Sen.Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota:
Klobuchar was previously the County Attorney of Hennepin County, which includes 25% of Minnesotans, where she earned a reputation as a tough, bright prosecutor. She also served as legal advisor to former Vice President Walter Mondale.
She cares most about concerns of the middle class, including jobs, public education and health, college tuition and opposes Social Security privatization.
Amy Klobuchar on the Issues:
She opposed the Iraq War, and believes the US must begin to withdraw its troops. She's an adamant opponent of CAFTA-style free trade agreements that cause US workers to lose jobs. She's called for penalties against oil company price-gouging.
Senate Committees in 112th Congress, 2011-2012:
- Judiciary Committee
- Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Committee
- Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee
- Joint Economic Committee
Amy Klobuchar, Attorney:
She's given top marks as County Attorney, where she's secured over 300 homicide convictions, and effectively fought the gamut from gangs, sex offenders and drunk-driving to corporate monopolies and white collar crime.
She was named 2001 Lawyer of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer.
Personal Data:
- Birth - In May 1960 in Plymouth, Minnesota
- Education - Public schools in Plymouth. Valedictorian of Wayzata High School. B.A., magna cum laude, Yale University. J.D., University of Chicago Law School, where she was Law Review associate editor.
- Family - Married since 1993 to John Bessler. One middle school-aged daughter, Abigail.
- Faith - Christian
Attorney and Author John Bessler, Husband of Amy Klobuchar:
He's a passionate opponent of the death penalty, and has performed pro bono work for death row inmates. Bessler has written 3 respected books decrying capital punishment. His father teaches biology at a Minnesota university.
The Klobuchar Family:
Amy's paternal great-grandparents were Slovenian immigrants. Their son, her grandfather, worked in Minnesota iron ore mines to ensure her father would be the first Klobuchar to attend college.
Memorable Quotes by Amy Klobuchar:
Deterioriation of the American Middle Class
"What I see going on in Washington is just a deterioration of that American dream, a middle class crunch, where people in our state - they've got jobs, a lot of them - but they keep saying, 'What's going on? It's harder and harder for me to get by, it's harder for me to buy a house, it's harder for me to send my kids to college.'
Well, the numbers are there. Tuition at the University of Minnesota up 81 percent, healthcare costs up 3 ½ times the average wage. We are basically losing our middle class with these wrongheaded policies where we are having the wrong priorities, we are giving tax cuts to the wealthiest, giving loopholes to the big corporate special interests, and it's becoming harder and harder for people to get by."
-- MyDD liberal blog community, February 23, 2006
US Troop Withdrawal from Iraq
"I believe that we need to bring a significant number of our troops home. That’s the only that we send a clear message to the government of Iraq that we’re serious about this and that they need to start taking responsibility for their own country.
I am one who does not believe that we can bring all the troops home tomorrow. The situation is too precarious. But I believe we need to start this year, in the very near future, drawing down the troops..."
-- Minnesota Star Tribune, March 14, 2006
Culture of Corruption
"A study just came out two weeks ago that showed the Veterans Affairs, that agency - they negotiate prices with the drug companies - their prices are about 50 percent lower than they are for Medicare Part D. 50 percent lower. That's about $90 billion a year.
So what's the cost of the culture of corruption? Of people giving breaks to the oil companies and giving giveaways and Christmas presents to the drug companies and the insurance companies? The cost is $90 billion a year. There you go. Quantifiable."