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.
