Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Barbara Jean Lee's Early Life and Education

Barbara Jean Lee was born in Texas on July 16, 1946. Her parents were also service personnel. She then moved from Texas to California with her parents in 1960 and enrolled in San Fernando High School, which was located in the Pacoima area of Los Angeles. She was a single mother with two children by the time she started college. Lee received his education at Mills College (Gershon 105). She is a Liberal who shares the ideologies of her party.

Elected and Appointed Positions in Government

Write a paragraph outlining the representative's historical history. Identify the elected and appointed positions in government the person you are studying has held before being elected to Congress.

As the president of Mills College, Student Union, Barbara Lee invited one of the Congresswomen whom she admired and was known as Shirley Chisolm in order to speak and advice the students. Later she got employment with the Chisolm's in 1972 presidential campaign, where she served as her delegate on 1972, Democratic National Convention (Lee 2). Moreover, as a student, Barbara Lee was an unpaid helper at the Oakland community center. Also, Lee became a member of the United States agent of Ron Dellums, and also a member of State Assembly of California before she entered the House. She later joined the race become a congresswoman in California.

The Representative's District

Write a paragraph describing the district the member represents. Where is it located in the state? Does it include any towns? Is it part of a major city? Is it inner-city urban, suburban, small town, or rural? What issue or issues would you expect to be particularly important to the residents and interest groups found in the member's district because of the nature of the region? Identify at least one issue and explain why it is particularly important in this congressional district, whereas it might not be as important in other districts.

The state of California is regarded as the most populous in the U.S. and consequently the third most widespread by region. It is located on the western coast of the United States. Los Angeles is the most populous city in California, and comes the nations second biggest after the New York City. The State of California faces various challenges including fiscal problems, moderate economic growth among other problems. What they need currently, is a competent, able and focused leader who can restore their hopes and bring back the lost financial glory. Also, the State wishes to have a leader who will strive to fix the problems the locals are facing.

The Representative's Committee Assignments

Write a paragraph discussing the representative's committee assignments. On which standing congressional committees does the member serve? [Look up the term “standing committee.”] Is the representative the chair or ranking minority member of each committee? [Look up “ranking minority member.”] What sorts of policy issues does each of the standing committees address? Is the representative a member of any subcommittees? Does he/she chair any subcommittees or serve as the ranking member? [Please note: Do NOT give me information about the member's participation in congressional caucuses.

Barbara Lee serves on various committees including the education. Currently, the Congresswoman Barbara Lee serves on the Committee of Budget and the powerful Appropriations Committee, that purposes to oversee all federal government expenditure. Additionally, she serves on subcommittees that comprise of State and Foreign Operations, the Labor, Health, Education as well as Military Construction (Gershon 106). Admittedly, the U.S government depends much on the intelligence collected in governing its operations, mainly on issues of foreign policies. The Congress is part and parcel of the strategic information with the responsibilities of supervision. As a member of this committee, Barbara Lee carries out its responsibilities as a supervisor over the agencies of intelligence in the states which are under the authority of the Congress. Therefore the roles of the Congress are to oversee or offer oversight the functions of different agencies which fall sunder the Congress. By definition, strategic intelligence can be described as the knowledge which is highly needed by the people who make policies for the reasons of making systems and making the decision about the military at both the national and the internal levels. Overall, Lee has served these committees diligently. Her achievement as the member of the committees and subcommittee is attributed to her corporation with other House representatives.

Campaign Fundraising for the 2016 Election

How much money did the representative raise for the 2016 election? How much did his or her main opponent raise? (If the database indicates that a challenger raised no money, it means just that—the challenger raised no money.) The Center for Responsive Politics presents data on this issue at the following Internet address: www.opensecrets.org. What were the most important sources of the representative's campaign funds? Identify two or three important sources of funding. Did the candidate self-fund to any significant degree? (Click on the representative's name at the website, and it opens up to provide detailed data.)

According to the reports on the website Legistorm that compiled funds that contestants raise, the website revealed that Lee raised about $1,082,657 in 2016 while her opponents are believed to have raised an amount slightly lower and is estimated to be about $954,912. She raised this amount fund in order to traverse the vast state of California.

2016 Election Performance

What percentage of the vote did the representative receive in the 2016 election? Based on the results of the 2016 election and the data on fundraising, does it appear that this agent is firmly entrenched in Congress? (Entrenched means unlikely to be defeated for reelection anytime soon.) Why or why not? Is this typical for members of Congress in general?

According to the heading in the elections results, it was predicted that the race was safely Democratic. Thus, incumbent Barbara Lee emerged victoriously and defeated the opponent known as Sue Caro in the elections that were held on November 8th, 2016. Lee got 90.8% which is equivalent to 293,117. Her opponent got 9.2% which is equivalent to 29,754.

Evaluation by Interest Groups

The Project Vote Smart website includes links to several interest groups that rate members of Congress based on their voting records. The group identifies a set of votes that it considers necessary and gives the member a score depending on whether the member supports the policy positions favored by the panel. [A high score means that the member voted the way the interest group likes most of the time.] Select one of the groups (using the pull-down menu) and research its evaluation of the member of Congress you are studying. What group did you select? (Choose a particular group rather than a category of groups.) With what sorts of issues is the group concerned? Be specific. How does the team feel about the member of Congress you are studying? Would you expect the team to consider him or her an ally, an enemy, or something in between?

Based on the reports of the website known as the GovTrack, Barbara Lee missed about 426 of the total 11,939 roll call counts of votes from 1998 to 2016. This translates to about 3.6 percent, which is not as good as the median of about 2.2 percent in the present representatives as of 2015.

Recent Focus and Issue Positions

The Project Vote Smart website includes a link to speeches and public statements of each representative. Review some of the recent speeches and public declarations of the agent you are studying. Identify an issue on which the representative has recently focused. What is the issue? Why does the representative think it is important? What position has the official taken? Do not just copy the statement of the representative.

Lee Barbara has been vocal in the fight for equality particularly for women. She has tirelessly fought against the because of women. Recently she persistently denounced discrimination against poor women (Gershon 108). Additionally, Lee has also not stopped echoing her voice against gun violence.

Political Affiliation

To which political party does the member of Congress belong? Based on his or her voting record, interest group evaluations, fundraising sources, and issue positions would you say that he or she is typical or atypical of members of his or her party? Explain the reasoning behind your answer.

Lee is a real a Democrat; he has represented the State of California in the United States for many years. She is an ardent loyalist of Democrat party. He has stood firm and supported the Democrat's policies. He is an enthusiastic member and supporter of the Democratic Party.

Admiration for the Representative

Do you admire the representative? Why or why not?

I admire Lee for many reasons. First, she has dedicated her life to serving the people of California. Secondly, she has devoted her time to serve various committees and subcommittees for the betterment of all Americans. Finally, Lee's voting style has been consistent; her voting corresponds to the needs and wishes of her party, Democrats, and that of her constituents. She does not want to lose touch with her constituents.

Works Cited

Gershon, Sarah. "When race, gender, and the media intersect: Campaign news coverage of minority congresswomen." Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 33.2 (2012): 105-125.

Lee, Barbara. Renegade for Peace and Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008.