DC Vote Update

McCain Again on Wrong Side of History

Could Congressional representation for Washington, D.C. be just around the corner?

"Legislation that would grant the District a representative in Congress with full voting rights is scheduled to go before the U.S. Senate next week, a potential milestone in the long battle to secure a seat for the District in the House of Representatives," opens a Washington Post article.

"Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) decided Friday night to send the bill to the Senate floor for debate Feb. 23, the first major bill on tap after Congress returns from the Presidents' Day break. A preliminary vote is scheduled for Feb. 24," the article continues.

It seems that the Senate will have enough bipartisan votes to pass the bill. It already made it through the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs with an 11-to-1 vote.

The one dissenting vote came from John McCain, who complains that citizens of the nation's capital don't deserve representation because they live in some sort of district, not a state. You might recall that McCain's own presidential candidacy was questioned on the basis that he was born in the Canal Zone, but he didn't let that technicality get in his way. He certainly has backed highly dubious military action to bring democracy to other countries, but somehow he hasn't figured out a way to bring democracy to his own nation's capital.

McCain has also said that one of his biggest regrets was opposing Martin Luther King Day, yet he looks like he's already made an even worse decision. The people of DC need to have representation as soon as possible; I hope the legislation succeeds and withstands Constitutional challenge.