Mo Brooks
Encyclopedia
Morris Jackson "Mo" Brooks, Jr. (born April 29, 1954) is the U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 for . He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

.

Early life

Brooks was born in 1954 in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

,and moved to Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....

, in 1963. His father, Jack Brooks, was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...

, and worked as an electrical engineer before retiring from Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...

's Metrology Center. His mother, Betty Brooks, taught economics and government for over 20 years at Lee High School
Lee High School (Huntsville, Alabama)
Lee High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in grades 9-12 from Huntsville, in Madison County, Alabama in the United States, as a part of Huntsville City Schools.-History:...

, while he attended Grissom High School. They still live in Madison County, Alabama
Madison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...

.

Brooks graduated from Grissom High School in 1972. He graduated from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

 in three years with a double major in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

. Brooks later graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law
University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the state. In total, it is one of five law schools in the state, and one of three that are ABA accredited.The diverse student body, of approximately...

 in 1978.

Legal career

Brooks started his legal career with the Tuscaloosa District Attorney’s office. Brooks left the Tuscaloosa District Attorney’s office in 1980 to return to Huntsville as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...

 for presiding Circuit Court Judge John David Snodgrass. During every year except when he was serving as a prosecutor or court clerk, Brooks was a practicing lawyer. In 1993, he became of counsel to the firm of Leo and Associates, a business law firm with a national focus founded by Karl W. Leo. He became a partner in the firm which was reorganized as Leo & Brooks, LLC. He maintained a national practice that specialized in commercial litigation.

Alabama House of Representatives

In 1982, Brooks was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives
Alabama House of Representatives
The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal amount of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term...

 and was subsequently re-elected in 1983, 1986 and 1990. While in the legislature, Brooks was elected Republican House Caucus Chairman three times.

Madison County political offices

In 1991, Brooks was appointed Madison County District Attorney. In 1992, he ran for the office, but lost to Democrat Tim Morgan; a Republican had not been elected to the office since the Reconstruction era.

In 1995–1996, Mo Brooks was appointed special assistant attorney general for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party...

. From 1996–2002, he was appointed special assistant attorney general for then Attorney General Bill Pryor.

In 1996, Brooks ran for the Madison County Commission and unseated an 8-year incumbent Republican. He was reelected to the Commission in 2000, 2004, and 2008.

2010 election

In the November 2, 2010, general election, Brooks defeated Democratic nominee Steve Raby
Steve Raby
Stephen Walker "Steve" Raby is the former 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative for Alabama's 5th congressional district.-Early life and education:...

 58% to 42%. In the June 1, 2010, GOP primary Brooks defeated Republican incumbent Parker Griffith
Parker Griffith
Parker Griffith, M.D. is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party, having switched from the Democratic Party on December 22, 2009, but lost the Republican primary and his term ended in January 2011.-Early life, education and...

. In the primary, Brooks received 51% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off. Griffith received 33% of the primary vote while conservative activist Les Phillip received 16%.

Brooks was named a "Young Gun" by the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...

 in 2010.

Larry Sabato
Larry Sabato
Larry Joseph Sabato is an American political scientist and analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and director of its Center for Politics. He founded Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and...

, Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook , originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, is an American political analyst who specializes in election forecasts and political trends. He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He delivers election forecasts and rankings in his own publication, The Cook Political Report,...

, and Real Clear Politics rated this race "Likely Republican". CQPolitics, Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report...

, and the New York Times rated the race "Safe Republican".
Nate Silver
Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...

 in the FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight is a polling aggregation website with a blog created by Nate Silver. Sometimes colloquially referred to as 538 dot com or just 538, the website takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college...

 New York Times blog predicted that there was a 94.1% chance that Brooks would defeat Raby.

Brooks easily defeated Raby with 57 percent of the vote, becoming the first freshman Republican to represent this district since Reconstruction.

Committee assignments

  • Committee on Armed Services
    United States House Committee on Armed Services
    thumb|United States House Committee on Armed Services emblemThe U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives...

    • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
      United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
      House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:...

    • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
      United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
      House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:The Strategic Forces Subcommittee exercises oversight and legislative jurisdiction over:...

  • Committee on Science, Space and Technology
    • Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
      United States House Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
      The Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on Science and Technology.- Jurisdiction :...

    • Subcommittee on Research and Science Education (Chairman)
  • Republican Study Committee
    Republican Study Committee
    The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...


"Socialist" remark

In April 2011, Brooks stated, during a congressional speech, "Folks, we are here today forcing this issue because America is at risk. We are at risk of insolvency and bankruptcy because the socialist members of this body choose to spend money that we do not have." After Brooks made this remark, Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (politician)
Keith Maurice Ellison is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The district centers on Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010. Ellison is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.He is the first Muslim to be elected to the...

 asked that Brooks' comments be "taken down." This request forced Brooks to either have the comment stricken from the record or defend the remark and wait until later in the day for a formal ruling over whether or not the comment was inappropriate. Brooks chose to have the remark withdrawn before he continued with his speech. Ellison accepted the withdrawal.

Afterwards, Brooks stated that he did not regret his initial remark and that he thought those who objected to his comment, particularly those within the Democratic Party, were "thin-skinned." He stated, "People could quite clearly infer that socialism is what the other guys are promoting." He also said that anyone offended by his remark probably did not know the difference between a socialist economic system and a communist political system.

Illegal immigration

On June 29, 2011, in an interview with reporter Venton Blandin of WHNT-TV
WHNT-TV
WHNT-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Tennessee Valley area of North Alabama that is licensed to Huntsville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Monte Sano. Owned by Local TV, the station has studios on Holmes Avenue Northwest in...

, Brooks was asked by Blandin to repeat what he had previously stated at a town hall meeting
Town hall meeting
A town hall meeting is an American English term given to an informal public meeting. Everybody in a town community is invited to attend, not always to voice their opinions, but to hear the responses from public figures and elected officials about shared subjects of interest. Attendees rarely voted...

 about illegal immigrants. Brooks repeated his previous statement, saying, "As your congressman on the house floor, I will do anything short of shooting them. Anything that is lawful, it needs to be done because illegal aliens need to quit taking jobs from American citizens." In an editorial for the Daily Sentinel, Brad Shurett expressed disapproval of Brooks' comments, saying "I wish the congressman would choose his words more wisely. Language like that doesn’t represent true leadership. My hope is Congressman Brooks had a temporary lapse in judgment."

Brooks went on to say that Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

, a city where Alabama's strict immigration law has been criticized, needed to prepare to spend more money if it wants to be a sanctuary city
Sanctuary city
Sanctuary city is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices that protect illegal immigrants. These practices can be by law or they can be by habit...

 for illegal immigrants. He told Blandin, "They need to start picking up the tab that American citizens are having to pick up. If Birmingham wants to be a sanctuary city, or wants to head in that direction, that is their decision. They are absolutely wrong."

Brooks also has stated that he feels Congress will probably do nothing about illegal immigration in the coming years.

Political positions

Brooks is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Abortion and stem cell research

Representative Brooks is against abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

 and any stem cell research that uses human embryos.

He is opposed to federal funding for abortions and is also against federal funding of Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...

. Brooks was a co-sponsor of Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which would have ended the federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

Economy

Representative Brooks has stated that he believes that the economy is the sole issue for Congress. He has stated, "Financial issues overshadow everything else going on in Washington. That one set of issues is sucking everything else out of the room.”

Mo Brooks has stated that he supports reforming Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...

,, including allowing individuals to invest some of their Social Security money in private retirement accounts. Brooks has stated on his website that he does not support the full privatization of Social Security, "because the stock market and many other investments are simply too volatile."

Brooks also supports the plan proposed by Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan may refer to:* Paul Ryan , member of the U.S. House of Representatives* Paul Ryan , music agent for The Agency, former Cradle of Filth guitarist* Paul Ryan , comics artist...

 to shift Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...

 from a publicly run program to one that is managed by private insurers. He believes that if the national debt of the United States continues to grow, the damage done to the nation will be catastrophic. Brooks is opposed to increasing taxes and will not support raising the debt ceiling unless cuts of between 300 and 500 billion dollars are made.

Brooks has also stated that he supports the Fair Tax proposal.

While at a monthly breakfast meeting of the Madison County Republican Men's Club, Brooks referred to the jobs bill proposed by President Obama as the "Obama 'kill jobs' bill." He told the crowd that it adds to the debt, promotes "frivolous lawsuits", and creates new government agencies. He challenged the President's promotion of the bill saying, "If Barack Obama is serious about jobs, how about repealing Obama-care, dealing with illegal immigration and urging the Democrat-controlledSenate to pass pro-jobs bills that have already cleared in the House." At the same meeting, Brooks compared the recession of 2008 (and its after effects) with the Great Depression, saying that the problems associated with the Great Depression are "a cakewalk compared to what can happen to our country if we don't start acting responsibly in Washington, D.C., to try to get this deficit under control."

Foreign policy

Brooks believes that "we cannot continue to be the world police." He has expressed disappointment that the U.S. military didn't leave Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 immediately after the death of Osama bin Laden
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....

 on May 1, 2011.

He also has expressed his disapproval over NATO military actions in Libya that the United States has been involved in. He has stated, "I reject the President’s position that the way to prevent Libyans from killing Libyans is by Americans killing Libyans." He voted against H.R. 2278 and, after voting, released this statement:
"We should be out of Libya altogether, and not voting piecemeal on parts of the operation. While this bill excludes some operations in Libya, it approves many others. The lesson from Vietnam is that the one sure way to lose a war is by fighting it half-way."

Health Care

Brooks is opposed to "Obamacare" and has said that the committee that passed it didn't understand it. He signed the Club for Growth's "Repeal-It!" pledge that stated that upon his election to Congress that he would "sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010, and replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government." He was also endorsed by the website Defundit.org for his stance on the health care reform bill. Brooks co-sponsored H.R. 127, which would have removed all funding from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and any amendments made by either act.

According to a survey by the Christian Coalition, Brooks is also opposed to the idea of government-run health care. He voted yes on repealing the Prevention and Public Health Fund in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Illegal Immigration

Brooks is opposed to allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the United States. As part of his 2010 campaign, he advocated getting the federal government "out of the way so state and local governments can help solve the problem." He also advocated making it "unprofitable" for employers to hire illegal immigrants over American citizens.

Brooks has been endorsed by Americans for Legal Immigration (ALI), a political action committee (or PAC)
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...

.

Brooks has co-sponsored 14 immigration-reducing bills since taking office in January 2011.

Technology and Communication

Brooks voted yes on terminating funding for NPR.

Electoral history

Personal life

Brooks met Martha Jenkins of Toledo, Ohio at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

. They were married in 1976. Martha graduated from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 with a degree in accounting. In 2004, Martha attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university, located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, and is organized in five...

 for a degree in teaching and currently teaches at Whitesburg Middle School in Huntsville. They have four children and two granddaughters. Brooks joined the LDS Church in 1978, and though he still attends Mormon services with his wife, he considers himself a non-denominational Christian.

Brooks’s sister, Suzetta Jones, is retired from CrimeStoppers
Crimestoppers
Crime Stoppers or Crimestoppers is a program separate from the emergency telephone number system, that allows a member of the community to provide anonymous information about criminal activity. It thereby allows the person to provide crime solving assistance to the authorities without being...

 and lives in Monrovia, Alabama
Monrovia, Alabama
Monrovia is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Alabama, United States. It is bordered on the south by the city of Madison, on the southeast by the city of Huntsville, on the west by Limestone County and on the north by the community of Harvest....

. Brooks’s brother, Tim Brooks, is a dentist who lives in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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