Update: Waxman Defeats Dingell For Coveted Chairmanship
Representative John D. Dingell, of Michigan, is the Democratic chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat, is vying for the chairmanship of this committee. A big fight is brewing in the House and I hope Rep. Waxman wins.
Rep. Dingell is married to Mrs. Dingell, know on the hill as “Debbie.” She is the “executive director for public affairs for General Motors and is most familiar face in Washington.” Supposedly, Mrs. Dingell does not lobby on behalf of G.M. How is this possible when she is the head of G.M.’s Public Affairs division and is a member of the family who founded the company?
Seriously? How is this not a conflict of interest? No wonder the auto industry is so lucky on the hill. An environmental lobbyists pointed out, in the article, that Dingell has been the biggest challenge when it comes to getting the auto industry to build fuel efficient cars. Good policy is not feasible when Representatives, like Dingell, are literally married to the automotive industry.
Click here to read the full article.
Image from the New York Times
