Much Ado About Conservative Lies and Taxation Without Representation in DC

Yesterday, the Senate began debate on S. 160, a bill to "provide the District of Columbia a voting seat and the State of Utah an additional seat in the House of Representatives." DCist reports that the chamber will likely hold the cloture vote tomorrow.

In a new piece in the National Review, former Justice Department official Hans von Spakovsky tries to make the case that D.C. residents don't deserve full federal voting rights. Spakovsky, of course, has a history of vote suppression allegations while serving in the Bush administration.

In his piece, Spakovsky goes beyond the traditional constitutionality claim made by opponents, such as Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). He claims that D.C. residents don't need a full voting member in Congress because every federal lawmaker is supposedly looking out for their best interests. Toward the end, he also claims that this bill -- supported by Republicans such as Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) -- is nothing more than a "raw grab at political power" by Democrats.

ThinkProgress contacted DC Vote Communications Director Jaline Quinto, who offered her response to Spakovsky's claims:

SPAKOVSKY: And while statehood supporters cite the famous American rallying cry "no taxation without representation," that is a false analogy. The entire Congress represents the interests of the District, because every single member of Congress works in the District.