the citizen-viewer

Today the House Democrats narrowly voted to replace John Dingell with Henry Waxman as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

I know, you probably had to step back from the computer just now to fight off the vapors.

But seriously, this is news. Dingell has used his chairmanship to staunchly defend the pollution flank of the auto industry’s defenses. Waxman has liberal bona fides. Dingell is from Michigan and is married to a GM executive. Waxman represents Hollywood, California—but he’s probably the House’s least likely member to be mistaken for a movie star:

Back to the point. Waxman faced long odds in challenging Dingell because of the traditional weight given to seniority in congressional Democratic committee assignments.

Dingell has been on the Energy and Commerce Committee “as either chairman or ranking Democrat since 1981,” reports the Washington Post, which goes on: “He is the most prominent supporter of his home state’s auto industry and has feuded with junior committee members, including Waxman, over efforts to impose fuel efficiency standards on cars.”

Waxman beating Dingell was a blow to the traditions of the do-nothing Democratic Congress. It also promoted an unrepentant liberal. Waxman was the Congressional committee chair who exposed big tobacco in the 1990s (before the GOP took over Congress and turned the committees into business lapdogs). As chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, 2007-09, Waxman led his caucus in investigating Bush. No question, this is good news.

His victory is making all the right enemies. “I cannot believe we did what we just did,” said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), incoming chairman of the Blue Dog caucus of fiscally conservative Democrats. If the conservative enabler Blue Dogs are mad, that’s good.

Even more interesting: Obama made energy independence (for example, building the next generation of hybrid cars) a hallmark of his campaign, often saying during the campaign that he went to Detroit to deliver this message. Obama’s top liaison to Congress is Waxman’s former top aide. Waxman pushed for the job in order to advance a more aggressive environmental agenda. He got help from Obama.

Meanwhile back at wimp HQ, Senate Dems are still congratulating themselves for letting Joe Lieberman off with a slap on wrist for taking a nearly non-metaphorical dump all over their party and the president-elect.

However, the wrist slap was the removal of Droopy Dog from the chairmanship of the Senate subcommittee of the Environment and Public Works Commission, that chamber’s entity charged with addressing global warming.

Holy political savvy O-man! Maybe we are the change we’ve been waiting for after all.

Call me a fool, but I’m going to engage in some optimistic conspiracy theorizing for all those hoping Obama brings more than Clinton redux to Washington. Maybe there was a method to the Lieberman affair.

Obama got points with the centrists for being nice to Droopy Dog, but he also got him away from environmental policy, which DD cared much less about than a chance to pontificate on war and terror as chair of Homeland Security. Simultaneously Obama helps the toughest liberal in the House get control of environmental policy.

If Obama makes real progress on global warming, and had to make the deal with Lieberman to get there, I change my assessment from “at least he’s not Bush,” to “way better than Bush.”

I’m shelving my cynicism for 24 hours to see if something is developing here.