Wheels up! On my way to the #RNCinCLE in Cleveland, Ohio to continue building nationwide support for #DCStatehood.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) July 19, 2016
With that, Mayor Muriel Bowser was off to the Republican National Convention, seeking bipartisan support for her statehood bid.
But even if she manages to evade the reported norovirus outbreak among convention staffers, she still has long odds of success.
The recently approved GOP platform calls out Bowser and the D.C. Council for “attempting to seize from the Congress its appropriating power over all funding for the District” and says the “illegality of their action mirrors the unacceptable spike in violent crime and murders currently afflicting the city.” It also calls for Congress to assert its power over the District “by whatever means necessary.”
The platform also isn’t too hot on the idea of making D.C. the 51st star on the flag.
Statehood for the District can be advanced only by a constitutional amendment. Any other approach would be invalid. A statehood amendment was soundly rejected by the states when last proposed in 1976 and should not be revived.
Bowser’s plan for statehood does not include a constitutional amendment.
While anti-home rule language was included in a subcommittee during drafting last week, D.C. GOP Executive Director Patrick Mara said that D.C. delegates successfully deleted it. The Washington Post reports that Tony Perkins, the right wing activist who once said gay marriage would lead to “blood on our streets,” got it reinstated.
“The party has some partially fossilized members on this, and I don’t see progress until they are fully fossilized,” Mara told The Post.
While many Republicans shroud their opposition in talks about constitutional fealty, Ohio Governor John Kasich just came out and said that he was against statehood because “that’s just more votes in the Democratic Party.”
That doesn’t mean Bowser isn’t trying to speak the language of the GOP. “Make America Great, ADD the 51st state!” the handouts say.
Gave @tomsherwood a preview of our handout to promote #DCStatehood at #RNCinCLE https://t.co/xkkQg4m3KQ #51stState pic.twitter.com/zu1BSlWuK3
— MurielBowser (@MurielBowser) July 19, 2016
Photos show that the handouts boast about D.C.’s balanced budget, AA and AAA bond ratings, cash reserves, and more. Red, white, and blue M&Ms are stapled to the sheets of paper.
Good news for Bowser is that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump doesn’t seem too opposed to D.C. statehood, though he hasn’t come out with an official position, and back in 2007, vice presidential candidate Mike Pence said, “I support giving the District of Columbia a vote in the ‘People’s House.'” Statehood advocates are handing out Pence’s quotes about statehood, according to Mark Segraves of NBC 4.
On Tuesday evening, Bowser is slated to attend a dinner in support of statehood, along with actors like Harry Hamlin, William Baldwin, Tim Daly, and more, according to a release from the Creative Coalition.
There’ll be much more support for the measure in Philadelphia next week, considering the Democratic National Platform includes support for statehood, and presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton has promised to be “a vocal champion for D.C. statehood.”
At home, Bowser’s plan faces criticism from activists who say the process has moved too quickly.
“For those of us that have been working hard on statehood, it took the wind out of a lot of people’s sails to have this process pushed down our throats,” said Josh Burch, an organizer with Neighbors United for DC Statehood. “I know people who will be voting against statehood because of this process.
Updated with information about D.C. statehood dinner.
Rachel Kurzius