Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet the
future
MOST FEARED MAN IN WASHINGTON!
(Cross-posted at My Left Wing)
Representative Henry! WAXMAN! Let's hear it for the Congressman!
Come with me for a moment as we take a trip into the future . . . <cue dreamy harp music>
It's January 2007, and the new Democratically-controlled House of Representatives has officially convened. The Government Reform Committee is about to open its first meeting. Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) brings down his gavel, and all of official Washington trembles.
It. Is. ON!
As the LA Times says in its profile today on the Reform Committee's ranking Democrat, the current, Republican head of the committee does not relish the prospect of Waxman at the helm:
The research Waxman's staff generates is so strong and so pointed it gives his GOP colleagues heartburn, including Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, (R-Va.), who chairs the Government Reform Committee.
"Henry Waxman, left to his own devices, is not a welcome sight for Republicans," Davis said. [emphasis added]
That probably has something to do with the fact that over the past eight years, Waxman and his staff have almost singlehandedly kept alive the memory of Congressional oversight. Waxman's office has put out around 2,000 reports on topics from abstinence-only education to steroid use in professional baseball. Because - as a member of the minority party - Waxman has no authority to issue subpoenas or call hearings, he instead has used his resources to gather information.
You know - evidence.
Facts.
Reality.
And, unfortunately for Republicans currently in power, reality has a well-known liberal bias.
Waxman is comfortable with that bias.
By most measures, Democratic Rep. Henry A. Waxman, 66, of Los Angeles ought to be one of the most irrelevant elected officials in Washington. He's been in Washington since 1974, but his party is in the minority. He is an unapologetic liberal in a Capitol dominated by uncompromising conservatives. And his public utterances are so unfailingly partisan that he has little capacity to get cooperation from his Republican colleagues. He also contributes to the toxic political climate that many decry in present-day Washington.
Yet at a time when many of his Democratic colleagues have spent the last decade in a defensive crouch, outmaneuvered by their GOP rivals, Waxman has found another way to have an impact - going outside normal legislative channels to exert influence on issues he cares about. In the process, he has also made himself into what many Republicans consider the biggest pest east of the Mississippi.
It's ironic: back in the day, when Democrats ran Congress, Waxman - who has held his West Los Angeles / Santa Monica / West Hollywood seat since 1974, never garnering less than 61% of the vote in 30 years - was a driving force behind much legislation we take for granted now:
Waxman's name is hardly a household word in the heartland, but back when Democrats ruled Congress, he was a leader among those who pushed for landmark laws it's now hard to remember life without: nutrition labels on food, smoke-free airplanes, the Clean Air Act, safe drinking water, Ryan White AIDS legislation, nursing home regulation, access to generic and rare drugs, toy safety and reducing pesticides in food.
Republicans are all too aware of Waxman's ability to get at the truth, and of his agenda. So, of course, they try to tar him with their own brush. Check this out (SPEW WARNING: COVER ALL COMPUTER KEYBOARDS AND MONITORS BEFORE READING THE FOLLOWING QUOTE):
Kevin Madden, a spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), complained that Waxman often chose his research targets primarily to get publicity. "There's a big difference between responsible oversight, and ... investigations [sic] charades which are merely in search of a headline," he said. "It gets to a point where it's more shtick than substance."
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
And here's a Helpful Republican who is just trying to set us errant Democrats straight before we get headed in the wrong direction:
"It is clear his interest has always been more focused on using his position for partisan attack rather than legislative achievement. Ultimately, I do not believe his efforts would really help the Democrats' position or image," said Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster.
Gee, thanks, Bill. Perhaps, though, his efforts might help send some Republicans to an early, involuntary, retirement? Mmmm?
Yeah. It's fun to daydream sometimes. But should the Democrats actually take the House in November, Waxman's committee will be ready:
Former Rep. Tom Bliley (R-Va.), who went head-to-head with Waxman on tobacco regulation, put it like this: "I would suspect the Bush administration would very much know he was in charge."
No shit.
.
.
Note: Waxman's staff has produced a treasure trove of valuable, reliable information. I even relied on some of it for a diary I wrote on the public utterances (i.e., lies) made by Republicans leading up to the Iraq war. You can find this compendium of information here.