Statehood for Puerto Rico and DC?

[lpetrich]

Norton, Carper Announce New D.C. Statehood Bill Cosponsors | Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), sponsors of the District of Columbia statehood bill in the House and Senate, respectively, said the addition of new Senate and House cosponsors of the bill in the last few days undoubtedly speaks to the effect of the unprecedented occupation of the District by federal police and out-of-state troops last week. They thanked the new cosponsors, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), and said that the bill, which House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) reiterated last week will go to the House floor this year, already has enough cosponsors alone to pass in the House, and is cosponsored by over three quarters of Senate Democrats.

Norton and Carper pointed to the role of federal police officers and out-of-state National Guard troops, without the consent of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, as real-time evidence that only statehood could remedy such interference.

...
The D.C. statehood bill has not gone to the House floor since 1993 and has never gone to the Senate floor. The bill has never passed in either chamber.

H.R.51 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Washington, D.C. Admission Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress - introduced by EHN on 01/03/2019

It now has 223 cosponsors, 155 of them original.

 

[lpetrich]

I checked on Eleanor Holmes Norton's entry at congress.gov and she recently cosponsored this bill: H.R.7165 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to redesignate the Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia as the Office of the Governor of the District of Columbia and to redesignate the Council of the District of Columbia as the Legislative Assembly of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Seems like a symbolic act, one that makes DC seem like a state rather than a city.

Though EHN cannot vote on bills, she can nevertheless cosponsor them, and she's cosponsored a lot of them.

 

[lpetrich]

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas:

Frank Thorp V on Twitter: "COTTON on #DCStatehood: "Yes, Wyoming is smaller than Washington by population, but it has three times as many workers in mining, logging and construction, and ten times as many workers in manufacturing. In other words, Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state."" / Twitter

Frank Thorp V on Twitter: "COTTON: "What vital industries would the new state of Washington represent? Lobbying? Bureaucracy? Give me a break. By far, the largest group of workers in the city are bureaucrats & other white-collar professionals. (It) would be nothing more than an appendage of the fed govt."" / Twitter


Michael S. on Twitter: "@frankthorp DC has a higher contribution to GDP than 17 other states. https://t.co/LmyWrK7GZx" / Twitter

Gryphon Motion Picture Group on Twitter: "@frankthorp @TomCottonAR as usual talks out of his ass.
Per the National Association of Manufacturers:
Washington DC had $2.19 Billion manufactured goods exports in 2018.
Wyoming had $1.28 Billion in manufactured goods exports in 2018. https://t.co/hlIKfIOtvP" / Twitter

tim mullaney on Twitter: "@frankthorp 25% of Wyoming's work force works for the govt, versus a third for DC. (h/t BLS). Biggest difference in work force is DC has 4x more health care and education workers. But you tell yourself about construction jobs, Tom. DC has 15k of those too. Not much mining in cities. Smart." / Twitter

KRice— Warren Dem on Twitter: "@frankthorp White profs work there but don’t live there. Vast maj of DC residents are black. And I wouldn’t call it the new state of Washington coz we already have a state of Washington. We could call it Columbia but I think a better name would be Harriet. Or whatev actual residents decide." / Twitter
Someone else suggested Potomac.


Kelly Shand on Twitter: "@frankthorp Second largest employer in the District of Columbia is George Washington University. Hospital workers, professors, human resources specialists, IT people, secretaries and library workers. Security staff and food service providers." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

House approves statehood for DC in 232-180 vote | TheHill

The issue is highly partisan, and Friday’s outcome reflected it. Every Democrat except one, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), voted in favor of the proposal, which was sponsored by D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), while every Republican opposed it.

The vote is also largely symbolic, since Senate Republicans oppose D.C. statehood — and are certain to ignore Norton’s bill — while President Trump has promised to veto the proposal if it somehow makes it as far as his desk.

 

[fromderinside]

Democrats are going to win, change rules in senate, vote for DC, Puerto Rico statehood. President will sign. Target territories have already confirmed desire to become state. Done deal.

Now what we need are rules to eliminate disparity among states in representation. All citizens need representation by those of like mind. The gimmick that needs fixing is representation in house and senate. In house increase number of representatives to ensure representation of established parties in every state is represented everywhere in that state, one man one vote (meaningful representation should be more than 75000 citizens and fewer than 150,000 citizens per representative). In senate ensure each party in every state is represented proportionally in congress IAC with nature of senate purpose for relatively consistent representation of states in congress (say two to five senators per state).

 

[Elixir]

I don't know if the Republicans are willing to support either bill.

Of course they won't support either bill.

They'd likely denounce statehood for DC and PR as a Democratic power grab.

They ALWAYS scream power grab when American people get power.
The American people are a threat to the Republicans' tyranny by minority.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I'm not sure if this has been said in this thread or not, but having statehood for DC and PR would offset the massive republican advantage in the electoral college.

 

[Elixir]

Democrats are going to win, change rules in senate, vote for DC, Puerto Rico statehood. President will sign. Target territories have already confirmed desire to become state. Done deal.

Now what we need are rules to eliminate disparity among states in representation. All citizens need representation by those of like mind. The gimmick that needs fixing is representation in house and senate. In house increase number of representatives to ensure representation of established parties in every state is represented everywhere in that state, one man one vote (meaningful representation should be more than 75000 citizens and fewer than 150,000 citizens per representative). In senate ensure each party in every state is represented proportionally in congress IAC with nature of senate purpose for relatively consistent representation of states in congress (say two to five senators per state).

The problem is that simple Dem majorities in House and Senate plus Whitehouse isn't going to get anything like that done. It takes an "overwhelming consensus" - which is basically an extinct animal. Bi-partisan agreement on those matters isn't going to happen, and the size of the majority required would scare even me if Democrats were to hold that much sway. But I'd rather have reservations about that than watch the Trump Crime Family dismantle and parts-out the entire country for their own profit. And maybe a 2/3 Democratic majority would bump up the number of SCOTUS justices to compensate for Moscow Mitch's shenanigans.

 

[Elixir]

I'm not sure if this has been said in this thread or not, but having statehood for DC and PR would offset the massive republican advantage in the electoral college.

Doesn't DC already have EC votes (3)?

Anyhow it's not offsetting as in "being equally unfair in the opposite direction", it is simply allowing existing Americans who are currently disenfranchised to have representation. People having representation is ... American, according to Democrats. But Republicans don't believe that. They believe that 'Murka means WHITE people having representation, not the black people in DC or the brown people in PR.

 

[Jayjay]

Wouldn't adding DC to some existing state fix the disenfranchisement issue without raising concern about a "Democratic power grab"?

 

[Elixir]

Wouldn't adding DC to some existing state fix the disenfranchisement issue without raising concern about a "Democratic power grab"?

I saw that discussed... Seems that Maryland doesn't want them and neither does VA. DC is too much of a PITA.
And it's NOT a fucking "power grab", it's giving representation to taxpaying citizens. You know, like what those people at the Boston Tea Party were demanding*?


* According to elementary school textbooks - it was in fact the usual shit - rich people getting the rabble stirred up to the effect of enhancing their profitability...

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Wouldn't statehood for DC mean a constitutional amendment?

And yes it is argued for reasons of benefiting one particular party. One of the early lessons of politics is always have two motives for what you do, the real one and the one you tell people. That way you can always make it sound like you are doing what you are doing for noble reasons instead of the actual self-serving reasons.

Actual reason - helps one party
Stated reason - giving the franchise to people who live in DC.

If the parties were reversed, and DC leaned as heavily red as it currently leans blue, everyone in this thread saying "they need to be represented" would be saying "this is all about increasing Republican presence in the Senate". Given. Fact.

 

[Elixir]

Wouldn't statehood for DC mean a constitutional amendment?

I believe that's correct, or requires the same level of Congressional support.

And yes it is argued for reasons of benefiting one particular party.

So what? Letting taxpaying citizens have representation in a democracy is what is fair.
Who is arguing for it is entirely irrelevant to whether it's what is right, fair and consistent with the terms of our supposedly representative system of government. But don't worry - the current Republican party will never allow anything that is fair and consistent with the terms of our supposedly representative system of government if they can possibly prevent it. And in this case, preventing it should be easy.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

So what? Letting taxpaying citizens have representation in a democracy is what is fair.

Actual reason, meet stated reason.

 

[lpetrich]

Wouldn't statehood for DC mean a constitutional amendment?

Statehood for the entire district, yes.

But the recent DC-statehood law carves out a Federal region around the Washington Mall, a region that includes the Congress building, the White House, and other such structures. So the Federal region will still exist, and it will encompass the most important Federal buildings. But it will have no long-term inhabitants other than the President and his (maybe someday her) family.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

That's even dumber. If they're going to carve it up that way, just give the rest back to Maryland.

 

[Rhea]

That's even dumber. If they're going to carve it up that way, just give the rest back to Maryland.

If you do that, you take a black majority district ready to become a state- the only one in the country - and you make them a minority in Md. Why would they want that? We already know what that does to their voting rights.

They are better served as a state, not as a new part of Maryland. They have more population than Vermont and Wyoming. Why not a state, then?

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

That's even dumber. If they're going to carve it up that way, just give the rest back to Maryland.

If you do that, you take a black majority district ready to become a state- the only one in the country - and you make them a minority in Md. Why would they want that? We already know what that does to their voting rights.

They are better served as a state, not as a new part of Maryland. They have more population than Vermont and Wyoming. Why not a state, then?

Actual reason, meet stated reason.

 

[Rhea]

Actual reason, meet stated reason.

I there a problem with recognizing that this group of citizens has a distinct statehood culture just like all the other states that claim their statehood culture entitles them to to a couple of senators that match their state cultural flavor?

I mention that they have a majority black population - which contritubes to the DC-ness of them, and they are larger than the thing that seems to be able to claim a Wyomingeyness that keeps getting a place at the table.

You imply there is something that is wong with that?

 

[Shadowy Man]

If it’s wrong to have taxation without representation and they cannot get representation then the next best thing is to allow DC residents to not pay any federal taxes. Republicans would support that surely.