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After letting us all enjoy a good summer break, next week the U.S. Senate will start debating legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives. And in preparing for what is sure to be a spirited battle, big-name voting rights activists have recently stepped up the pressure with two back-to-back op-eds in Washington papers.
Yesterday Maryland's former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and former Oklahoma Republican Rep. J.C. Watts penned a piece in the Washington Times arguing that just like during the fight against slavery during the times of Abraham Lincoln, pushing for District voting rights should be a matter of principle for Republicans. They wrote:
The journey to this point in our nation's history has been both painful and rewarding. Tax-paying American citizens have voting representation regardless of race or gender — and location. Geography should no longer be a barrier for the citizens of Washington, D.C., to participate in our democracy, nor should it be a proxy for race.And today, the champions of the entire idea -- that's Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), D.C. Del Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Ut.) -- took to the pages of the Post, similarly pitching the merits of District voting rights. They argued:
We do not believe that the nation's Founders, fresh from fighting a war for representation, would have denied representation to the residents of the new capital they established. Some of these residents of Maryland and Virginia were undoubtedly veterans of the Revolutionary War, and residents of both states had voting representation. When accepting the land for the District, the First Congress honored a covenant to these first residents to observe existing laws of the donor states. They pledged that, when jurisdiction passed to Congress, it would "by law provide" for preserving the residents' rights. It is time to fulfill that promise by passing our historic bill.It's great to see pressure being applied like this. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has consistently threatened a filibuster, so we hope that the words of his fellow Republicans can serve to convince him that such a measure wouldn't serve his party well. With as bad as things are going for the Republican Party these days, maybe a little push for voting rights would give them something to feel proud of.
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McConnell's contact info:
Washington Office
361-A Russell Senate Office Building
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Phone: (202) 224-2541
Fax: (202) 224-2499
it's too bad they (and DCist) are wasting their time with an unconstitutional bill and, at the same time, calling it progress. A token vote in the house is a joke. DC residents deserve two senators as well. Anything less will still be second-class citizenship.
We DC residents don't deserve the right to vote. We do, however, deserve the right to have the rest of the country's best descend upon our city and violate the sanctity of our train-station's bathrooms, proposition our college students, and frequent our hookers.
Someone explain to me why all the writers for DCist seem to cream their pants for Tom Davis. He's the third author of the article in question - not first, as this post implies. We also see his name in the next post, also touted as a DC vote loving potential VA senate candidate. There have been similar posts for awhile now. I think...just think...that he has more of a record than just pushing voting rights.
As chair of the House Government Reform Committe he said he knew about the condition problems at Walter Reed dating back to 2004, yet did nothing and accepted more and more contributions from the company contracted to operate the hospital. What a great guy.
Guest #2 wrote: "it's too bad they (and DCist) are wasting their time with an unconstitutional bill and, at the same time, calling it progress. A token vote in the house is a joke."
Unconstitutional? Maybe? I'm no lawyer. But...
1) one vote in the House is one more than we have right now, and;
2) should we get the vote in the House and the courts take it away it was only further publicize our plight, thereby making it more likely to get a constitutional amendment. Most Americans, when they hear the facts, support voting rights for the District.
Lastly, I don't believe the District will ever get two Sentors. Not a chance.
Who are the key swing senators to target?
The bill's not perfect, but it's this approach or nothing for this Congress -- and likely any other before Utah gets another seat in 2012 anyway.
It's been a full court press on the Senate all summer, but we need to keep up the grassroots pressure. Get your friends and family to go to FreeAndEqualDC.com and send a message to their US Senators on our behalf. It only takes a few minutes, and will make a difference!
Thanks again to Martin and DCist for giving this issue the attention it deserves.
"Lastly, I don't believe the District will ever get two Sentors. Not a chance."
I'm pretty sure the constitution says that the Senate is composed of two senators from each territory of the states. That's what the Senate is. I think it would take a constitutional ammendment to change that rule - so if DC becomes a regognized state, then it automatically gets to send two senators, I would think.
I'd also like to point out that the original territory of DC included the large part of Southwest that is now known as Arlington, was given away to Virgina before the Civil War as the South was splitting off. Those residents now have a vote because of their choice to succeed from the District of Columbia, and join a recognized state of the South.
Why dont we argue for no taxes?
In actual legislative practice, a vote is not just a vote. It is leverage to get the other guy to have the patience to understand your point of view. DC needs a vote if only to keep Congress from meddling in our affairs. Andrew Jackson understood this. Senators should, too, before they vote.
BTW, in our system of government, any issues of constitutionality are determined by the courts, not Congress or the Executive.