Calling New Hampshire - washingtonpost.com

Calling New Hampshire - washingtonpost.com: "Calling New Hampshire" Granite State voters deserve to know what their senators are doing to the would-be voters of Washington. Thursday, January 3, 2008; Page A18 ON JAN. 8, the eyes of the nation are going to be on New Hampshire for the first presidential primaries. Let's hope they stay focused a day later when the state's legislature is set to take up an issue that surely demands the nation's attention: D.C. voting rights. A proposed resolution expressing regret that New Hampshire's two U.S. senators voted to deny the District its right to be represented in Congress will be the subject of a hearing by the state House of Representatives. The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Cindy Rosenwald and James Splaine and Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, targets the votes of Republican U.S. Sens. Judd Gregg and John E. Sununu. It's part of a strategy by advocates for the District to build national support for D.C. voting rights. Planning to travel to New Hampshire to add their voices to the debate are D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and a large contingent from the D.C. Council. It's at once encouraging and heartbreaking that legislation that would give the District a voting member in the House advanced as far as it did last year. The measure, which also would have given another representative to Utah, passed the House and probably would have cleared the Senate if not for procedural sabotage by minority Republicans. Mr. Sununu and Mr. Gregg were among those who blocked the Senate from even taking up the question. That they were not swayed by the injustice of American citizens having no voice in their government is obvious. Perhaps the wishes of some of their constituents might be more persuasive. As Ms. Rosenwald wrote in a statement, "We are, here in our small corner of the country, democracy's most passionate supporters. Therefore, I believe we should expect the same level of commitment and passion for representative democracy from those elected officials who represent New Hampshire in Congress."