Updated Forecast: In Excess of 8" of Snow, Plus Wind
Federal Govt. Closed Tuesday
And Now, 10-20 Inches
Morning Roundup: After the Snowfall Edition
MORE 2:28 p.m.: D.C. Vote Executive Director Ilir Zherka just returned our call, and takes issue with our characterization that the D.C. House Voting Rights Act is "dead."
"We're going to get this done, the question is when," Zherka said.
"We've got the time and we've got the votes. Any timeline is artificial, and it was artificial from the start," he said.
Despite today's setback, Zherka said DC Vote is committed to the bill in its current form, and has no plans to abandon the bi-partisan, Utah-involved compromise legislation that's already passed the Senate. Under the current bill, Utah would get a seat only until the 2010 Census, which does seem to indicate that time is of the essence for Utah to still care about their part of this legislation.
The voting rights group may be not thinking about a different bill, but they are refocusing their strategy on "fighting for local democracy," or in other words, lobbying against the Ensign amendment and other such interference in local matters from Congress.
Here's the statement released by leading voting rights non-profit DC Vote upon hearing the news that Steny Hoyer and Eleanor Holmes Norton appear to have delivered a death blow to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act.
"The fight is far from over," said Ilir Zherka, DC Vote Executive Director. "We will do everything in our power to pass the DC Voting Rights Act in this Congress. But, it's obvious that we'll also need to take our battle on guns to the next level. Unfortunately we know that the NRA will continue to find a vehicle for the Ensign amendment and we will fight this at every step."This version of the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, which would grant a single voting member both to D.C. and, temporarily, to Utah, already failed in two consecutive Congresses.Zherka noted that DC Vote has recently revamped its mission to include fighting for not only full congressional representation, but "full democracy."
"We have always engaged in local Home Rule issues," said Zherka. "But now we are empowered to use more of our resources to defeat the gun amendment."
He emphasized that the organization will continue its fight to get the DC voting rights bill passed. Majority Leader Hoyer also stated his commitment to the legislation. He told reporters that he "will not give up on this bill."
"We are so grateful for Majority Leader Hoyer's commitment to this issue," Zherka added. "We are confident that with the continued support of the House Leadership, that the DC Voting Rights Act will pass in the 111th Congress."
UPDATE 2:37 p.m. Here's D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray's statement:
I am disappointed at the news that House of Representatives action on D.C. voting rights legislation has been postponed indefinitely. We began this year with a high level of enthusiasm and optimism that the time finally had arrived when the D.C. taxpayers would get a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, a step toward full enfranchisement. By the same token, the onerous and dangerous nature of the Ensign amendment, which would remove major provisions of the District’s gun control legislation and most importantly eliminate the authority of the Council to legislate in this area in the future, perhaps makes this delay a necessary step for now. We will continue our efforts to enfranchise the citizens of the District of Columbia while not having to pay that heavy price.
The Council is deeply appreciative of the efforts by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, our Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and voting rights advocates, who devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to securing the vote for D.C. We remain hopeful that the right set of circumstances will lead to another opportunity for democracy finally to come to our city.
UPDATE 5:02 p.m. Aaaand At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown:
Those who say voting rights is dead issue have stopped believing. We are bound by the forces of history and justice to succeed. We will not be deterred by the discriminate acts of a few who would hold democracy hostage at the barrel of a gun. I stand by DC Vote, my colleagues and the residents as we continue our march toward progress. I want thank to Congresswoman Norton and Majority Leader Hoyer for their steadfast commitment to seeing this through.
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You just know Shadow Senator Paul Strauss is crying into his bourbon. I just hope he's not driving home.
"We have always engaged in local Home Rule issues," said Zherka. "But now we are empowered to use more of our resources to defeat the gun amendment."
It is not their mission to defeat gun amendments.
Zherka, perhaps you should stick to a cause everyone endorses, that being DC voting rights.
I don't see what a voting organization has to do with a separate Bill of Rights access-denial issue.
Perhaps they ought to focus on defeating Home Rule. I understand there are some things Congress may always need to approve (such as any legislation that might directly impact federal facilities or operations)--but surely issue affecing only the resident populace could be transferred to DC Government control some how. Although as incompetant as DC Government can be I'm not sure this would be very reassuring either...
It's unfortunate that the NRA is allowed to control the lives of over half a million residents so easily...
Defeating Home Rule? Do you mean statehood?
Also, right, it was the NRA who did this. It has nothing to do with the fact that DC politicians have NO idea how to compromise and enjoy losing Supreme Court cases when they restrict the Bill of Rights. Nor when majorities in both houses supported both the law and the amendment.
Tim, don't you get it?? It is so much easier to blame the NRA bogeyman than to show some actual leadership and find a solution to the issue. Moral indignation is soooo much more fun and makes for much better press.
It is not the NRA, it is the DC Council. They are the ones that got us into the mess.
My Press Confrence about this whole matter...........
One of the reasons why I won't move into DC is because Washingtonians will forever be the bitches of the federal government. It's shameful how the city passively tolerates its disenfranchisement.
agreed. except i am a DC resident. and i have a drinking problem.
Wow, that Zherka guy is even more of a clueless, deluded fool than first impressions would indicate.
I know. That is kind of sad.
Illirelre, How about finding away to take the gun issue off the table? How about a public statement blaming the Council's petulance on the issue. Where was the public statement back in December warning that their actions would make our efforts for representation even harder?
So now you are going to put your resources into lobbying against the NRA to Congressmen whose constituents don't even know who you are and who don't give a rat's ass about DC representation? Good luck with that.
You know what else? "Ilir Zherka" is an anagram for "kill her a Zir." And people wonder why the Zir population in DC is hovering at dangerous levels, just like a poorly-navigated asschaps monkey in a jetpack. Coincidence?
Cherchez la Zherka.
Hey DC Vote, I'll tell ya why we don't have voting representation in Congress. I send you my address and put up with your endless, babbling spam, and six years later I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED MY GOD DAMN TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION STICKER!
"We're going to get this done, the question is when," Zherka said.
Famous last words of the guy who spent half a century perfecting the monkey-in-asschaps navigated jetpack. We're still waiting.
He died in a fire, too.
Look, when Utah or Nevada passes stupid, probably-unconstitutional restrictions on abortion, I don't get to vote on that. So why do they get to determine what the District does? If you think the gun regulations are wrong, fine; but you should still be pissed off that people from across the country get to weigh in on our local government.
Because, unfortunately, that is what the constitution says. This was one (albeit small) step towards changing that. Just saying "it's not right" has not gotten us anywhere.
But the point isn't just to get a Congressperson; the goal is to get local autonomy, the same as any other city has. Saying that we'll accept a Congresscritter as long as the NRA gets veto power over our laws defeats much of the purpose of representation. So I don't blame DC Vote for focusing more on what seems to be the bigger outrage right now.
First, NRA does not have "veto power" that is a strawman. Republicans and Dems alike have moved more in support of the second amendment.
Second, it is just a step. My response to the vote in the House would be, "thank you very much, now lets talk about the Senate."
The VRA is not the end goal, but it is a step in the right direction. Holding out to have it all at once is a losing proposition.
Point taken.
This is why we have alcohol and drugs to buffer the pain.
Aside from the asinine 10-o-clock curfew of no beer or wine from the mom-n-pops and that certain very fun drugs alleviate the stress and pressures of everyday life. I'm not only a bitcher, but I'm soaking in it.
AHHHHHHHHH ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS VOTE ON THE DAMN THING!!!! Good way to make a bad day worse. If they had just voted on it, and it had failed, then we could go directly to trying for statehood. Time for the revolution. Who's with me?!!!!!!!!!
I also like how the rocket scientists at DCVOTE are saying "Hey, let's expand our mission from lobbying for one locally popular, but losing issue to include another locally popular, but losing issue."
Smart guys.
more like retarded monkeys
I often think the question "why are there so many gun advocates on the internet" is directly correlated with the question "why are there so many grown ups posting on the internet who still live in their parents' basements?"
Anyhow, I generally agree the gun issue shouldn't be entangled with this. Actually, the District could sidestep the whole Constitutional issue, nonsensical as it may be, by simply passing legislation that criminalizes any use of guns -- whether firing or simply brandishing, even in self defense in one's own home. The Constitution says nothing about gun use. The perfectly logical justification is that in an urban environment, even so called "self defense" uses pose an unjustifiable threat to anyone else in the vicinity.
I'm pretty sure discharging a firearm within DC city limits is itself a criminal act. Let me check with my lawyer.
(dangles banana from fishing pole into den of Travis the Face Eating chimp)
Yup. It's illegal.
I like the thinking, but discharging a firearm in DC is already illegal.
You both missed my point, which is to make any use illegal. That includes brandishing, or using a firearm in any way to threaten another individual. You point a gun at someone, or even in any way hint that it may come into use, you go to jail.
Also illegal. You can't even "brandish" a firearm. Of course, it is illegal for you to take it out of your house. As for the self-defense issue, Heller was clear in that self defense in the home is protected.
Congratulations, you've thought up another law which directly goes against the Heller SCOTUS ruling. You could run for DC Council!
I believe we should also make a law which requires DC Police to trade in their death machines for something less dangerous, like Super Soakers. Doubly effective against witches.
Oh well, at least I still have my CHUD Bubbles.
How in the hell is DC Vote to blame? The elected officials are the ones that need to be kicked in the ass. No consensus from them. Eleanor says one thing, Fenty says something else and then to add to the confusion, the City Council stirs the pot to mix everything all up. Ilir is not my problem Eleanor Holmes Norton is my problem and something is definitely wrong with our Council members. They are too weak and inexperienced to run this city.
I want this bill passed and I want somebody who is willing to do it, to pass it now. Talk about the lack of leadership. DAMN!!
DCVote is not to "blame" per se, but they are NOT part of the solution--and have made it clear that they will not be. As an advocacy group, they should be pushing for a solution to get the gun issue off the table. From what I see (publicly, at least), they just parrot back the tired mantras that have gotten us no where in the past 30 years. I gave them money eons ago, but not any more.
Why would anyone give $35 to a group that will do nothing to advance the cause and rely on fear-mongering and lies when EHN and Mendo will do it for free?
WHAT!? You are so misinformed. DC Vote was busting it's ass trying to get that amendment removed. You need to be more informed and involved. Oh, and it takes more than $35 dollars, its takes activism as well. Pathetic. You need to pay closer attention to what is really going on here.
I KNOW DCVote was pushing to get the vote removed, but anyone with a lick of sense could have told you that was a losing endeavor. You just needed to add up the votes. It was not going to happen. I am just suggesting that DCVote act as an "honest broker", see the writing on the wall and look for a solution. If not compromise could be found, they should have pushed for the bill with the admendment.
Again, THERE WAS NEVER ANY CHANCE THE AMENDMENT WAS GOING TO BE REMOVED!!! Despite the rhetoric, everyone knew this was the case.
When Fenty suggested sucking up the gun amendment, where was the statement by DCVote saying that was an avenue to consider? When Cheh (Cheh!) suggested she would accept Maryland-style laws, did DCVote see if they could get some consensus on the Council for this?
Again, it is not their fault this failed. I just think that they could have done more to really find a solution. Previously I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they were doing this behind the scenes, but since they announced today that they have become a defender of DC's unconstitutional gun laws, I don't think this was the case.
Again, they undermined their "honest broker" position.
What are you talking about? Of course the amendment was not going to be removed. That is not the issue. The issue is that there was no consensus which resulted in no compromise. Are you paying attention?! If one group of people are pushing in one direction and another group is pulling in another, nothing will get done. Get it?! Sounds familiar? I don't vote for DC Vote. But I do vote for my City Council members and my delegate. DC Vote can only do for so much. It's a great organization, but they are limited. Those people in the Wilson Building are NOT!!
Death the Voting Rights Act, Long live DC Statehood!
So you said, "of course the amendment was not going to be removed" and "DCVote busted its ass to get the amendment removed." Hmm..sounds like they were wasting their time.
no, you don't vote for DCvote. As such, I would have hoped they used their political knowledge to find an alternative to advance the cause. There were several.
So, you just refuse to see the bigger picture. Ok, I will let you stay that way. Good luck with your life. It must be pretty miserable. I have better things to do than talk to small minded people.
Don't know where you are coming from. I am very involved in this issue, and have been very aggressive with letting my opinions be known to my elected representatives. I am tired of not having representation and tired of people getting shouted down for daring to suggest realistic alternatives. We WILL lose the gun laws either by congress or by the courts and STILL not have the vote. How does that help?
Not sure I understand either. I'm pretty sure we can all agree that DC pols should have had a group meeting to come up with a united front that actually had a chance at passing the bill. Sadly, our politicians thought that moral indignation was more in-line with the voting public than concrete progress on the issue, albeit with a compromise (which is likely to happen elsewhere, anyway.)
Any chance this bill dying will kickstart our leaders into behaving like pragmatic, rational adults on the issue?
::crickets chirping::
To 50 states:
"Don't MAKE me pry my ballot from your cold dead fingers!"
DC denizens