Statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico? Hard to do.

[Cyrano]

If Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico were to become states, we'd have four more Democratic senators.

BUT, both houses of congress have to vote on it. We could get it through the house with a simple majority. However, getting it through the senate means abolishing the filibuster so that we could do it without the Republicans. And Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) will never vote for abolishing it.

So the D.C., Puerto Rico statehood idea is dead on arrival. I guess we're going to have to hold the house and win a couple more senate seats in 2022.

[lagomorph777]

1. Can we bribe Manchin with some gigantic public works project so he'll get out of the way

of EVERYTHING?

[pinkstarburst]

2. Honestly, we need to stop focusing

on statehood for DC and PR.

1) we don't have the votes
2) the reason we want it is primarily to change the balance of power in the senate. And everyone knows it.

If it was so important to PR that THEY wanted to join as a state right now, we would be hearing about this coming organically from Puerto Rican citizens. We're not. It's all coming from dems who are desperate to change the balance of power in the senate. That is the wrong reason to do it. Puerto Rico should not be used as a pawn.

If the issue with DC is truly representation, that can be solved by the city being annexed back to Maryland. DC as a state is a tough sell for me. There are dozens of cities in the US that are larger than DC and they are not separate states who get two senators of their own. If we followed that rule, we should give Texas ten extra senators for Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin, all of which are larger than DC. What makes DC special? Short answer: it isn't. If DC wants representation then it can be annexed back to Maryland.

[thucythucy]

4. "There are dozens of cities in the US that are larger than DC"

and DC has a larger population than at least one state.

It's not only a question of more Democrats in the Senate (and I don't think that's the slam dunk in Puerto Rico that many believe it is). It's a question of fairness, of justice. Why should the predominantly black citizens of DC have no representation in Congress, and thus no say in national policy? Why should major decisions about the District be made by people representing other states? Why should the citizens of the District, exposed as they have been to right wing violence in their streets, have to beg for the National Guard to be mobilized and then have to wait for some Trump appointed crony in the Pentagon to give his approval?

And I'm pretty confident if Puerto Rico had congressional representation the response to the last devastating hurricane would have involved more than the pResident throwing paper towels into a crowd.

As for there being no "organic" call from Puerto Ricans, there was a referendum on statehood, which meant a referendum drive--and such campaigns aren't easy. And when the measure came up for a vote the majority voted in favor of statehood.

We didn't have the votes for LGBTQ rights either, not for the longest time. That doesn't mean it wasn't an issue worth pursuing.

[crickets]

6. Well said. nt

[SoonerPride]

7. +1 to all that

Great post.

[Cyrano]

9. Seems you're not interested in two more Dem senators from D.C.

You seem to have a problem with numbers. D.C. has a larger population than the state of Wyoming which has two senators.

The only way we'll ever end minority rule in America is to get more Dem senators and then have them pass legislation to stop Republican controlled states from their voter suppression rampage.

[Klaralven]

10. This - DC is pointless. Merge the rest into MD,

Just as the Arlington/Alexandria piece was merged with VA.

[Cyrano]

11. Two more Democratic senators is pointless???

How about we just merge Wyoming with Nebraska?

[Klaralven]

14. Wyoming would fit better with Montana.

You could also put the Dakotas back together. Merge Nebraska and Kansas. New Hampshire and Maine. Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Delaware and Maryland.

Current state boundaries make no sense, and generally states are too small.

But some are too large.

Split California on the norther border of San Luis Obispo, Kern, and San Bernadino counties. Split Texas by extending the southern border of New Mexico east to Louisiana. Split Floridaat the northern border of Sumpter county. Split New York at then northern border of Rockland and Westchester counties and attach Vermont to Upstate New York.

[thucythucy]

16. Yeah, but statehood for Puerto Rico and DC is just too much of a stretch.

I add this just so there's no mistake:

[MacKasey]

18. Vermont isn't going anywhere

We are the 14th state, we may be small, but don't mess with us

[mcar]

13. This!

[In It to Win It]

17. The GOP is denying it for the same reason (your #2)

...and if I recall correctly, a majority of the people of Puerto Rico voted on a referendum in support of statehood.

At least with regard to state for PR, I’m on the bandwagon of giving them statehood because the people there want it. There’s absolutely no guarantee that the two seats added by PR statehood would be filled by Democrats. IIRC, two of the most recent elected officials who were voted in by the electorate at large were republicans.

[kcr]

3. I would be shocked if it ever happens

That doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for it, of course. But I don't see it happening any time soon.

[brooklynite]

5. Puerto Rico governor endorses Trump

Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez on Tuesday endorsed Donald Trump for reelection, a move that belies the president’s tense relationship with the island and its diaspora — particularly in his must-win state of Florida.

“I ask all the Puerto Ricans who are listening to me to go vote… and evaluate who has represented themselves as someone who thinks about Puerto Ricans and their needs in the most difficult moment: It’s Donald Trump,” Vázquez said in an interview with Telemundo Puerto Rico.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/06/puerto-rico-governor-endorses-trump-426926

[whistler162]

12. Put the bills forward and then IF they

are voted down whine and kvetch about it and vote, if they are your Senator or Rep, against them.

[WarGamer]

15. More roadblocks than that...

Sinema, Manchin and Feinstein to start with...

IIRC, one or two MORE DEMS have spoken poorly of the idea.