Kitty Felde
The inside story on California's congressional delegation.
May 22, 2009 Archives
Gracious in Defeat
Henry Waxman got what he wanted. At 8:30 last night, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed sweeping climate change legislation.
This was Waxman’s first big challenge since he wrestled the chairmanship away from Michigan Democrat John Dingell. For years, it had been difficult to get environmentally friendly legislation past Dingle’s loyalty to the automobile industry. But on a 33 to 25 vote, mostly along party lines, the committee approved a measure that promotes renewable sources of energy and sets up a trading system for swapping pollution credits.
But it took a long time to get there. This week alone, the committee spent 37 hours debating 94 ammendments. It could have been worse: 350 ammendments had originally been submitted for consideration, about two thirds from Republicans. Minority leader Joe Barton of Texas quipped, “We do have a new source of biomass and that’s all the ammendments we placed at the desk.”
But this was the surprising part. Over and over again, Republicans knew they didn’t have the votes, but they put their ammendments out there anyway. Over and over again, they were voted down. Rather than a simple voice vote on those ammendments, Republicans demanded the timetaking task of conducting a full roll call of the committee’s 58 members. Every member’s name was called, every member replied with an “aye” or a “no” and every vote was counted.
At one point, Waxman said, “The Chair would now like to call on Mr. Buyer (Republican Steve Buyer from Indiana) to offer an ammendment. You have just one ammendment?
Buyer: I have one endblock ammendment which will be the last ammendment on the Republican side, given that you have no more ammendments.
Waxman: Well, we do have some ammendments on the Democratic side.
Buyer: Well, how many ammendments do you have on your side? Because actually we’ve got like 400 more if you want us to go.
Waxman: You’ve been very generous in taking up our time.
There was a big laugh in the room. And it might have been taken as a bit mean spirited. But in the end, Waxman got a huge round of applause for his fairness in dealing with Republicans.
Conrgressman Buyer said, “Mr. Chairman I want to compliment you. I want to compliment you on the art of fair dealing and wise tolerance in which you have handled the gavel through a very difficult “mark” (short for markup, the ammendment process) and I extend my personal compliments to you for having done that.”
Then the Minority Leader on the Committee, Joe Barton of Texas, added his compliments:
“I don’t agree with the work product, but I do agree and am very much impressed with your ability in your first major test as Chairman to keep the committee functioning in a collegial way, which is no trivial accomplishment. It really is impressive.”
That’s not to say Republicans were happy with the vote. They all voted no, except for Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack of Palm Springs.
Congressman Joe Barton summed it this way, “I know that those of you who are proponants have every right to be proud of it. And to the victors go the spoils…Suffice it to say that myself and others who will not vote for the bill do have legitimate and serious concerns about the redirection of our energy policy in America, the foundation and the bedrock of our free market economy, which is the most efficient, the most productive, the largest in the world. One third of the world’s GDP is based on the United States economy. And that economy, for over 150 years, has been based on a free market allocation of resources in the energy sector. And this bill does make fundamental changes in that basic philosophy. Now, those of you who support the bill have every right to think that those changes are necessary. And for the sake of our nation, I hope to some degree you’re right. I’m afraid that you’re not. But we will see.”
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- May 22, 2009 6:06 AM by Kitty Felde
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