Tallmanok2's Blog

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick won't reveal if she voted to oust fellow Congressman John Dingell from a key leadership post, despite claims she did so as payback for him calling on her son to resign as mayor.

Her offices were flooded Friday by upset callers accusing Kilpatrick of contributing to Dingell's removal as House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman. Detroit radio shows -- one of which called her "Delilah" -- urged listeners to call the congresswoman's offices in protest. Dingell lost control over the committee that sets automobile policy by a secret 137-122 vote Thursday.

"Only the congresswoman knows how she voted," said Keirana Barrett, a Kilpatrick aide. "We wanted people to understand the process. This is a secret process."

The callers aren't alone in thinking Kilpatrick sabotaged Dingell.

Mary Waters, one of Kilpatrick's two unsuccessful primary challengers, sent out a statement Thursday calling the congresswoman "a vindictive Trojan horse" whose "selfishness has caused irreparable harm to the people of Michigan." Waters plans to campaign against Kilpatrick again in 2010.

Michigan's other House Democrats openly supported Dingell and encouraged fellow Democrats to keep him as chairman over Henry Waxman, a Californian who has long advocated higher fuel economy standards for the auto industry.

A whip team trying to build support for Dingell wanted to send out a letter to all House members showing united support in Dingell's home state delegation, but couldn't because of Kilpatrick's publicly neutral stance.

The vote was close, and Dingell would have won if eight votes had gone his way instead of to Waxman.

"Who knows whether she could have made the difference, but obviously she wasn't helpful," says Larry Sabato, a politics expert at the University of Virginia.

"It is conceivable. And one would assume that some people will seek revenge in 2010. She was almost defeated this year, and payback is hell."

Dingell contributed $1,000 to Kilpatrick on July 30, while she faced a primary challenge from Waters and others. After the election, on Aug. 14, Dingell called on her son, then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, to resign because of the text-message scandal and new allegations he shoved two court officers.

"Once again, Carolyn Kilpatrick is allowing her personal feelings to get in the way of taking care of business, both for the 13th Congressional District and the state of Michigan," said Waters. "It was important to have Congressman Dingell chair the Energy and Commerce Committee. And she undermined him."

Kilpatrick didn't return phone calls seeking comment, but she issued a statement saying she's committed to Michigan.

"I have and will always vote in the best interests of the constituents of Michigan's 13th Congressional District and the citizens of the State of Michigan.

"As the only appropriator from the State of Michigan, I am committed to advocating for health care and environmental justice for all Americans," the statement concludes.

Is it just me or do others wish they would drop a house on her?