111th Congress

Day one of the new Congress and Roland Burris got rejected. Actually it wasn’t by anyone in the Senate, but rather by Illinois’ Secretary of State, who refused to sign his credentials. This is going to be very interesting to watch. As much of a creep as I think Blago is, it was a shrewd move on his part. He is still the governor and charged with appointing a replacement. That’s something a lot of Democrats seem to be forgetting.

This is a huge victory for the environment:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will become the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after House Democrats voted to replace current Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.).

Waxman won 137-122 in the secret ballot vote.

The dramatic intra-party showdown for the coveted position signals a leftward turn for the Democratic agenda. The outcome was a blow to the seniority system and a victory, at least in perception, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Dingell is very close to the auto industry, meaning he is very far from the environment move. He is considered a foe of global warming. Now he is out and we have someone heading the very important committee, when it comes to global warming, that is an advocate for higher fuel standards and lower emissions. Change is a brewing.