Booman Tribune

Senate Committee Assignments

by BooMan
Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 09:56:16 PM EST

I am going to do a little exercise. I am going to show you who the top four members (by seniority) are in the Senate for each and every committee. As you will see, several members are in line to chair more than one committee. No Senator will chair more than one committee, so figuring out who will chair what gets a little complicated. Lieberman provides a little problem, so I will discuss that too. And then there is the problem of so many Senators that are planning on running for President (which will make chairing committees problematic, to say the least). So, go below the fold for the results and my analysis.

Aging

Herbert Kohl- Chairman
Ron Wyden
Blanche Lincoln
Evan Bayh

Agriculture

Tom Harkin- Chairman
Patrick Leahy
Kent Conrad
Max Baucus

Appropriations

Robert Byrd- Chairman
Daniel Inouye
Patrick Leahy
Tom Harkin

Armed Services

Carl Levin- Chairman
Edward Kennedy
Robert Byrd
Joe Lieberman

Banking

Christopher Dodd- Chairman
Tim Johnson
Jack Reed
Charles Schumer

Budget

Kent Conrad- Chairman
Patty Murray
Ron Wyden
Russ Feingold

Commerce

Daniel Inouye- Chairman
Jay Rockefeller
John Kerry
Byron Dorgan

Energy

Jeff Bingaman- Chairman
Daniel Akaka
Byron Dorgan
Ron Wyden

Environment

Max Baucus (chair of Finance)
Joe Lieberman (chair of Homeland Security)
Barbara Boxer- Chairwoman
Tom Carper

Ethics

Tim Johnson- Co-Chairman
Mark Pryor
Ken Salazar

Finance

Max Baucus- Chairman
Jay Rockefeller
Kent Conrad
Jeff Bingaman

Foreign Relations

Joe Biden- Chairman
Christopher Dodd
John Kerry
Russ Feingold

Health, Education, Labor & Pensions

Edward Kennedy- Chairman
Christopher Dodd
Tom Harkin
Barbara Mikulski

Homeland Security & Government Affairs

Joe Lieberman- Chairman
Carl Levin
Daniel Akaka
Tom Carper

Indian Affairs

Byron Dorgan- Chairman
Daniel Inouye
Kent Conrad
Daniel Akaka

Intelligence

Jay Rockefeller- Chairman
Carl Levin
Diane Feinstein
Ron Wyden

Judiciary

Patrick Leahy- Chairman
Edward Kennedy
Joe Biden
Herbert Kohl

Rules

Christopher Dodd (chair of Banking)
Robert Byrd (chair of Appropriations)
Daniel Inouye (chair of Commerce)
Diane Feinstein- Chairwoman

Small Business

John Kerry- Chairman
Tom Harkin
Joe Lieberman
Mary Landrieu

Veteran's Affairs

Daniel Akaka- Chairman
Jay Rockefeller
Patty Murray
Barack Obama

Now, on Lieberman:

We don't really mind Lieberman chairing a committee on Homeland Security. The problem is that the committee is also in charge of Governmental Affairs. It's the equivalent of the Government Reform committee in the House and it should be investigating things like war profiteering. We really don't want Joe to be chairing that committee. Yet, we can't antagonize him too much or he might bolt the party and turn our 51-49 majority into a 50-50 split, with ties broken by the Vice-President. So, here is what I suggest doing.

Respect Joe's seniority. But offer him the chairmanship of the Environment committee. Joe is in line to chair that committee anyway because Max Baucus would much rather chair the Finance Committee. If Joe accepts this, who would be in line for the Homeland Security chair? Well, that would be Carl Levin, but he will want to chair Armed Services. Next in line is Daniel Akaka. He is in line to chair Veteran's Affairs, but he would much rather have Homeland Security.

Okay, you ask, but then who would be in line to chair Veteran's Affairs? The answer is Jay Rockefeller. But he would rather have Intelligence. That leaves it to Patty Murray. So, this is how I envision the committee chairs looking in the Senate:

    Aging: Herbert Kohl- Chairman
    Agriculture:Tom Harkin- Chairman
    Appropriations: Robert Byrd- Chairman
    Armed Services: Carl Levin- Chairman
    Banking: Christopher Dodd- Chairman
    Budget: Kent Conrad- Chairman
    Commerce: Daniel Inouye- Chairman
    Energy: Jeff Bingaman- Chairman
    Environment: Joe Lieberman- Chairman
    Ethics: Tim Johnson- Co-Chairman
    Finance: Max Baucus- Chairman
    Foreign Relations: Joe Biden- Chairman
    Health, Education, Labor & Pensions: Edward Kennedy- Chairman
    Homeland Security & Government Affairs: Daniel Akaka- Chairman
    Indian Affairs: Byron Dorgan- Chairman
    Intelligence: Jay Rockefeller- Chairman
    Judiciary: Patrick Leahy- Chairman
    Rules: Diane Feinstein- Chairwoman
    Small Business: John Kerry- Chairman
    Veteran's Affairs: Patty Murray- Chairwoman

We have a number of new Senators: Brown, Cardin, Casey, Klobuchar, McCaskill, Sanders, Tester, Webb, and Whitehouse. I'd like to see Klobuchar on Judiciary. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions on where other members should be assigned.

How many of the committee chairs are running for President? Three. And that might effect assignments. Here's the list:

Dodd: Banking
Biden: Foreign Relations
Kerry: Small Business

What say you?



Display:
Brown - Agriculture, Rules, Foreign Relations
Cardin - Commerce, Environment, Finance
Casey - Budget, Homeland Security and Government Affairs
Klobuchar - Agriculture, Foreign Relations, Appropriations
McCaskill - HELP, Small Business, Homeland Security
Sanders - Judiciary, Energy, Intelligence
Tester - Appropriations, Environment, Indian Affairs
Webb - Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, Finance
Whitehouse - Small Business, Judiciary, Commerce

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts
by TarheelDem on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:32:10 PM EST
as Environment chair would be the lesser of many evils, but I hate that it would deny Barbara Boxer a chairpersonship (that's an awkward word!) after all she's done...and having a California senator as head of Environment would be very appropriate.

Oh well...them's politics, I guess...


-- Walking In Darkness --

by Cali Scribe on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:53:18 PM EST
I feel the same way, but Joe is really a bit of a problem, and if we can solve it this way it would be a decent outcome.
by BooMan on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:55:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Lieberman should be put in charge of Veterans Affairs.  That's going to be as critical as Homeland Security.  It will allow him to take responsibility for the consequences of his mistakes.

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts
by TarheelDem on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 11:59:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And make sure that Tammy Duckworth is on the staff of the committee.

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts
by TarheelDem on Thu Nov 9th, 2006 at 12:00:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
WHat I was thinking too.

What do you do for Barbara? She's been a true leader, with the occasional hiccup cough*lamont*cough. Overall though doesn't she deserve a leadership role? I think so.

by democracylover on Sat Nov 11th, 2006 at 10:16:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Help me out here.  I need a civics lesson.  Isn't Feingold on the Judiciary committee?  Is he not on your list because he is not one of the top four with seniority?  Do the Senators get to change committee assignments after each election?  Do they have any say as to where they go or are the just assigned?

I don't see either Durbin or Reid listed.  Are they excluded from committee membership because of their leadership roles?

If you want things to get better, be prepared to deal with change.

by Kahli on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:06:51 PM EST
all your guesses are correct.  Reid is on Appropriations and Durbin is on Judiciary and that is it.  Feingold is a low ranking member of Judicary.

Members can and do move.  Younger members get stuck with shit like Aging and Ethics.  

by BooMan on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:30:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks.  You are a fount of erudition.

If you want things to get better, be prepared to deal with change.
by Kahli on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:35:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Is it just me or does it seem sort of parodic that the senate (derived originally from the Latin "senex," elder or old man) and filled with a bunch of oldsters, has an "aging committee"?  I'd think calling it the demographics committee or census committee or just about anything else would be better...

--
When we hear freedom we know it doesn't mean armed occupation. --felagund
by froggywomp on Thu Nov 9th, 2006 at 12:14:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, I'm for antagonizing Joe and stripping him of his seniority, and after that, I'm for punishing him by sticking him on a committee he doesn't really want.  But in terms of the actual politics of it, do we really believe Joe is going to take the Chair of Environment when he feels entitled to Homeland Security?  Seems very, very unlikely coming from the guy who felt so entitled he created a Joe for Joe party following his primary loss.
by KevinH on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:38:15 PM EST
Traitor Joe will not settle for less.

In addition to covering the Cheney admin's collective ass, this committee hands out lots of pork, and Traitor Joe's the greediest bastard of the lot.

More interesting to speculate on Byrd's near-term role and replacement - the dude is just too old to live through his term.

Ted Kennedy at Health offers a glimmer of hope.

"...psychopaths have little difficulty infiltrating the domains of...politics, law enforcement, (and) government." Dr. Robert Hare

by RubDMC (rubdmc yahoo! snot bomb) on Thu Nov 9th, 2006 at 07:53:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Given a choice between Homeland security, and environment, which do you think Lieberman would take? I can tell you which one he'll take, homeland security. In fact Harry Reid called him today and told him that his chairmanship of homeland security is waiting next year. Also, Susan Collins, the former chairperson to be said tonight that Lieberman will chair homeland security.

Why is it that both parties are so intent on screaming at each other, rather than trying to find solutions to this country's massive problems??
by eastcoastmoderate on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 10:38:19 PM EST
When one party created all the problems, and still has veto power, sometimes all you can do is scream at them.

Sometimes it's your constitutional duty to scream at them.

by KevinH on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 11:22:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Scream away if you must, but the country isn't going to benefit if that's all you do.

Why is it that both parties are so intent on screaming at each other, rather than trying to find solutions to this country's massive problems??
by eastcoastmoderate on Wed Nov 8th, 2006 at 11:27:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I would stack the Judiciary committee with as many liberals as possible to ensure no nut job SCOTUS pick gets favorably approved. Webb is an obvious choice to go to Armed Services.McCaskill and /or Tester to Ag,Brown to Intellegence,Sanders to Homeland Security.
by victory1 on Thu Nov 9th, 2006 at 09:10:32 PM EST
Webb would also be the obvious choice to go to Veterans.
by victory1 on Thu Nov 9th, 2006 at 09:12:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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