On Senate Commerce, the ‘bipartisan party is over’

The politics on the Senate Commerce Committee are likely to change tempo after the retirement of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) this year: The grand waltz she’s had with Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) could be replaced by a mosh pit. Committee Democrats — even if they retain control — are expected to face a more conservative bloc of Republicans next January, likely led by firebrand Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Sen DeMint has seniority and political clout in his favor. And if tapped to lead panel Republicans, his rise would mark a departure from the committee’s more recent affable relations at a time when tech issues, more than ever, are on its radar. “After years of reckless spending and big government intervention from Washington, the Senate commerce committee needs to lead a new freedom agenda to overhaul outdated communications regulations, keep the Internet free from government control and new taxes and shrink the federal bureaucracy,” said Sen DeMint.