Dingell loses; so does Detroit
Nov 20, 2008
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Moderate Democratic Congressman John Dingell (MI), who has been in the House of Representatives for 53 years, lost his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today. With the “Dean of the House’s” loss, Detroit also loses its top-ally in Congress.
The “Old Bull” will be replaced by Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), a liberal who allied himself with President-elect Obama’s policies of “change.”
Dingell had long been an advocate for Detroit and the bane of environmentalists, consistently opposing greater fuel efficiency standards. Dingell also has close personal connections to the auto industry, with his wife serving as an executive at General Motors.
Read more about Dingell’s loss here.
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I reject your headline: Losing Dingell isn’t necessarily bad for Detroit. In fact, it’s probably good for them.Having him around doesn’t seem to have done them much good. In fact, having an environmental foot-dragger on their side has probably made it easier for the Big 3 to refuse to accept the post-SUV market. Seriously, when was the last time the Big 3 were doing well?Further, because his wife is on the board of GM, Dingell’s votes probably trended in favor of management, not labor. I think Detroit’s labor probably wins by this move. Michigan did vote for Obama, after all.Waxman may be the Big 3’s best chance (in Congress, anyway) to avoid Schumpeterian creative destruction. At least he has a vision of a competitive future and the courage to force it on reluctant car companies.