In my address I wanted to lay out the path ahead of us in regards to DC Statehood and the DC Voting Rights - goals which are not mutually exclusive. I urged quick passage of the bill in Congress, and warned against declaring victory when it does pass as that is only the first step. My remarks as prepared are below.
Thank you.
I am deeply humbled and honored to serve the people of the District of Columbia for another term as Statehood Representative.
Before I begin my remarks, there are, of course, a number of people who need to be thanked publicly. Anyone who has ever run for office knows you don’t run a campaign without a lot of support and mine was no exception – there are too many things for a single person to do and it just simply won’t get done unless you have help.
I’d like to take a minute to thank the good people at DC for Democracy not just for the work they’ve done to help me over the years, but for everything this group has done to call attention to our lack of Congressional voting representation with progressives activists around the country. Thank you for all that you do for the people of the District.
I also need to thank everyone who volunteered to go out and get some signatures for my ballot petitions. You find our quickly who your friends are when they volunteer to stand in Safeway parking lots and in front of Metro stations and badger voters to sign a petition on your behalf. I would not be here in front of you today without their help and I cannot thank you all enough for your time and willingness to help my campaign.
Lastly, I need to thank my wonderful wife Cady and our daughter Sylvia for all they do to support me. I wouldn’t be able to do this without their understanding and blessing, I love them both so much, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for all support and encouragement.
It’s hard to believe it was two years ago that I first took the oath for this position.
It was two years ago that America had just elected a Democratic Congress and we were starting work towards passage of the DC Voting Rights Act.
It was two years ago that our new mayor stood before us and pledged to work to make DC the 51st state.
And two years ago that I said nothing would make me happier than to not have to run for this position again as it would be eliminated with the passage of the DC Voting Rights Act.
Over those two years we’ve all worked hard:
We marched through the streets of Washington in a cold rain
We rallied in the streets of Denver during the Democratic National Convention
We walked the halls of Congress knocking on doors of legislators
We made phone calls and wrote letters – and encouraged our friends to do the same.
We even blogged and even organized on Facebook
But, as we all know, we came up three votes shy in the Senate and the bill died in the last Congress. …and now here we all are again two years later.
Only now we are here with an expanded Democratic majority in the House and Senate and a President-elect who was a supporter of the legislation in the Senate.
Right now, we stand so close to getting a vote in the House, with possible passage of legislation in the next few months. A House vote is on the table right now just ready for the taking – and of course we should grab it. And I pledge to continue working towards this objective – as I have for the last several years.
I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t use this opportunity to remind all of us who care so deeply about this issue not confuse getting a single vote in the House with a complete triumph or a reason to slow down.
A lot of us have been working with a version of this compromise bill for the last two Congresses…but in that time, change has come to Washington.
We cannot – and must not - let the passage of a bill that was created during a Republican Congress and administration define success for us.
Yes, it is progress and yes it is a step in the right direction. But let’s not fool ourselves. A single vote in the House, while symbolic, doesn’t amount to much when it comes to policy and legislation.
It’s a shame we don’t have a vote in the House.
But, will a single House vote end taxation without representation in the District?
I’m not going to turn in my “taxation without representation” license plates…will any of you?
Only when we have full legislative and budgetary autonomy will be really be free. Only when we have not only a vote in the House but two in the Senate will DC truly be an equal among the family of states. Only when there are 51 stars on the American flag should can we be truly satisfied.
When the bill giving the District a vote in the House passes, yes we should be happy as we have something we didn’t have before…and we worked hard to get it.
But let’s be clear that it’s only the beginning. Let us not use words like “victory” or “triumph” to describe its passage. There should be no banners that read “mission accomplished”. It should be seen as a single – but important - step in a journey
This year, we have been given a rare opportunity – the political stars are aligned in way that we may not see again in our lifetime. We have a president who supports not just DC voting rights but statehood, we have a delegate in Congress who has been a member of Congress for almost 20 years and was recently named one of the most effective legislators in Congress
We have an activist Mayor who is committed to this cause with the full weight of his office, and we have a Council Chair and Council that have been pushing this issue with more passion and zeal than I’ve seen in my 20 years here in DC.
In addition to the support of the elected officials, we have grown grassroots support around the country as well – thanks to the work of groups like DC Vote, Stand Up!, and DC for Democracy to name a few.
We have the momentum and we owe it to future District generations not to squander this opportunity.
My friends – the time is right, the conditions are right, we are right – now…now is our time.
Thank you and God bless the District of Columbia.
A few people have told me I gave a good speech after seeing it on local cable, and have asked me to post it online.