Talking points: Why we support DC statehood

What every supporter of DC democracy & equal rights should know about the politics of statehood, 'voting rights,' and where DC's political parties & public officials stand

• The DC Statehood Green Party demands statehood for DC. Congress and the White House have anti-democratic control over the District, which is why DC is often called America's 'last colony' and 'last plantation.' Until we get statehood, people who live in DC are second-class citizens.

• The DC Statehood Party (merged with the DC Green Party in 1999) fought for statehood since it was founded in 1970 under the leadership of Julius Hobson, Josephine Butler, Hilda Mason, & other local civil rights activists. DC statehood is part of the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.

• When DC becomes gains statehood, it will be America's first state with an African American majority. This is clearly one of the reasons many politicians either oppose DC statehood or have dragged their feet despite promises.

• We challenge the President and Congress to support DC statehood. It's hypocritical to ask young men & women from DC who serve in the US Armed Forces to risk their lives allegedly to bring democracy to Iraq & Afghanistan, when they don't enjoy democracy at home.

• We support statehood -- not the 'DC vote', the legislation advanced by many Democrats (including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton) & DC Vote to give DC a single voting seat in the US House. What's the difference? Statehood will give DC residents full citizenship & constitutional rights, self-determination, & self-government equal to all other US citizens, as well as full representation in Congress (two Senators, one Rep.). If the DC vote were enacted, District residents would remain 1/3 citizens, since we'd only get one voting seat in Congress while all other Americans have three voting seats, and we still wouldn't be free from the anti-democratic rule of Congress & the White House.

• The DC Statehood Green Party is the only political party that supports DC statehood, with endorsement for statehood in the national platform of the Green Party. The Democratic Party removed DC statehood from its platform in 2004 and kept it out in 2008, at Del. Norton's request. Many Democrats say they support DC statehood, but have only worked to win the DC vote. Some DC vote supporters try to confuse the issue by claiming that the DC vote will give us democracy or that it brings us closer to statehood. (The Republican Party has mostly opposed rights & representation for DC residents.)

• The 'DC vote' bill would probably face a legal challenge and might be nullified in court if it were passed, because the Constitution only grants voting seats in Congress to states (Article 1, Section 2). A decision by the US District Court for DC in 2000 (Adams v. Clinton) held that "the Constitution does not contemplate that the District may serve as a state for purposes of the apportionment of congressional representatives."

• If the most recent DC vote bill were passed by Congress, it would give Republican Utah a new voting seat in the US House -- and would also give Utah a new vote in the Electoral College, since the number of electors is tied to the number of Representatives. DC already has three (Democratic) electors and would not gain a new one. The bill might backfire on Democrats, because Republicans would gain an edge in close national elections.

• Here are some recent examples of Congress's power over DC. None of these outrages would be prevented if we got the DC vote. All of them would be prevented if we won statehood.
-- Congress overturned a DC ballot measure for medical marijuana (Initiative 59) that had passed with a 69% majority in 1998
-- Congress imposed 'zero tolerance' laws & a charter school system; outlawed needle exchange in DC to prevent HIV transmission; prohibited DC from taxing commuters (a source of revenue for all other cities); demanded a new convention center to be paid for with a DC surtax for the profit of businesses outside of DC.
-- Congress (through the appointed Financial Control Board) ordered former Mayor Williams to dismantle DC General Hospital, the District's lone full-service public health facility.
-- In 1997, Newt Gingrich called DC a 'laboratory' for Republican policies. Congress members have tried to overturn DC's gun control laws, enact the death penalty, impose a school voucher program, and deny benefits for same-sex couples.

• Statehood for DC could be achieved by Act of Congress (requiring a 51% simple majority), without a constitutional amendment (requiring ratification by 2/3 of states). In 1846, an Act of Congress removed Arlington from DC and ceded it to Virginia, proving that Congress can legally alter the District's borders. Congress may therefore reduce the constitutionally mandated federal enclave to encompass only the federal properties (White House, Capitol, Mall, etc.), freeing the rest of DC to choose statehood by a vote. DC could then be admitted to the union as a state ('New Columbia'), as were all other states after the initial 13 colonies.

• Representation in a legislature does not guarantee democracy. Throughout history, colonies in Africa and Asia and conquered countries like Ireland held voting seats in the legislatures of nations that ruled over them, but they still suffered exploitation & oppression. Many of these colonies became free only after a revolution.

• The 'Taxation Without Representation' slogan is misleading. Even though many of the American colonists complained about taxation without representation, our Founding Fathers & Mothers fought for independence & democracy, not 'voting rights.' Patrick Henry never said, "Give me a vote in Parliament or give me death." That's why we prefer the slogan of the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition -- "Free DC!"

• The Statehood Green Party and the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition have drafted a petition for DC statehood (http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/statehoodnow) to be sent to the UN Committee on Human Rights and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which monitor compliance with treaties that the US has signed.

• Some people favor retrocession to Maryland, but both Maryland and DC residents have rejected the idea. Polls have shown that a majority of DC residents consistently desire statehood.

• Del. Norton has discouraged democracy activists from pushing for statehood and has said that DC "isn't ready" for statehood, because the 1997 DC Revitalization Act stripped DC of some government functions required to become a state. If this is so, why aren't Del. Norton and DC officials who say they support statehood working to get these functions restored?

• In January 2007, DC residents applauded Mayor Fenty's inaugural speech when he endorsed statehood. Unfortunately, Mayor Fenty undermined his endorsement a few days later when he announced he'd go over the heads of voters and ask Congress to amend the DC Charter to strip the DC School Board of its powers. According to the Charter, such amendments can only be enacted upon passage of a voters' referendum -- but Congress can override DC law and may exercise its own power to amend the Charter. Supporters of DC democracy were dismayed when Del. Norton & some Council members supported Mayor Fenty's plan. This is one more example of how some Democratic Party leaders have sold us out when it comes to DC democracy.

MORE INFORMATION

The DC Statehood Green Party http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org

The Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org

Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition http://www.freedc.org

"Talking Points, Quotes on D.C. Voting Rights Bill, DC Statehood, and Democracy (DC Statehood Green Party press release, March 22, 2007) http://www.gp.org/press/states/dc/dc_2007_03_22.shtml

The DC Statehood Papers: Writings on DC Statehood & self-government, by Sam Smith http://prorev.com/dcsthdintro.htm

Twenty DC Citizens Lawsuit: The case for full democracy and equality http://www.dccitizensfordemocracy.org