This is Huge

If you're not from DC this is one of the things you probably take for granted and as such it's quite difficult to explain the magnitude of this development. If you are from DC then you know how important this is.

DC residents have been disenfranchised for centuries. It's the only place in the country where citizens pay taxes but do not have voting representation in Congress. It's a travesty that has been tied up in Republican obstructionist politics for generations.

Finally it looks like this unjust situation will soon change.

Although I don't agree with the compromise solution (giving a Republican state an extra vote) it's better than what we've been living under as stated on DC license plates "Taxation Without Representation." Unfortunately, Republicans continued to show what total jerks they can be by amending the bill with an anti-gun control amendment.

From the Washington Post...

The Senate today passed a bill that for the first time would give the District a full voting member of the House of Representatives. But senators managed to attach an amendment that would scrap most of the District's local gun-control laws.

The 61-37 vote marked the first time in 31 years that the Senate had approved a D.C. voting-rights bill.

The House is expected to approve the D.C. vote bill next week, and President Obama has indicated he will sign it into law.