Jim Steiner

Jim Steiner was a Republican candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 2nd Congressional District (map) of New Hampshire. He was seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.). He lost in primary elections which took place on September 9, 2008.

Positions, record and controversies
NO PACs | STRONG ON LAW ENFORCEMENT | SUPPORTS HOMELAND SECURITY | STRONG ON DEFENSE | STRONGEST SUPPORTER OF VETERANS | LOWER TAXES | MAKE HEALTH CARE AFFORDABLE | NO TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION | WIN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM | PROMOTE QUALITY EDUCATION | STIMULATE THE ECONOMY  | PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT | PROMOTE NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE FOR THIS GENERATION

NO PACs: Jim's campaign will be powered by people, not PACs, and based on traditional American values, not special interests.

LAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME: Jim is a firm believer in being tough on crime. He believes that the support for our local law enforcement must be echoed at the federal level. Such federal initiatives as task force funding to combat gangs and drugs are an all-important step to rid our country of criminal behavior.

HOMELAND SECURITY: Whether the issue be a category 5 hurricane such as Katrina, the attack by radical terrorist elements, or even an attack by home grown terrorists as occurred in Oklahoma City, we, as a country, must have first responders prepared to assist communities on virtually no notice. Accordingly, there must be sufficient resources made available to continue developing sufficient first responder resources, with a focus on interoperability of communications equipment and mission essential training. The time to develop first responses is not after the fact.

DEFENSE: Our homeland security begins with a well-maintained military. As a veteran who knows what it means to move soldiers and machinery to foreign countries Jim will be a tireless advocate for the proper use of our military and the proper financial support of our military.

VETERANS: During a trip to Israel following the engagement by the Israeli military with terrorist militias in southern Lebanon in the early 1980s, Jim toured an Israeli veterans' hospital and rehabilitation center. It was state of the art. He left Israel remembering articles he had read in newspapers about the challenges faced by our Veterans Hospitals in this country. Our veterans deserve first class medical treatment. It is an essential benefit to be provided to those who have ensured our freedom and who have made great sacrifices on behalf of our nation. Jim is a vet. He will be a tireless advocate of veterans rights.

TAXES: The tax code is out of control. It is a burden on every class of Americans. It requires a wholesale overhaul to simplify, simplify and simplify. That said, such common deductions benefit small business, homeowners and donations to charity are simple and effective tools for promoting the economy and support of worthy causes. These deductions, among others, should remain in place.

HEALTH CARE: It is not just the fact that many Americans lack insurance coverage, but it is the fact that small business is being strangled by substantial increases to premiums each year. Market strategies that promote competition will reduce these costs, among other measures. These steps are essential to providing affordable quality insurance coverage for the greatest number of Americans.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: The one thing accomplished by amnesty is to encourage future illegals to enter the country and hope for the same treatment. This great country is a salad bowl of newly arriving legal immigrants. Each culture arrives and retains its distinct culteral identity while adopting the values of this new country. Legal immigration is what makes this country richer and stronger. Jim feels that any illegal immigration program must start with a secure border and enforcement of existing laws.

GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM: Radical muslim extremists will not stop attacking United States interests merely because we no longer maintain an active presence overseas. This is a stateless war, but those countries that harbor and support radical extremists devoted to attacking the United States or its interests should know they must withdraw their support or face all possible sanctions available, whether through the United Nations or by an alliance of countries including the United States.

EDUCATION AND THE ECONOMY: The quality of education we provide is directly proportional to the quality of the work force contributed annually to businesses to support our economy. The two are tied together. Jim advocates providing school districts with the tools needed to reach the highest standards, and making sure school districts do in fact reach such standards. The impact on the economy, with a more highly qualified work force, will be self-evident.

THE ENVIRONMENT: The development of alternative energy sources and the use of our own domestic supply is in the national interests of this country. This country must not remain dependent on foreign energy. We need to encourage and develop a national strategy to safeguard our future energy needs.

NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE: As a young officer at age 22, stationed in Washington State, only one other soldier in Jim's infantry company came from New Hampshire - Private Michael Allen, from Kingston, N.H., the youngest private in the company at the time. The remaining 160 soldiers came from all across the United States, but they quickly formed a cohesive identification as part of "Charlie Company two one," being Charlie Company of the 2nd Battalion, First Infantry Regiment, the "Always First" regiment!

Jim believes the more young people that take advantage of public service, via military service, or nonmilitary service with such organizations as Americorps, the Peace Corps, or the Student Conservation Association, to name a few, the more they will appreciate what it means to be an American. Accordingly Jim believes the incentives for public service should be increased to increase the pool of young people that think first to give public service for a couple of years after high school. The government should use its bully pulpit to encourage our universities and colleges to adopt tuition deferments in recognition of such service. The students then matriculating to college will be more mature and worldly, and more valuable as students and alumni.

2008 elections
Steiner was seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) in the 2008 congressional elections.

At 17 Jim earned his Eagle Scout rank and was one of only two young men selected to represent his high school at the American Legion New Hampshire Boys State program.

At 18 Jim was appointed by then Sen. Tom McIntyre (D-NH) and Congressman Louis Wyman (R-NH) to represent New Hampshire at West Point, from which he graduated in 1978.

During his service on active duty, Jim became a paratrooper, Ranger and Green Beret. He served with distinction with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He worked alongside elite units from allied nations, including Danish Jaegers, British SAS, German paratroopers and Israeli paratroopers. Hanging in his office are plaques from the German military and the Israeli Parachute Brigade. Ultimately, Jim spent 18 years on active duty or serving in the reserves of the United States military.

As a young lawyer, Jim was among the very few selected to serve as a law clerk to the Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Jim was selected for and graduated from the year-long Leadership New Hampshire program sponsored by the Business and Industry Association ("BIA") and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

In 1988, just a year after he graduated from law school, Jim was among the youngest lawyers ever to have an article published as the lead article in a legal journal. The article addressed trans boundary issues with acid rain in North America.

Later, as chair of the New Hampshire Bar Law-Related Education Board, Jim pursued and procured a $500,000 Department of Justice award to benefit law-related education programs in New Hampshire, including peer mediation and mock trial programs. New Hampshire was one of only eight states to receive such an award.

In 1996 Governor Stephen Merrill appointed Jim to the State Board of Education. In 1997 Governor Jeanne Shaheen appointed him to the Governor's Commission on Disabilities.

In June 2001, Jim was selected for and attended a National Security Seminar with career military officers at Carlisle Barracks, PA. In addition to a reunion with fellow West Point classmates and Green Berets with whom he had served, it would serve as a powerful primer to the unknowing, and upcoming, 9/11 terrorist attack.

As a seasoned attorney, Jim has prevailed in numerous major decisions at the New Hampshire Supreme Court. One of his early decisions protected the rights of property owners from frivolous liens. Not long thereafter, Jim prevailed in a decision at the New Hampshire Supreme Court further protecting property owners from liens imposed by towns.

Jim has protected small business as well. He prevailed in a major decision protecting building industry businesses from unlimited liability. The decision passes on to homeowners protections from increased costs passed on by builders. In 2007, Jim was responsible for protecting small businesses from frivolous claims. In 2008, Jim has prevailed in holding an insurance company responsible to a small business for failing to honor its insurance contract.

Within the community, Jim has served on the Boards of the Red Cross, YMCA and the Boy Scouts of America. He has been recognized for his work with the Boy Scouts as the recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, granted to those showing extraordinary service to the scouting movement.

Jim is prepared to apply his foundation of integrity and leadership gained over decades of service to his country and representation of clients to represent the people of the New Hampshire 2nd Congressional District in Washington, D.C.

Committees and affiliations
Committees: Steiner will be assigned committees if and when he is elected to Congress.

Affiliations: Special Forces Association (SFA), decade member

U.S. Army Ranger Association (USARA), life member

American Legion, Post 21, Concord, N.H., member

Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY (AOG), member

National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), life member

Boy Scouts of America (BSA), 40-year member

Suffolk University Law School Alumni, member

American Bar Association (ABA), member

New Hampshire Bar Association (NH Bar), member

National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA), former member

Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, DE, NITA instructor

Leadership New Hampshire (LNH) alumni, member

New Hampshire State Board of Education, former member

New Hampshire-Governor's Commission on Disabilities, former member

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, member of congregation and lay reader

Christian Legal Society (CLS), member

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), former member

National Rifle Association (NRA), former member

U.S. Ski Association (USSA), former member and Eastern Ski Association-certified ski instructor

Contact
Steiner for Congress 9 Triangle Park Dr. Concord, NH 03301 603-226-7950

Direct email: [mailto:jim@joinjim2008.com jim@joinjim2008.com]

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:New Jersey and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District