Archive for the 'DC enfranchisement' Category
Predictably Infuriating
Posted on May 21, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under Congress, DC enfranchisement, gay marriage | Leave a Comment
Ignore for a moment the validity of any argument that could be made either in favor of or against same-sex marriage. Under what possible definition of just government should Congress be able to define marriage law for a local jurisdiction, given that every other local jurisdiction in the country has complete control over its own [...]
Your Argument Is 100% Correct And 100% Irrelevant
Posted on April 17, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, blogosphere | Leave a Comment
Personal annoyance griping time: it really angers me when prominent pundits- especially those who actually do live in DC- mischaracterize DC to their audiences. Here’s Matthew Yglesias, frequent commenter on how Washington could be a better urban community (and usually right when it comes to those issues) laying out the case for why the District [...]
Just Throwing This Out There
Posted on March 30, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, electoral college | 2 Comments
I’m guessing the answer is, “No,” but do any of my readers know whether DC would be allowed to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact if it wanted to? I’m not opining on whether or not I think it should, I’m just wondering whether it could. The text of the 23rd Amendment, which gave [...]
A District Leader Who Actually Wants Congress To Take Away His Power
Posted on March 20, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under Adrian Fenty, DC enfranchisement | Leave a Comment
Guess who I’m not voting for in the 2010 mayoral election.
Americans Confused By Concept Of A State
Posted on March 3, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, polls | Leave a Comment
A new Rasmussen poll on the DC Voting Rights Act is getting some attention, as it appears to suggest that Americans don’t want DC residents to have the right to vote. I’m not surprised by the poll’s results, but that’s because the poll doesn’t actually demonstrate what Rasmussen claims it demonstrates.
I’ve always said that the [...]
Colonial Rule Continues
Posted on February 26, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement | Leave a Comment
Not only is the voting rights legislation insufficient, it now officially includes a violation of basic home-rule principles.
This bill is not a victory for Washington, DC. It is a clear loss. All it had in its favor was the minor symbolism of granting us a single meaningless vote in the House of Representatives. That symbolism [...]
Why Does John Ensign Hate Democracy?
Posted on February 26, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, John Ensign | Leave a Comment
I don’t mean that facetiously. I mean it literally. John Ensign actively opposes small-d democracy.
Some Progressives Get It
Posted on February 25, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, Democratic Party | Leave a Comment
As long as I’ve been taking potshots at big-name progressives who don’t understand the DC voting rights issue this week, I should note the ones who get it right. Specifically, Matthew Yglesias nails the utter failure of the national Democratic Party in this post. This is why I vote for the Statehood-Green Party candidate in [...]
Why Do None Of Them Get It?
Posted on February 24, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, Daily Kos, Netroots | Leave a Comment
Today, one of the Daily Kos front-pagers (and hence a relatively important person in the world of progressive activism), Barbara “BarbinMD” Morrill, incorrectly describes the DC voting rights legislation currently before the Congress:
It’s been discussed and fought over for years, and today finally comes to a head: The bill to give full voting rights to [...]
Just Say No To Retrocession
Posted on February 23, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement | Leave a Comment
No, Ezra Klein, no!
If the problem is that 100 is a nice, clean, number, then just take Bruce Bartlett’s advice and make us part of Maryland. Such a move even has a cool name: Retrocession.
Progressives absolutely must not not sell out DC (and Maryland, in this case) by supporting anything less than full voting rights [...]
Kay Hagan Needs To Hear From You
Posted on February 20, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement | Leave a Comment
Senator Kay Hagan, a supposed Democrat from North Carolina, apparently supports the continuation of second-class citizenship for myself and all nearly-600,000 of my fellow American citizens here in the nation’s capital.
Give her a call and tell her how you feel about that. 202-224-6342
Sphere: Related Content
A Note To The President
Posted on February 18, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under Barack Obama, DC enfranchisement | Leave a Comment
Mr. President,
I and thousands of other District residents supported you strongly throughout the presidential election. Do us a favor and put our license plates on your car. It won’t cost you anything, and we will appreciate it.
Sphere: Related Content
It’s Nice To Know They Care
Posted on February 17, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC, DC enfranchisement | Leave a Comment
Hey, look at that: The New York Times noticed that we lack any representation in Congress!
Sure, they failed to recognize that the currently proposed legislation is woefully insufficient when it comes to achieving actual, meaningful representation for the District, but at least they support this insufficient bandage of a bill!
Sphere: Related Content
Obama On Statehood
Posted on January 6, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under Barack Obama, DC enfranchisement | 3 Comments
In response to the comments below, I did some very quick searching and found a December article from Mother Jones that I can’t believe I missed earlier. As it turns out, while no one expects him to expend much political capital on the issue, our president-elect is not a supporter merely of representation for the [...]
Senator Joe Lieberman Is The Least Sucky Of All Senate Democrats
Posted on January 6, 2009 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, Senate | 7 Comments
I quote directly from Erik Wemple’s attempted liveblog of the introduction of DC voting rights legislation into the all-new heavily-Democratic 111th Congress:
1:44 pm: Sen. Joseph Lieberman enters statement from Sen. Orrin Hatch into the record. Lieberman talked about how nearly 600,000 Americans who live in the District of Columbia contribute to our society in various [...]
I Suddenly Have A Strong Dislike For Dianne Feinstein
Posted on December 10, 2008 by andrew- Filed Under DC, DC enfranchisement, Inauguration '08 | Leave a Comment
Hey, Congress found another way to screw with my city. It seems the Senate is now making plans to shutdown the District’s extension of dining and drinking hours for the week of the inauguration. Because, you know, it’s totally their decision to make and not ours. Douchebags.
Look, maybe this plan isn’t the best from a [...]
The Big Names Wake Up To The Obvious
Posted on December 4, 2008 by andrew- Filed Under DC enfranchisement, Netroots | Leave a Comment
Atrios and Matthew Yglesias suddenly remember that DC gaining representation in Congress would not only be just but would also be a huge boon to the Democratic Party.
Perhaps if the netroots put some serious time and effort into this issue, they could achieve some good for both the residents of DC and for the political [...]
I Love DC Vote
Posted on November 24, 2008 by andrew- Filed Under DC, DC Vote, DC enfranchisement, Nationals Park | Leave a Comment
In its latest stunt to remind everyone that our city is an abused colony of the rest of the country, DC Vote is lobbying the City Council to pass legislation renaming the stretch of South Capitol Street that runs by Nationals Park as “Taxation Without Representation Street.” It’s a bit clunky as far as a [...]
Don’t Drag Me Into This Shit
Posted on November 17, 2008 by andrew- Filed Under DC, DC enfranchisement, Joe Lieberman | Leave a Comment
Dude, don’t use my lack of voting rights as a pawn in your anti-Lieberman crusade. The ex-Democrat is a douchebag and probably deserves to lose his seat, I guess, even though I really don’t care because it doesn’t effect my life… But if nothing else, he’s been pretty good for DC. He was one of [...]
NBC-4 Doesn’t Know What It’s Talking About
Posted on July 18, 2008 by andrew- Filed Under DC, DC enfranchisement, Dick Heller, Eleanor Holmes Norton, NBC-4, the media | Leave a Comment
Pop quiz: What is bugging me about the following short article, quoted in full?
Plaintiff In D.C. Gun Ban Case To Run For U.S. House Seat
WASHINGTON — Dick Heller, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that overturned Washington’s strict 32-year-old handgun ban, announced his candidacy on Thursday for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Heller, 66, is [...]
