» Obama

Statement by President on DC Voting Rights

Mike Panetta — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:16:56 +0000

This is a bit late in my opinion, but nevertheless appreciated! Nice timing with our lobby day as well. I’d also like to thank Jim Vance at NBC-4 for putting the bug in Michelle Obama’s ear. Here’s the full statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

__________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2010
Statement by the President

On this occasion, we remember the day in 1862 when President Lincoln freed the enslaved people of Washington, DC – nine months before he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. I am proud that an original copy of that document now hangs in the Oval Office, and we remain forever grateful as a nation for the struggles and sacrifices of those Americans who made that emancipation possible.

Americans from all walks of life are gathering in Washington today to remind members of Congress that although DC residents pay federal taxes and serve honorably in our armed services, they do not have a vote in Congress or full autonomy over local issues. And so I urge Congress to finally pass legislation that provides DC residents with voting representation and to take steps to improve the Home Rule Charter.

Michelle Obama Supports Voting Rights for DC

Mike Panetta — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:37:22 +0000

First lady Michelle Obama answers Jim Vance’s question about DC voting rights. I admire Jim for asking the questions, and I like the First Lady’s repsonse as well…now we just need to get her husband more involved in the effort to give DC the representation is deserves in Congress!

You can send the President a message at http://www.whitehouse.gov

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.

DC Voting Rights & the State of the Union

Mike Panetta — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:24:58 +0000

DC Vote has been making an aggressive push to get President Obama to address the lack of representation in Congress for the District of Columbia during his State of the Union address. They recently dropped off 41,000 petitions to be delivered to the White House at a Capitol Hill post office. It was a lot of boxes, and looked great for the cameras.

The big question: Did all this effort by groups hoping to get their issue into the speech get noticed at at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Well….not so much. Here’s what Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had to say at today’s press briefing:

Q Robert, obviously a lot of various groups hoping the President will talk about their issue in his speech tomorrow. D.C. Vote, for example, I know held a petition drive urging him to talk about D.C. voting rights. From the White House perspective, what has that effort been like by various folks looking for a mention of their cause in the speech? How intense has that been?

MR. GIBBS: I have to admit, I haven’t the slightest idea. I don’t know whether anybody has seen the petitions or anything about what that is.

Let’s hope he’s just bluffing so everyone is really surprised when they hear it in the speech tomorrow. Given the fact that any mention of DC voting rights in the State of the Union would be the only time Obama has every spoken about the issue as President, I’m not holding my breath.