sane' opposition than his predecessor.
Cody Shea
Cody Shea (born March 13th, 1960) is the senior U.S. Senator from North Carolina, having served since 2002. Shea was the Minority Leader until resigning from the position after the controversial nomination of Judith Brown to the Supreme Court and supposedly avoiding calls from other Senate Democrats for a filibuster. Despite controversy and numerous confrontations with Senate Republicans, the White House, and his own party, Shea is nonetheless regarded as a strong personality and respected politician on the Hill.
Childhood and family
Cody Shea was born in Abingdon, Virginia to Martin Shea and Dawn Murphy Shea. He spent his formative years in Charlotte, North Carolina. His father was a union organizer for the UAW and his mother was a postal employee. Shea attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1981, and then went on to earn his Ph. D in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. While at Cornell, Shea met and married his first wife, student environmental activist Julie Townsend.
Following graduation, Shea returned to North Carolina to follow in father's footsteps and become active in union politics while wife Julie attended numerous conferences in Latin America to discourage developing nations from clear-cutting. After being married nearly three years and having spent little time together, the two decided to amicably separate. They remain close friends.
His second wife, Elena Mary Grindstaff, he met in 1996 while he served as a State Senator in North Carolina. Elena, the cousin of fellow State Senator James Dewy Grindstaff, was the editor of a regional fashion magazine and met Shea at a social gathering in Raleigh, NC. After a short courtship the two married in late 1997. In the time between their marriage and eventual divorce in 2002, the North Carolina media portrayed the two as the classic 'angry couple' who routinely insulted one another and made wild public spectacles. However, this perception was not entirely the invention of the media, rather an assertion based on a few documented incidents. The two, but more so Shea, were known for having fiery tempers and a flair for the melodramatic.
Shea's home is an estate house in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
State Senate Career
In 1995, Shea, at the behest of many friends and supporters, ran as a Democrat for the North Carolina State Senate seat in his native Mecklenburg county. Using many of the skills he had developed as an organizer, Shea was able to conduct a successful campaign that got him elected with a 56% majority.
During his eight year stint as a State Senator, Shea made a name for himself as a strong supporter of social spending, education spending, and most importantly labor reform. The strides Shea made in the legislature concerning the state's treatment of unions is still considered quite remarkable, especially considering the strong opposition by pro-business Republicans and their powerful lobbies.
Shea's time in the State Senate was not without its share of scandals, however. Numerous rumors circulated of Shea verbally, and occasionally physically, abusing members of his staff during his infamous rages. No staff member came forward to corroborate these allegations, but the turnover rate for staff members of Shea's office were the highest ever recorded in North Carolina.
Early U.S. Senate Career
After eight years of service in the North Carolina State Senate, in 2002 Shea was tapped by the Democratic Party to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. His Republican opponent, Attorney General Helen Fullray, proved to be a formidable political adversary, but because of Shea's popularity among the working-class and youth voters from his State Senate career he claimed victory with 54% of the vote.
For the next three years ('02 - '05) Shea made few waves in the U.S. Senate and usually deferred to the decisions of the Democratic leadership. Many speculate he was given strict instructions by the DNC to keep himself in check or face possible reprimand, while others claim he spent this time gathering together a strong coalition of center-left Senate Democrats.
In August of 2005, Shea was elected to the position of Senate Minority Leader after a compromise with members of the far-left wing of the party and his own coalition of the party center.
Minority Leader
Almost immediately after his nomination Shea found himself having to go on the offensive concerning a Supreme Court nomination. After being unable to strike a compromise for a nominee with Senate Republicans and a representative of the Bush administration, many Dems saw the nomination of Joseph Meinz as a form of punishment and demanded a filibuster. Though initially reluctant, Shea eventually agreed and called for the filibuster, despite threats from the right of the 'nuclear option'.
Unfortunately, despite the filibuster holding the victory became decidedly hollow for Shea and the Senate Democrats when it was revealed that had an up-or-down vote been allowed Meinz would still not have made it due to a mass defection by members of the far-right of the Senate Republicans led by Sen. James T. Copeland (R-VA). The situation became widely viewed as a public relations failure for the Dems, who were seen as using the filibuster carelessly and without cause. Much of the blame for this was placed on the shoulders of the new Minority Leader, especially by his opponents within the Democratic Party.
Following the failed Meinz nomination the President's second nominee was Judith Brown, another staunch conservative who Democrats disapproved of. Again, the burden fell on Shea to find a way to block her nomination. This time, however, he focused on a close examination of the nominee's past. At Brown's nomination hearing Shea made the startling revelation of having obtained evidence of a real estate deal between Brown's husband and a former defendant who'd stood before Brown during her time as a District Circuit Court Judge. However, no direct connections between Judge Brown's rulings and the deal could be made and thus Brown was able to avoid being criminally liable and President Bush refused to withdraw her from nomination.
With the scandal having essentially blown over, the calls came again for Shea to organize a filibuster. This time he was steadfastly against the idea, more weary perhaps because of the previous debacle. Thus, without a filibuster to block it, a vote was had and Judith Brown secured her position on the Supreme Court. Once again, the failure of the Democrats was laid entirely on Shea's shoulders.
Other than the Supreme Court dramas, Shea's short term as the Minority Leader was characterized by heavy politicking and lobbying within his party and with centrist Republicans. He helped pass the Farm Subsidies Reform Act and the Buffalo Commons Act by marshalling support of his center-left coalition and bringing over key Republican votes to the table.
Resignation and Re-Election
In early 2006, calls from several fellow Democrats, especially the wildly popular Sen. Franklin S. Mulvaney Sarpa (D-MI) came for Shea to resign from the post. Citing his re-election campaign as a greater priority, Shea agreed and resigned from the position of Minority Leader. He was succeeded by Sen. Sarpa, who would later himself resign.
After resigning, Shea turned his full attention back home where he faced a re-election campaign against Congresswoman Lynette Sheridan. For a long time the polls remain deadlocked, but after a controversial tape supposedly distributed by the Sheridan campaign leaked, the polls turned decidedly in Shea's favor. The tape was vicious in accusing Shea of being excessively liberal, even socialist. The ad was viewed as mean-spirited and entirely unnecessary by the voters in North Carolina. Despite numerous claims that they had no part in making or distributing the tape, the Sheridan campaign never really recovered and Shea was handily re-elected for another term.
Current U.S. Senate Career
Since re-election Shea has continued to be a standout member of the core of the Senate Democrats. He still holds a great amount of sway and has used it on some occasions against the agenda of the Warder administration. Despite this he has been quoted as saying that he finds Warder a more 'sane' opposition than his predecessor.