The Lieberman debacle has traumatized many people around here, but mourning should not take the time that action should.
The first vote on Henry Waxman versus John Dingell for Energy/Commerce Committee Chair occurred today in the House Steering and Policy Committee and Waxman won, though Dingell will likely challenge that and try to get the full Democratic caucus to vote on it tomorrow. (See greendem and Kagro X for some more details.)
Of the two "man"s, Lieberman is over, but Waxman is not, so it's your time to have a voice and a choice, man. (Or wo-man)
Still not convinced Ding should be replaced? Read below...
See, e.g., San Diego CityBeat, The Dems, Lieberman and Dingell: House members should follow the Senate's right decision by booting auto-industry lapdog,
...Now, John Dingell is another matter entirely. It’s Dingell, the octogenarian Democratic Congress member from Michigan whom the netroots should really be after; he’s the guy who should be ousted from his post chair of the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce. That, unlike the threatened ouster of Lieberman, would be consistent with the message of change that so many Democrats blabbed about while stumping for Obama.
Dingell has operated as if he were a lobbyist for the big-three automakers during his 27 years as the committee’s top Democrat, long resisting calls for more fuel-efficient vehicles to help stave off global warming. His wife Debbie Dingell, was, in fact, a lobbyist for General Motors until 1981 and remains a senior executive for the company. She, wrote The New York Times’ John M. Broder, is G.M.’s "most familiar face in Washington." ...
Henry Waxman wants Dingell’s job, and the Democrats should give it to him. ...
Makes sense to me.
Here's a phone script, or e-mail script with some changes, for you to contact your Congressperson:
Hi, I'm [you] and I'm calling [writing] to ask Congress[man/woman] [whoever] to affirm the Steering Committee vote and support Henry Waxman as the new Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee to provide the new leadership for change that we need. Thank you!
You can look up Congressional e-mails here; or if you don't have a Democratic congressperson, just mail Nancy herself at AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov.
Also, use the telephone: the Capitol Switchboard is at (202) 224-3121, and can connect you to the office of your rep or of Nancy (well, here's Nancy's number as Speaker, too: (202) 225-0100).
And feel free to contact Olbermann: maybe Dingell is one of the "worst people in the world" this week. countdown@msnbc.com should be the Countdown e-mail, if you want to send a version of the script above; and I hear Alana Russo at alana.russo@nbcuni.com is one of Keith's assistants or something, if you want to cc to her.
The progressive blogoshpere took a bullet on Lieberman, but they can still be successful on something, i.e., Waxman versus Dingell. It's up to you, and may you get the victory you deserve.