We need to start discussing what Democrats should do when they win in November.
The first action should be ending the filibuster in the Senate. Without ending the filibuster, Republicans will block any progressive action proposed by the Democrats.
One of the next actions should be adding Puerto Rico and Washington DC as States.
In an ideal world, the writer would prefer a unicameral government with just a House of Representatives. The Senate has outlived its usefulness as if it was ever necessary. I concede the Senate was necessary to pass the original Constitution.
The reasons were:
Enough of my thoughts on the Senate.
The obvious reason is the political slogan
"taxation without representation"
used by our founding fathers. Pretty straight forward.
The lesser known reason for statehood is to rebalance the Senate to be more representative of our current political environment. America has become a nation of minority rule.
“Two of the past three presidents received fewer votes than their opponent. In 2017, most legislation passed by the Senate was supported by senators representing only a minority of the population. And after the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, all five of the conservative Supreme Court justices—a majority of the Court—have been appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote, supported by a group of senators who received fewer votes than the opposing senators, or both.”
Adding Democratic Washington DC and Puerto Rico would correct some of the imbalance caused by 2 Senators for states. In 2018,
- “51 Republican senators now represent about 143 million people.
- 49 Democratic senators represent about 182 million people”
… nearly 40 million more.
"By 2040, it is estimated that 40 percent of Americans will live in just five states. Half the population will be represented by 18 Senators, the other half by 82."
How do you create a state?
Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1:
“New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.”
A state can be created from
- new territories or
- splitting up an existing state.
The citizens from the proposed new states or an existing state have to agree through referendum.
Politics is always involved with new states:
“In 1888, Republicans returned to the same playbook. Democrats had proposed a compromise whereby several western territories would be admitted in numbers that would evenly balance incoming Democrat and Republican senators. Dakota Territory would become a Republican state; New Mexico would be Democratic. But when Republicans swept the 1888 election, they decided to sweeten the deal. Dakota was split in half to create four new Republican senators, and New Mexico would remain a territory until 1912. ”
Politics will be involved in creating the state of Washington DC (? — this seems like a strange name considering we already have a state of Washington) and Puerto Rico.
Republicans will never give up power. #MoscowMitch #MoscowMitch aka "Grim Reaper" has already said he will block anything President Biden and Speaker Pelosi propose.
This is why we need total Democratic control of Congress and the Presidency. Without 60 votes in the Senate, Democrats have to end the filibuster. As soon as Democrats end the filibuster, Republicans know the political war is on.
The danger is the Republicans will be in power some time in the future so they will impose their will on the nation. Without a constitutional change, there will still be an imbalance in the Senate. Republicans will try to do the same thing by splitting a state.
Think about splitting Texas, Florida, Georgia or Arizona to get extra Senators. Republicans will do it. We could be optimistic creating states for Washington DC and Puerto Rico will motivate Republicans to come to the table on electoral process reforms to make America a fairer and more democratic nation.
Ironically, Puerto Rico would be an easier Constitutional fit. Just pass the law and have a referendum.
Washington DC has constitutional problems constitutional problems.
- "District Clause" in Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 “[The Congress shall have Power] To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States.
- 23rd Amendment to the Constitution “grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state”
So Washington DC has a vote in the Electoral College. Unfortunately they do not have a vote in Congress. The "taxation without representation" still a problem. The Conservative Supreme Court may try to be an activist Supreme Court and overturn statehood for Washington DC.
We have to try ...