Mike Synar

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Mike Synar (1981)

Michael Lynn "Mike" Synar (born October 17, 1950 in Vinita , Oklahoma , † January 9, 1996 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party . Between 1979 and 1995 he represented Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional Constituency in the United States House of Representatives . The lawyer became a member of parliament at the age of 28 and fought for left-wing liberal projects and rebelled against powerful interest groups such as farmers and the tobacco industry. He made himself financially strong opponents who drove his failure in the re-election in 1994, among other things by emphasizing his close connection to the then unpopular US President Bill Clinton .

Family, education and work

Mike Synar was the son of Edmond Synar of Polish descent, who had served in the US Air Force during World War II and lived as a cattle farmer in Vinita. He had another son and daughter with his wife, Virginia Ann Gann; The family lived in close cohesion and was named Outstanding Family in the United States by the All-American Family Institute in 1971; Mike Synar was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging that same year . He attended the public schools in Muskogee , participated in debating competitions and was given responsibility for a herd of cattle by his father at the age of six. As a member of the 4-H organization, he has received several awards at the federal level. In 1968 Synar graduated from high school in Muskogee and studied at the University of Oklahoma until 1972 . There he rose as a debate speaker to student spokesman, who was neutral towards the Vietnam War, and achieved the academic degree of Bachelor there. In 1974 he received a Masters in Management from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago . After completing a law degree at the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B.) degree in 1977, he was admitted to the bar and received the Juris Doctor in 1977 . In the meantime he studied on a Rotary scholarship in 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland at their Graduate School of Economics. After graduating from college, Synar worked as a rancher, real estate agent, and lawyer in Muskogee.

Political career

His political career for the Democrats began when Synar was elected to the US House of Representatives for Oklahoma's second congressional electoral district in November 1978 , where he replaced Ted Risenhoover on January 3, 1979 . He had previously beaten his fellow party member in the primary by circulating press reports portraying Risenhoover as a playboy sleeping in a heart-shaped water bed, while he himself could point to a solid Oklahoma origin. It helped that his father and five uncles were well-known businessmen and ranchers in the area. In order to survive in this rural electoral district, whose average income was well below that of the federal government and which had no tradition of high political willingness to donate, Synar took out a loan and gave his share of the family ranch as security. Shortly after he moved into the House of Representatives, he gained national fame when the New York Times selected him for a portrait of new Congressmen. Synar was confirmed in the following seven congressional elections in this district, which had long been considered to be reliably democratic and in which there was one Republican for every three voters registered as Democrats, so he remained a member of Congress for a total of eight terms until January 3, 1995 .

Synar stressed that he was a "US MP from Oklahoma, not a MP from Oklahoma," but, as an exponent of a new, accessible generation of Congressmen, sought voter contact by employing eight of his 14 local staff members throughout his constituency several times a year and commuted frequently between Washington and Muskogee (an average of 41 times a year). It only became significantly less after the 99th Congress in 1985 - according to political scientist John Hibbing, because Synar now felt safe in his constituency and concentrated on committee work. He has served on the committees on energy and trade , justice and government , and chaired the subcommittee on the environment, energy and natural resources. In 1988 he ran unsuccessfully for the chairmanship of the House Democratic Caucus and was part of the leadership of his party in the House of Representatives as Whip and chairman of the Democratic Study Group . In Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 , Synar was one of his supporters and played the role of rival Ross Perot in preparation for the television debates .

Mike Synar in the Oval Office with President Bill Clinton in August 1993

Prior to the November 1994 election, Synar lost his party's primary election in September 1994 just under 48 percent to 52 percent to retired high school director Virgil Cooper, a conservative Southern Democrat who had previously been without political experience and who turned out that year Rise of political outsiders refused to speak to the media or record commercials. The New York Times attributed Synar's defeat to the pent-up anger of many voters. On top of the $ 19,000 Cooper spent on running, outside stakeholders contributed an estimated $ 3 million to defeat the inconvenient Synar. The Republican rival candidate Tom Coburn ran television ads during the primary campaign that linked Synar with the then unpopular US President Bill Clinton; Synar had supported Clinton's controversial socio-political reform proposals like a major health care reform and had been fought with "Sayonara Synar" stickers because of its connections to Japan. Cooper then lost to Coburn, Synar resigned from Congress on January 3, 1995.

Political activity and positions

Synar was considered a left-wing liberal pioneer of his party in the structurally conservative state of Oklahoma. With his confrontational style and his polarizing personality, he ensured the loyalty and commitment of his employees and colleagues, but also a lot of hostility. He described his role in 1994 as follows: “I fight for people. Anyone can do the simple cases. I want the tough ones. ”He has advocated restraint in spending more than most MPs and is a“ fanatic about eradicating fraud and abuse and waste. ... And would throw me in front of a train for women, minorities, for equal rights. ”In 1992 he described himself that he was“ probably the lateral thinker, the reformer, the outsider, probably more than anyone else in the US Congress ”. Synar, who named Thomas Jefferson and Harry S. Truman as political role models, refused to accept any support from Political Action Committees and opposed their influence on politics.

In his work, shaped by many legislative initiatives, he rebelled against powerful lobbyists such as the National Rifle Association , the tobacco industry and insurance companies and opposed interest groups - such as the farmers of his rural constituency - were important for his re-election. He advocated that farmers, mining and logging companies no longer paid significantly reduced rents for public land, as they did before, but instead paid market prices. Synar ensured that tobacco advertising was restricted and the first warnings on boxes for smokeless tobacco ; its measures implemented in the Synar Amendment of 1992, such as the ban on the sale of tobacco to young people, implements the Synar Program in the health administration of the United States .

In 1986, in the Supreme Court proceedings he had brought against Charles Arthur Bowsher ( Bowsher v. Synar ), President of the Court of Auditors , he succeeded in having the Gramm - Rudman Act, insofar as it had introduced automatic fiscal policy austerity measures, rejected as unconstitutional. In 1988 he was one of the chief prosecutor of the Commission for the impeachment of Federal Judge Alcee Hastings of Florida at. In 1991 Synar voted against permission for the Gulf War and in 1992 against the construction of a US space station. In 1993 he supported the so-called Brady Bill , which made gun purchases difficult, and campaigned for more intensive environmental protection, which made him the strongest ally in the House of Representatives for the League of Conservation Voters . In 1994 Synar achieved the passing of the Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act , which - after the finding of mismanagement in the Indian administration by the Synar Report , which was largely authored by him - improved the economic situation of the Indians.

After politics and afterlife

After his time in Congress, Synar founded and directed the Campaign for America Project, which campaigned for campaign finance reform . He was also appointed by President Clinton to chair the National Bankruptcy Review Commission , which was to develop proposals to combat the surge in consumer bankruptcies . For this, Synar won the Harvard professor and later US Senator Elizabeth Warren as main advisor , thus paving the way for her entry into politics. Clinton had previously considered making Synar chairman of the Democratic National Committee while the latter had expressed an interest in running the Special Olympics . He was ambassador-designate of the International Telecommunication Union .

Synar received the Profile in Courage award on May 8, 1995 , with which the John F. Kennedy's Presidential Library honors people who acted on the people portrayed in Kennedy's book Civil Courage . Synar's choice was justified with his "unwavering commitment to serve the common good, no matter how powerful the opponent or great the political risk". US Senator Ted Kennedy praised Synar at the award ceremony as someone who “has never been afraid to stand up for a principle. His leadership has been consistent, eloquent, effective, and extraordinary at opposing interest groups ”.

Mike Synar died of a brain tumor in his home in January 1996 and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Muskogee. The funeral speech was given by President Clinton.

The American College of Physicians presented Bill Clinton with the National Public Service Award in 1996 and dedicated it to Synars' work against smoking. In his memory, a building on the Northeastern State University campus in Muskogee was named Mike Synar Center in 2001 . The University of California, Berkeley annually grants five doctoral students who deal with aspects of American politics a research fellowship named after Synar. His political estate, consisting of approximately 97,000 documents, is kept at the University of Oklahoma . In April 2016 it was presented to the public with the words that it "illuminates the thoughtfulness and prudence of a passionate craftsman of legislation".

literature

Web links

  • Mike Synar in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English) .

supporting documents

  1. ^ A b c d e Synar, Michael Lynn "Mike" Collection: Biographical Information. In: Carl Albert Center Archives , University of Oklahoma (English).
  2. ↑ Chris Casteel: Maverick Ex-Congressman Synar Succumbs to Cancer. In: NewsOK.com , January 10, 1996 (English); Alan Synar. Obituary. In: The Oklahoman , November 10, 2011 (English).
  3. ↑ Todd J. Kosmerick: Synar, Michael Lynn (1950-1996). In: Oklahoma Historical Society Encyclopedia. 2009.
  4. ↑ a b c d Chris Casteel: Maverick Ex-Congressman Synar Succumbs to Cancer. In: NewsOK.com , January 10, 1996 (English).
  5. ^ A b c d Profile of Mike Synar. In: Institute of Governmental Studies , University of Berkeley (English).
  6. ^ Synar, Michael Lynn "Mike" Collection: Biographical Information. In: Carl Albert Center Archives , University of Oklahoma (English);
    • Mike Synar in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English) .
  7. ^ Bill Peterson: Campaign Ploy: Wrapping Self in Flag. In: The Washington Post , August 14, 1978.
  8. ^ A b John R. Hibbing: Congressional Careers: Contours of Life in the US House of Representatives. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, London 1991, p. 138 .
  9. ^ A b c David Binder: Ex-Congressman Mike Synar, Oklahoma Liberal, Dies at 45. In: The New York Times , January 10, 1996 (English).
  10. ^ Louis Sandy Maisel: From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary. Revised edition. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville 1987, p. 67 .
  11. ^ A b Same Howe Verhovek: The 1994 Campaign: Oklahoma; Ultimate Outsider Seeking a Seat. In: The New York Times , November 3, 1994.
  12. ↑ Steven V. Roberts: Congressmen in Their Districts. In: Dennis B. Hale (Ed.): The United States Congress. Transaction Books, New Brunswick, London 1983, pp. 73-75.
  13. ↑ a b Mike Synar Loses. In: High Country News , October 3, 1994 (English, with picture).
  14. ^ RW Apple Jr .: The 1994 Campaign; In Oklahoma's Senate Race, Both Candidates Are Running Against Clinton. In: The New York Times , October 5, 1994. See also Greta Bauer: Synar Too 'Big'. In: Tulsa World , August 13, 1992.
  15. ↑ In the original: “I fight for people. Anybody can do the easy ones. I want the tough ones. ... I am a fanatic on rooting out fraud and abuse and waste. ... And yet I will run in front of a train for women, minorities, for equal rights. " Chris Casteel: Maverick Ex-Congressman Synar Succumbs to Cancer. In: NewsOK.com , January 10, 1996 (English).
  16. ↑ Original quote: “I have probably been the maverick, the reformer, the outsider, probably more than any other person in the United States Congress”. David Binder: Ex-Congressman Mike Synar, Oklahoma Liberal, Dies at 45. In: The New York Times , January 10, 1996 (English).
  17. ^ Profiles in Courage Award: Background. In: JFKLibrary.org (English).
  18. ^ About the Synar Amendment and Program. In: SAMHSA.gov , last updated on April 6, 2015 (English).
  19. ↑ Bowsher v. Synar. In: FindLaw (English, judgment text).
  20. ^ Misplaced Trust: The Bureau of Indian Affairs' Mismanagement of the Indian Trust Fund. Seventeenth Report by the Committee on Government Operations. Union Calendar No. 292, House Report 102-499 (PDF) .
  21. ↑ Leon Neyfakh: Elizabeth Warren's unorthodox career. In: The Boston Globe , October 22, 2011 (English); George Zornick: Elizabeth Warren Insists She's Not Running for President. These Activists Are Trying to Change Her Mind. In: The Nation , February 23, 2015 (English).
  22. ↑ Richard Pearson: Oklahoma's Mike Synar Dies at 45. In: The Washington Post , January 10, 1996 (English).
  23. ↑ In the original: “an unwavering commitment to serve the public interest, no matter how powerful the foe or great the political risk”. Quoted from Shelley Sommer: Award Announcement: Oklahoma Congressman Michael L. Synar Named Winner of the 1995 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. In: JFKLibrary.org , April 26, 1995 (English).
  24. ↑ In the original: “never afraid to take a stand on principle. His leadership was consistent, eloquent, effective and extraordinary in confronting special interest groups ”. Quoted from Profile in Courage Award: Remarks by Senator Edward M. Kennedy. In: JFKLibrary.org (English).
  25. ↑ In its obituary, The New York Times says Synar died in his home in Arlington, Virginia , all other evidence speaks of Washington, DC
  26. ^ Sarah Vowell : Open letter to the Deceased Congressman Synar. New York City, November 6, 2000, originally published on Openletters.net. In: Facebook , September 20, 2008 (English).
  27. ↑ HCFA update: coding rules, practice expenses, more. ( Memento of the original from October 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: ACP Observer , May 1996 (English). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.acpinternist.org
  28. ↑ NSU-Muskogee Synar Center dedicated. In: Tulsa World , August 24, 2001.
  29. ^ Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship. In: Institute of Governmental Studies , University of Berkeley (English).
  30. ↑ In the original: “reveal the thoughtfulness and sophistication of a passionate legislative craftsman”. Katherine McRae: Collection of Former Rep. Mike Synar Opens to the Public. Press release. In: OU.edu , April 2016 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Synar, Mike
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Synar, Michael Lynn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH 17th October 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Vinita , Oklahoma
DATE OF DEATH January 9, 1996
Place of death Washington, DC