Lost in the momentous events of the recent election was the news that the citizens of the District of Columbia overwhelmingly approved a “state constitution” for the proposed state of New Columbia. This presages a renewed public campaign for D.C. statehood. One can easily imagine how much the statehood proponents will enjoy bludgeoning Tea Party Republicans with a bat labeled “no taxation without representation”, even if the chances for victory seem slim to none given Republican control of the Congress and the White House.

Thus this issue, which has been latent for some years, raises an interesting question: Can the Republicans shake off the opposition stance that has characterized so much of their behavior for the past eight years and actually rethink an issue, formulate a sensible proposal, and get out ahead of the curve? Or will the temptation to stonewall prevail?