Waxman Defeats Dingell in Race for House Energy Committee Chair

Well change is always good. Especially when the person in charge hasn't been noted on doing anything of real value. We will see what happens. It might be more of the same or they might get someone in there who actually cares about this country and does something about it.

By Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 20, 2008; 12:36 PM

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) today won the backing of the Democratic caucus to become the new head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, defeating longtime chairman Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) in a vote Waxman's backers said would signal strong support for the agenda of President-elect Barack Obama.

On a 137-122 vote, Waxman dethroned Dingell from a post he has held as either chairman or ranking Democrat since 1981. He is the most prominent supporter of his home state's auto industry and has feuded with junior committee members, including Waxman, over efforts to impose fuel efficiency standards on cars.

"Seniority is important, but it should not be a grant of property rights to be chairman for three decades or more," Waxman told reporters after the vote.

The powerful committee, which has jurisdiction over health care, energy issues and telecommunications policy, will play a significant role in Obama's agenda in the 111th Congress, a point that Waxman's campaign drove home in the last two weeks. He argued that Dingell would be an impediment to all kind of legislation the new White House wants to push.
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"It's the mantra of the Obama election. People want change," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), who rallied support for Waxman. "He'll work best with the new administration."

Obama made energy independence and building the next generation of hybrid cars a hallmark of his campaign, often saying during the campaign that he went to Detroit to deliver this message. Obama's top liaison to Congress is Waxman's former top aide.

Senior Democrats were stunned by the Waxman victory, which seemingly dealt a blow to the party's long-held principle of seniority. "It's just been buried," Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said of seniority.

Despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's public neutrality in the race, Rangel accused her of tacitly supporting Waxman because her closest allies in the House ran his campaign and she did not intervene to stop Waxman, a home-state colleague, from running a campaign that exposed ideological fissures among Democrats.

"I assume that not playing a role is playing a role," Rangel said.

Moderate to conservative Democrats viewed the vote as a rebuke by the caucus's liberal wing, which has accused Dingell of not supporting global warming legislation.

"I cannot believe we did what we just did," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.), incoming chairman of the Blue Dog caucus of fiscally conservative Democrats. She disputed the notion that Dingell would not support Obama's legislative agenda.

"Mr. Dingell's always worked for change, starting before some of us were born," said Herseth, who is 37.

Dingell, 82, who was first elected in 1954, will become the longest-serving House member in history in February. His battles with Waxman date back to the 1980s, but they eventually worked together to help pass the Clean Air Act of 1990. Dingell also helped congressional Democrats pass mandatory fuel efficiency improvements on the auto industry last year.

He has often clashed publicly with Pelosi, who made an end-run around Dingell last year by creating a temporary committee chaired by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a close Pelosi ally, to oversee global warming issues.

Dingell, who recently had knee-replacement surgery and has been in a wheelchair, did not speak to reporters after losing the vote. Pelosi named him chairman emeritus, an undefined title. It is unclear what actual authority he will have.

Waxman, who represents Beverly Hills and other parts of Los Angeles, hails from the party's liberal wing.

The chairman's contest comes as Detroit's Big Three automakers are pleading with Congress to approve a $25 billion rescue package. Dingell's wife, Debbie, is an executive at cash-strapped General Motors.