How do the candidates stand on the issue of statehood for D.C.?

[theHandpuppet]

I don't live in the District but this has to be one of the most shameful travesties of our political system.
D.C. residents deserve the same kind of representation as everyone else in this country. Talk about disenfranchised citizens! And Eleanor Holmes Norton deserves a much bigger stage.



Happy reminder for the day...
Think of it -- less than a year and the current fools-in-residence will be gone. GONE!!!

[chimpymustgo]

1. I know Clinton favors it, and Obama must - he's being supported by Mayor Fenty

and former Mayor (now Council member - Ward 8) Marion Barry.

[Kaylee]

9. Yep. They both do.

I remember when Bill put the "NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION' license plates on the Presidential Limo. Of course, Bush took them off when he became President.

[Selatius]

2. The Establishment would say no.

D.C. is predominantly Democratic voting, if I remember correctly. If D.C. is made into the 51st state, they automatically get two senate seats, and they would likely be dominated by Democrats. Republicans, especially in rural states, would never sign off on such a move. Also, how many votes would D.C. get in the Electoral College to determine the president? What if the new balance happens to swing in favor of larger states vs. smaller states? Smaller states would object for fear of losing their slight advantage there.

[theHandpuppet]

4. So we refuse about a million folks Senate representation?

I'm sorry, but that just ain't right.

[Selatius]

6. I didn't suggest a solution, merely stated my opinion.

For the frank truth, they should be given representation, or absorbed into one of the neighboring states with representation.

[northzax]

8. closer to 600,000

but yes. it will require a constitutional amendment, and that ain't happening anytime soon.

and I am drinking out of my DC Voting rights coffee mug right now.

[theHandpuppet]

10. I'm sorry, then.

If I could I'd vote for your statehood right now. Some things just aren't right and we (as a party) haven't been fighting hard enough for you. I'll bet a majority of Americans aren't even aware of this issue.

[Selatius]

3. Duplicate. n/t

[chimpymustgo]

7. Then we need to stop paying effing taxes. Taxation WITHOUT representation.

We need to make this happen in January 09.

[demnan]

5. It's principle advocate in Congress on the Republican side

Tom Davis (VA-11) retires this year.

[cloudythescribbler]

11. Statehood for DC is a longstanding element of the Democratic Party platform, I believe, BUT ...

(there's always a "but" in such things) the reality is that statehood for DC would not ONLY empower the Democratic Party as a whole, but (and THIS IS CRUCIAL) it would empower a particular wing of the Democratic Party: African-American voters in DC. This group is likely to be more liberal, and to strengthen the (for lack of better terminology) "Rainbow" wing of the Democrats at the expense of the "DLC" "Democrats".

Although there is little doubt that racism is an intrinsically political phenomenon, here is a specific example (like Repugs doing everything they can to disenfranchise blacks) of what I call, for obvious reasons "political racism". Political racism is one of the forms in which overt and usually covert racism survives and continues to thrive as a powerful, not to be underestimated, force in the US today and for the foreseeable future.

At the risk of being labelled a sentimentalist racist by some, I would speculate that, while the Clinton Administration put little effort into the abysmally unsuccessful effort in Congress to grant statehood in the opening period of his presidency, Obama would likely make sure to get it done. It is a guess, but I'd say an educated guess and a reasonable one.

[theHandpuppet]

12. Political racism is an apt description

There can be no other rational explanation for this injustice.

[Adelante]

13. Obama favors DC voting rights

He is very good on voting rights in general and election protection.

Obama is a co-sponsor of S.1257

District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007

In addition to co-sponsoring, Obama voted it Yes out of committee in June:

The DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 1257) passed 9-1 in a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at 10:00 AM in 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), George Voinovich (R-OH), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Carl Levin (D-MI), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Barack Obama (D-IL) and Jon Tester (D-MT) voted for the measure. The sole no vote came from Senator John Warner (R-VA). DC Vote's supporters and coalition partners played a crucial role in bringing the support of the three Republicans who voted for the bill!

http://www.dcvote.org/events/event.cfm?eventID=335


A month later when the Mayor of DC endorsed Obama, Obama said:

"Folks in D.C. still don't have a voice in their national government. That's wrong," Obama said. "Residents shouldn't be treated like tenants."


He also co-sponsored S.195 in 2005:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN00195:@@@P

And stood to introduce it on the Senate floor:

109th CONGRESS, 1st Session

S. 195 To provide for full voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

http://www.dcvote.org/advocacy/material.cfm?legID=27