Change, it's a comin'

From the American Thinker:

Losing Rep. Dingell as the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee does not bode well for American industries, but there is another ominous reason to fear Henry Waxman's ascent to the Chairmanship. Dingell was generally a steadfast pro-Second Amendment voice during his long tenure in the House, where he helped defeat several gun control laws proposed by his more liberal colleagues.

Michael Barone gives us a nice summary of Dingell's pro-gun views from an account of his primary fight in 2002. The left needs to be reminded that it was Dingell, not President Bush, Wayne LaPierre, or some other fire-breathing right-winger who first coined the term "jack-booted thugs" in reference to abuses of power by agents of the BATF. Some years ago, Dingell, as Chairman of the committee concerned with promoting commerce, was instrumental in squashing gun control measures designed to close the mythical "gun show loophole." His job, as he saw it, was to protect the individual's right to engage in lawful commerce of a legal product free from harassment by federal government agents.

Article here. Reportedly, the main reason John Dingell (D-MI) lost his chairmanship of the powerful Energy and Commerce committee was his opposition to sweeping "climate change" legislation that would likely have devastated energy-sensitive industries (and ultimately the entire economy), including the Detroit auto industry. Mr. Waxman's (D-CA) elevation to the chair of this committee increases the likelihood of such legislation getting out of committee. Naturally, Mr. Waxman also possesses bona fide anti-gun credentials, with a solid "F" rating from the NRA, and an "F-" rating from Gunowners of America (GOA). Of note, GOA gave Dingell an "F" rating, although he did garner an "A+" rating from the NRA in 2003.