Richard Neal (D-MA2) and Sander Levin (D-MI12) Fight for Top Dem Slot on Ways and Means Committee – Neal “"Globalization is not about to retreat"

Richard Neal (D-MA2) Battles for Rank Position on Ways and Means image urbancompass blog

On the one hand Congressman Richard Neal was recommended for the top Democrat Slot as “Ranking Member” of the House Ways and Means Committee by a group of Democrat House Leaders, according to Business Week. The Democrat Steering Committee for the House recommended Neal by a vote of 1 over Sander Levin, who is the current Chair, and was appointed by Nancy Pelosi to fill the slot previously held by disgraced member Charles Rangel (D-NY). Sander immediately protested, noting that one member, Maxine Waters, who supports Levin, was missing and has requested a rematch according to Politico. With Waters in the mix, the Committee would be tied before either Neal or Levin would be chosen by the full Democrat Caucus.

The Chair of the Committee going into the New Congress is Dave Camp (R-MI4) . Camp, played a pivotal role drafting the legislation for welfare reform under President Bill Clinton, and not unlike Richard Neal, keeps a fairly low national profile. Camp has been serving his MI district since 1991. Camp will take up the gavel on the 5th of January 2011 when the new House is in session.

Neal or Levin would still hold influential posts on the Committee, which overseas tax codes, Social Security and Welfare; of the two men, both hold progressive views, although Neal tends to break with his fellow Democrats on rare occasions. Neal, a Catholic, voted against federal funding for abortion in the new Health Care Reform Legislation, and is a staunch support of Ireland. He has been credited with helping to broker a peace between the outlaw party Sein Fein (Irish Republican Army) and the British Government. For decades Irish Catholics fought for parity with British and Irish Protestants in Ireland, with Sein Fein using terrorist tactics in order to make their point.

Levin, according Business Week, has cast his support behind labor unions; while Neal spends his time working with Washington based tax lawyers. Both men are “Progressive Democrats”. From Politico comes this exchange that highlights the very real similarities and differences between the two would-be “ranking members”

"I have been an effective chair this year, and I believe I am the best person to meet the challenges our caucus faces in the 112th Congress. I have demonstrated principled, active leadership and the ability to press the administration to hold firm to our basic principles and take on Republicans who want to turn back the clock on our accomplishments," Levin wrote.
Neal said it's time for Democrats to look to the future and stop "recycling" arguments.
"Globalization is not about to retreat," Neal said.

It appears that Dave Camp is more than capable of working with either Levin or Neal, and has the temerity to stick to his guns. In the capacity of “Ranking Member”, Neal Ranks 58 in the Democrat Party, while Levin ranks 34th. Levin’s higher party rank includes a member’s success in moving legislation forward and ability to influence members. Based on these statistics from 2008 on Congress.org, one would think Levin would have the juice to best Neal, if he forces the tie with Maxine Waters vote, then the full caucus may reject Neal’s campaign for the role.

Neal, who had to face a tough reelection campaign from a newcomer Tom Wesley (R), won reelection with the help of community organizers getting out the Democrat vote in the last 13 hours of the election. The final tally was not as excepted, with Wesley taking 42.7 percent of the vote, a clear indication that Neal’s run in 2012 may not turn out as expected by both the beltway pundits and Neal. Levin, fared much better than Neal in his district, with the opposition garnering only 24% of the total vote. Levin, may have more “staying power” in the eyes of his colleagues than Neal, although Neal may appear to be more of a moderate in sheep’s clothing; deemed more capable of brokering deals with the current Republican majority.

All this backroom dealing, caucusing, and posturing on both sides of the aisle, will result in the election to positions within the Congress of those who will be watched more closely by both the media, but especially the voters. Going into the 2012 general election, with all house seats once again up for reelection, a majority of the Democrat Senate seats up for reelection and of course, the President up for reelection; should the current political climate continue, both Levin and Neal will either be out of jobs, and/or holding on to “high ranking” minor roles in the Congress until at least 2014.

Of note: Both Levin and Neal voted “yea” on the 11th hour tax bill that would have extended tax cuts to families making less than $250,000 and increase taxes on business (Full roll call vote at house.gov here), which failed in the Senate. The President, meanwhile, had been in negotiations with Republicans on a bi-partisan measure, which, the actions of both Neal and Levin indicate that they were willing to vote with the Speaker, (Pelosi current) than the President. The MA2 District, although having lost the majority of its manufacturing jobs over the past decades due to high corporate state tax rate, and although the vote was most likely made in an attempt ot pacify the Progressives in Neal and Levin’s districts, it tends to make those independent voters leery of both men who would not join in the clear effort by both President Obama and Republicans to move the nation forward. Finally, in addition, the MA2 and MA1 districts may be melded with another district due to the Commonwealth's loss of population. This would pit Neal and Olver against Democrat and former state Sen. Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., a Pittsfield lawyer in a 2012 contest.

Neal(D-MA2) Wrangles for Rangel’s Chair of Ways & Means – Rangel Faces Stern Reprimand for Ethics Violations - Down Not Out.

Pelosi with Rangel and Neal - Decisions, Decisions - image Washington Post

Charles Rangel, the New York 15th District’s Newly Reelected Congressional Representative will most likely face a body of his peers publicly expressing (within the Halls of Congress), their displeasure over Congressman Rangel’s behavior. The Boston Globe reporting on Rangel’s “punishment”, suggests that Congress may “vote to censure Rangel for fundraising and financial misdeeds that violated congressional rules. Other possibilities are less serious. They include a reprimand, a fine or a report deploring his conduct.” There is no suggestion that the crimes committed by Rangel would end in his expulsion from Congress as outlined in the rules governing House Ethics for the 11th Congress (http://ethics.house.gov). In other words, Rangel is facing a slap on the wrist for breaking 11 of 13 Ethics rules.

Rangel, who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee (which writes our tax policy), stepped down when gently pushed by then Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and replaced by senior member Sander Levin of Michigan. Levin, for all appearances was keeping the seat warm for Rangel, however, as time went by, Congressional egos came into play and other members began to eye the Top Job.

Enter Richard Neal - the Massachusetts 2nd District Congressional Representative, who faced a rather tough reelection in 2010 (having gone unchallenged for decades), defended his seat against newcomer Tom Wesley (Republican), and spent millions to hold onto the district seat. Neal who has been vying for the Top Spot on the Committee for years, still managed to support other Democrat members of Congress during the 2010 midterms to a paltry tune of of $70,000 (Politico). Apparently, when one wants a Chair on a Committee one literally “buys” the votes of a peer by donating to his or her campaign. Unfortunately, due the challenge Neal faced in his district (Wesley received 40 plus% of the vote); he had little opportunity to spread the wealth – even though he has a considerable war chest.

Although Neal won the election, the Chair of the Committee will go to a Republican as that party has the majority in the House. Therefore, Neal is seeking to become the Highest Ranking Democrat on the committee – a vantage point from which, others have had a great impact on U.S. policy including one Barney Frank, (MA4). Frank, who while a ranking Committee member for the Democrats managed to make decisions affecting Mortgage giants Freddie and Fannie.

Neal, not deterred, has announced he will challenge Rangel’s replacement, Sander Levin, for the top spot. An article in Business Weekconfirmed his intentions yesterday. Neal, who’s backing comes from big business, is a frequent guest of the non-partisan Tax Counsel Policy Institute whose board members include representatives from major insurers and pharmaceutical companies.

Neal may be in the best jockeying position for the seat in question, due to his straight party line votes with Nancy Pelosi in the 111th Congress, including support of the Health Care Reform Act. Neal even went a step further to please Pelosi and also supported including illegal immigrants in entitlement programs. Therefore, Neal may be the new House Minority Leaders’ (Nancy Pelosi) choice to move into what would have been Rangel’s spot on the Committee, a step down for Rangel, a step up for Neal somewhat.

However, all that lobbying on Neal’s part may come to naught, as Rangel is, in all likelihood, not facing an expulsion from Congress, rather a “stiff reprimand” via censure. Another member of the Massachusetts Democrat Congressional Congress also faced a similar “fate” and managed to parlay that misfortune into the Chair of the House Finance Committee – one Barney Frank. Granted in Frank’s case, there was some time that passed between his “trial by peers”, (which resulted in a Congressional “shame on you”, and then a pat on the back) eventually leading (when Democrats regained control of the House) to the top spot. Therefore, unless Rangel himself relinquishes the power he perceives he has, and maintains Nancy's blessing with by a mere reprimanded, should the Democrats gain the House in 2014 or 2016 (historically appropriate) he may find himself in the Top Job again. This of course, hinges on all three - Rangel, Neal and Levin – still holding seats by that time (retirement by either the electors or a personal decision).

In any regard, the final decision will rest with the Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi – whose charges against Rangel in the first place were based on politics at that time - now that Progressives believe that they will regain the House in 2012, she may decide to bump Neal for Rangel. Of course, Pelosi, Neal, Frank, Rangel and Levin are all up for reelection in 2012, and Neal will again face opposition, as Republican’s and Independents are now in the process of vying for position to take on Neal after this particular election confirmed he was vulnerable. (An election return which, one can be sure, the new Minority Whip is well aware.