Patrick O'Connor

The fallout from the House Commerce chairmanship fight will ripple through Washington for years. But some lawmakers are worried about more immediate aftershocks. Chairman Henry Waxman has a handful of personnel decisions ahead, and those calls will be based on policy as much as personal politics.

Rep Henry Waxman (D-CA) on Thursday officially dethroned longtime House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI), upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades.