The news:
In an apparent warning to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), some liberal Democrats have suggested a secret-ballot vote every two years on whether or not to strip committee chairmen of their gavels.
Baucus, who is more conservative than most of the Democratic Conference, has frustrated many of his liberal colleagues by negotiating for weeks with Republicans over healthcare reform without producing a bill or even much detail about the policies he is considering.
"Every two years the caucus could have a secret ballot on whether a chairman should continue, yes or no," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "If the 'no's win, [the chairman's] out.
"I've heard it talked about before," he added.
I'm absolutely, 100-percent with Kos when he writes that it's "time to end the tyranny of the long-serving chairmanships." Committees are the largely unseen roadblocks to good legislation that makes the already conservative essence of Congress all the more conservative. It's a kind of sinecure, where a chair can be sure to squeeze out legislation friendly to his backers for votes on the floor.
Will it happen? There's nothing more sacred in the Senate than seniority, where plum assignments are handed out purely on the basis of Senate longevity. I guess you could argue that this method discourages the doling out of pork and projects to fellow representatives to win committee chairs - like in the House - but on the other hand, it also discourages any accountability. And that's exactly why this isn't likely to happen. That's one of the goals of the Senate - to reach a point where they don't have to worry about elections anymore.
Still, one can dream, can't he? In any case, it's good to see Senate Democrats beginning to stir. |
