d.c. a step closer to full voting rights!

and who said congress never does anything worthwhile? it only took them 200 plus years to get around to it. score one for pelosi. it will surely not be signed into law by the president, but at least it's a fight worth having. all in all, this is great news, especially if it means i get to see more of eleanor holmes norton on tv (esp. the colbert report); she's fantastic.

The people of the District of Columbia moved a step closer Thursday to gaining
voting rights they have been denied for more than 200 years.

But the legislation passed by the House on a 241-177 vote faced a veto threat from the White House, which said it was unconstitutional.

The bill would permanently increase full House membership to 437, giving the largely Democratic half-million residents of the district a seat and adding a temporary at-large seat for Republican-leaning Utah. The House has consisted of 435 seats since 1960.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., echoing the position of the Bush administration, said it was unconstitutional and he would oppose it.

``This legislation corrects a serious flaw in our democracy,'' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. ``We will not rest until full voting representation in the House is granted to the District of Columbia.''

Democrats had to pull a nearly identical bill from the floor a month ago after Republicans surprised them by proposing language, with a good chance of
passing, that would have lifted the district's ban on semiautomatic weapons and
other tough gun restrictions. This time, over strong protests from Republicans,
Democrats came prepared with a floor procedure blocking a gun vote.