Information AboutLinda Chavez |
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Linda Chavez (born June 17 , 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico ) is a prominent Hispanic -American Conservative Author , Commentator , and Radio Talk Show host. She is of mixed Mexican American (father) and Anglo American (mother) parentage and was the first Hispanic female nominated to the United States Cabinet . EDUCATION Chavez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University Of Colorado in 1970 . BACKGROUND WITH UNIONS Starting in 1975 , Chavez was employed within the inner circles of the United States second largest teachers' union, the American Federation Of Teachers , where she was responsible for editing that organization's publications Hudson.org Conservative Chronicle . She was a confidante of , causing what she stated was a painful personal rift between her and Shanker. CAREER IN REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATIONS Chavez has held a number of appointed positions, among them Chairman, National Commission on Migrant Education (1988-1992); Appointed White House Director of Public Liaison (1985) by President Ronald Reagan; Staff Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (1983-1985), appointed by President Ronald Reagan; and she was a member of the Administrative Conference of the United States (1984-1986). In 1992, she was elected by the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission to serve a four-year term as U.S. Expert to the U.N. Sub-commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. In article in the January 9, 2001 Washington Post , accessed online November 22, 2006. The woman Chavez allegedly employed (who is now a legal citizen of the United States) also insists she was not an employee of Chavez, and credits Chavez with helping her at a time when she needed it most. A subsequent investigation of the matter by the FBI found Chavez was not guilty of any wrongdoing. RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE In 1986 Chavez ran as a Republican for the United States Senate against Democrat Barbara Mikulski . In an article quoting Chavez's claim that Mikulski was a "San Francisco-style George McGovern liberal, the Washington Post implied that Chavez was making Mikulski's Sexual Orientation a central issue of the Campaign . However, the ''Post'' did not realize that the line was a play on Jeane Kirkpatrick 's 1984 Republican National Convention "Blame America First" speech; accordingly, the ''Post'' mistakenly reported that Chavez was herself directly implying Mikulski was a Homosexual . Much of the media following the campaign picked up on the story and went with it. The use of "San Francisco" as an adjective by conservatives is a widely understood euphemism for "gay," due to the city's reputation as a gay mecca. Code Pink November 27, 2002 article by Michael Signorile in the New York Press , accessed November 22, 2006. Much of the media following the campaign picked up on the story and went with it. Chavez went on to lose to Mikulski by over 20%. Linda Chavez: Homophobic Career January 9, 2001 article by Michael Signorile, accessed online November 22, 2006. RECENT ACTIVITIES In 2000 , Chavez was named a Library Of Congress Living Legend . Living Legends: Linda Chavez , award by the Library of Congress, April 2000, accessed August 13, 2007 Columnist and commentator Chavez is a syndicated columnist and a Fox News Political Commentator . She quit PBS's "To the Contrary" after a May 13 2000 incident in which host Bonnie Erbe asserted on the air that Chavez is more likely to be hit by Lightning than to be Rape d at her age.1 The comment was made during a discussion on Gun Control and whether it was necessary for Chavez to obtain a gun to defend herself against a potential rape. Chavez and Erbe argued on the opposite sides of the gun ownership issue. Political action committees and foundations In August 2007, the ''Washington Post'' reported that Chavez and her immediate family members, through Political Action Committees they had created, such as the Republican Issues Committee, the Latino Alliance, Stop Union Political Abuse, and the Pro-Life Campaign Committee, had raised tens of millions of dollars, with little going to political candidates. In 2001, the PACs paid Chavez's husband $77,190, her son Pablo $25,344, and her son David $9,687. In the next five years, the PACs paid Chavez's family members were paid $261,237 by the PACs. In contrast, of the $24.5 million raised by the PACs from January 2003 to December 2006, only $242,000 was actually given to politicians. In an interview, Chavez said that "I guess you could call it the family business."Matthew Mosk, "In Fundraising's Murky Corners: Candidates See Little of Millions Collected by Linda Chavez's Family , ''Washington Post'', August 13, 2007 The ''Post'' also reported that Chavez and her family had been paid as executives in four nonprofit foundations founded by Chavez and her family, including One Nation Indivisible and Stop Union Political Abuse. Between 1997 and 2003, Chavez's salary from the Center for Equal Opportunity foundation ranged from $125,000 to $136,250. In 2004, the last year for which records were available, she was paid $70,313. That foundation also paid her son David $83,200 in 2004. From 1998 to 2001, Chavez's husband was paid $64,000 a year from the fourth family foundation, the Institute for Religious Values. Between 2003 and 2006, the four foundations, combined, raised about $350,000 per year. The '''Post'' also reported that over the past two years, the Federal Election Commission has fined three of the PACs for a total of $262,500 for repeatedly failing to file timely reports and for not promptly disclosing all the money raised and spent. Chavez noted that the FEC found no intentional wrongdoing. FAMILY She is married to Christopher Gersten, who heads the Institute For Religious Values , and is the mother of three adult sons, David, Pablo, and Rudy. Her husband is Jewish and their children were raised in his faith; she was known as a " Pro-choice Catholic" for most of her public life. She is also a grandmother of eight and resides with her family in Purcellville, Virginia . BIBLIOGRAPHY
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