Waxman's Boorish Behavior -- and Poor Professionalism

Congressman Henry Waxman displays one of the most aggressive, confrontational, and unacceptable demeanors for a professional legislator. He has harrassed witnesses dragged before the Government Oversight Committee during his chairmanship. He shuts down the opposition on investigatory panels. His partisanship wars against the respect that bipartisanship requires in the fractious halls of today's  Washington polity.

Even as a ranking committee member, Waxman betrays a straining resistance to proper committee decorum. Recently, Republican chairmen are manifesting a sterner stance against "sonofab---ch" Waxman, a politician who had solidified brazenly, proudly, a rough reputation and shows no sign of abating and reaching across the aisle in a civl manner.

Is this the best that the Santa Monica Bay can send to Washington? Following the YoutTube links below, one can appreciate the wide and denigrating sampling of Waxman's boorish and uncivil behavior in Congress.

In the first scene, provided below, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich outlines a telling and commensurate understanding of the Waxman-Markey bill, American Clean Energy and Security Act, ACES, H.R. 2454 (including cap and trade). tTowards the latter part of the clip, notice how Waxman remains silent while Gingrich rips up the officious proposal that would attempt to save the environment while killing jobs and burdening American taxpayers. The verbal theatrics that Waxman engages to stop a worthy refutation of his climate change proposals are enough to convince even a new viewer of Waxman's weary work-ups that he needs to pack up and retire from Congress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44fPSn7VxKs&feature=related


During his brief, heated, and ultimately hated tenure as Government Oversight Committee Chairman (2007-2011), Waxman threatened to remove Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-California) during one hearing, who had justly requested that the chairman respect regular order, honor the other members who had questions of their own. It is telling how Waxman loves to shut down comments and queries from opposition members, yet he bites and snipes at leadership when reduced to ranking membership (see exchange with Ed Whitfield below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr3HuRZFbfk&feature=related

(P.S. The gavel is not a weapon, Mr. Wack-man.)


As minority leader, John Boehner (R-Ohio) ripped through the 300 page climate change bill, Cap & Trade HR 2454 a job-killer and bureaucracy-booster shepherded to the House floor by Henry Waxman. Boehner outlined sensibly the rank failure of this bill to protect the environment without taxing the American people and throttling any meaningful economic recovery. Parliamentary maneuvers on the part of the California Democrat proved rude and ultimately moot. The amendment did not pass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jbMzaQZ_G4&feature=related


Ed  Whitfield of Kentucky demonstrated a remarkable and calm savvy in the face of Mr. Waxman's disgraceful attempt to justify stopping construction on the Keystone Pipeline. Wonders indeed
abound why Mr. Waxman refused to present any decorum. He felt fully justified to shut down Mr. Issa three years ago, yet he sees no reason presently to respect the time yielded to him as a ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI1o3gKGXlI


Representative Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) served up Waxman a platter over the payroll tax-cut which Congress had stalled on. Ms.  Ellmers had no problem holding Senate as well as House Democrats responsible for their dragging out the legislation. Mr. Waxman has not lended any effort toward cutting back on the growing tax burden holding down American taxpayers. Left or right, voters in the United State need as much of a break as possible from Big Government and bigger expenditures, including the overbearing insurance mandate and cap and trade initiatives championed by Henry Waxman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31owQr9pyl0

Waxman wants to wipe out any opposition to his agenda, one which promotes green causes which will chase green (as in"money") out of this country. He fights with committee and floor participants, he cuts off opposing view points, he rejects decorum in a manner unfitting a representative.

The voters of the 33rd Congressional District need a representative who is willing to work with members of Congress, not just hammer away and bolster the partisanship which refused to reduce the deficits or diminish the national debt threatening our country's sovreignty and future.