David Bossie
Encyclopedia
David N. Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000 he has been President and Chairman of conservative advocacy
organization Citizens United
.
on CSPAN he said that when he went to register to vote for the first time, he left the political affiliation box blank. When an employee explained to him that it was a requirement for registration in Massachusetts, he said that he wanted to be whatever Ronald Reagan
was. The employee said that she wasn't permitted to tell him but gave him a newspaper and said, "Here, read this, figure it out and fill in the appropriate box."
, the Presidential Victory Committee. During that time, CBS
ran an investigative report "Dirty Tricks," by Eric Engberg on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
, alleging that Bossie and a retired policeman named Jim Murphy used what Engberg called "police state" tactics to harass the family of a young woman in Arkansas, Susann Coleman, in their efforts to prove that she had committed suicide because of an affair with Bill Clinton.
Dan Burton (R-IN), the chairman of the House investigation into alleged Clinton campaign finance abuses. Early in the investigation, Bossie was fired by Burton who found that Bossie had supervised the editing of certain recordings and transcripts so that they portrayed President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Clinton staffer Webster Hubbell in a negative light. Richard D. Bennett (now Federal Judge, US District Maryland) hired a Professional Team of investigators to continue the House investigation into Campaign Finance abuses.
, the organization has focused increasingly on producing feature film documentaries through its Citizens United Productions division. The feature film Hillary: The Movie
was at the center of a landmark Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
, in which Citizens United prevailed, allowing for-profit and not-for-profit corporations to advertise and broadcast messages of a political nature without limits on how much they can spend and with few limits on the timing and nature of the messages. Other notable films have included Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration
, Celsius 41.11, and Rediscovering God in America
, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich
.
John Kerry
. He has also written Intelligence Failure, a piece alleging failings on the part of the national security apparatus during the Clinton Administration in the years before September 11, 2001. Bossie is also the author of the 2008 publication Hillary: the Politics of Personal Destruction and co-author of the 2000 release Prince Albert: the Life and Lies of Al Gore with Floyd Brown
.
At the Tea Party
Convention, Bossie debuted his documentary Generation Zero
, focusing on the 2008 financial crisis, and its basis in the selfishness of the Baby Boomer
generation.
in 1999.
David Bossie met his wife, Susan, through his political work. As of 2010 they have three children. He was a volunteer fireman for Montgomery County, Maryland
and lived in the firehouse for several years before his marriage.
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
organization Citizens United
Citizens United
Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
.
Early life
Bossie grew up in Massachusetts to parents he has described as "apolitical". In an interview with Brian LambBrian Lamb
Brian Patrick Lamb is the founder and chief executive officer of C-SPAN, a television network dedicated to coverage of government proceedings and public affairs. Born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, Lamb earned a degree from Purdue University before joining the United States Navy...
on CSPAN he said that when he went to register to vote for the first time, he left the political affiliation box blank. When an employee explained to him that it was a requirement for registration in Massachusetts, he said that he wanted to be whatever Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was. The employee said that she wasn't permitted to tell him but gave him a newspaper and said, "Here, read this, figure it out and fill in the appropriate box."
Presidential Victory Committee
During the 1992 presidential election, Bossie worked with Floyd Brown on a political action committeePolitical 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...
, the Presidential Victory Committee. During that time, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
ran an investigative report "Dirty Tricks," by Eric Engberg on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
, alleging that Bossie and a retired policeman named Jim Murphy used what Engberg called "police state" tactics to harass the family of a young woman in Arkansas, Susann Coleman, in their efforts to prove that she had committed suicide because of an affair with Bill Clinton.
Whitewater investigation
Bossie's was hired as a political activist during the WhiteWater scandal. RepresentativeUnited 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...
Dan Burton (R-IN), the chairman of the House investigation into alleged Clinton campaign finance abuses. Early in the investigation, Bossie was fired by Burton who found that Bossie had supervised the editing of certain recordings and transcripts so that they portrayed President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Clinton staffer Webster Hubbell in a negative light. Richard D. Bennett (now Federal Judge, US District Maryland) hired a Professional Team of investigators to continue the House investigation into Campaign Finance abuses.
Citizens United
In his capacity as director of Citizens UnitedCitizens United
Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
, the organization has focused increasingly on producing feature film documentaries through its Citizens United Productions division. The feature film Hillary: The Movie
Hillary: The Movie
Hillary: The Movie is a 2008 politicized documentary about United States Senator and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It was produced by Citizens United. The film was scheduled to be offered as video-on-demand on cable TV right before the Democratic primaries in January 2008, but the federal...
was at the center of a landmark Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions...
, in which Citizens United prevailed, allowing for-profit and not-for-profit corporations to advertise and broadcast messages of a political nature without limits on how much they can spend and with few limits on the timing and nature of the messages. Other notable films have included Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration
Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration
Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration is a 2006 documentary film, written, produced and directed by Kevin Knoblock. The film tells the stories of five people whose lives have been affected by illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border. They are J.D...
, Celsius 41.11, and Rediscovering God in America
Rediscovering God in America
Rediscovering God in America is a book written by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with photography from his wife Callista Gingrich. In the book, the Gingriches lead the reader on a tour of Washington, D.C. to point out the religious beliefs incorporated in the Nation's monuments...
, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich
Callista Gingrich
Callista Louise Gingrich, née Bisek is the wife of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, and the President of Gingrich Productions, a multimedia production company based in Washington, DC....
.
Publications
Bossie is the author of The Many Faces of John Kerry, a critical look at presidential candidate SenatorUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. He has also written Intelligence Failure, a piece alleging failings on the part of the national security apparatus during the Clinton Administration in the years before September 11, 2001. Bossie is also the author of the 2008 publication Hillary: the Politics of Personal Destruction and co-author of the 2000 release Prince Albert: the Life and Lies of Al Gore with Floyd Brown
Floyd Brown
Floyd Gregory Brown is an American author, speaker and media commentator. He is president of Excellentia Inc., a consulting company specializing in non-profit organizational strategy, development and marketing. Brown has also worked as a political consultant and conducted opposition research for...
.
At the Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
Convention, Bossie debuted his documentary Generation Zero
Generation Zero
Generation Zero: The Truth About the Financial Meltdown is a documentary film written and directed by Stephen K. Bannon and produced by David Bossie for Citizens United.-Subject matter:...
, focusing on the 2008 financial crisis, and its basis in the selfishness of the Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
generation.
Awards and honors
Bossie received the Ronald Reagan Award from the Conservative Political Action ConferenceConservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States....
in 1999.
Personal
David has served for the last 17 years as a volunteer firefighter in Montgomery County, Maryland, where he resides with his wife, Susan, and their three children, Isabella, Griffin and Lily Campbell.David Bossie met his wife, Susan, through his political work. As of 2010 they have three children. He was a volunteer fireman for Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
and lived in the firehouse for several years before his marriage.
See also
- Citizens UnitedCitizens UnitedCitizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
- Lauch FairclothLauch FairclothDuncan McLauchlin "Lauch" Faircloth , served one term as a Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina.Before his Senate service, Faircloth was a prominent and wealthy hog farmer...
- Dan BurtonDan BurtonDanny "Dan" Lee Burton is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving since 1983. He is a member of the Republican Party....
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionCitizens United v. Federal Election CommissionCitizens United v. Federal Election Commission, , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions...
External links
- Citizens United - David N. Bossie profile
- http://moneyline.cq.com/flatfiles/editorialFiles/moneyLine/reference/20080115hillary.pdf Memorandum Opinion, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Civil Action No. 07-2240, U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, January 15, 2008.
- Changes in the Way Corporations Can Finance Campaigns "The New York Times", January 21, 2010