Gray Joins Protest To Save Norton's House Vote

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton hasn't ever gotten much in the U.S. House of Representatives. But for the last few years, she's at least been able to vote on most rudimentary matters that come before the full legislative body. But unless Republicans change their mind, she'll lose that privilege tomorrow -- just as she did in 1995 when Republicans last took control of the House. Today, Mayor Vince Gray joined Norton, members of the D.C. Democratic State Committee, voting rights advocates, and residents in a demonstration at the House where they demanded that Norton's vote remain in place.

As the Post reports and WAMU's Patrick Madden's footage verifies, Gray strongly advocated for D.C. voting rights and self-determination, showing a certain fight in him that his predecessors, former Mayors Adrian Fenty and Anthony Williams, normally lacked.

"Somebody said the other day, give me my money back," said Gray, addressing the taxation of D.C. residents. "Well, you know what? I don't want my money back. I want the product. If you go into a store and pay for it, you want your product, right?" While gesturing firmly with his left hand, Gray then shouted "I paid for this vote!" -- which drew applause from those that had gathered at the demonstration.

After the demonstration, members of the Democratic State Committee and advocacy group DC Vote marched into the office of incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), where they met with Stephanie Milburn, Boehner's Deputy Chief of Staff, to state their case. Milburn reportedly repeated a standard talking point that full voting privileges are extended only to representatives, not delegates, thus making it unlikely that Boehner will change his mind before tomorrow. (As Norton pointed out in a November press release, extending those voting privileges to delegates is perfectly Constitutional.)

Advocates still believe there's hope, and they've asked residents to call Boehner's office at 202-225-6205 to demand that Norton not be denied what little semblance of democratic rights she has in the House. We're hearing reports that all calls are being funneled straight to a full voice mailbox, though, which means that either enough people have called to really hammer the point home or Boehner's staff simply turned off their phones.

Maybe, just maybe, Boehner will get a little teary about 600,000 people who are taxed and unrepresented on a daily basis and cave in, though I doubt it. Had we all joined the Tea Party last year and screamed about death panels and socialists, maybe then he and his colleagues would think twice about ignoring us.

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