Dingell In The Crucible

You may not know it, but there's lots of hot energy bill action going on in the halls of the House, following last week's passage of the Senate version.

Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., is crafting its bill.

But Dingell is close to the auto industry and it's unclear if Speaker Nancy Pelosi will back his bill or try to strengthen it on the House floor. Pelosi is scheduled to hold a press conference about the bill tomorrow.

MoveOn.org has made waves by launching a pre-emptive strike on Dingell. Detroit Free Press reports:

Liberal political action group MoveOn.org launched an attack against Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., on Tuesday over his opposition to proposed increases in fuel economy standards, labeling him "Dingellsaurus" in a radio ad.

The group said it would hold rallies today outside Dingell's offices in Ann Arbor and Washington and spend about $25,000 on radio ads in Ann Arbor. The group said its backers would wear dinosaur costumes and carry signs that say "No Dingell Dinosaur Bill."

Dingell's House Energy and Commerce Committee will start debate today on an energy bill that doesn't include any fuel economy increases, after Dingell dropped an increase [riddled with loopholes -- ed.] favored by Detroit automakers following strong opposition from several Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

But Gristmill's David Roberts questions MoveOn's strategy.

Dingell has been sending mixed messages over the past few months. I noted earlier that Dingell expressed support for a cap -and-trade policy on carbon emissions. More recently, Roberts flagged Dingell's comments hinting at support for a tax on carbon pollution.

(There's a simmering wonk debate between cap-and-trade and carbon tax as to which would best make pollution costly, and in turn, reduce carbon emissions. Although, some like Al Gore, Sen. Chris Dodd and apparently Dingell don't see it as an either-or proposition.)

Roberts sees the glass half-full with Dingell, and argues positive pressure is the way to keep him on the side of angels:

An insulting attack from the left right now could get his dander up. He's no spring chicken -- he knows how to win a political knife fight. He can have it with greens, or he can have it with opponents of carbon caps. I'd much rather have him on our side.

IMO, the smarter play on MoveOn's part would have been to blast its three million members with the happy news: The fight for a carbon tax now has a key congressional ally! Tie Dingell to his words, and signal to every other member of Congress that a carbon tax is now a live issue, not a theoretical one.

While MoveOn presumably is concerned that Dingell's recent actions speak louder than his words, requiring more confrontational tactics. Just this month he tried to prevent states from implementing tough emissions standards on cars.

Dingell's fluid remarks make it difficult to know who has the best way to ensure he'll help move strong legislation, be it with the energy bill currently being hashed out, or with a carbon cap bill expected later this year.

As Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said at Take Back America, "Politicians see the light when they feel the heat," but also cautioned, "don’t turn your dissatisfaction into a cannibalistic enterprise."

It's a fine line to walk.

But one thing is for sure: Dingell statements show he was already feeling grassroots pressure before the MoveOn ad.

And as the House proceeds on its energy bill in the coming days, we'll know soon enough if MoveOn's specific approach keeps pushing him in a better direction, or not.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future