The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a bill to make Washington D.C. the 51st state. The bill is now being considered by the Senate and, if passed, would likely be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Republicans are doing everything in their power to make D.C. statehood seem like a power grab by Democrats. The area is populated largely by liberals and turning it into a state would likely mean two more Senate seats on the left.
Some Republicans like Ohio State Representative Mike Loychik (who recently proposed an Ohio state park should be renamed after Donald Trump) are arguing D.C. should be a state because the founding fathers specifically said it should not be one.
The founders never intended for Washington DC to become a state.— Representative Mike Loychik (@Representative Mike Loychik) 1619102363.0
Of course, the opinions of a bunch of White men from over 200 years ago didn't seem especially compelling to many Twitter users, especially considering more people live in D.C. than live in Wyoming or Vermont.
Those people are not extended the same rights of representation available to the rest of the nation.
@MikeLoychik I think the founders had some pretty strong opinions on taxation without representation.— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1619114921.0
Also, the founders were far from perfect men.
The founders also didn’t intend for me to count as a whole person, but we sorted that out. You’ll be ok. https://t.co/TyhevU940V— Brandon Wolf (@Brandon Wolf) 1619133289.0
A lot of them owned slaves, so excuse me if I'm not compelled by their intentions. https://t.co/g8MUTmzko0— Zack Ford (@Zack Ford) 1619111137.0
The founders also thought that human beings should be property. Things change. https://t.co/fPEvTqQ1wa— jonhumbert (@jonhumbert) 1619121822.0
The founders never intended for women or Black people to vote, and yet here we are. https://t.co/3QieMMzb78— Charles #GetCovered-ba (@Charles #GetCovered-ba) 1619113503.0
The founding fathers, a radical group of liberals in their time, were prescient enough to know the future would change and the government ought to be able to change with it.
The founders never intended for this man to become a President. https://t.co/UfvXvos0iq https://t.co/8dnWAtf7C2— Fred Wellman (@Fred Wellman) 1619122601.0
The Founders also treated headaches with leeches, bark and opium so let's ditch the FDA. https://t.co/H2jI3AnwXc— Bill Weir (@Bill Weir) 1619122669.0
The founders often pooped in buckets. We've advanced as a society and can make decisions based on information from… https://t.co/hiEF4S11kD— Spencer L. Hicks (@Spencer L. Hicks) 1619113835.0
Twitter also gave Loychik's opinion the meme treatment, cracking more than a couple jokes about the Republican's post.
the founders never intended for a dog to play basketball https://t.co/v9kTUaBKVf https://t.co/F0kvNV2HQT— Allie Ghaman (@Allie Ghaman) 1619120010.0
Sir, they also did not foresee the invention of the modern "Dorito." https://t.co/TwuuK3TwsG— Siddhartha Mahanta (@Siddhartha Mahanta) 1619122608.0
The founders never intended for Nick Foles to win a Super Bowl. https://t.co/WY0jX39yjp— Adam Hermann (@Adam Hermann) 1619111915.0
Of course, it's important to remember Loychik and his fellow Republicans are not making arguments like this one in good faith.
Loychik does not hold the vision of the founding fathers sacred or believe in the philosophical separation of the Capitol from U.S. politics. Republicans are simply trying to avoid two more Democratic Senators.
If the D.C. area leaned conservative, none of these arguments would matter to them.
The founders never intended for video games to become reliant on an extractivist freemium model. The founders are d… https://t.co/S56C5ORfa5— Jacob Silverman (@Jacob Silverman) 1619120427.0
The founders never intended for one of two political parties to flirt with fascist autocracy while attempting to im… https://t.co/zOxopBhFps— Brandon Friedman (@Brandon Friedman) 1619113225.0
the founders never authorized an air force either but here we are https://t.co/h32nZW1PAM— Space Laserman, j.g. (@Space Laserman, j.g.) 1619111154.0
The bill passed by the house would turn the majority of Washington D.C. into a state while preserving the founders' intended federal district.
@MikeLoychik Here's how it works homie: https://t.co/Rk3cFIwqdT— Rich Swinton 🇺🇸 (@Rich Swinton 🇺🇸) 1619114957.0
The people of Washington D.C. deserve the same rights guaranteed to all other citizens.
The founding fathers wrote the Constitution without being able to see the future, but Republicans like Loychik have no excuse for being unable to see the present.