What's missing from the House Dems' leadership team?

The answer: Anyone from the Midwest. Or Great Plains. In fact, there's only one person among the Democrats' 11 leadership or party and steering committee slots that isn't from a coastal state.

That one - Marion Berry of Arkansas. The rest:

• Four from California (Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Caucus Vice Chair Xavier Becerra, Steering Co-Chair George Miller and Steering Vice Chair Hilda Solis)
• Two from Maryland (Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Assistant to the Speaker and DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen) 
• Two from Connecticut (Caucus Chair John B. Larson, Steering Co-Chair Rosa DeLauro)
• One from Massacussetts (Study and Review Chair Michael Capuano) 
• One from South Carolina (Majority Whip James Clyburn)  

The geographic imbalance stands in stark contrast to the Republicans, who have two of their top three posts filled with midwesterners (Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Conference Chair Mike Pence of Indiana). Michigander Thaddeus McCotter from southeast Michigan's 11th District was also reupped as conference policy committee chair.

Now, in fairness, it's not like the GOP had a ton of eligible representatives from Massachussetts, New York, California and so on to pick from, so you figure their ranks would be populated by "flyover country". But with the Dems, the lack of geographic diversity is striking. I mean, it's not like they didn't have enough representatives from Michigan (8), Ohio (9), Pennsylvania (12), Indiana (4), Illinois (12), Wisconsin (5) and Minnesota (5) to choose from.

That being said, Michiganders are doing OK for senior chairmanships, what with John Conyers holding Judiciary and John Dingell at Energy and Commerce...

Which brings me to Dingell: As you have no doubt heard, the Dem steering committee voted 25-22 to give his chairmanship to California's Henry Waxman. If you're a Dingell fan, don't flip out - this was relatively expected. And as I said Monday, the real vote isn't until Thursday - that's when the whole Dem caucus will decide.

And, Dingell fan, take heart: The last big-time top Dem on a committee to be voted out by the steering committee: Henry Gonzalez of Texas in 1996, whom the full caucus voted back on as ranking member of the Banking Committee.

Comments

[Ricky]

The Dems caused a bit of tremor in Southeast Michigan today.