Daniel Inouye on Principles & Values

Democratic Sr Senator (HI)

Voted with Democratic Party 96.9% of 293 votes.

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), was scored by the Washington Post on the percentage of votes on which a lawmaker agrees with the position taken by a majority of his or her party members. The scores do not include missed votes. Their summary:
Voted with Democratic Party 96.9% of 293 votes.
Overall, Democrats voted with their party 88.4% of the time, and Republicans voted with their party 81.7% of the time (votes Jan. 8 through Sept. 8, 2007). Source: Washington Post, “US Congress Votes Database” , Sep 8, 2007

Enlisted in Army after designation as "enemy alien"

Young Inouye was enrolled in a Red Cross first-aid training program [during the Pearl Harbor attack], so he went directly to the harbor and began helping with the hundreds of casualties; he stayed on duty for 7 days. In effect he was in the war from the opening moments.

In March 1942, the US military repaid Inouye be declaring that all young men of Japanese ancestry would be designated 4-C, which meant "enemy alien," unfit for service. Inouye says, "That really hit me. I considered myself patriotic, and to be told you could not put on a uniform, that was an insult. Thousands of us signed petitions, asking to be able to enlist."

The Army decided to form an all-Japanese American unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Inouye and his buddies went into combat with the 5th Army in Italy. They were out to prove something. "I felt that there was a need for us to demonstrate that we were just as good as anybody else," he says. "The price was bloody and expensive, but I felt we succeeded."

Source: The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw, p.351-352 , Nov 30, 1998

Wounded in Italy in WWII; lost an arm

In the Po Valley, Lieutenant Inouye was leading an assault against heavily fortified German positions in the mountains when he was hit by a bullet that went through his abdomen and exited his back, barely missing his spine. He continued to charge, gravely wounded, making a one-man assault on a machine gun nest that had his men pinned down. He threw two grenades before the Germans hit him with a rifle-launched grenade. His right arm was shattered. He pried a third grenade from his right hand and threw it with his left. He continued to fire with his automatic weapon, covering the withdrawal of his men. Finally, he was knocked out of action by another bullet in the leg but by then the German position was neutralized. 25 Germans were dead, and Inouye took 8 as prisoners of war.

He spent 20 months in hospitals before his discharge as a captain.

Source: The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw, p.352-353 , Nov 30, 1998

First Japanese in Congress; first Hawaii Representative

When Hawaii was admitted to the Union, Danny Inouye was a natural choice to become the state's first congressman, and he was elected overwhelmingly. It was an arresting moment in the well of the House of Representatives when Sam Rayburn, the larger than life Speaker, intoned, "Raise your right hand and repeat after me...." Of course, the new congressman from Hawaii had no right hand. Danny Inouye raised his left and took the oath of office, the first US representative from his state and the first Japanese American in Congress. As another congressman said later, "At that moment, a ton of prejudice slipped quietly to the floor of the House of Representatives."

After just one term in the House, Inouye was elected to the Senate in 1962, and he's been successfully reelected 6 times. He's highly regarded on both sides of the aisle for his middle of the road Democratic party principles and his measured, almost stately style.

Source: The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw, p.354-355 , Nov 30, 1998

Voted YES on confirming of Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court.

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee kicked off the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. In her opening statement, Judge Sotomayor pledged a "fidelity to the law:"

"In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make the law--it is to apply the law. And it is clear, I believe, that my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its terms; interpreting statutes according to their terms and Congress's intent; and hewing faithfully to precedents established by the Supreme Court and my Circuit Court. In each case I have heard, I have applied the law to the facts at hand."

Reference: Supreme Court Nomination; Bill PN506 ; vote number 2009-S262 on Aug 6, 2009

Voted NO on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice.

Vote on the Nomination -- a YES vote would to confirm Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of New Jersey, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Reference: Alito Nomination; Bill PN 1059 ; vote number 2006-002 on Jan 31, 2006

Voted NO on confirming John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Vote on the Nomination (Confirmation John G. Roberts, Jr., of Maryland, to be Chief Justice of the United States ) Reference: Supreme Court Nomination of John Roberts; Bill PN 801 ; vote number 2005-245 on Sep 27, 2005

Religious affiliation: Methodist.

Inouye : religious affiliation:

The Adherents.com website is an independent project and is not supported by or affiliated with any organization (academic, religious, or otherwise).

What’s an adherent?

The most common definition used in broad compilations of statistical data is somebody who claims to belong to or worship in a religion. This is the self-identification method of determining who is an adherent of what religion, and it is the method used in most national surveys and polls.

Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.

Source: Adherents.com web site 00-ADH7 on Nov 7, 2000

Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus .

Inouye is a member the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus:

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), founded in May 16, 1994, by former Congressman Norman Mineta, is comprised of a formal group of Members of Congress (House and Senate) who have strong interests in promoting Asian Pacific American (APA) issues and advocating the concerns of APAs.

To establish policies and issue policy statements on legislation and issues relating to persons of Asian and/or Pacific Islands ancestry who are citizens or nationals of, residents of, or immigrants to, the United States, its territories and possessions;
To ensure that legislation passed by the United States Congress, to the greatest extent possible, provides for the full participation of Asian Pacific Americans and reflects the concerns and needs of the Asian Pacific American communities;
To educate other Members of the Congress about the history, contributions and concerns of Asian Pacific Americans;
To work with other Members and Caucuses of the Congress to protect and advance the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans; and
To provide a formal structure to coordinate the efforts, and enhance the ability, of the Asian Pacific American Members of Congress to accomplish those goals.

Source: CAPAC web site 02-CAPAC0 on Jan 21, 2001

Rated 67% by the AU, a mixed record on church-state separation.

Inouye scores 67% by the AU on church-state separation

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2006 AU scores as follows:

0%- 20%: opposition to church-state separation (approx. 232 members)
21%- 79%: mixed record on church-state separation (approx. 79 members)
80%-100%: support of church-state separation (approx. 153 members)

About the AU (from their website, www.au.org):

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United is a national organization with members in all 50 states. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and led by the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director. AU has more than 75,000 members from all over the country. They include people from all walks of life and from various faith communities, as well as those who profess no particular faith. We are funded by donations from our members and others who support church-state separation. We do not seek, nor would we accept, government funding.

Source: AU website 06n-AU on Dec 31, 2006

Fund the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program.

Inouye co-sponsored the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act

Mandates redesign of quarter-dollar coins issued during the ten-year period beginning 1999, with the reverse side emblematic of five of the 50 States each year during such period, selected in the order of their ratification of the U.S. Constitution or their admission to the Union.
Mandates that the dollar coin shall be golden in color, have a distinctive edge, with tactile and visual features making it readily discernible.
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to place into circulation $1 coins that comply with such mandate upon depletion of the Government's supply of $1 coins bearing the likeness of Susan B. Anthony.

Corresponding House bill is H.R.2414. Became Public Law No: 105-124. Source: Bill sponsored by 28 Senators and 1 Rep 97-S1228 on Sep 26, 1997

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