Senate Republicans Kill DC Voting Rights Bill

AP:

A bill that would have given District of Columbia residents their first-ever member of Congress died in the Senate on Tuesday, dashing hopes of finally gaining full voting rights after a 206-year wait.

Senators voted 57-42, just three votes short of the 60 needed to move the measure forward. The bill would have created two new House seats: One for the city of about 600,000 people and one for Utah, which narrowly missed out on a fourth seat after the last census.

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[jungpatawan]

There are more people in DC than in the

Entire. State. of Wyoming.

Fair's fair: yank their 2 senators and their representative - all one of her - too.

Then let's rehold a couple of those recent votes, shall we?

JP

[Kansas Evans]

I would like to do that. I would.

[Kansas Evans]

Let's amend the constitution. It's the right thing to do.

[TheOtherMaven]

It isn't necessary to amend the Constitution. There is already an established (and WELL-used) procedure in it for creating new States.

Article IV, Section 3:
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

----------­----------
"Congress" = House AND Senate (Article 1, Section 1).

The restrictions in IV.3 part 1 don't apply, because the District of Columbia hasn't been part of any State in over 200 years.

So, all that's necessary is to get the House and Senate to agree that the District of Columbia can be upgraded to a State....

But they can't agree, even within their own ranks, on ANYTHING important.

[testerwebbdemocrat]

Hiiiiiiiilarious. Republics squealing "the Constertuuushun". After the last 7 years of raping it, you get a taco bell drive thru conscience? Clowns, just freaking clown parodies of themselves.

PS we're not laughing WITH you.......

[Ramirez]

Only a "state" can have representatives. DC is not a state.
***

Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature.

No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any state, the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment.

[Ginzaman]

Bad move. A very bad move.

[ClubGitmo]

"Why does the US Senate have any Constitutional authority on who IS or IS NOT a voting member of the House of Representa­tives?"...­.....Becau­se it's in OUR Constitution that they don't have that power. Try reading it sometimes, I bet you will be amazed at what is and is not allowed.

[factanonverba]

This is sad. Senator McConnell argues that the nation's founders envisioned the federal city as a separate entity from the states. The capital's independence would prevent it from getting special treatment and allow the other states to remain equal. This is simply absurd. The founding fathers never envisioned that the federal capital would grow into a large city, they expected a pastoral America. And this bill would give DC a vote commiserate with their population. To deny them a voice on taxation and other matters of national importance is simply a disenfranchisement of citizens. Let's be clear one vote in the House. This would not have given DC two Senators. It's pure politics because if DC voted Republican I'm sure Senator McConnell might sing a different tune. It's an embarrassment that the nation's capital is the only capital city in the world where its residents are disenfranchised. Mexico, Colombia and Brazil also have special capital districts and their residents are amply represented.

[average joe]

D C is not a state its host to people who proven they don't know anything about voting. Berry durg head mayor of this crap hole.

[NoblesseOblige]

Well, average joe, in your ramble, you said something right, "DC...who proven they don't know anything about voting."

Precisely, because they have been DENIED the vote! BTW, this "crap hole" you're referring to is home to G. W. Bu$h. I suppose you could say the same of Crawford or Kennebunkport.

[testerwebbdemocrat]

Every obstruction is a nail in your coffin, Republics. 408 days, count em.

[Kurt]

Too bad for this run, 10 to 1 it passess next session when the Dems have more than 60 votes, of course the Repubs may have gone the way of the Whigs (My whig has an 'H' in it) by then.

[johnnyjust]

It is precisely Congress' role to say this is unconstitutional and to amend the constitution if needed.

You could have the 9th Circuit in Frisco finding all sorts of things in the constitution that aren't there. As they have.

[SeanGardner]

This is clearly unfair.

I believe many in this country believe that DC getting a voting member in Congress will be a dress rehearsal for DC STATEHOOD, and perhaps PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD.

Its too bad. But when the Democrats have more than 60 Senators after next year's election, it will be a done deal.

[jae1227]

All the Dems voted for it except Baucus (D-MT). Byrd (D-WV) is not vote Yea or Nay. I am kinda disappointed by this. I wished that it did pass. It is really unfair to the people of DC not to have a voting rep. And it is not congress's role to say if a law is unconstitutional, let the courts decide that.

[billu]

So if congress voted to make baptists the state religion you'd have no problem with that?

[gevan]

Why does the US Senate have any Constitutional authority on who IS or IS NOT a voting member of the House of Representatives?

[kmccaskill]

Does Experience Matter? (Clinton and JFK didn't think so)

This Video Is Showing That Hillary is a hypocrite for saying obama has no experience, Obama can be president because two fmr presidents were
where he is right now, history proves experience makes an either worse president( nixon, bush, vp dick cheney, defense sec.rumsfe­ld)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBy3AKn_2Fk