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| Deletion of D.C. Statehood from the 2004 Democratic Platform Betrays D.C. Citizens. |
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D.C. Statehood Green Party Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Contact: Statehood Greens note Del. Norton's role in the removal of statehood; the D.C. Statehood Green Party is now the only party that supports statehood for D.C. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- D.C. Statehood Green Party members reacted with anger and dismay to the news that the 2004 Democratic Party platform, with the support of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, will not include statehood for the District of Columbia. Ms. Norton revealed that the goal of D.C. statehood would be dropped from the proposed 2004 Democratic platform during a conversation with WTOP political commentator Mark Plotkin that was broadcast on July 12. Ms. Norton, D.C.'s top federal official, described statehood as "not economically viable" and said it "won't happen in your lifetime." Instead, the Democratic platform will support "democratic self-government and congressional representation" for D.C. "Democratic self-government without statehood essentially means home rule, which we already have -- the kind of limited autonomy that Congress can easily revoke at will," said Gail Dixon, veteran Statehood activist, party member, and elected member of the D.C. Board of Education form 1998 to 2000. July 12 was also the day that seven D.C. democracy activists, including Adam Eidinger, Statehood Green candidate for 'Shadow' U.S. Representative, were acquitted on charges of 'unlawful entry' for attempting to deliver petitions in support of budgetary autonomy and self-governance for the District to House Speaker Dennis Hastert's office on October 1, 2003. "At the same time that members of the Statehood Green Party and the Stand Up For Democracy in D.C. coalition were risking jail, the Democratic Party was throwing D.C. democracy overboard," said Eidinger. "The D.C. Statehood Green Party is now the only party with ballot access that supports full democracy and constitutional rights for citizens who live in the nation's capital. We call the Democrats' deletion of D.C. statehood a retreat in one of the last and most important legal battlegrounds for civil rights for African Americans." In 1997, Ms. Norton endorsed passage of the D.C. Revitalization Act in Congress, which rescinded several local government functions and reversed progress towards statehood. But until 2004, Ms. Norton had at least rhetorically supported D.C. statehood. Statehood Greens have argued that representation should not be confused with democracy, noting that numerous colonies and territories have historically held seats in national legislatures while suffering political repression. Congress currently wields colonial veto power over D.C. legislation (including ballot measures such as Initiative 59 for medical marijuana, which Congress overturned after it won a 69% majority in 1998), authority over D.C.'s budget, and the right to impose unwanted policies such as school vouchers. Statehood Greens insist that the only solution is an act of Congress allowing D.C. residents to choose statehood. The platforms of the D.C. Statehood Green Party and the Green Party of the United States endorse statehood for the District. The movement for statehood has been led since 1960s by civil rights activists Julius Hobson, Josephine Butler, Hilda Mason, and others who founded the Statehood Party (now the Statehood Green Party) in the early 1970s. Polls have consistently shown that a strong majority of D.C. residents favor statehood. "What gives Ms. Norton the right to decide that the people of D.C. no longer deserve statehood?," said Michele Tingling-Clemmons, Statehood Green candidate for the At-Large seat on D.C. Council. "Ms. Norton and her fellow Democrats could only have gotten away with this during a national election in which they face a Republican so awful that D.C. voters would overwhelmingly vote Democrat without questioning what the party stands for." "We urge voters to send a strong message to the Democratic leadership that D.C. votes will not be taken for granted," Tingling-Clemmons added. "We urge D.C. voters to vote Statehood Green and to vote for national Green candidates David Cobb and Pat LaMarche. D.C. is one of the 'safe states' with a strong Democratic majority, so D.C. voters who support statehood can vote for Cobb and LaMarche without worrying that Bush will get D.C.'s Electoral College votes." "David Cobb supports D.C. democracy. The Democratic Party doesn't. If you desire democracy for D.C., don't waste your vote." MORE INFORMATION |
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