The government of the District of Colombia has launched a new campaign for statehood. The new campaign will include ads around the city directed at tourists and a new website, StatehoodDC.com. As a DC resident, I support it, because I support the idea of “no taxation without representation.”

Wisconsin is more than just ground zero in a fight over the future of public sector unions, it is the embodiment of the Republican Party’s commitment to bare-knuckle political warfare; their willingness to push the law to its limits to gain long-term political advantage for the party. While it is most evident in Wisconsin, this effort to structurally reshape our laws for the benefit of elected Republicans is happening all over the country.

Immediately after taking power in Wisconsin, the Republican party has launched an effort to make it harder for people to vote, especially low income individuals who are the least likely to have drivers licenses. They are pushing for both a law and an amendment to the state Constitution to require a photo ID to vote.

Democrats had not enjoyed complete control for almost two decades when they won the House, Senate and Presidency in 2008. I would think in that time they would have developed a huge laundry list of minor reforms and structural changes that would help increase the vote among their core constituencies. Yet, look back the past two years, little appears to have been done. It is as if the party is incapable of strategic thinking.

This pathetic whining from Democrats about problems they could and should have fixed is deeply depressing. It is like watching someone starve to death because they are too lazy to walk to their fully stocked kitchen.

The Democrats have failed to learn the lesson from the Anti-Saloon League about empowering your allies and changing the rules to enfranchise your likely voters.