New Congress Moves Further to Extreme Left

When Bill Clinton was elected President as a "New Democrat," he at least made some efforts to appear a moderate. He talked about free trade and a middle class tax cut. Gray Davis used the same strategy, appearing as a moderate in his early years as Governor by supporting the death penalty and opposing new e-commerce taxes. But as we see Washington shaping up under Democrat control, there's no "New Democrat" moderation to be found. Such "inconveniences" have been disposed of in favor of a far more liberal and extreme course.

The latest example is Henry Waxman's takeover of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, defeating the more moderate John Dingell of Michigan. Here's how The Hill newspaper, no bastion of conservatism, described it:

Waxman's takeover signals a shift to the left
By Mike Soraghan and Jared Allen Posted: 11/20/08

Rep. Henry Waxman's successful coup against Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell on Thursday leaves the storied former chairman with a ceremonial role and steers the Democratic agenda sharply left.

The 137-122 vote to hand Waxman (Calif.) the gavel dealt a serious challenge to the Democrats' seniority system and put key aspects of President-elect Barack Obama's agenda in the hands of a liberal, aggressive and activist chairman.

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Republicans who warned just how far off the deep (left) end these guys would take the country have again been proven right.