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The Spectacle Blog
Congressman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) won the nod from the House Republican Steering Committee to be the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Energy and Commerce has jurisdiction over some environmental matters, technology, and telecom policy, among other things.
There had been an effort to deny Upton the chairmanship based on his moderate-to-liberal voting record on a wide range of issues of concern to conservatives. But the Steering Committee appeared to have been won over by the argument that Upton’s familiarity with the industry and actors under his committee’s jurisdiction. Supporters also claimed that Upton was better able to wage PR battles against the Obama administration than his leading opponent, Joe Barton, especially after Barton’s BP gaffe.
Concessions by Barton and the other Republicans vying to lead the committee make it unlikely that the full Republican conference will end up having to decide the chairmanship. Upton has made a number of commitments and touted his conservative bona fides in recent weeks, so it is possible the conservative campaign against him will still yield some benefits — though it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be at transitioning from a go-to Republican for compromising with the administration to a go-to Republican for overseeing it.
I wrote a column about the conservative criticism of Upton for the main site.
View all comments (9) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/12/07/upton-update-fred-upton-to-cha
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bobmontgomery| 12.7.10 @ 8:40PM
Barton didn't gaffe. Joe Wilson didn't gaffe. This is more 'conventional wisdom', just like the 'conventional wisdom' Upton used when he voted to go along with the eco-freaks . When is it going to become clear that all the PC baloney that has gone on for forty years is over?
Booger| 12.7.10 @ 9:18PM
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Guess we got fooled again.
Yosemeti Sam| 12.7.10 @ 10:41PM
" ... Upton has made a number of commitments ...."
Which might just be full of mercury.
darcy| 12.7.10 @ 10:45PM
Very bad news, indeed. It's a marker, showing the direction of the leadership -- it points away from reform and towards continued oligarchical rule.
Very badly done. We will remember.
NVA Patriot| 12.8.10 @ 7:42AM
Well, we now know what tthe Republicans stand for - rubber-stamp every lunatic policy the Progressives/socialist elite have foisted on us.
So the new Remeber in November - 2012, we will NOT rubbberstamp their re-elction - Can everyone say PRIMARY the B@$t@$Ds
Upton is a disaster along with the Appropriations committee chair.
Conservative Bob| 12.8.10 @ 10:35AM
Don't throw in the towel yet! We hold the keys. He made conservative sounds because he was opposed. Maybe having heard the opposition to his holding the office he will act accordingly.
The solution is rather simple. If he reverts to his old ways find someone to take his seat in '12.
Anyone who thought this was going to be fast or easy was not living in the real world.
These people are used to having power, feel entitled to it you really think one election is going to change them? We will have to stay on top of them every day, hold them to account, vote them out over several cycles. After a long sustained effort they will get the message and we will have our country back because we will have remained active participants. We have made them expect us to go to sleep after each election. Whether we stay active and involved is yet to be seen from their perspective.
Don’t pitch it in redouble your efforts, if they adapt as in Upton’s most recent behavior great. If they revert or ignore us that fine too just replace them. This is going to be a long hard struggle, there will be times to celebrate like Nov 3 of this year, but that is a single battle in a long campaign to restore limited government.
owyheewone| 12.8.10 @ 10:48AM
Unless the new class has one, Barton is the only degreed engineer in congress. I'm disappointed that energy is in the hands of another technically ignorant political hack.
Patriot Dynamite| 12.8.10 @ 7:27PM
So Boehner has shafted us as did the democrats!!! Dammit how do we end this crap?? I wish Boehner would cry over the destruction of the USA by the dems, Obama and now the damn pantywaste repubs. So its the same old same old again and me thought this time it would be different. Upton can swallow one of his cfb. Dammit, all both parties want to do is control us and keep us on the reservation so they continue to get reelected. If the repubs go on with business as usual the 2012 elections will be a blood bath for the repubs lasting a century.