Fight For DC Representation Gets Tougher As Senate Vote Nears

Since it's creation the District of Columbia has never had representation in Congress. Sure, they have a delegate...and a damn good one, but she can't vote as the other 435 members can. For years now there has been an effort to give D.C. a Congressmember and now that the Dems are in power, the ability to get it done has greatly improved. However, as the bill winds its way through the process, those that do not want a solidly Democratic seat added on are voicing their absurdities "concerns."

From ThinkProgress:

Today, the Senate began debate on S. 160, a bill to “provide the District of Columbia a voting seat and the State of Utah an additional seat in the House of Representatives.” DCist reports that the chamber will likely hold the cloture vote tomorrow.

In a new piece in the National Review, former Justice Department official Hans von Spakovsky tries to make the case that D.C. residents don’t deserve full federal voting rights. Spakovsky, of course, has a history of vote suppression allegations while serving in the Bush administration.

In his piece, Spakovsky goes beyond the traditional constitutionality claim made by opponents, such as Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). He claims that D.C. residents don’t need a full voting member in Congress because every federal lawmaker is supposedly looking out for their best interests. Toward the end, he also claims that this bill — supported by Republicans such as Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) — is nothing more than a “raw grab at political power” by Democrats.

Good thing though, there are smarter, and more truthful people around to correct Spakovsky's effort at keeping D.C. residents license plates reading "Taxation without Representation." Perhaps he likes to see them as he heads out of the District to wherever his home is, but it is long past the time that we straigten this matter out.

Hans von Spakovsky: Another Reason I Cannot Wait For Bush's Term To Be Over

The atrocities George Bush has committed against our country in the last seven years and seven months is wide-ranging in scope and breadth. The stolen elections, signing statements, wars, battered economy, corruption, shredded Constitution....it goes on and on. One topic though that has irked me since 2001 are his choices to run certain offices in his Administration. Even with record low approval ratings, he always has the talent of picking the worst possible person for whatever job has an opening. Even now, with less than five months to go in his term, he appointed Hans von Spakovsky to the Civil Rights Commission, a man that has no respect for anyone's rights.

From TPM:

It looks like Hans von Spakovsky, an old TPM favorite, is back in business. The former Justice Department official, whose nomination to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) was thwarted when Democrats objected to his long record of support for restrictions on voting rights, has been hired as a "consultant and temporary full-time employee" at the ostensibly bi-partisan U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) the agency confirmed to TPMmuckraker.

If Spakovsky's history of backing efforts to make voting more difficult strikes you as a poor fit with the Commission's mission of defending voter rights, consider that of the eight current commissioners at the agency, only two are registered Democrats, a politicization that the New York Times Charlie Savage brought to light last year.

Among Spakovsky's duties will be overseeing the USCCR's report on the Justice Department's monitoring of the 2008 presidential elections, a source inside the USCCR told TPMmuckraker.

Monitoring the 2008 U.S. elections....not that I am surprised, but it is still outrageous for Hans to be in a position to instill confidence in our electoral process. The man thrives on thwarting the will of the public and their votes, not ensuring that they count. Five more months.....and we can start to believe in our President to appoint people to government positions that actually help to make government more respondent to the people. I wish it were January 20th already.