Waxman for Chair of Energy and Commerce Committee...

[phantom power]

Apparently, there is a contest happening here, behind the scenes, which might be influenced by constituencies.

I'm surprised, given the amount of attention foisted on the US auto industry at the moment, how few people are actually watching the Dingell versus Waxman dogfight over the Chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee. E&C is the policy-making committee that will probably have jurisdiction over a good amount of the rule-making around whatever bailout happens, since it handles CAFE standards, industrial regulation, etc. So whether it goes to the super-green but sensible Henry Waxman or the more traditional John Dingell matters quite a bit.

It's very hard to tell what's going on with the conflict. Since it's secret ballot, certain members are probably promising their vote to both, and others are lying about who they will vote for. What makes it even more difficult to suss out is that Dingell is waging his campaign through the media, and Waxman is not. I know that the big green groups think that Dingell is going to win, and they don't want to get involved in leadership fights because the perception is that they aren't policy-related and the lobbying is member-to-member involving chits and relationships that have nothing to do with policy. This same rationale does not seem to apply to K Street, which is perfectly willing to whip for Dingell.

What makes this tussle even more opaque is that Dingell is a very traditional committee baron who does not always make friends in his dealings, and that has left a lot of raw feelings among people you wouldn't expect. Waxman by contrast is pretty well-liked, though not feared. No one really has any idea how the votes will play out, but I am surprised that the blogs have taken so little interest in this fight. The 2008 freshmen are being absorbed into the House quagmire without any protest from our quarters, or even requests that they actually take a position to help a progressive chair one of the most important committees in Congress, the one that regulates climate change, media policy, net neutrality, and trade.

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=9966