The Cable News has a new mantra. It goes something like this:
- The Democrats have just elected a bunch of conservatives and they are reclaiming the center. That is, unless they fuck things up and actually push for leftist policies. If they do that, their majorities will be gone before we know it.
I hate to break it to the media but we have just witnessed what might be termed a silent revolution. Never before in the history of this nation have so many progressives, blacks, hispanics, and women been entrusted with so much power. I have written about the black revolution in the House before, but I thought I would extend my analysis to women, Hispanics, and Asians as well. Below the fold I list the probable chairs of each House committee. Then I list any subcommittee chair that is likely to be held by a woman, an African-American, an Asian, or an Hispanic congressperson.
Some of you might not know that we have non-voting members of Congress. Some of them will be in line to chair subcommittees. You’ll notice weird places like the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Washington DC. They all stand to have subcommitte chairs (if the rules permit that, I don’t know).
I am actually astonished at just how deeply the progressive caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus stand to DOMINATE this new Congress. It’s staggering. There are black women all over the place wielding previously unthought of influence over policy and pursestrings.
It’s enough to make a Republican apoplectic.
If the media cannot figure out what kind of progressive tsunami is coming out of our House of Representatives, they need to go get new jobs.
Take a look.
And it goes deeper than this list even suggests. After all, politics isn’t entirely dictated by gender and race. Republicans better get used to seeing mindbenders like Jerrold Nadler (NY-08) chairing the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Dennis Kucinich (OH-10) chairing the Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Emerging Threats.
It’s just a fact that the people that have seniority in the House are some of its most liberal members. New York and California absolutely dominate the power positions.
The Senate is going to see some strange bills coming their way. You heard it here first.
Appropriations- Chair: David Obey (WI-02)
- Agriculture & Rural Development: Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)
Foreign Operations, Export Finanicing: Nita Lowey (NY-18)
Education & The Workforce- Chair: George Miller (CA-07)
- Education Reform: Lynn Woolsey (CA-06)
Select Education: Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Workforce Protections:
Budget- Chair: John Spratt (SC-05)
Armed Services- Chair: Ike Skelton (MO-04)
- Readiness: Soloman Ortiz (TX-27)
Strategic Forces: Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
Agriculture- Chair: Collin Peterson (MN-07)
- Livestock and Horticulture: David Scott (GA-13)
Government Reform- Chair: Henry Waxman (CA-30)
- Federal Workforce & Agency Organization: Danny Davis (IL-07)
Federalism and the Census: William Clay Lacy (MO-01)
Government Management, Finance: Edolphus Towns (NY-10)
Energy & Resources: Diane Watson (CA-33)
Finance- Chair: Barney Frank (MA-04)
- Domestic & International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology: Carolyn Maloney (NY-14)
Financial Institutions & Consumer Credit: Melvin Watt (NC-12)
Oversight & Investigations: Luis Gutierrez (IL-04)
Housing & Community: Maxine Waters (CA-35)
Ethics- Chair- Howard Berman (CA-28)
Energy & Commerce- Chair: John Dingell (MI-15)
- Environment & Hazardous Materials: Hilda Solis (CA-32)
Intelligence- Chair: either Alcee Hastings (FL-23) or Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
- Technical and Tactical Intelligence: Anna Eschoo (CA-14)
International Relations- Chair: Tom Lantos (CA-12)
- Africa, Global Human Rights: Donald Payne (NJ-10)
Asia and the Pacific- Eni Faleomavaega (American Samoa-At Large)
House Administration- Chair: Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA-37)
Homeland Security- Chair: Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
- Economic Security, Infrastructure and Cybersecurity: Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)
Intelligence, Information Sharing: Zoe Lofgren (CA-16)
Management, Integration & Oversight: Kendrick Meeks (FL-17)
Judiciary- Chair: John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14)
- Commerical and Administration: Melvin Watt (NC-12)
Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security: Bobby Scott (VA-03)
Immigration, Border Security: Shelia Jackson Lee (TX-18)
Resources- Chair: Nick Rahall (WV-03)
- Energy and Mineral Resources: Raul Grijalva (AZ-07)
National Parks: Donna Christenson (Virgin Islands- At Large)
Water and Power: Grace Napolitano (CA-38)
Rules- Chair: Louise Slaughter (NY-28)
- Legislative & Budget Process: Alcee Hastings (FL-23)
Science- Chair: Bart Gordon (TN-06)
- Research: Darlene Hooley (OR-06)
Energy: Michael Honda (CA-15)
Environment, Technology & Standards: David Wu (OR-01)
Small Business- Chair: Nydia Velaquez (NY-12)
- Regulatory Reform and Oversight: Madeleine Bardallo (Guam- At Large)
Tax Finance and Exports: Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA-37)
Transportation- Chair: James Oberstar (MN-08)
- Economic Development & Public Buildings: Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large)
Railroads: Corrine Brown (FL-03)
Water Resources: Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
Veteran’s Affairs- Chair: Bob Filner (CA-51)
- Disability Assistance and Memorial: Shelley Berkley (NV-01)
Economic Opportunity: Stephanie Herseth (SD-At Large)
Oversight and Investigations: Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
Ways and Means- Chair: Charlie Rangel (NY-15)
- Oversight: John Lewis (GA-05)
available in orange.
Mr. Conyers OWNS their asses, now.
I wonder how the DemRat middle (Rahm, Schumer et al) )will try to stop HIM.
AG
Arthur, you read my mind!
Well…it’s been right there to be seen.
Mr. Conyers has been RIGHT on point. All the way through this fiasco.
He has little to lose…I mean, what are the DemRats going to DO to him, exactly? Ruin his political career? He’s in his seventies, fer Chrissake!!! Been in Congress for what? Over 30 years?
Wikipedia:
I think not.
And…you do not want to mess with this man.
Bet on it.
I have met him.
He was instrumental in getting the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra started.( A GREAT band of which I have been a member since its inception in 1990.)
He’s a smart, tough guy.
If ANYBODY can reach these fucks, it’s him.
Gonna be interesting.
John Conyers as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee?
Peter Rodino occupied that post when Nixon went down.
Remember him?
And Conyers has a whole WOODSHED of axes to grind.
It’s gonna be VERY interesting.
Stay tuned.
Any day now.
AAAaaany day….
(My bet? January/February. Watch. The gloves ARE going to come off eventually. Watch.)
Have fun…
AG
Agreed AG. Conyers is a bad ass.
He’s also from the district next to mine, and he’s about as safe politically as any representative. You think people in Detroit are happy with this administration? Conyers beat the Republican running against him 85-15 this year. And Granholm killed DeVos in that district.
If / when the gloves come off, the media can’t claim he’s flown off the handle, and isn’t representing his constituency. They want him to go after these crooks.
I don’t know if you know this, but I live in MI. And I am VERY familiar w/John Conyers, all that he has done, his office/constituent services, and have also met him.
Yes, I remember Peter Rodino–I’m in my mid-forties and have always been interested in politics.
It’s gonna happen–John Conyers is calling the shots.
Hell if I take your bet, though! LOL!
Pasted the link wrong–its in BooMan’s other piece re: Conyers.
Interesting…. I knew about Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), but not about the others… I assume that means Puerto Rico has one too?
There’s been an ongoing campaign in DC for a voting rep… (Are the citizens of teritories like American Samoa and Virgin Islands, etc. able to vote for the US President? or is that only for DC? I suppose I should look that up…)
This is going to be a very INTERESTING Congress. But conservative? Doesn’t sound like it to me.
Boy are some folks gonna be shocked when they see where some of these new leaders think the “center” actually should be….
I have to agree with SusanG at the orange place, these aren’t conservative Dems that are newly elected, they are merely reflective of the mainstream values that have always been at the heart of the Democratic Party. Some of us may differ on some issues but basic values are right in line with the average American citizen.
As for the “old warriors” considered to be so ultra-liberal. . .well, we always learn from our elders if we listen. There is a reason they hold those ideals. They’ve been there, done that and seen it all. Let the teaching begin.
Bless you that you can stand to watch/listen to the MSM. I’m a leftie snob that reads blogs, news portals on the Web, and listens to AAR.
They would have us believe the DLC line, that we’re all in the center, but this tsunami came from the progressive Left and the earnest left-of-center, not from Democrats alone.
Thanks,
Isis
I know nothing about Reyes, other than what I just read online looking him up. But I will make a bet that he, not Hastings, will get the nod for the Intelligence Committee – Hastings has too much baggage, and appointing Reyes would be further recognition of the importance of the Latino vote. Plus the whole Border Patrol experience – it really makes sense, at least on the surface.
Don’t let the naysayers get you down – this mid-term RAWKED! Sure, it’s only a start, lots of things could go wrong, work to be done, etc., etc., but we have got some great people in office across the board. I haven’t felt this optimistic in, oh, maybe ever.
Wow. When you lay it out like that, it sure does look good.
will no longer allow the right wing media machine define who and what we are. I think it will be interesting to see how the media continues their coverage of a new and very different congress.Liberal Bias will start floating around alot I am sure from the rightie pundits.
Never before in the history of this nation have so many progressives, blacks, hispanics, and women been entrusted with so much power.
Yes this is true, but the power is only potential power at this point. Keeping in mind how the electorate has voted (50-50 or even more conservatively than progressive) for the last 12 years, I think any progressive politician who finds themselves with these great powers today has to ask themselves what the meaning of these last 12 years has been if they wish to keep power more than a very short time. Now mind you, I personally hope they pass the most progressive laws since 1964-1968, but would this be wise?? BTW, I honestly do not know the answer to my own question!
What a difference a week makes, eh? A great time to celebrate and look forward to 07 with a least some hope that we may begin to turn things around. A great time to visit the BooMan Store too, if you don’t mind me saying. Those color bumper stickers sure are slick, and did I say they make wonderful gifts too?
well, it sort of matters if this is one of those things we’re supposed to think becuase it’s good for us or because it’s true.
the bottom line is we need to see progressive policy.
I don’t care how the officials feel, I care entirely what they will enact and what they are able to enact and propose. The proposal is the important part, it has to be things which have proposed legislation, and good idea so that when they are rebuffed, they can be kept, resubmited, possibly revised.
Chris Bowers talked about this over at MyDD before the election, but this election also represents a regional revolution in this country.
For the first time since Reconstruction, a political party has gained a majority in the House of Representatives without also having the majority of the southern delegation.
In large part, the southern conservatives have just suffered their first major defeat in the control the political direction of America. The West Coast, New England and the Midwest have now taken the hold as the regional powerhouses in the House, and the Mountain West is proving itself to be on the rise.
Basically, the nation’s power center has shifted farther away from the south.
This is great for progressive politics, and great for the battle to end the theocratic onslaught, but we need to be careful. I certainly see states like Arkansas and North Carolina as ripe ground for Democratic resurgence, and so relishing in the defeat of the South isn’t the way to go.
But what the media will not notice, however, is that despite social conservatives like Heath Shuler being our newest southern pickups, the tide is still slowly brewing for progressives to lay more and more roots in certain southern states.
We must foster this growth so as not to alienate those who are still part of our coalition while still standing up for our principles. Based on the sentiments I’ve read in the liberal blogosphere, I’m confident we can successfully balance these goals.