TOTAL INFORMATION ANALYSIS

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

From Roll Call September 18, 2007:

"Today is a make-or-break day for the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, as the Senate is scheduled to vote on a procedural motion that would advance the measure for limited debate and a vote.

But whether Democrats have the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture on the bill remained unclear Monday. Five Republicans and almost all of the 51 members of the Democratic Conference have gone on the record in favor of the measure, leaving just a handful of votes up in the air.

If the cloture motion fails, it would be a massive setback for the voting rights effort, potentially dooming the bill this Congress. Still, backers of the bill remained optimistic Monday, saying they are confident the motion will pass.

“We’ve got the right team, we’ve got the right city, we’ve got the right issue,” D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) told supporters outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building. “And I actually think we’ve got the right Congress as well.”

Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) joined Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch (R) and Bob Bennett (R) in sponsoring the compromise bill, which would grant the District a full vote in the House while also giving one to Utah.
[...]
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been outspoken against the bill, which he repeatedly has labeled unconstitutional.

McConnell took to the floor on Monday afternoon to explain his beliefs, pointing to Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, which states Members of the House shall be chosen by “the People of the several States.”

There’s no question that the framers of the Constitution intended the federal city to be a separate entity from the states, which Congress could control, he said.

“To vote for it would violate our oath of office, in which we solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution,” McConnell said. “If the residents of the District are to get a Member for themselves, they have a remedy: Amend the Constitution.”

[...]
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Labels: mormons

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