Wow. That’s all I can say as the House Democrats have dethroned one of their most feared power players. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), longtime chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, has been ousted by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) in a close vote by the Democratic Caucus (137 to 122). This puts a long-time environmentalist (Waxman) in the slot that oversees fuel efficiency standards, instead of a long-time auto industry booster (Dingell). Waxman will also be overseeing healthcare issues — a key issue for the incoming Obama administration. So many questions. Will this create any sort of lasting schism within the Dem caucus? And who will take the seat Waxman is vacating? He was chair of the Oversight & Government Reform Committee — a panel that serves as a congressional watchdog that can investigate just about anything it wants to.
I think the new chair of the Oversight Committee is likely to be Edolphus Towns (D-NY), but I know little or nothing about him. What do you think? Will this create a schism? Will Towns run the Oversight Committee? What will the new agenda for both committees look like?
-Ship
UPDATE: Word on the street is that Elijah Cummings (D-MD) is angling for the Oversight chair, but Towns outranks him. Stay tuned!
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