senate republicans deny dc voting rights

Only eight Republicans supported a measure in the Senate today that would have allowed the District of Columbia a representative in Congress, according to the Washington Post.

The legislation would have allotted a voting member of the House to D.C. while also creating a new district in Utah. The Senate needed 60 votes to consider the bill; it fell short with only 57.

The vote was a crushing disappointment to many activists in the decades-long campaign for voting representation for the city in Congress. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives in April, has gone further than any other D.C. vote measure in nearly 30 years.

Currently, D.C. has a non-voting delegate in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton. Norton is a Democrat and would likely be elected to the post if a voting spot was created for the District. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Va., suggested that if D.C. was going to elect a Democrat, a growing area in Utah should be allowed to create a district that would likely vote Republican.

Despite this compromise, the majority of Senate Republicans were opposed to the measure.

The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the White House have strongly criticized the legislation. They maintain it violates the Constitutional mandate that House representatives be chosen by the "People of the several States," since the District is not a state.

"I opposed this bill because it is clearly and unambiguously unconstitutional," McConnell said in a statement. "If the residents of the District are to get a member for themselves, they have a remedy: amend the Constitution."

In addition to the legal concerns, some Republicans were wary of the bill's potential political repercussions. Some Republicans feared the measure could eventually lead to two full D.C. senators, who would likely be Democrats.

Good thing Republicans play politics when the most fundamental of rights in America's representative democracy is being denied in the nation's capital.

Supporters vow not to end the fight. It's one that's been brewing for years, with a previous constitutional amendment that passed Congress, but failed to be ratified by the states.

"We have not given up. The session is not over," Norton said. "We have come too far to stop now."

senate leadership elections create a stir in washington

The halls of the U.S. Senate are abuzz with the news of the Senate Republican leadership elections. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was unanimously voted on to replace outgoing GOP Leader Sen. Bill Frist, who did not seek re-election. Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi was elected by a razor-thin margin to the post of Minority Whip.


Lott beat out Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee for the position by one vote. Alexander, who had previously stated that he'd received more than 30 pledges, lost with 24 votes to Lott's 25.

In 2002, Lott was forced to resign as Senate Majority Leader over comments he made that were considered racially-charged. At an event for segregationist Strom Thurmond, Lott suggested that "we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years" if American voters had elected Thurmond president. President Bush was quick to say that Lott's opinion was not the opinion of the White House.

The National Jewish Democratic Council warns that we should be deeply concerned by Lott's re-entrance into the party leadership.

In 1987, just before announcing his 1988 candidacy for the Senate, Lott likened his campaign to a "crusade." The Washington Post reported that he told the Christian audience, "Conservative, G-d-fearing, hard-working Christian people make a mistake by not being more aggressive. This is our country and it's time we take it back."

Senate Democrats elected their leadership slate on Tuesday, allowing their previous leadership to have a promotion. The senators that led the Democrats through the minority era will now control the Senate.

Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Minority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois will ascend to majority leader and majority whip, respectively.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, will continue as the chairman of the party's campaign fundraising committee. Schumer also will add vice chairman to his title, making him No. 3 in the leadership and a chief strategist.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington will serve as conference secretary; Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will chair the steering committee; and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota will serve as chairman of the research-focused policy committee.

House Democrats will pick their leaders Thursday; House Republicans hold leadership elections on Friday.