March for DC voting rights.
By on Apr 16th, 2007 at 11:30 am
March for DC voting rights.
The Washington Post writes, “On this day in 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed an act that ended slavery in the District of Columbia. It’s a date that D.C. residents hold dear, and so it’s appropriate that it serve as a vehicle to end another injustice. Today, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people will march on Congress to call attention to the disenfranchisement of this nation’s capital city.” Find out more about the march HERE.
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At least thanks to Lincoln and his GOP party, black residents of D.C. are not slaves.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:39 amThe district needs representation.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:41 am#1 Wow.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:42 am#1 – No, Jake, just the rest of America since he has us tied up in the useless war in Iraq.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:43 amAbraham Lincoln would not espouse to the gop today. I’m sure he would be a Democrat.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:44 amThey are comparing the disenfranchisement of D.C. to slavery? Wow, I’m surprised there wasn’t a Hitler reference in there.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:48 amI doubt Lincoln would be part of the 9% who want to cut off funding to our troops in harm’s way. Perhaps you people at TP should re-read some history books about Lincoln suspending habeas corpus or arresting Democrat Congressmen for their opposition to that war.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:50 amre: #6 – Umm…no. No one is comparing DC voting representation to slavery…They are simply acknowledging this historic day to highlight the link between injustice and the continued absence of a fundamental tenent of our demoracy – voting representation. And since over 60% of the District’s residents are African American, the freedom that this day commemorates rings hollow if people are left voiceless in the governance of their daily lives.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:04 pmJake, you should look up on your history as well, you seem to think that the GOP is the same party of Lincoln back in 1864. Well let’s take taxation, the GOP passed a PROGRESSIVE tax (the Internal Revenue Act of 1862) to fund the Civil War, based on the taxpayer’s ability to pay. Do Republicans FAVOR a Regressive or Progressive tax today, jake? You should know the answer. The GOP looks the other way at the numerous attempts to disenfranchise African-American voters in favor of faux accusations of reverse discrimination and “voter fraud.” The GOP is the one trying to pull the modern-day version of a poll tax with Voter ID requirements. If it were truly interested in making it easy for EVERY voter to vote, it would call for having DMVs in Every county in every state, and it would call for driver licenses and state IDs to be entirely FREE of charge. Instead imagine if you’re in the rural areas, don’t have a car, and can’t afford to take a bus to the nearest DMV and then fork over $25 for a license or a ID…Of course, you’d probably be the first to BLAME THEM…
Google Southern Strategy…it might do you a lot of good. There’s a reason now the GOP is dominant in the South. Look up code words such as states rights, designed to appeal to the Southern white voter…
One can argue that Lincoln was not the radical you make him out to be. He had to be pushed onto the bandwagon when it came to emancipating the slaves and enlisting them as soldiers in the Civil War. His first priority was restoring the Union. He would have done it with slavery intact if he could have done so. The Emancipation Proclamation was not more from an empathy for the plight of the slave rather than it was to cool off pro-Confederate sentiment from Britain, which then saw the struggle more as the anti-slavery North vs. the pro-slavery South. Truly a brilliant move in Lincoln’s part.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:05 pmJake,
When Lincoln suspended habeus, he did so when D.C was nearly surrounded by the Confederacy. Meaning that he was defending the capitol against during a time of invasion. Not like now, when there is no justification for the suspension of habeus.
I’m sure that Lincoln would be with 70% who want the war ended and that are in favor of timelines for withdrawal of our troops. If the President wont don’t do this, then the Congress should do what it can to respond to the desires of the people who put them in office.
Lincoln and his GOP of that time were the liberal party. My how things have changed. That party kicked out all the liberal thinkers. Lincoln would not be welcome in that party today. Neither would Teddy Roosevelt. I doubt that they would not even recognize the platform of the modern GOP.
This president is the least fiscally responsible; least competent; least concerned about the environment (attempting to undo the legacies of Theodore Roosevelt and the not so equally corrupt Nixon); most utterly devoted to big business (such as classifying rabbits as poultry, so that rules of humane livestock slaughter do not apply); most imperial, and, in line with this, most willing to break the law; least concerned about both citizen rights and human rights; most given to secrecy; and most hypocritical (“support the troops,†indeed, while failing to equip them adequately when going into war, and disregarding their medical and other benefits when they are no longer useful in the war effort).
The fiscal record of the modern GOP must be the biggest slap in the face to so many “conservatives†who vote for that party. The GOP held all real power for 6 years, and skyrocketed our deficits and debt. Fiscal conservatism eh?
April 16th, 2007 at 12:12 pmUCSB (and Crump’s Brother now too):
I was not the one who brought up slavery first. As for PROGRESSIVE taxes to fund the current war, how great and mighty is our nation that we don’t have to do that anymore? Defense spending went up just a few percent of GNP rather than 40% of GNP like WWII. As for voter ID, I would have no problem with free ID cards, but they need to be tamper-proof and only given out to CITIZENS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. Next question?
April 16th, 2007 at 12:14 pmyes, can you imagine what would have happened if Maryland defected to the Confederacy in the early years of the Civil War? You can’t run a war, much less a nation if your capital is surrounded by enemy territory.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:15 pm#7 – ” Perhaps you people at TP should re-read some history books about Lincoln suspending habeas corpus or arresting Democrat Congressmen for their opposition to that war.” Comment by Jake — April 16, 2007 @ 11:50 am
Wow, what a pre-September 11th mindset you have! Doncha know that EVERYTHING changed on Sept. 11th?
Before, it was wrong for President’s to tell lies. Now, it’s OK.
Before, it was wrong to ignore the Constitution. Now, it’s OK.
Before, the GOP supported our troops. Now, they don’t.
Before, it was the Dems that were for big federal government. Now, the GOP wants bigger federal government.
Before, it was the GOP that wanted a balanced budget. Now, the GOP wants the US to go bankrupt in debt and runaway spending forever.
Before, it was the GOP that said “No nation building”. No, the GOP is leading the charge in nation building.
I think Jake needs to wake up to the reality that is the post-Sept. 11th mindset.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:17 pmJake,
We don’t have to do that anymore?
Of course we don’t. We can ask China to pay for it now. Then we can force our kids to pay back that money later. It is not a tax cut, it is a tax differal. We do have to pay for the war. Taxes will have to be levied to pay for this garbage. Nothing is free. Where do you come up with things like that?
April 16th, 2007 at 12:20 pmThe District will never get representation as long as it remains a separate entity. Repbulicans aren’t stupid — about this, at any rate — and will not approve changes that result in two more Democratic senators and another Democratic representative. If people are serious about getting DC residents representation, they should get behind a movement to give DC back to Maryland — as Arlington was returned to Virginia. Republicans could conceivably get behind that, since Maryland already has Democratic senators. Plus, three solid electoral votes would be lost for the Democrats. Any other strategy is just a waste of time.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:24 pmI’m glad you see it that way Jake, because if the GOP wants its voter ID requirement, then they need to support every way to make getting it easy as possible. However, unfortunately the GOP does not seem to want it that way…
April 16th, 2007 at 12:24 pmCrump’s Brother:
I “come up with things like that” living through the Great Depression, WWII, etc. Of course, Ronald Reagan PROVED once and for all that deficit spending is not so bad as long as economic growth and jobs creation continues.
UCSB:
You’re welcome (although I am registered Independent, not GOP : )
April 16th, 2007 at 12:39 pmJake,
Your registration status is of no concern and I believe totally immaterial. It’s obvious where your politics are.
So are you arguing that the debt doesn’t have to be re-paid? Reagan was wrong. If I had an unlimited credit card, I could do a lot of consuming and make my situation look very growth oriented. But sooner or later, the lender, is going to want their money back. How much are we spending each year on interest payments? This is fiscal conservatism now? Spend wildly so we can make our economy appear robust?
April 16th, 2007 at 12:46 pmMy politics = conservative.
Deficit spending by an individual = bankruptcy.
Deficit spending by the most powerful nation in history = priceless.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:51 pmMy politics = conservative.Comment by Jake
Caught you in another lie, Jakey! How many times did you say you were Independent? SULOGA!
April 16th, 2007 at 12:54 pmFor the record, I know plenty of fellow Independents who are MORE conservative than the GOP (there are CONSERVATIVE Dems out there too — not as many, unfortunately ; )
April 16th, 2007 at 12:57 pmWe are the only capital left in the world that its citizens have no voting voice or representation in their elected assemblies.
The total residence number in Washington D.C. is more than small states..who enjoy two senators and voting representations in the Congress,but denying residents of Washington D.C. the same rights..while all pay taxes….
April 16th, 2007 at 12:59 pmI thought I was on your list, old fart. If not, I’d gladly volunteer to be put on it (again). So, how many other posts of yours have been edited or deleted lately?
HMM?
April 16th, 2007 at 1:27 pmFor the record, I know plenty of fellow Independents who are MORE conservative than the GOP (there are CONSERVATIVE Dems out there too — not as many, unfortunately ; ) Comment by Jake — April 16, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
The only people more CONSERVATIVE than republicans are David Duke and the rest of the KKK Neo Nazis. Wait a second, Duke is a Republican, so you’re more conservative than the KKK and NeoNazis.
Nice thing to be proud of – Jake*SS.
April 16th, 2007 at 1:48 pmJake sez:
That’s a lie. Not the entire statement, since the neocons that have hijacked the GOP are not ‘conservative’ in any sense of the word. Just the phrase “fellow Independents”.
Where’d you meet these “fellow Independents”, Shakey? Perhaps at one of your Bap-Catholic-Tist retreat-revivals?
April 16th, 2007 at 5:27 pm