We want Congressional seats and for our primaries to count for something. The Founding Fathers were afraid I think that D.C. would become a huge courtier's paradise, with people constantly seeking to influence the President and Congress locally as they went to parties or picnics. They were trying to avoid excessive local-ness of interest.
Perhaps they sensed that the United States really would be this vast continental stretch. Or perhaps it was related somewhat to the slave question. Or perhaps the jealousy of those in outlying sections of the original 13 states, who feared the U.S. would become the United Colonies of Whatever Virginia Wanted.
Perhaps they sensed that the United States really would be this vast continental stretch. Or perhaps it was related somewhat to the slave question. Or perhaps the jealousy of those in outlying sections of the original 13 states, who feared the U.S. would become the United Colonies of Whatever Virginia Wanted.
But it hasn't worked out that D.C. is courtier-central in the way that voting would make a difference. It IS courtier-central, but voting is the least of it. The courting goes on with lobbies, not votes. Most of those elected come from far away. Many of those courted are administrators who are not touched by the electoral process. In the meantime, DC has a voting electorate that has often been ignored. Since most of them believe in the power of government or are somehow attached to it, they get really exercised about having their opinion ignored. LOL.
And then there are the traditionally disenfranchised. The people who stick with DC are not the middle class or upper class who come for the courting. They are the poor and those who serve the bigwigs their coffee in the morning. Everybody else is very temporary.
So right now, we have a candidate running for mayor who says he would commit "acts of civil disobedience" in order to protest DC's unrepresented status. At which time, he would be arrested, and it would be a good thing.
Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWell, it would be better than the last mayor who got himself arrested.
Washington DC hasn't always had a mayor. Marion Barry served as its second one, from 1979-1991. He was busted in 1990 on drug charges. In the meantime, the city had gone to hell without a responsible leader in charge. I remember hearing on NPR that police officers at that time barely had any budget. The funds for crime kits had been misappropriated or cut. The result was that there were no rape kits. Therefore there were no prosecutions for rape that could survive a trial.
It would go like this: the evidence kits that medical/LEO personnel tried to put together on their own were therefore not standard. Therefore all the evidence was tossed out when the Defense brought this up.
I still get mad about this when I think of it. This is what corruption is really about: not just a waste of taxpayer money, but a waste or diminishment of Every. Single. Freaking. Effort. To Do Good.
Anyway, Mr. Barry served six months in the Federal prison system, and could not run for re-election. However, when he got out, he was back on campaign and was re-elected mayor in 1994, serving until 1999. Congress, which has special powers in DC, appointed a special agency to disburse the funds to the city--just an expensive special oversight to make sure the city funds didn't go up one man's nose.
In 2005, he was elected the Ward 8 councilman and still on and off in trouble. In March of this year, the council voted unanimously to strip him of all council assignments.
Why does he get re-elected? Believe it or not, I HAVE asked. Because the electorate of Ward 8 loves him. He has done for them for years. And he has huge name recognition. And because his electorate feels he represents the truly disenfranchised class in DC.
Congress has always been a little high-handed about DC conditions. Sometimes that has been a good thing, but not always.
But I would like a mayor who concentrated on city management and staying out of jail. I think it's more important than DC statehood. Make no mistake--not having a full vote is limiting. Sometimes I even find it frustrating. But having a mayor hell-bent for jail is far, far, far, worse.
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