Michigan's newfound clout in Congress is confirmed by the appointment of Reps. Dave Camp of Midland and Fred Upton of St. Joseph to represent House Republicans on the Super Committee charged with finding $2.4 trillion in deficit reductions by Thanksgiving.

Camp and Upton were picked by House Speaker John Boehner largely because of their chairmanships of key committees — Camp heads Ways and Means and Upton Energy and Commerce. They are also seasoned, level-headed representatives who have not been caught up in the hard-line partisanship raging in Washington.

In choosing Camp and Upton, along with the more conservative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, Boehner rebuffed demands that he appoint at least one member of the freshman tea party caucus to the bipartisan panel that will put flesh on the recent debt ceiling deal.

That should take away a major talking point Democrats have used to cover their intransigence in deficit reduction talks, and it offers hope that something significant can come out of this exercise.

It also should give Michigan optimism that its needs won't be overlooked in the negotiations. What Michigan needs most is jobs.

Jobs should be a primary focus of the Super Committee.

Reducing government spending without throwing more people out of work will be a delicate task, since the debt-ceiling agreement already cuts $900 billion from discretionary programs. There is risk in decelerating spending too rapidly.

Raising taxes in a faltering economy also would negatively impact growth and employment. Camp and Upton are not likely to be bullied into increasing taxes on investors.

That leaves entitlement programs as the most fruitful source of deficit reduction. There's no disagreement that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid can't continue on their current course to insolvency.

Significant reforms must be made, including raising the retirement age, reducing pay-outs and engaging recipients more actively in their own health care. These decisions can't be avoided if the deficit is to be reduced for the long-term.

Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave his three appointments to Democratic senators — John Kerry of Massachusetts, Max Baucus of Montana and Patty Murray of Washington — who are on the record as opposing revamping Social Security and Medicare. Kerry is intensely partisan — he was first out of the chute with the ridiculous "tea party downgrade" allegation.

Reid also intentionally avoided the Gang of Six Democrats who have proven an ability to forge bipartisan agreements.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., named Jon Kyl of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is backed by the tea party, as the GOP Senate contingent. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has yet to make her picks to the Super Committee.

As the group currently stands, Upton and Camp appear to be the best hope that practical voices will be heard.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110811/OPINION01/108110341/1008/opinion01/Camp--Upton-bring-level-heads-to-Super-Committee