Posted on 11/06/2008 8:18:32 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman made a bold power play Wednesday by signaling that he will challenge Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, the dean of the House of Representatives, for chairmanship of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee.
In challenging Rep. Dingell, Rep. Waxman is seeking to upend a long Democratic Party tradition of assigning chairmanships based on seniority. Rep. Dingell joined the House in 1955 and is the second-longest-serving member in the chamber's history.
The move could become part of a broader realignment of the party's leadership in Washington, as the country begins the transition to a Democratic administration. Wednesday, President-elect Barack Obama drew from Capitol Hill as he began to build his White House team, asking Rep. Rahm Emanuel -- a fellow Illinois Democrat -- to serve as his White House chief of staff.
Congressional aides said Rep. Waxman -- who is close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another Californian -- called Mr. Dingell Wednesday morning to notify him of his decision to pursue the chairmanship. Rep. Waxman is the second-ranking member of the panel.
Dennis Fitzgibbons, a longtime Dingell aide and staff director for the committee, said Rep. Dingell is focused on preparing his agenda for next year, which includes policies to address climate change, food safety and health care. "His focus is on accomplishments and the agenda," Mr. Fitzgibbons said.
Mr. Waxman issued a statement Wednesday that, while not referencing Mr. Dingell, said, "We will need the very best leadership in Congress and our committees to succeed." He faces two hurdles to ousting Mr. Dingell: a majority vote by the 50-member Democratic Steering Committee, and then its ratification by the full Democratic Caucus.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
The scroungy jackals are starting their fight for the spoils of the rotting carcass.....
Gads....even drawings of that jerk are ugly.
Internal fights? Oh boy! I hope the Democrats fight internally for the next four years -— wild dogs fighting over the kill.
What a picture for the electorate.
Dingell is done, he just doesn’t know it. Emanuel must not have gotten his phone number yet.
With the economy so bad, there are slim pickings.
Hair Club for Men poster boy?.....
Waxman's through relying on his good looks to get ahead.
And it is said that “Pedicure” Waxman is very vindictive and eager to pursue criminal investigations of Bush.
With the economy so bad, there are slim pickings.
This is a good point.....Hussein can have this mess! He’s not going to get far when households and businesses are tapped out.....
Isn’t this like trading one dumbass congresscritter for another and still winding up with a bag of bad gas? I say let the demorats go on and kill each other and save our ammo for Pelosi and Reid.
One of the best things Republicans did in '95 was term limit committee chairs. It's been Night of the Walking Dead the last two years watching the democrat fossils stumble back into power. Obama, unfortunately, is right in step with them; despite being a generation younger, he too seems to have learned nothing in 30 years.
So who is going to challenge Pelosi? Or Reid?
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Jodi Seth, a Dingell spokeswoman, responded:
"Tearing a leadership apart is something the Republicans should be doing after their big loss. It shouldn't be the first order of business for the Democrats after a historic election."
Gotta love it!
America’s buzzards, have come home to roost.
.....Waxman is very vindictive and eager to pursue criminal investigations of Bush.
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Another mentally-deranged liberal who casts no image in a mirror. This demoRAT fool should be making horror flicks.
Hillary is laying in wait to challenge Reid for Senate Leader. She’ll line up her allies and bide her time until the Reid-Pelosi tag team is near death, then she’ll pounce. Might be the next election, or sooner than that if the Congress-Senate poll numbers become more putrid than they are now.
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