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)