And what present did Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton find when she reached under the lovely Christmas tree on the U.S. Capitol lawn? A bear trap that closed on the hand she has used to vote for the past four years. The Republican leadership that will take over in January stripped Norton of her vote on the House floor. Granted, it was a figment of the true power the rest of the 435 House members have. The D.C. delegate could vote only on amendments to tax and spending bills, and she could not be the deciding vote.
Still, for a jurisdiction with 550,000 United States citizens — many of whom pay taxes and serve in the military — taking back even a sliver of power is a slap in the face.
“You would have thought,” Holmes tells me, “that our Republican friends, for whom taxes mean everything, would have thought twice before stripping District taxpaying residents of their vote.”
They thought, all right. They saw a city that is bluer than the ocean on a sunny day and said: Merry Christmas to us and no vote for you!
Now, I’m not an ideologue who believes statehood is the Holy Grail of District politics. I understand the justice of that particular dogma, that we have more residents than Vermont and Wyoming, therefore we deserve two senators and a congressman. Not gonna happen.
And I am fully aware that the District of Columbia does quite well by the federal government, on the money side. We are a government town; legislation and governing are our industries. We receive more millions from the government than we contribute in taxes, but that’s fair because we provide a home for the seat of power.
But as a matter of political power in a democratic society, we District residents get screwed. Under the Constitution, we are a federal district under the control of Congress and the White House. We have limited local self-government by a mayor and city council. Congress has ultimate say.
That’s why a loss of voting rights is such a punch in the gut.
“This was a shot across our bow,” Norton says. “We will have to be ready for the worst — and we are.”
Be prepared for the new Congress to quickly strip the District government of its right to regulate guns. We will have the right to bear arms, but not the right to vote on a representative who can vote. Get ready for the new Congress to roll back local laws that allow same-sex marriage, medical marijuana and needle exchange.
Does Norton have many friends in the new Republican leadership. “Hard to find favorites,” she said.
And who was behind the move to remove the vote?
“The entire caucus,” she said.
Her solution: “The District’s residents have to be ready to come forward at a time like this,”
And, perhaps, march on Congress, to return the gift.
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
