Waxman On Why He Had To Oust Fellow Dem

The New York Times' Deborah Solomon interviews Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), who recently ousted John Dingell (D-MI) to become chair of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce. Waxman explains that he felt it was necessary in light of the new administration.

Q: Congratulations on your new post! You are about to take over one of the most powerful subgroups in Congress, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which handles climate change, health care and much else. Do you feel any guilt about ousting the current chairman, John Dingell, a fellow Democrat, who, at 82, is currently the longest-serving member of Congress?

A: I felt sad to have to engage in a challenge. I hoped he would retire.

Q: As a youngster of 69, did you personally ask him to retire?

A: I called him up and told him that I thought I would be able to bring more energy to the post. I was hoping that he wouldn't run again. He didn't agree with that idea, and I told him that I was going to run for it.

...

Q: This seems like a symbolic shift -- California environmentalist unseats Michigan congressman who propped up the auto industry.

A: We've had our differences on environmental issues. I think we need new leadership in the committee in order to move a very active agenda being proposed by the Obama administration.

As the Huffington Post has reported, Waxman's surprise win has opened up the Oversight Committee chair, creating another potential inter-party battle between a congressman with more seniority and one with more progressive credentials.

Comments

[vietveter]

This post was so "on the money" that I wanted to post it again

+ ajax2 See Profile I'm a Fan of ajax2 I'm a fan of this user permalink
Pelosi and Reid, GW Bush accomplices should go next.

[Okieborn]

Henry Waxman is a True American Hero !!!!!!!!!!

[hotwire]

Waxman looks like one of those characters on Harry Potter.

[Elahrairah]

Doesn't matter if he's gooney looking, what matters is the man has the right stuff between his ears and in his heart - acts on it - and fights for whats right.

[suekzoo]

As a Michigan Democrat, I have to agree with Waxman. Dingell was never invested in the environmental issues.

[Hugh-Gee]

The last paragraph says:
"As the Huffington Post has reported, Waxman's surprise win has opened up the Oversight Committee chair, creating another potential inter-party battle between a congressman with more seniority and one with more progressive credentials."

That should be "intra-party battle," because it's within one party. "Inter-party" would be between Dems and Pubs.

[AmberGaze]

It's Despereaux reincarnated...

[rollingdivision]

Working so hard so ignorant and so wrong on the issues. Waxman is so bad for the country.

[rjcrane]

Waxman has done a fine job on the oversight committee but Dingell also did a fine job on Energy. So let's be perfectly clear about what this power play really represented: It was mostly about sending more money to CA and to companies working on clean energy issues in CA. This had little to nothing to do with promoting Obama's energy policy unless getting more people to replace lightbulbs and making federal buildings and schools more energy efficient is what Waxman thought he would do more of than Dingell. What a joke and no one should be buying it! There is absolutely nothing that Waxman can do to make car companies produce more fuel efficient vehicles either since they already are leading most companies in the numbers of these vehicles they produce across most models and have continued to invest heavily in these technologies. And with oil prices lower than they have been in a long time and the world economy on the skids, by the time any car let alone one of the overpriced electric hybrid cars will be selling well for any company, Dingell would have long ago retired.

What should be really clear too is the level of ignorance in Congress about most issues and especially complex ones like clean energy and how you get there with large scale manufacturing.

RJ Crane, topplebush.com

[Wombaticus]

Its very easy to castigate the fledgling alternative energy manufacturing base while it is still in prototype phase.
You proclaim Waxman can do nothing to make car companies produce more fuel efficient vehicles. I guess the next few years will tell. Certainly Dingell has overseen the propping up of a status quo when fundamental change was first called for, and ever since.
'Experts' like you are the eternal bane to anyone who tries to make changes...man cannot fly, women cannot vote, demons cause disease...and now cars cannot become fuel efficient. You have any number of cynical OPINIONS why new paradigms will not work, but they are all backward looking. With a new administration, new personnel and a radical new business climate, unprecedented changes are possible.
Everyone should be trying to make things work, not sniping from the sidelines trying to keep forward movement from happening. Help out or get out of the way.

[ajax2]

Pelosi and Reid, GW Bush accomplices should go next.

[hopeless277]

Has anyone ever answered a Waxman subpeona? Anyone? Ever? Congress gave up all it's power to the Unitary Executive years ago. If I were Obama, I'd send congress home for all the good they do. It sure would save a lot of money. Why have representatives when all they represent is themselves and their own families? Waxman is particularly bad in that he investigates and investigates but no prosecutions or penalties ensue. It's all for show is assume. To keep the peasants satisfied so we don't come in to his office, escort him to the front steps of the capital and remind him of our shared French heritage.

[UnknownSoldier]

Ok Voltaire, I hope you know violence is never the right answer.

[tc399]

Do you know why you don't speak with a British accent?

[StevenBolstad]

The Greening of the country really does mean more jobs. I believe that.
But we must get some proof of it happening soon so that more will get on board.
This was a critical step towards the new vision.
The auto workers will be just as happy making green cars as SUVs. Just as long as they're working.
I hope the Eric Schmidt Google Drilling plan gets some immediate attention and results too.

[motoGpifupleez]

Change occurs one step at a time. Good early move. Now do something about ousting Pelosi and Reid and get some spines at leadership positions.

[rjcrane]

You are absolutely correct that the Dems need much better leadership in Congress than those two hacks. Just consider the damage that has been done by Bush and will continue to be done before he leaves office just because Pelosi took impeachment off the table. My biggest fear is not the economy falling apart but Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld escaping criminal trials because of the lack of leadership in the party.

RJ Crane, topplebush.com

[PoliticalAmazon]

Well, you have to admit it's a bit awkward for Dingel--who had worked so diligently to thwart pollution restritions on carmakers--to continue being head of the committee.

It's too bad it came to having to drop-kick Dingel out of the committee post, but he should have realized that there was really no other option and simply resigned.

But it does raise the question: why did Dingell have to go and not Lieberman?

[PATina]

Good question.

Probably since he acted like a Repub during the election... the spineless Dems treated him like one and were afraid to challenge him.

But this article shows that they didn't have to kick him off... just get someone to challenge his seat.

[spandautoseattle]

Looking back at what he had done, realizing the terrible effects on the ecology and having the economic meltdown right in front of his face, in a more honorable age a real "man" would have found a more honorable way out.

[rjcrane]

Sorry but I disagree with your phrasing. Dingell didn't work hard to help automakers thwart pollution restrictions. He worked hard to prevent the government from mandating things most of these companies couldn't do without going broke in the United States and didn't make any sense at the time because of where technology was at. It wasn't until only a few years ago that the lithium ion battery was even produced for cars.. All raising CAFE standards did was force them to ship more jobs overseas. The reason the car companies didn't produce more smaller fuel efficient cars was because there was not a big enough market for them in this country because gas was still cheap. And there weren't good batteries either and still aren't.

What Dingell felt was the proper attitude was that if the government wanted to change the type of cars Americans bought, it shouldn't only be the burden of the Big Three to do this. Dingell felt that consumers should also be forced to buy these cars by raising taxes on gasoline to keep the price high enough where they would buy these cars. This is what happened in Europe and is why the Big Three have been successfully selling smaller more fuel efficient cars there for a longer time. Dingell was pragmatic and realistic. Not sure if Waxman will be or not.

RJ Crane, topplebush.com

[alumcreek]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. The car companies marketed big cars because they were profitable. They refused to market small cars till foreign companies took most of that market segment.

The big 3's hands were never tied by the public demanding fewer small cars and more gas hogs. That never happened.

[Wombaticus]

Big Auto also fought California's attempt to put 10% of its cars sales in low emission vehicles.
"The most immediate threat is California's zero-emission vehicle mandate, which would force the industry to derive 10 percent of its sales from low- and zero-emission vehicles, like battery powered cars. The plan has been delayed by a legal challenge from General Motors and DaimlerChrysler."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805E5DF163BF93BA15754C0A9649C8B63

Corporations are by law required to seek the largest profit, not the general welfare. Government is mandated to seek the good of the people. Those facts will constantly force business and government to be at odds with each other.

[freelyb]

Good job, Mr. Waxman, and well-deserved.

[wijg]

Waxman is one of the few bright spots in Congress, and I'm proud to say he's my representative.

[LeeCalif]

Lucky duck.
I've got Brian Bilbray. Excuse me while I go throw up.

[TN60]

Just as bad as the dunder heads representing TN...Corker and Lamar..Ugh.

[DASChicago]

You are so fortunate, I wish he can be cloned liked 50 times! Love the Congressman Waxman.

[pencilpusher]

Mine is Ken Calvert (R-44). In 1993, he was caught at midnight in his car with a hooker and his pants around his ankles. In 2006, 2007 and 2008, he was listed as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress by CREW. At least when you elect a Republican, you know what you are getting. No surprises here.

Thanks for electing Waxman--we all benefit.