By Associated Press
Washington, DC – Years ago, colorful Southern politicians ruled the roost on Capitol Hill, presiding with near-authoritarian control over panels that wrote the nation's tax laws, set federal spending, and steered subsidies to cotton and peanut farmers back home.
In 1965, Southerners chaired about two-thirds of the committees in the House and Senate.
But Dixie's heyday in Congress has come and gone. Today it's rare to find anyone with a Southern accent in a position of power. And, since the Democratic victories in November, congressional historians say the region's clout has dropped to its lowest level in at least 50 years.
In the current Congress, there is not one Southern committee chairmen in the Senate. And there are just four in the House. House Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina is the only Southerner in the top tier of majority leadership.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)