It doesn't matter what Obama thinks. All of the other states would have to ratify DC becoming a state and that will never happen.
On Jan 1, 10:06 am, mike 532 <[email protected]> wrote: > With Obama, DC Residents Hope for a Voice > Voting act would give delegate full > power.http://www.truthout.org:80/123108VA > Washington - In recent years, residents of this city - the "last > colony," some call it - have resorted to political theater in their > fight for representation in Congress. They dumped tea into the > Potomac > River. They sarcastically petitioned for reunification with Britain. > They produced license plates that proclaimed they lived in a place of > "Taxation Without Representation," which President Bush refused to > put > on his limousine. > > But now, after two centuries of complaint, the District of > Columbia may finally be about to get a full-voting representative, if > not two US senators and the ultimate goal of statehood. President- > elect Barack Obama is an original cosponsor of the DC Voting Rights > bill, which would turn the city's congressional delegate, who has > limited power, into a full-fledged member of the US House. > > Some are hoping Obama will also back measures eventually leading > to statehood. The issue could be one of the first legislative > initiatives of his presidency, and a test of his commitment to make > life better for the district's 581,000 residents, who on average pay > some of the nation's highest federal income tax bills. > > Backers of the legislation say it is a matter of basic democratic > rights and fairness because the lack of representation in the House > and Senate disenfranchises a city where African-Americans make up 56 > percent of the population - a point made all the more dramatic with > Obama, the first black person to be elected president, about to move > into the White House. > > "You would have thought there were no Americans left without > representation in the people's House by the time you had your first > African-American in the White House," said Eleanor Holmes Norton, the > district's elected delegate to Congress who is allowed to vote in > committee and on some procedural matters, but not on the final > passage > of legislation. "So, if anything, Obama has leaped over history." > > Ilir Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, which is funded > partly > by city taxpayers, said he hoped the issue would gain notice as the > nation focuses on Obama's arrival at the White House. "D.C. residents > serve in the armed forces but don't have a vote on whether we go to > war," he said. "On all of the national questions that Congress > addresses, D.C. residents lack the power to shape any of those." > > Advocates nearly won approval last year of full voting rights for > D.C.'s delegate. The bill easily passed the House and fell three > votes > short of overcoming a filibuster in the Senate. Obama himself was a > prime sponsor in the Senate. Bush, by contrast, threatened to veto > it. > > In an effort to make a deal palatable, backers crafted a > compromise that would give Utah an extra seat in the House, while > putting off the question of giving Washington, D.C., two senators or > granting statehood. The deal was designed to keep the partisan > balance > in the House because a Democrat would almost certainly be elected > from > the nation's capital and a Republican would come from Utah. > > But the political equation could unravel. Jason Chaffetz, who > last > month won election to Congress from Utah, said his state shouldn't > get > another House member if it means an extra one would be awarded to > Washington. > > "I think it is trying to cut a backroom deal with Utah and I > think > it is wrong," Chaffetz said, arguing that the effort is > unconstitutional. And without any D.C. deal, Utah officials already > expect to get an additional US House seat - from redistricting after > the 2010 census. > > Chaffetz said he agrees with backers of D.C. voting rights on the > underlying issue, saying, "Taxation without representation is > fundamentally wrong." > > But the Republican said the way to gain that representation would > be for Washington's residents either to win congressional support for > statehood or to try to reunite with Maryland, which once owned the > land on which Washington is situated. (Virginia also gave land for > Washington, but recovered it in the 19th century.) It is considered > highly unlikely such a measure would be supported either in the > District of Columbia or Maryland. > > For now, the emphasis is on having a full-voting representative > in > the House. Holmes Norton, who is confident that the larger Democratic > majority in the incoming Congress will pass the measure, has > suggested > that the bill be approved in time for Obama to sign it by Feb. 12, > the > birthday of Abraham Lincoln, his political hero who signed the > Emancipation Proclamation. > > But the measure remains controversial, with the main opposition > coming from Republicans who believe it will inevitably lead to a > follow-up bill calling for the district to also get two senators, > which would probably increase Democratic power in the Senate. > > Now that it appears the city may get its full-fledged US > representative, the bigger question has become whether Obama would > lead a broader effort for senators or statehood, which even some of > the strongest advocates view as politically unrealistic in the > immediate future. > > Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat and a > leading advocate of broader representation for the city's residents, > said through a spokeswoman that he "supports the idea of D.C. > statehood, but the reality is that the DC Voting Rights Act has the > best chance of passing at this time." > > While there have been a number of reports that suggest that Obama > has said he supports statehood, the word is sometimes used in a > general way to indicate support for the more limited voting rights > bill. > > An Obama spokesman, asked whether the president-elect supports > statehood, declined to respond directly, instead issuing a statement > that said: "The president-elect is a strong supporter of D.C. voting > rights because he believes that all Americans should have a voice in > our Democratic process." > > While Washington, D.C., has more residents than Wyoming, and > nearly as many as Vermont, the city's residents have been denied full > representation in Congress on grounds that such rights were withheld > in the Constitution, which says Congress has the exclusive right to > legislate in the district that holds the national seat of government. > Supporters of voting representation for Washington say that the > Constitution gives Congress the authority to seat a House member from > the district, while opponents vow to take the matter to the US > Supreme > Court if necessary. > > The Constitution was amended in 1961 to allow Washington > residents > to vote in presidential elections, and the city was granted home rule > in the 1970s, enabling its citizens to elect a mayor and its > government to make many decisions for itself. But Congress has > regularly tried to step into local matters. > > Backers of voting rights for D.C. residents have asked for a > meeting with Obama to discuss his views. Meanwhile, they are hoping > that when he rides in the presidential limousine on the day of his > inauguration, he will approve the use of the license plate that says > "Taxation Without Representation," symbolizing his sympathy with the > cause. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
