Waxman On, Waxman Off

Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman, that is. He's now the Chair of the mega-powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee after taking the spot from Michigan Rep. John Dingell.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will become the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after House Democrats voted to replace current Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.).

Waxman won 137-122 in the secret ballot vote.

The dramatic intra-party showdown for the coveted position signals a leftward turn for the Democratic agenda. The outcome was a blow to the seniority system and a victory, at least in perception, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Though her aides denied it, many saw the hand of Pelosi in Waxman’s challenge for the post, which conveys great power over how the Democratic agenda of President-elect Barack Obama will be implemented.

Waxman is considered more liberal on issues like climate change, energy and business regulation, and potentially more aggressive on healthcare. Dingell, the longest-serving House lawmaker, is close to the auto industry and autoworkers.

Dingell has long been the main obstacle on the Democrat side of the aisle to reforming the auto industry and to clean energy technology. He fights for his home district of Detroit deep in UAW country and he's fought for it well, but he's put the auto industry's needs ahead of America's for decades now. It's time for the country to move on. Environmental and energy reform are far more important now, not to mention badly needed reform of interstate trade laws and REAL climate change legislation. This committee would handle health care reform legislation on the House side too, most likely working hand in hand with Ted Kennedy and presumptive HHS Secretary Tom Daschle.

Waxman taking this committee over is a big neon sign that Obama's domestic agenda is on the front burner and cranked up to boil. This is huge folks, Dingell has been the ranking Democrat on this committee since Reagan and it means Obama's allies in Congress are gearing up swiftly and effectively to launch into signfiicant action come January. Going after Dingell is something even Clinton wouldn't contemplate, much less do. This is the kind of change we need.

Obama knows exactly who he needs to have going into the fights ahead...and he knows who he needs to have moved aside. I'm feeling better and better about the real prospect of effective environmental, energy, and health care legislation.