Posted on 11/09/2009 10:14:43 AM PST by NYer
On October 30, Brian Rooney, an attorney for the Thomas More Law Center, filed his papers to run for Michigan's 7th Congressional Seat. Rooney had initially put aside his political plans when his son Blaise was born with a congenital heart defect in February, but the fight to save his son's life in the midst of the national health-care debate convinced him to enter the race.
Rooney, a Republican, will face serious opposition in the GOP primary from former one-term Rep. Tim Walberg, who lost the seat in 2008 to Democrat Mark Schauer. Rooney, ardently pro-life and pro-family, faces another pro-lifer in Walberg; but with Walberg's loss in 2008, Republican leadership may be looking for a fresh face.
If nominated, Rooney would face the same tactics used by Schauer against Walberg in 2008 -- attacking the GOP nominee as too conservative. Schauer himself, according to NARAL Pro-Choice America, is "fully pro-choice" and, predictably, voted against the Stupak-Pitts amendment to the health-care bill. "That vote shows that Schauer is completely out of touch with his constituents, who are mostly middle to right," Rooney told me.
Rooney did all he could in 2oo8 to help his brother Tom get elected from the 16th District in Florida. Both Brian and Tom are grandsons of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, and their uncle is Dan Rooney, the former Steelers chairman who is now President Barack Obama's ambassador to Ireland.
Rooney has four brothers and two sisters but is closest to Tom, with whom he shared a room for many years. "He's my biggest advocate and has been pushing me to help give the GOP a new kind of leadership." Rooney knew he wanted to do something to oppose the "tack of the country" under Obama: "These were not the values that I served my country for, not the change that America needed."
When Blaise, his third child, was born with a congenital heart defect, Rooney told his brother his political plans needed to be delayed. But while his son was undergoing surgery on his heart and brain -- twice -- and recovering from heart failure, the health-care debate was heating up. "I realized our country has the best health care in the world, and I realized it was this care that enabled Blaise to fully recover, rather than be relegated to 'compassionate care.'" Rooney is strongly opposed to the health-care reform making its way through Congress, which he believes will inevitably lead to rationed care for children and the elderly.
Brian, like his brother Tom, is a veteran. He joined the Marine Corps while in law school at Florida State and eventually became a military criminal prosecutor at the rank of captain. After 9/11, he went to the front to serve in Iraq as part of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing. Rooney was decorated three times for his service.
After military service, Rooney went to work for the well-known religious liberty law firm the Thomas More Law Center. Between his two tours of duty in Iraq, he married his high school girlfriend, Tiffany. They now have three children: Silas, almost four years old; Eleanor, two; and Blaise, nine months, who is now "completely out of the woods."
Rooney met Tiffany when she was in seventh grade and he was in fifth grade. "We basically grew up together, started dating toward the end of high school, and got back together at the end of law school when we were both training to run in different marathons." They ended up running in the Chicago marathon together, and the relationship was rekindled.
No one can deny Rooney's credentials as a conservative pro-life candidate, especially with his service at the Thomas More Law Center. But with Michigan at 15 percent unemployment, the worst in the nation, voters in the Ann Arbor/Battle Creek area may be more interested in what he brings to the table with regard to the current economic crisis.
Rooney says his three role models are Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II. So it's not surprising that he believes the government needs to "stop its reckless and radical spending, properly finish the war in Iraq, and fully commit to the ongoing war in Afghanistan." For the people in his district, he advocates reform so that the state of Michigan is once again business friendly: "Michigan was great once, and it can be great again."
His belief that Michigan and his district can recover without interference from the federal government stems, in part, from his experience on the board of his family's business, the Pittsburg Steelers. In spite of the recent sale of the Steelers, Rooney and his siblings retained 3 percent ownership. He explained that his grandfather, Art Rooney, always avoided being "heavy handed"; the family business was always "a very small shop" that "puts people first" who are "allowed to do their jobs." The Steelers' franchise, as a result, has been one of the most profitable in the NFL.
Rooney will not try to sweep his Catholicism under the rug. He continues to work for the Thomas More Law Center, and his honorary finance chairman is Tom Monaghan, founder of Ave Maria University and Domino's Pizza. Like his brother Tom, Brian Rooney is another of the generation of "John Paul II Catholics" entering politics who are not afraid to defend unborn life and the family in the face of pressures from both political parties.
I know who I’m voting for
He may be a lawyer; but he is on the right side of lawyering.
Hope he wins.
Memo to those who aspire to power: The Catholic Church has been hustled enough for one generation. Please quit invoking it when advertising yourself. Try running on your character.
If you have any, that is.
Rooney, a Republican, will face serious opposition in the GOP primary from former one-term Rep. Tim Walberg, who lost the seat in 2008 to Democrat Mark Schauer. Rooney, ardently pro-life and pro-family, faces another pro-lifer in Walberg; but with Walberg's loss in 2008, Republican leadership may be looking for a fresh face.Have a great night, all!
Well, hell.
Very interesting. Thanks for the ping.
For later.
He’s got conservative cred but nobody likes political dynasties or carpet baggers. I’m also kind of concerned that his uncle was appointed Ambassador to Ireland by Obama.
Tim Walberg for me thanks.
Republican “leadership” threw Walberg under the bus and stripped him of funding as a lost cause. Walberg lost by a whopping 2%.
This is a race that outsiders need to stay out of.
Well said, TIH, well said.
The NRCC needs to stay out of this until we the people choose our GOP candidate but Rooney says the NRCC “recruited” him to move to this district and run.
Wish I lived in the district...Sounds like the NRCC wants to make sure that Walberg stays shoved under the bus.
Rooney himself doesn’t sound so bad but I can’t help questioning the integrity of someone willing to step over the district border to run against a staunch conservative at the request of the NRCC.
Not that it really means anything about Brian Rooney, his brother is Florida congressman Tom Rooney who looks like a fairly “green” republican who never saw an environmental protection bill he didn’t like.
It should also be noted that Brian is the nephew of Dan Rooney, ambassador to Ireland appointed by Obama. Seems that Dan Rooney was a big Obama fundraiser despite calling himnself a “life long republican”.
Agreed. It just doesn't seem right, though. Also, I had those little warning buzzers go off in my head when I read the part about his uncle being appointed Ambassador of Ireland by Obamanduh. Very interesting!
Getting ready to watch Glenn (if he's back)...
From huffington post but there is plenty if you search Dan Rooney + Ambassador. With some further digging you can find the nephews.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday selected Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney to be U.S. ambassador to Ireland, turning to a lifelong Republican who provided the Democrat critical campaign support during the White House race.
The 76-year-old Rooney endorsed Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton during Pennsylvania’s contentious Democratic primary; Clinton won the contest last April. Rooney later campaigned for him in Steelers country in western Pennsylvania, and Obama went on to win the state last November.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/17/daniel-rooney-ambassador_n_175706.html
While Brian Rooney has a compelling story, he does not live in the district. He's from Wayne County. None of the tri-county Detroit area is in this district. This district stretches from the Northern Ann Arbor suburbs and townships west to Battle Creek in the west side of the state.
Brian Rooney is pro-life. Great. So is Tim Walberg. Brian Rooney sounds like a conservative. I KNOW Tim is a conservative. Tim has proven it over nearly 20 years, both as a state house representative from a swing district, and as a congressman before he was hung out to dry and lose by 2% in a district that voted for Obama.
If Rooney is the nominee, you will have NY-23 all over again. Outside of a few Lansing and Ann Arbor suburbs, this is a populist district. Rooney is not one of us. He doesn't live here. He understands national issues, but does not know Coldwater, Jackson, Battle Creek, Albion, Eaton Rapids, Hillsdale, Manchester, and Chelsea. Marky Mark Schauer doesn't either, but he'll claim to and can sell that.
Deal Hudson is hyping Rooney to be a lot like a Tim Walberg with military experience. I respect Rooney's service, but I'm not voting for JAG. I'm voting for a Congressman to represent all areas of my district in all aspects. I don't need Walberg lite from outside my district when I can vote for the real Tim Walberg. As a Catholic myself, I respect Mr. Monaghan who at least lives close to my district, but Tim's my man.
Yep. One of my Lansing semi-insider contacts said this one has been pushed for awhile. He doesn’t agree with it either.
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