The American people sent Washington a message on November 2 – NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL.
The freshman class spent months knocking on doors, holding town halls and going to forums. They may be new to Washington, but they know who they are and why they’re here, and they’re ready to speak for the people who sent them.
I want them to be able to serve their constituents, so I want freshmen to be serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
If I’m chairman for a second term, we’re going to spend 2011 dragging the Obama administration to the Hill to explain what on earth it is doing in areas such as health care and energy. Nothing has gone quite so awry as the massive, government-run Obama health program, and it is plain that the individual mandate, the employee mandate, the abortion funding, the tangle of outsider/insider councils like the comparative effectiveness board and the effective nationalization of health care under grants of authority to the Department of Health and Human Services — all that has to go.
In short, the Energy and Commerce Committee will be the front lines in the battle to repeal ObamaCare, and stop job-killing environmental regulations, and provide an environment in which businesses, not government, create jobs. The new members – and the people they represent – deserve a seat at the table.
We allowed freshmen to serve on Energy and Commerce after Republicans gained the majority in 1995 and I will ask Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership team to give freshmen a voice on the committee next year.
We’ll need some help on my committee making the changes America has asked for and I look forward to the energy, vitality and expertise the freshmen bring as we serve side-by-side on Energy and Commerce in the 112th Congress.
Moe Lane
PG DeFreese
Victoria Coates
Daniel Horowitz
Dan Spencer
Congressman Barton, I've got one for you straight away.
Kenny Solomon (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 9:45AM EST (link)His name is West. Allen West. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Allen B. West from down here in South Florida.
Sign him on and turn him loose,
Cheers !
I second that! nt
chbroussard (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 12:22PM EST (link)Third it.
uselogic Thursday, November 18th at 2:17PM EST (link)Seriously!
Great post Rep. Barton
fpete13527 (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 10:08AM EST (link)Everything you said makes great sense. I strongly request that you run for Energy and Commerce Committee Chair and support the things you outline here.
I also second the motion to empower LTC (Ret.) West to be one of the freshmen to either be on this Committee with you or whichever Committee that he can make the most difference.
To Speaker Boehner, the election of Rep Barton for Energy Chair, and LTC (Ret.) West as a member on either this Committee or Oversight Committee, would send LOUD messages to me that you are listening.
YES. Allen West on Oversight!
jstjoan (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 12:02PM EST (link)I’d LOVE to see this happen. Issa + West = pass the popcorn! *snort*
Three questions that destroy most Liberal arguments according to Thomas Sowell:
1. Compared to what?
2. At what cost?
3. What hard evidence do yo have?
Good Luck to you Rep. Barton
Scope (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 10:26AM EST (link)If Speaker Boehner is serious about listening to the will of the people, as he said he was, he will deny the Chairmanship of Energy and Commerce to Fred (Mr. Lightbulb) Upton. His list of anti-Republican votes is appalling, but, of course he is mostly known as the guy who banned incandescent lightbulbs, and killed American jobs.
This important appointment should go to the most conservative, most qualified person, not to the next in line, or to someone because of seniority. I hope to see you Chairing this committee.
I second that!
merryj1 Friday, November 19th at 2:44AM EST (link)Good piece, Representative Barton, and I do hope you get the Chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee. And, yes, Col. West would be an excellent addition to that (or any other) committee.
I also agree that Michigan’s Congressman Upton should NOT be in charge of Energy (or really, anything else) because his poor judgment has already caused a great deal of harm and injury, including the loss of jobs and closing down of production facilities that used to make decent light bulbs.
I hope your first order of business as head of the Committee will be to repeal that horrible bill (now law) of Upton’s and Jane Harmon’s (D, CA), so that it won’t be necessary to call a Haz-Mat squad every time someone breaks a light bulb!
What about the "10 billion dollar atom smasher" project? nt
Locke (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 10:29AM EST (link)I wondered about
rdelbov Thursday, November 18th at 11:13AM EST (link)this very point the other day–Congressman Barton was obessed with this ten billion dollar project and its huge annual operating cost.
I am inclined not to waive chairmanship rules to let Barton serve.
I also think that the emphasis on the “light bulb” push of Upton is an unfair examination of his voting record. Barton-Stearns-Barton-Shimkus have very similar voting records on matters before the committee and in the house in general. Each of them have “light bulb” votes that should disqualify them. Barton has the atom collider-Shimkus is “Mr. Corn” and Stearns is weak on offshore drilling (think Florida),
So I think we are seeing a cultural bias here towards the Southerner (Barton) but in essnce Upton & Barton are similar on energy issues.
I don’t any of these guys but none are pure and any emphasis anyone places on one vote or issue is a matter of personal preference. All of these guys are not perfect
Really, guys?
E Pluribus Unum (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 1:40PM EST (link)You’re going to pull out the SSC card and play THAT as an argument against Barton? Suit yourself, but there’s a difference between funding a research project whose yeilds would move the bar on scientific research well down the road, and say ….funding farm subsidies , milk subsidies, sugar subsidies, NEA subsidies, and so on (all of which are Upton votes).
Sorry, there are miles of differences between Barton and Upton, INCLUDING AND ESPECIALLY Energy and Commerice issues.
Upton supported the GM/Chrysler bailout/takeovers, more onerous CAFE standards, Cahs for Clunkers. Barton’s record on those….would you like to guess?
Upton has voted against 7 of 9 RSC budgets. Those would be the conservative budget-balancing alternative to the Dem (and Repub) budgets that were put out there. He has voted for tax increases on employers, on Sarb-Ox (look it up). He voted yes on this Dem bill (“DISCLOSE”) that forces corporations to reveal political campaign spending, but protects unions from doing the same.
It’s really not just the lightbulbs. That’s just the handy one that illustrates the rest of his policies. Kind of like IN HIS FREEZER for former congressman and now inmate William Jefferson. It wasn’t his only misdeed, just really easy to communicate to folks.
Still think there’s not much difference between Barton and Upton?
Oh yeah that’s right. Barton brought the SSC to Texas. I believe you said he was “obsessed” with it. OK. Whatever,
Kill the Terrorists
Protect the Borders
Punch the Hippies h/t IMAO
Upton would be about the worst, Barton far superior.
Locke (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 9:25PM EST (link)But what about Sensenbrenner or Tiahrt. Or someone not now on the committee such as Jeff Flake?
I was thinking about the Appropriations Committee, sorry.
Locke (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 9:39PM EST (link)But there, why not Shadegg?
Because
zornorph Thursday, November 18th at 10:37PM EST (link)Because Shadegg retried this year and wont be in the house? And for that matter, nor will Tiahrt.
For approps? I dunno
E Pluribus Unum (Diary) Friday, November 19th at 12:11AM EST (link)The really, really perverse side of me says Ron Paul.
Just as long as it’s nobody who has already proven they shouldn’t be there. And that’s kind of a big list.
Kill the Terrorists
Protect the Borders
Punch the Hippies h/t IMAO
Dr Dan Benishek, MD would be a great add
E Pluribus Unum (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 11:10AM EST (link)I am fairly certain that he has some very definite insights into Obamacare.
Kill the Terrorists
Protect the Borders
Punch the Hippies h/t IMAO
Only You
freemanja1991 (Diary) Thursday, November 18th at 11:52AM EST (link)You are the only Congressman I support to get a waiver from speaker Boehner. On that note the entire appropriations committee needs to be shaken up. How about Tom Latham for Appropriations Chairman? I also concur about Alan West.
ANYBODY but Upton!
lilkidmom Thursday, November 18th at 2:40PM EST (link)I’m pulling for you Congressman! I live in Fred Upton’s district and believe me, I absolutely oppose his nomination to head the Energy and Commerce Committee. (or any other committee for that matter) He would be an unmitigated disaster! He is NO conservative, and NO friend of common sense Pro American/Pro Business energy policies. Banning the light bulb was the proverbial straw for me, but he is a squish on so many issues I care deeply about that I cast my vote for his primary opponent this year, as well as a third party (Taxpayer’s Party) opponent in the general election. I can’t in good conscience vote for the man ever again.
Republican leaders need to start declaring loud and clear that the entire Global Warming/Climate Change/Climate Disruption hysteria is a SCAM and has been from the very beginning. Upton will never speak the truth about it, because he has consumed gallons of the Green’s kool-aid. He is a true believer in this rotten hoax and is NOT the person to begin rolling back the decades worth of environmentalist destruction which has been wrought upon America.
Our nation will never again be great as long as these liberal types are allowed to spew their propaganda unopposed in the public sphere. Day after day they have repeated their “big lie” claims and they have succeeded in duping a large segment of the citizens of this country who are too weary simply trying to survive amidst the chaos created by liberalism to pay attention to what is going on. Climate-gate is a huge scandal, yet few Republican’s have been heard emphasizing it’s importance in debunking the wild claims of the UN Globalists and all the rest of the Environmental Leftists demanding we cripple our economy and impoverish ourselves to “save” the planet. Enough! We have suffered these fools far too long and it is time they are stopped once and for all. Upton will do nothing but further enable them. ANYBODY but Upton!
Committee
zornorph Thursday, November 18th at 4:53PM EST (link)It’s not ‘your’ committee. There are rules. Everybody knows what term limits mean. You are not the only one who is qualified to be chairman. I’m no fan of Upton, but then let someone else be the chairman. Rules cease to have meaning when we just turn around to break them because they are personally inconvenient. Step aside and stop this unseemly quest to break the rules.
There's another view of that...
merryj1 Friday, November 19th at 2:59AM EST (link)Rep. Barton served one term as Chair, not three terms that should trigger the term-limit provision. The Dem majority in the 110th and 111th congressional sessions assured that no Republican held meaningful sway over anything.
That’s not “just a technicality” or an ambiguity; there’s a purpose for the rule, and it’s a good one — to avoid any one pol from garnering too much power. That proviso was effectively met by the intercession of a Democratic Party majority for two terms, and it’s not as though Pelosi’s henchmen were into “power sharing” during those two terms.
The rules
zornorph Friday, November 19th at 10:08AM EST (link)The rules were clear and everybody understood that it meant three terms as leader, weather as chairman or ranking member. Bending the rules right out of the gate is a very bad signal to send and no one person is worth it, even if he would be a good chairman. And I’m not convinced that Rep. Barton would be, anyway. His apology to BP demonstrated a shocking political tone-deafness. But were he not term-limited, I would be quite happy to see him serve as chairman. But he is and finding weasel words to get out of it is not something I will support.
I say elect a Freshman to HEAD the Committee...
Patricia_C (Diary) Friday, November 19th at 9:27AM EST (link)So what if they aren’t familiar with “the way things are done in Washington”? Isn’t “the way things are done in Washington” right now part of the problem?
Besides, when they aren’t sure about something, they will likely look to wisdom and guidence of those leaders who came before them and consult a few of the documents THEY wrote… (ie:The Founding Fathers and that much ignored little thing called The US Consitution…)
Just a suggestion.
“Even when you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.”
Congressman Barton, you have my support
luciusacius (Diary) Friday, November 19th at 11:22AM EST (link)if you vow to end ALL energy subsidies, wind, nuclear, ethanol, and oil and gas. Let the free market decide and get your committee out of the way of American innovation. Republicans will never be trusted until they end corporate welfare.
Lucius Accius
“oderint dum metuant”