If we win the House all the committee chairs will switch. You might notice a few things about the Republican House chairs. No women. No blacks. No hispanics. No (out-of-the-closet) gays. That will change if the Dems take charge. African-Americans are bolded, women are italicized, and homosexuals (real and unacknowledged) are underscored. Democrats are listed first, followed by Republicans.
Agriculture- Collin Peterson (MN-07), Bob Goodlatte (VA-06)
Appropriations- David Obey (WI-07), Jerry Lewis (CA-41)
Armed Services- Ike Skelton (MO-04), Duncan Hunter (CA-52)
Budget- John Spratt (SC-05), Jim Nussle (IA-01)
Education- George Miller (CA-07), Howard McKeon (CA-25)
Energy and Commerce- John Dingel (MI-15), Joe Barton (TX-06)
Financial Services- Barney Frank (MA-04), Michael Oxley (OH-04)
Government Reform- Henry Waxmen (CA-30), Thomas Davis (VA-11)
Homeland Security- Bennie Thompsom (MS-02), Peter King (NY-03)
House Administration- Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA-37), Vernon Ehlers (MI-03)
Int. Relations- Tom Lantos (CA-12), Henry Hyde (IL-06)
Intelligence- Jane Harman (CA-36), Peter Hoekstra (MI-02)
Judiciary- John Conyers (MI-14), James Sensenbrenner (WI-05)
Resources- Nick Rahall (WV-03), Richard Pombo (CA-11)
Rules- Louise McIntosh Slaughter (NY-28), David Dreier (CA-26)
Science- Bart Gordon (TN-06), Sherwood L. Boehlert (NY-24)
Small Business- Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-12), Donald A. Manzullo (IL-16)
Transportation- James Oberstar (MN-08), Don Young (AK- At Large)
Veterans’ Affairs- Bob Filner (CA-51), Steve Buyer (IN-04)
Ways and Means- Charles Rangel (NY-15), Bill Thomas (CA-22)
that’s right, 20 committees and 20 white guys chairing them for the GOP. Impressive. No?
I like Harmon on intel., and Lantos on foreign relations. Skelton is OK as well.
on Foreign Relations, mainly because of his ultra-pro-Israel stance…but I can live with it; word on the street is that he’ll probably retire in another term or two (I’m in a district nearby)…
I’ve got another scenario v. this one and the previous one: Democrats humiliate themselves once again by failing to take back either house of Congress because instead of concentrating on getting out their voters with the kind of sophisticated operation the Republicans used for Chafee, or ensuring that polls were actually going to work and people were actually going to be able to vote, unlike the idiocies in the blue state of Maryland the other day, they were spending the fall debating committee chairmanships they did not get.
some of those black folks, mostly progressives in the Congressional Black Caucus, aren’t going to chair House committees OR their powers are going to be curtailed.
Remember how Conyers had to backtrack on what he would do about Bushco excesses when he sat down in his chair in January? It wasn’t just GOopers hollering.
Watch Pelosi. Eventually she’s going to play ‘crack the whip’ again on the CBC, and it’s not going to be pretty.
Pelosi was also behind Cynthia McKinney’s shaming and non-support by CBC Chair Watt.
Source? The Black Commentator’s articles on the CBC, including a CBC Watch list on who’s more progressive.
As soon as we win in November, we’ll have to keep the pressure on that none of these illustrious people are kept from exercising power on our behalf to curb and investigate these idiots. Dems would be no different than Repubs trying to limit chairmanship powers of other Dems who happen to be minorities, women and gays…and more progressive.
My two cents.
well, I am going to be by your side demanding we get the representation we deserve and fought for.
This gender amiguous individual is vigously behind that.
I wouldn’t trust Pelosi any further than I could spit against the Oklahoma panhandle wind (hint: we consider 10-15 mph winds to be gentle breezes).
in Nancy Pelosi than most of you.
My father-in-law made an interesting comment the last time I had dinner with them; the right-wingers and neo-cons waited until they secured their political power before they showed their true colors; you didn’t seen Bush and Co. campaigning on a “bomb Iraq/Iran/Whoever” platform after all.
His theory is that the Democrats are playing the same game; appeal to the moderates (especially the moderate Republicans disgusted with the neo-cons and Religious Reich), consolidate the power, then the gloves can come off. He’s hoping that the moderate talk will quiet down once the Democrats have subpoena power and all the other trappings that come with being the party in charge.
He’s 76 years old, but he’s definitely not a doddering old fool…he’s got quite a few senses left in him…