Today, in a 137 to 122 vote among members of the Democratic Caucus, it was decided that John Dingell, the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee since 1981, would be replaced by California Congressman Henry Waxman.

The unthinkable has happened, Big John has been dethroned, and everyone is trying to make sense of it. I haven’t looked into it much yet, but apparently the vote, to a large degree, was divided along generational lines, with Waxman getting the support of younger, and often more environmentally-minded, members of the House. People are saying that respect for seniority is now officially dead on the Hill. Word is that other long-time Chairs of powerful committees, like Charlie Rangel (Ways and Means) and John Conyers (Judiciary) are feeling vulnerable. Regardless of whether or not she planned it, one thing is certain – the position of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had sparred with Dingell in the past on global warming, is considerably strengthened by fellow Californian Waxman’s victory. On the face of it - and I know this is overly simplistic - it looks like a good day for California and the environment, and a bad day for Michigan and the Big Three.

One wonders what all of this really means for Michigan, though… With their biggest ally in Congress now unable to call the shots, one imagines that increased regulation of the Big Three is imminent. There’s no reason to think that Waxman, who has long been advocating for more stringent fuel efficiency requirements for decades, would change his tune now that he controls the gavel. I would contend that may not, however, be such a bad thing for the state of Michigan.

I’m sad to see Dingell go. I personally like the man. As I’ve expressed here many times in the past, I just wish he had been faster to embrace reality relative to the Big Three and their insistence on selling us large gas-guzzlers that are destroying our environment and wasting a valuable resource that would be better used heating homes. I wish it had been him who had taken the lead relative to fuel efficiency and global warming instead of Waxman. Michigan, as I’ve said previously, could have led the country on reform. Given his knowledge of the system, I think he really could have helped bring about positive change. Instead, however, he dragged his feet. He said that global warming was bunk, and, instead of using his considerable talents to see a new, sustainable model put in place, he used them to create diversions.

So, now we wait. We wait to see what fate the men and women of Congress decide upon for the Big Three, and therefore our state. Hopefully, they will be both fair and firm, giving us the money we need to retool, but making us first provide a detailed plan for the future. And, hopefully, they won’t be punitive beyond asking for the heads of a few C-level executives. Whether it be though structured bankruptcy or bailout, hopefully they work with us to get Michigan working again.