The man who single-handedly scuttled voting rights for DC

Examiner ^ | April 29, 2010 | John Pierce

[JohnPierce]

On Monday April 19th, DC residents seeking a vote in Congress were on the verge of achieving what they had worked for over 50 years to accomplish. Both houses of Congress were willing to grant DC a voting seat in Congress. The catch? In order to get the voting seat, they had to accept an easing of DC’s draconian gun laws.

[JohnPierce]

This is my latest article. In it, I point out how ironic it is that Helmke and the Brady Campaign are responsible for DC not getting a voting seat in Congress even though the changes to the District's gun laws are inevitable.

With any luck, people will remember who it was that slammed the door on them. :)

[Paladin2]

How does granting DC the rights of a State not require a Constitutional Amendment?

[cripplecreek]

I don’t care whether they vote for easing gun laws or not, they still don’t get a vote.

[agere_contra]

DC is a state now?

Not hardly.

[Vigilanteman]

There is an easy and logical way for DC residents to get a voting representative in congress. It is called retrocession and Virginia used it to absorb their portion of the District in 1847.

Maryland could easily do the same with a minimal portion of government buildings (where nobody lives) clustered around the National Mall excluded.

Such a move would give the Democrats one extra vote in the House of Representatives. The only reason this doesn't happen is that they prefer their automatic three extra electoral votes in presidential elections which would be ended by retrocession and repeal of the 23rd amendment.

[JohnPierce]

Before anyone takes my article the wrong way ... My article was NOT advocating for DC voting rights. Rather, it was an attempt to point out how ironic it was that it was the Brady Campaign of all people who slammed the door on them.

Nothing like a little dissent in the ranks to weaken the anti-gun forces. :)

[ChildOfThe60s]

how ironic it was that it was the Brady Campaign of all people who slammed the door on them.

Delicious.

[pnh102]

There is an easy and logical way for DC residents to get a voting representative in congress.

Or they can just move. No one is forcing them to live in DC.

[pnh102]

With any luck, people will remember who it was that slammed the door on them. :)

Doubtful. These are the same idiots who voted 93% for 0bama and then whined when he, as promised, shut down the DC school voucher program.

[Balding_Eagle]

My article was NOT advocating for DC voting rights.

Thanks for clearing that up.

[Yo-Yo]

Gee, thanks! I’ve always wondered why DC was no longer the diamond square the Washington laid out.