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50 Republican senators representing just 43.5% of the US population constantly bring the entire legislative process to a halt. You need a supermajority in the s

50 Republican senators representing just 43.5% of the US population constantly bring the entire legislative process to a halt. You need a supermajority in the senate to get anything done in government these days. If you think granting DC citizens federal government representation is a power play relative to what republicans get away with on a regular basis, you must be purposefully not paying attention.

tablespoon 5y ago
> 50 Republican senators representing just 43.5% of the US population constantly bring the entire legislative process to a halt. So? That's by design. The Senate was never meant to represent population proportionately. It was meant to ensure small states wouldn't get dominated by large states, and that means being able to block things. IIRC, that was a core compromise in the Constitution, and it's a bad look to go all Darth Vader on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsW9MlYu31g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsW9MlYu31g). > If you think granting DC citizens federal government representation is a power play relative... It's a power play in absolute terms because the solution that's being pursued was chosen specifically to yield a partisan advantage. In some senses it's even worse than stuff like extreme Gerrymandering, because once implemented it will be almost impossible to undo or reevaluate. DC citizens could be also be granted federal government representation by making them citizens of Maryland. That would solve the core problem, and there's precedent: the government already did something similar to the part of DC on the Virginia side of the Potomac in 1847.
- FactolSarin 5y ago
  So then what's your problem with adding a small Democratic-leaning state? It seems like you're fine with small Republican states that give your preferred party an outsized power over larger states, but don't want the other side to benefit from that same dynamic. There's nothing logical about giving a population larger than that of two existing states and with it's own distinct history to Maryland. When pieces of DC were given back to Virginia, it didn't come with a population larger than Vermont. The only reason to oppose DC statehood is naked partisan power.
  - tablespoon 5y ago
    > So then what's your problem with adding a small Democratic-leaning state? Are you even reading what I'm writing? You seem to be trying to have a different argument that's perhaps more familiar to you. My point is that there's a multitude of options to solve the DC representation problem, and the reason to choose statehood is that you want more D's in the federal government. Pretty much every argument in favor DC statehood specifically is just rhetorical window-dressing for that. > It seems like you're fine with small Republican states that give your preferred party an outsized power over larger states, but don't want the other side to benefit from that same dynamic. How exactly is the party I didn't vote for my preferred party? Just to be clear: I voted for Democrats. > There's nothing logical about giving a population larger than that of two existing states and with it's own distinct history to Maryland. When pieces of DC were given back to Virginia, it didn't come with a population larger than Vermont. Just cut the crap and admit DC should become a (city-)state because the Democrats could use two more senators.

tablespoon 5y ago

> 50 Republican senators representing just 43.5% of the US population constantly bring the entire legislative process to a halt. So? That's by design. The Senate was never meant to represent population proportionately. It was meant to ensure small states wouldn't get dominated by large states, and that means being able to block things. IIRC, that was a core compromise in the Constitution, and it's a bad look to go all Darth Vader on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsW9MlYu31g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsW9MlYu31g). > If you think granting DC citizens federal government representation is a power play relative... It's a power play in absolute terms because the solution that's being pursued was chosen specifically to yield a partisan advantage. In some senses it's even worse than stuff like extreme Gerrymandering, because once implemented it will be almost impossible to undo or reevaluate. DC citizens could be also be granted federal government representation by making them citizens of Maryland. That would solve the core problem, and there's precedent: the government already did something similar to the part of DC on the Virginia side of the Potomac in 1847.

FactolSarin 5y ago
So then what's your problem with adding a small Democratic-leaning state? It seems like you're fine with small Republican states that give your preferred party an outsized power over larger states, but don't want the other side to benefit from that same dynamic. There's nothing logical about giving a population larger than that of two existing states and with it's own distinct history to Maryland. When pieces of DC were given back to Virginia, it didn't come with a population larger than Vermont. The only reason to oppose DC statehood is naked partisan power.
- tablespoon 5y ago
  > So then what's your problem with adding a small Democratic-leaning state? Are you even reading what I'm writing? You seem to be trying to have a different argument that's perhaps more familiar to you. My point is that there's a multitude of options to solve the DC representation problem, and the reason to choose statehood is that you want more D's in the federal government. Pretty much every argument in favor DC statehood specifically is just rhetorical window-dressing for that. > It seems like you're fine with small Republican states that give your preferred party an outsized power over larger states, but don't want the other side to benefit from that same dynamic. How exactly is the party I didn't vote for my preferred party? Just to be clear: I voted for Democrats. > There's nothing logical about giving a population larger than that of two existing states and with it's own distinct history to Maryland. When pieces of DC were given back to Virginia, it didn't come with a population larger than Vermont. Just cut the crap and admit DC should become a (city-)state because the Democrats could use two more senators.