Harris Miller
Encyclopedia
Harris N. Miller is an American politician, businessman, and lobbyist. He is currently president of the Career Colleges Association, the umbrella
government relations group for 1,400 for-profit vocational schools in the United States. He was formerly the president of the Information Technology Association of America
and the World Information Technology and Services Alliance
(WITSA). On June 13, 2006, he lost the Democratic
primary in the Virginia U.S. Senate election
to Jim Webb
.
. His parents had mixed success running grocery stores, a car wash, and other small businesses. He attended the University of Pittsburgh
where he received an undergraduate degree in political science
and philosophy
in 1972. He received a political science MPhil from Yale University
in 1975. Miller married his wife Deborah in 1980. They have two grown children Derek and Alexis.
(D
-N.H.
); the Deputy Director of Personnel Management for Congressional Relations in the Carter Administration; and a legislative assistant for the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law.
In the early 1980s, Miller acted as government relations director for Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy
, a nationwide law firm specializing in immigration. He was also president of Immigration Services Associates, a government relations firm based in Washington, D.C.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for a House seat from Virginia in 1984. He operated his own government relations firm, Harris Miller & Associates, with clients in high tech, agriculture and banking.
In 1995, Miller became President of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). Miller, representing ITAA, provided Congressional testimony in favor of increases in the H-1B visa
quotas and supporting the international outsourcing of IT work. Because of this, he came under fire during his later Senate campaign from an IT worker association and organized labor groups.
Miller has been a friend and business associate of former Governor Mark Warner
. He has also served as President of the Northern Virginia Board of Governors for Virginia Opera
.
.
While his support was strong among the local Virginia party activists who weigh heavily in primaries, it was not enough to triumph over his late-entering primary opponent, James Webb, who benefited from a strong military background, the support of well-known blogs such as the Daily Kos
, and the endorsements of several national Democratic leaders. These endorsements for Webb, including that of Charles Schumer, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, were unusual for a primary and reflected Webb's perceived strengths as a candidate over Miller's.
One newspaper columnist dismissed Miller as "a Republican strategist's dream opponent. He's as charismatic as a toaster, wonkier than Al Gore and as proudly liberal as Al Franken. And at just about the worst time ever to be one, he's a lobbyist. He's a total contrast to Allen; no cowboy boots or chewing tobacco here." AFL-CIO
National Executive Director Michael W. Gildea said: "...Miller is truly one of the bad guys. Over and over again on core issues like trade, immigration, overtime protections and privatization of federal jobs, he’s not only been on the wrong side, he’s been galvanizing corporate efforts against us."
and endorsed Allen, and Webb criticizing Miller as an IT
lobbyist who exported American jobs, at more than one point saying "you've been called the Antichrist
of outsourcing
." After his loss, Miller affirmed his support for Webb as the Democratic candidate in the upcoming general election. He said he had "no regrets" and was taking some time off to think about his next move.
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
government relations group for 1,400 for-profit vocational schools in the United States. He was formerly the president of the Information Technology Association of America
Information Technology Association of America
The Information Technology Association of America is a leading industry trade group for information technology companies. The Association's membership contains most all of the world's major ICT firms and accounts for over 90% of ICT goods and services sold in North America.Former Under Secretary...
and the World Information Technology and Services Alliance
World Information Technology and Services Alliance
The World Information Technology and Services Alliance is a consortium of associations from the information technology industry around the world. The group claims that it represents over 90% of the world IT market, and has a stated goal of advancing the growth and development of the IT industry...
(WITSA). On June 13, 2006, he lost the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary in the Virginia U.S. Senate election
Virginia United States Senate election, 2006
The 2006 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator George Allen ran for re-election to a second term, but lost to Democrat Jim Webb.-Background:...
to Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
.
Early life, education, and family
Harris Miller was born in western PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. His parents had mixed success running grocery stores, a car wash, and other small businesses. He attended the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
where he received an undergraduate degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in 1972. He received a political science MPhil from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1975. Miller married his wife Deborah in 1980. They have two grown children Derek and Alexis.
Career
Early on, Miller was an aide on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee; a legislative director for former U.S. Senator John A. DurkinJohn A. Durkin
John Anthony Durkin was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1975 until 1980.Durkin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1959 and Georgetown University Law Center in 1965...
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-N.H.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
); the Deputy Director of Personnel Management for Congressional Relations in the Carter Administration; and a legislative assistant for the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law.
In the early 1980s, Miller acted as government relations director for Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP is a large New York City-based International law firm specialising in providing a range of immigration law services to corporate and individual clients, and is widely recognised as the world's leading immigration law firm...
, a nationwide law firm specializing in immigration. He was also president of Immigration Services Associates, a government relations firm based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for a House seat from Virginia in 1984. He operated his own government relations firm, Harris Miller & Associates, with clients in high tech, agriculture and banking.
In 1995, Miller became President of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). Miller, representing ITAA, provided Congressional testimony in favor of increases in the H-1B visa
H-1B visa
The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101. It allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations...
quotas and supporting the international outsourcing of IT work. Because of this, he came under fire during his later Senate campaign from an IT worker association and organized labor groups.
Miller has been a friend and business associate of former Governor Mark Warner
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
. He has also served as President of the Northern Virginia Board of Governors for Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera is an opera company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Organized in 1974 by a group of Norfolk, Virginia community volunteers, Virginia Opera presented its first productions in 1975 and in the intervening four decades has become known and respected nationwide for the...
.
Campaign for Senate
Miller was the first to announce a bid to be the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate against first-term Republican Senator George AllenGeorge Allen (U.S. politician)
George Felix Allen is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as the 67th Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress, winning election to the Senate in 2000...
.
While his support was strong among the local Virginia party activists who weigh heavily in primaries, it was not enough to triumph over his late-entering primary opponent, James Webb, who benefited from a strong military background, the support of well-known blogs such as the Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
, and the endorsements of several national Democratic leaders. These endorsements for Webb, including that of Charles Schumer, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, were unusual for a primary and reflected Webb's perceived strengths as a candidate over Miller's.
One newspaper columnist dismissed Miller as "a Republican strategist's dream opponent. He's as charismatic as a toaster, wonkier than Al Gore and as proudly liberal as Al Franken. And at just about the worst time ever to be one, he's a lobbyist. He's a total contrast to Allen; no cowboy boots or chewing tobacco here." AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
National Executive Director Michael W. Gildea said: "...Miller is truly one of the bad guys. Over and over again on core issues like trade, immigration, overtime protections and privatization of federal jobs, he’s not only been on the wrong side, he’s been galvanizing corporate efforts against us."
Primary Defeat
The primary campaign was occasionally acrimonious, with Miller faulting Webb as a Democrat-come-lately who in 2000 voted for George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and endorsed Allen, and Webb criticizing Miller as an IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
lobbyist who exported American jobs, at more than one point saying "you've been called the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
of outsourcing
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
." After his loss, Miller affirmed his support for Webb as the Democratic candidate in the upcoming general election. He said he had "no regrets" and was taking some time off to think about his next move.
External links
- http://modernpatriot.blogspot.com/2006/05/harris-miller-and-american-job-loss.html
- ITAA Call on Congress to Raise Cap for Temporary Workers Law Offices of Carl Shusterman website, Feb 25, 1998
- L VISAS: Losing Jobs through Laissez-Faire Policies? Hearing Before the House Committee on International Relations, Feb. 4, 2004
- Labor Market in Flux: How Can States Respond to Outsourcing, Labor Shortages & Job Creation? 29-Apr-04 ITAA website newsroom
- High Tech’s Short List for the Next Few Weeks Legislative “Must Do’s” to Members of Congress September 7, 2004; ITAA website docs
- Fear of job loss due to outsourcing — IT career loses sheen among US students The Hindu Business Line; Monday, Aug 01, 2005
- Labor Labels Senate Hopeful 'Anti-Worker' The Washington Post Friday, April 14, 2006; Page B05
- Webb Picks Up Unusual Endorsement Washington Post, June 8, 2006, B01
- Former Reagan Aide Wins Va. Senate Primary Washington Post June 14, 2006
- http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/6/3/191649/5918