116
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What do Democrats gain from pushing for DC statehood?
One of the core issues, beyond claims it's all about increasing Senatorial power for a party, is that of representation and enfranchisement of US citizens; tax-paying ones, in this case (raising some ...
- 16.6k
112
votes
Why is DC so, so, so Democratic?
Because it's just one (East Coast) city.
When it comes to congressional districts, Nebraska's third congressional district isn't second in terms of the ratio of votes for a single candidate. DC isn't ...
- 16.9k
83
votes
What do Democrats gain from pushing for DC statehood?
After your edits I interpret your question to essentially be:
Why would politicians propose or vote for things they know won't pass into legislation?
There is nothing particularly Democratic (or ...
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77
votes
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A new proposal suggests subdividing Washington D.C. into 127 new states so that they can change the Constitution at will. Is this possible?
It looks to me as if the Harvard Law Review is engaging in a rather laboured joke, in the spirit of Swift's A Modest Proposal.
To be more precise, it seems to be a satire on the temptation to change ...
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46
votes
Accepted
What authority does the Vice President have to mobilize the National Guard?
What authority does the Vice President have to mobilize the National Guard?
Apparently, none. However, the acting defense secretary does.
Because the District is not a state, the D.C. Guard answers ...
- 36k
29
votes
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If D.C. were to be granted statehood, what would it be called?
The latest push for Statehood includes the intention to use the name; Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, a reference to African-American abolitionist Frederick Douglass as detailed on Wikipedia though ...
- 25k
27
votes
What do Democrats gain from pushing for DC statehood?
The push isn't new, with efforts starting in the 1980s to make a new state. With the current racial tensions running high, it should be noted that Washington D.C. is 49% black. They currently get no ...
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26
votes
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Why was there a man holding an Indian Flag during the insurrection at the US Capitol?
Well, The Indian Express interviewed the man waving the flag, who appears to be a member of the Virginia Republican Party’s State Central Committee.
The flag bearer was later identified as 54-year-...
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25
votes
Why is DC so, so, so Democratic?
DC is highly urban (I'm not using this as a dogwhistle for black people by the way, though they are a large portion of DC residents). It's the only quanta of electoral votes that's not only a city, ...
- 5,425
23
votes
A new proposal suggests subdividing Washington D.C. into 127 new states so that they can change the Constitution at will. Is this possible?
Could they do it? Probably. Several things could go wrong, though.
I think changing our system in such a fundamental way with such a contrived method would shake faith in our democracy. It would be ...
- 2,386
19
votes
Accepted
Why does DC want to become a new state rather than merging into Maryland?
You seem to miss the really obvious answer. If DC becomes a state, it gets two Senators and at least one Representative. If it merges into Maryland, it just gets to vote for the Senators & ...
- 12.5k
19
votes
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What determines who gets to stay in the Presidential Townhouse / Trowbridge House?
There aren't much publicly available information regarding these buildings but I'll answer with what I could find.
Some background
Both 708 Jackson Place (Trowbridge House) and 716 Jackson Place are ...
- 46.7k
18
votes
Why does DC want to become a new state rather than merging into Maryland?
The bulk of the argument seems to be that DC is determined to have self-rule, rather than be folded into the existing political situation of another state. From this article
With retrocession, DC and ...
- 51.6k
17
votes
Why is DC so, so, so Democratic?
Washington, D.C., as you may know, is the home of the federal government. Many of the people there work for the federal government, and many others depend on the federal government for their ...
- 15.9k
14
votes
What authority does the Vice President have to mobilize the National Guard?
Mr. Miller [the acting defense secretary] said on Wednesday afternoon that he had spoken with Mr. Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, and Representative Steny H. ...
- 18.4k
12
votes
Would it take any sort of amendment to make DC a state?
Washington, DC could become a state with just a law, but its representation in the electoral college would not be able to increase properly with population due to the twenty-third amendment:
...
- 90.1k
12
votes
What do Democrats gain from pushing for DC statehood?
It's pretty clearly purely for the sake of optics.
In particular, note that this measure did not come up when we had a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Democratic President so it stood at least ...
- 1,078
9
votes
Why does DC want to become a new state rather than merging into Maryland?
I would imagine most of the Puerto Ricans who want to be a state don't want to be merged into Florida, and most of them who want to be independent of the US don't want to be merged into Cuba. DC is a ...
- 8,577
9
votes
Accepted
Why does Washington DC elect a Delegate to the House AND a United State Representative?
DC has two "shadow senators" and one "shadow representative" whose job is to represent its interests in Congress. It based this idea off of what various territories did as they ...
- 14.4k
9
votes
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The next steps for S.51 Washington Statehood bill
S.51 has been introduced to the Senate. It has been read twice and discussed in committee. The next stage is floor debate.
It is subject to filibuster and S.51 will therefore not pass the Senate. It ...
- 124k
8
votes
Would it take any sort of amendment to make DC a state?
Aside from the 23rd Amendment issues that have been mentioned in other answers, there are some additional parts of the Constitution that would cause me to argue that an amendment to the Constitution ...
- 8,299
7
votes
Why is DC so, so, so Democratic?
Demographics: Because it is so, so, so African-American and Hispanic. DC is what we call a majority-minority area.
As of last census, DC reported as 50.7% black (and 9.1% Hispanic). This is actually ...
- 14.6k
7
votes
What is the argument for granting statehood to the District of Columbia, but not to larger cities such as NYC?
Simply, the citizens of D.C. do not get to vote for Senators or a full member of the House. Also, the decisions of their city council can be overridden by congress. That drawback is unique in the USA.
...
7
votes
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Will the creation of a Washington DC state be unconstitutional?
Probably not, but this will likely end up in the Supreme Court.
Under Article I, Section 8.17, Congress can decide the borders of the District of Columbia, up to 10 miles square (or 100 square miles). ...
- 27.9k
7
votes
Accepted
D C statehood timeline
Let's look at the case of Hawaii, the most recent state to join the Union.
The Hawaii Admission Act was signed into law by President Eisenhower on March 18, 1959. The state held elections to Congress ...
- 27.9k
5
votes
Accepted
With DC statehood, what is the proposal for not giving 3 electoral votes to the president and his family?
According to Wikipedia the latest statehood bill passed by the House did cover this area;
The Washington, D.C. Admission Act would create the state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth (named after ...
- 25k
5
votes
How many electoral college votes would the District of Columbia be entitled to if the least populous state cap did not apply?
I'm pretty sure this came up tangentially in another question recently. But the current answer is 3; exactly the same as it has now.
Wikipedia has a handy list of States by population;
Each state's ...
- 25k
5
votes
A new proposal suggests subdividing Washington D.C. into 127 new states so that they can change the Constitution at will. Is this possible?
It is easy to forget that Congressmen have other loyalties than to their party. Fact is, they care more about their votes in their district than about their party.
Adding new states decreases the ...
- 1,746
5
votes
What would it take for the District of Columbia to be made a state?
As Would it take any sort of amendment to make DC a state? states, it is like passing a law. In particular a Joint Resolution of Congress, (which might be filibustered by opponents in the Senate). ...
- 124k
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