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I have a great deal of respect for both Nancy Pelosi and John Dingell (I am from Michigan), so my feelings on some of these issues are very mixed. First of all, as to that snide, and completely dishonest beginning, about Pelosi's agenda being pushed and "so" "Congress's approval ratings, and her own, have fallen"--This is such shit. Congress's approval ratings have fallen because Bush's/the Administration's is in the toilet, and the media lies and associates the two, (lies about "Pelosi's jet," claiming that "Democrats are no more ethical than Republicans," and not mentioning that it is Senate Republican leadership that is holding up the vote on the new ethics rules, etc.), and also, oddly, whenever the ratings of the President tank, the approval of the Congress also tanks. It did it with Nixon, etc. It does not happen that the President is hated and the Congress loved; they tend to get painted with the same brush; and the lower Congressional approval is because of the hatred of Bush and Cheney.
About John Dingell: Dingell is one of the greatest people ever in Congress, a major progressive force, and connected to most of the greatest legislation of the past half-century: from union and worker rights to consumer protections, women's rights, equal pay, anti-pollution laws such as the Clean Air Act, Medicare/Medicaid, the Endangered Species Act, protections for older people, poor people, anti-price-gouging, civil rights laws, and an attempt, every year since 1955, to pass universal health care legislation, which Clinton/Gore always killed. Dingell has been honored by citizens' groups, unions, consumer groups, our Governor Granholm, etc., etc., as a true friend of the people, not corporations.
This is why the treatment of the auto industry is painful, but complicated. The economy of the entire Midwest, with its once-plentiful unionized manufacturing jobs, now downsized or outsourced, is completely depressed and hopeless. Not only Dingell but also Senators Levin and Stabenow have lobbied Congressional committees on behalf of lax standards for industry. Some consider that fighting for our lives here by helping the industry fight off pressure; some consider it an outrageous pandering to an industry that has done nothing but fight its workers/unions, lied and then moved plants to Mexico, etc., not improved or updated cars and other vehicles while consumer tastes were changing, and not giving great value and quality until rather recently. They were even still building huge "boats" during the 1980s as tastes were moving to smaller cars, and people had to buy Japanese cars because they could not even find an American one that was "up to date." The auto industry took its every privilege and did nothing constructive with it--if they had been forced to improve during the 1970s instead of being protected, we might not have the loss of market share now, because they would have been forced to give people what they were asking for. There are very mixed feelings here, about what we should do about all this--these jobs, after all, are our lives, the basis of our economy.
As to the snide remark during the article, about "threats" from Dingell concerning this newly-invented committee that suddenly seems to be claiming the same legislative territory as the already-existing committee Dingell now Chairs--I would feel threatened, too. They should work that out, but it is not unusual. Dingell has helped pass a mountain of great legislation, and Pelosi is more impressive as a leader all the time; this is a very difficult issue. The auto industry should have gotten its act together thirty years ago, instead of working the system. Now only the workers are threatened.
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