Dingell vs. Waxman

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is seeking to buck the House Democratic system of seniority to take away Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell’s (D-Mich.) gavel.

It is not the first time Waxman has challenged the seniority system.

Four years after coming to Congress, he took on and defeated then-Rep. Richardson Preyer (D-N.C.) to become chairman of the Commerce Committee’s Health and Environment subcommittee.

In an interview with The Hill in April, Waxman said he was frustrated with the seniority system in the 1970s and with conservative Democrats from the South.

“Southern Democrats were not Democrats in philosophy but they stayed in the Democratic Party solely so they could dominate chairs in the committees,” he said.

Asked about Dingell, Waxman this spring praised the second-longest-serving House member.

“When he was a subcommittee chair, he was very active in making sure that the subcommittee chairs had a lot more power to run their subcommittees. I was the beneficiary of those changes when I   became subcommittee chairman.”

But now, there are not many pleasantries being exchanged between Dingell and the second-ranking Democrat on Energy and Commerce.

The race for the gavel, which will be decided next week, has many subplots.

Waxman endorsed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president, while Dingell backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Waxman voted for the Iraq war. Dingell voted against.

Waxman is close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Dingell is not.

Before he announced his bid, Waxman called Dingell to tell him he was seeking to oust him. That must have been an interesting conversation.

Should Waxman win, it would signal a clear step away from the seniority system that Democrats have followed for decades.

When Republicans controlled the House, seniority was a factor in deciding committee chairmen, but other factors, such as fundraising and party loyalty, were also weighed.

In April, Waxman told The Hill, “I think seniority should count for a lot more than I used to think. I think, on the other hand, that it shouldn’t be the only factor when people are chosen for committee responsibilities.”

Earlier this year, Waxman said he would not seek earmarks and called for the issue to be studied to set a clear policy for the 111th Congress. Those statements were praised by anti-earmark groups, but they could cost him votes from Democratic appropriators.

There is a presidential angle as well. On Tuesday, Dingell sent a letter to Obama saying he is eager to work with the president-elect on healthcare.

Obama hasn’t said whom he favors. But Phil Schiliro, a longtime senior aide to Waxman, joined the Obama team this summer and is heading the president-elect’s legislative affairs transition effort.

The Dingell-Waxman race is a classic Capitol Hill showdown. No matter who wins, the battle and its ramifications will be remembered for years to come.