| Once upon a time, the old guard Southern Democrats held most of the positions of power in Congress, because their tenures were so safe they could survive two or three decades without challenge. Of late, that role has shifted to the Rust Belt, and since Michigan is the rustiest of all, we find ourselves at center stage, exactly at the time we seem to be losing all our other assets. (Come to think of it, there's another parallel with the South.) Anyway, with Charlie Rangel imploding, our own Sander Levin appears in line to take the Chair of Ways and Means, roughly the fifth most powerful position in the U.S. House. Our leaders - Dingell, Conyers, Kildee, Carl Levin - aren't exactly in the prime of life, but we have to take what we can get. Taking them all together, I guess the lesson is that if you're part of the majority party, avoid scandal, don't lust for higher office, and pay attention to running effective reelection campaigns, you have all the makings of a power in Congress. Of course, you need to get elected in the first place while fairly young. The challenge to Sander by Mickey Switalski looks more quixotic than ever. |
