'House approves statehood for Washington, DC'

[ProfessorDetective]

Well, it's about time. Let's hope it goes all the way through.

https://twitter.com/i/events/1276590369132572672

[LittleRaven]

Narrator: It won't.

This is the left-wing equivalent of voting to repeal Obamacare. It's a publicity stunt for the base, with absolutely no chance of going anywhere. Adding a state would require not only Senate approval, (which is obviously impossible now but increasingly conceivable after November) but a Constitutional Amendment, which is totally off the cards unless a compromise could be reached with the Republicans. And those compromises probably DO exist but I seriously doubt the Democrats are interested in pursuing them. What would be the point?

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Why can't Pelosi show this kind of Chutzpah when the democrats are actually in power?

[Draco Dracul]

Why can't Pelosi show this kind of Chutzpah when the democrats are actually in power?

I mean it's probably going to be passed again when they are in power because it makes it harder for the GOP to regain the Senate, doubly so if Puerto Rico votes to become a state in November.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Ah, but that would require the Democrats to be politically effective and risk alienating as many as seven or so moderate Republican swing voters. 9_9

[MithrandirOlorin]

DC should just be added back to Maryland. It deserves representation but not it's own Two Senators.

[LittleRaven]

Why can't Pelosi show this kind of Chutzpah when the democrats are actually in power?

Because right now, Pelosi can't actually do anything, so she can be forgiven if she wants to waste her time on bills that have no chance of becoming law. With McConnell holding the Senate, nothing she does has a reasonable chance of becoming law, so....whatevs.

But if the Democrats were actually IN POWER, then she would be amazingly stupid to waste valuable time on something like this. Power is a fleeting thing, after all, so you should use it while you have it, and accomplish what you can before it inevitably flows away from you. Pelosi is many things, but she's NOT stupid.

[Draco Dracul]

DC should just be added back to Maryland. It deserves representation but not it's own Two Senators.

Why not? It has a higher population than either Wyoming or Vermont.

Why can't Pelosi show this kind of Chutzpah when the democrats are actually in power?

Because right now, Pelosi can't actually do anything, so she can be forgiven if she wants to waste her time on bills that have no chance of becoming law. With McConnell holding the Senate, nothing she does has a reasonable chance of becoming law, so....whatevs.

But if the Democrats were actually IN POWER, then she would be amazingly stupid to waste valuable time on something like this. Power is a fleeting thing, after all, so you should use it while you have it, and accomplish what you can before it inevitably flows away from you. Pelosi is many things, but she's NOT stupid.

That's a very strange argument as this is a move that helps secure power by reducing the Republican structural advantage in the Senate.

[Rocketboy1313]

Ah, but that would require the Democrats to be politically effective and risk alienating as many as seven or so moderate Republican swing voters. 9_9

Yep...

[LittleRaven]

That's a very strange argument as this is a move that helps secure power by reducing the Republican structural advantage in the Senate.

Well, let me walk you through it, and then maybe you can point out the flaw in my logic. I am but human.

When we say a party is "in power," we generally mean that it can move legislation, which means it controls majorities in both the House and Senate. That's getting less common in the US as the rural/urban split intensifies, but it still happens with some regularity. Of course, to actually have legislation become law, you have to deal with the Presidential veto and the Senate fillibuster, so sometimes people also throw in that the party has to control the White House or have at least 60 Senate seats. That's a lot more rare, though it still happens occasionally. Pelosi certainly doesn't have that power right now, but it's quite possible she'll be close after November. (though 60 Senate seats is still unlikely) And under normal circumstances, that's all you would need to add a state.

But DC isn't normal. DC is explicitly laid out in Article I, Section 8, Clause 17.

The Congress shall have Power To… exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such Dis­trict (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Con­gress, become the Seat of the Gov­ernment of the United States…

Now I don't sit on the Supreme Court, but I'm pretty certain that at least 5 of the people who do are going to have a problem with granting DC statehood in light of that language. After all, if DC is a state, then the Congress does not have exclusive Legislation powers.

So to make DC a state, I think you're going to need a Constitutional Amendment, which requires a LOT more. You're going to need 2/3s of the State Legislatures to sign on. No single party has wielded anything like that power in over a century, but on the off chance that Pelosi ever does...she'd STILL be silly for wasting time on DC statehood. After all, if she has THAT much power and is worried about keeping it, she can just rewrite the Constitution to say "Democrats shall be the sole keeper of political power within the United States. All other political parties are banned forthwith and forever." Bam. Book it. Done.