Henry Waxman

Eric Williams: Santa Claus Asks Congress For Bailout — (Washington) Internationally known philanthropist Santa Claus made a surprise appearance before Congress today to request a massive loan to keep his workshop open, asserting that, without an immediate infusion of cash, "This may be the year without a Christmas." Mr. Claus, age unknown, offered no specifics about how he would use the government funds, asking only that the Congressmen simply "believe in" him. The reclusive Claus has adamantly refused to divulge details of how he pays for his worldwide charitable activities. As CEO, Claus reportedly takes no salary, accepting only voluntary gratuities in the form of "milk and cookies,"... [Tags: baby teeth, bailout, barack obama, charitable activities, chilly reception]

Joseph Romm: The Top 10 Things to Give Thanks For — 10. Tina Palin [Sarah Fey?]. Palin helped ruin John McCain's chances by turning off independents and in general being emblematic of his erratic approach to decision-making. Plus she is the gift that keeps on giving as "64% of GOP voters say Palin is their top choice for 2012," which means she may help lead conservatives to an even bigger defeat in 2012. And she made possible Fey's SNL uber-fey impression. Talk about win-win. Thank you very much! 9. Climate Scientists. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, thank a climate scientist for helping to alert the world in the 1970s and... [Tags: chlorofluorocarbons, climate scientist, climate scientists, colbert report, deadly impact]

Battle Over Next Oversight Chair Heats Up — As of Tuesday there is no official race for the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee -- a spot created once Rep. Henry Waxman, the former chair, became head of the Energy and Commerce Committee. But behind the scenes on Capitol Hill, there is a growing division between those who think seniority should determine the next chair and those who think the post should be decided on merit. Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY), who is next in line to take over Oversight, has begun a lobbying effort to claim the post. But there is growing criticism over his... [Tags: absenteeism, caucus vote, chairmanship, commerce committee, committee hearings]

236: Guess The 'Stache-- Democrat Or Porn Star? (VIDEO) — Rep. Henry Waxman is the new chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which means the mustache is back and for once, it's not in a porn movie. Can you tell a Democratic mustache from a porn star moustache? If you guess wrong more than twice, chances are that, within the year, you'll be watching C-SPAN with your pants off.... [Tags: c span, commerce committee, democrat, henry waxman, moustache]

Steve Parker: Europe's, China's carmakers ask for help; Waxman wins key Congressional post — In a major win for all consumers, Democrats in the House of Representatives voted Thursday to put Rep. Henry Waxman of California in charge of a key panel that will have oversight over global warming issues in the new Congress. He'll head the House Energy and Commerce Committee, replacing Michigan Democratic Rep. John Dingell, 82, the most senior member in the House. Waxman is probably best-known for his tenacity in taking-on the tobacco industry and developing many rules concerning their manufacture and, especially, their sale. Waxman will demand better mileage, lower emissions and more safety from Detroit-made vehicles. (Henry Waxman... [Tags: alan mulally, auto industry, better mileage, commerce committee, congressional post]

Henry Waxman, Green Energy and Technology Win First Fight of the New Congress — Even before President-elect Barack Obama takes office, House and Senate Democrats are making sweeping changes of their own, deposing old school chairmen on key tech committees. From energy policy to network neutrality, new chairmen Henry Waxman and Jay Rockefeller lean more tech than telecom, more Silicon Valley than Rust Belt. Hold the euphoria, though, as change often brings unexpected results. - The winds of change are sweeping Washington even before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in Jan. 20, heralding in new agenda priorities on a wide range of issues affecting tech from climate change to health care reform to network... [Tags: barack obama, chairmen, climate change, energy policy, euphoria]

More Boehner barbs at Waxman — Blog: John Boehner wants Henry Waxman to promise that he won't advance legislation allowing California to set its own fuel-efficiency standards.... [Tags: advance legislation, barbs, blog, fuel efficiency standards, henry waxman]

Just in Time for Your Holiday Shopping — "The Mustache of Justice." (H/T Christopher Beam at Slate.) All of which reminds me: House Republicans were way ahead on the potential market for Waxman-themed brickabrack. This happened shortly after they took power in Congress in 1994: When Democrats ran the house, the health and environment subcommittee office was a no-smoking preserve ruled by anti- tobacco crusader Representative Henry Waxman. Today the subcommittee is part of the domain of Republican Thomas Bliley Jr., a pipe lover who hails from the tobacco state of Virginia. Smoking is now accepted in the old subcommittee room, and congressional aides gleefully flick their ashes... [Tags: barack obama, commerce committee chairman, congressional aides, congressional relations, crusader]

Congress Gives Not-So-Big Three An Ultimatum [Carpocalypse Now] — After some members of Congress excoriated the leaders of the Big 3 for wasting money and not planning for their future, leadership from the Senate and House said they wouldn't give the automakers billions of dollars until they came up with a plan for not wasting money and setting up their own future. Welcome to Carpocalypse Now! It was basically the best solution that the lame duck Congress could come up with given that Turkey Day is around the corner and, like the UAW, Congress loves to take vacations. But why put it off? What's really happening? It doesn't look... [Tags: 110th congress, automakers, bailout, best solution, billions of dollars]

I’d better hightail it to Washington, because a reshuffling of Congressional Committee members is poised to herald more regulation for telecommunications firms on issues ranging from rural access to Net Neutrality. Yesterday Rep. Henry Waxman ascended to the head of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce — which you may remember for its investigation into how web firms use consumer data — and convened two hearings into online privacy. As the head of that committee, Waxman has considerable influence over its agenda. The Wall Street Journal speculates that Waxman will delegate many telecommunications issues to Rep. Ed Markey, of... [Tags: activist, appropriations committee, bidders, commerce science, committee members]

Waxman's win leaves Gov't Oversight chair vacant — You can't chair two committees. Them's the rules. So now that Henry Waxman has succeeded in wresting control of the Energy & Commerce Committee from John Dingell (a victory which Dingell has, in conciliatory fashion, congratulated Waxman), the chairmanship of the Oversight panel that Waxman led is up for grabs. And even though the Waxman-Dingell contest appears to have undone the seniority system, it's alive and well in other quarters (and might not be as dead as all that, anyway, given that Waxman's hardly a newcomer to E&C). TPM is reporting that the chair of Oversight and Government Reform is... [Tags: cbc members, colleague, commerce committee, committee chairmanship, congressional black caucus]

Another Dem Leadership Battle May Be Brewing — Henry Waxman's hard-fought capture of the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship has created an opening for his soon-to-be-former seat atop the House Oversight Committee. The upset also sent a message across Capitol Hill that seniority is no longer the prime merit for a chairmanship post -- a message that could shake up the race for Waxman's old seat. The official word is that Rep. Ed Towns is the favorite to take over the post. With Waxman gone, the New York Democrat assumes the role of senior official on the Oversight committee, and his office says he wants the job.... [Tags: 110th congress, capitol hill, cbc, commerce committee, committee chair]

For Whom The Bell Dingells — Lord, things are moving fast...and also not. The stock market is moving south--fast. The number of jobless claims are moving north--fast. Economic panic is in the air...and the atmosphere is Washington is changing faster than a speeding ballot (ouch, sorry). There is a stirring in the Congress, too, where nothing of substance has happened in a long, long time. Today the hopelessly dopey auto makers received a couple of stark warnings: First, California's crusading Henry Waxman replaced the eternal John Dingell, patron saint of the gas-guzzlers, as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is great news for... [Tags: auto makers, bailout, barack obama, bleak days, bluster]

Henry Waxman — In case you haven't already read enough about this.       ... [Tags: henry waxman]

Pelosi praises Dingell and Waxman — Blog: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) praises John Dingell and Henry Waxman... [Tags: blog, henry waxman, house speaker nancy pelosi, john dingell, nancy pelosi]

Kevin Grandia: Will Waxman the Big Tobacco Fighter Take on Big Oil? — There's no doubt that it's new day for climate policy in the United States with Rep. Henry Waxman, a leading champion in Congress of laws to protect the environment and fight global warming, beating out Dingell who spent the last two years more interested in boosting the Big Auto lobby and fighting against higher fuel economy standards for cars. The question for me is whether we will now see a sequel to the "Waxman Hearings" on Big Oil, like the ones he held on Big Tobacco. In 1994 Waxman, who was Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Health and the... [Tags: climate policy, dingell, energy giants, fuel economy standards, global warming junk science]

Henry Waxman — POLITICS BUZZ: In a secret ballot vote, California Rep. Henry A. Waxman has dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades. The world is being turned upside its head! In a good way. This is considered a win for environmentalists and a big defeat for the auto industry. Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment » The Best Links: Waxman Dethrones Dingell As Chairman Why This is Significant for the Health-Care World Henry Waxman on Wikipedia Rep. Henry Waxman’s Website He’s an Environmentalist, and... [Tags: auto industry, best links, buzz, chairman john, commerce committee]

Jacob Heilbrunn: Obama's Big Congressional Victory — That thunderous crash you just heard emanating from Washington, DC was Henry Waxman's toppling of John Dingell to become chair of the energy and commerce committee. West Coast beats Midwest Coast. Good versus evil. A rotten oak has been felled. Whatever you want to call it, it's a big victory for Barack Obama and liberals, as important, if not more so, than his cabinet appointments. (Full disclosure: I should mention that my significant other works for H.W., but these are my own unfiltered thoughts.) Dingell, as odious and bullying a legislator as there's ever been, was essentially nothing more than... [Tags: auto industry, barack obama, bush administration, cabinet appointments, capitol hill]

Jane Hamsher: Waxman Defeats Dingall, Blue Dogs Get Spanked — In a stinging rebuke of the Blue Dog caucus, Henry Waxman has defeated John Dingell for Chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Why, it seems like only yesterday the conservative Blue Dogs were sniffing that the Steering Committee which recommended Waxman were a bunch of unrepentant hippies who didn't reflect the overall makeup of the Democratic caucus. (In fact, it was.) This is a huge defeat for the Blue Dogs, who have become the primary recipients of the massive corporate donations which used to flow to the Republicans. They were were hoping to use Dingell as a roadblock... [Tags: blue dog, blue dogs, chairmanship, commerce committee, corporate donations]

Bill Scher: Progressive Mandate At Work: Waxman Named House Energy Chair — Last week, the progressive mandate was felt in the Senate, as right-leaning Democratic Senator Max Baucus proposed legislation to guarantee health care for all. Today, the progressive mandate was felt in the House, as the Democratic caucus voted 137-122 to remove longtime global warming skeptic Rep. John Dingell as chair of the House energy committee, in favor of environmental champion Rep. Henry Waxman. The close vote should not be interpreted as a sign of deep ideological division on the environment -- though some differences certainly remain -- but a victory for the public interest in passing strong global warming legislation... [Tags: bold action, caucus members, climate crisis, democratic caucus, democratic senator]