Republican Day Dreams

This commentary was written by CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer.

A few recent developments reveal a great deal about the civic dreams of 21st century Republicans. They yearn for Washington to be a city where citizens can't vote, are well-armed and where Democrats can't own the baseball team. Gee, it sounds like heaven.

Washingtonians have never been allowed a federal vote, but at least we now have a baseball team. What the team lacks is an owner. But lots of groups are trying to buy the Nationals now. One of them includes mega-zillionaire George Soros, who gives some of his zillions to Democrats and leftie causes.

Letting a guy like that in was over the top for some Republicans in Congress. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., suggested that allowing a lefty, foreign creep like Soros to get a slice of the Nats could lead to a "political fight." He even suggested that Congress could snatch away baseball's sacred anti-trust exemption. His staff has reeled that notion back. Rep. John Sweeney, R-NY, speculated that a Soros-owned team could kiss any hope of public stadium financing help good-bye.

Guys who own baseball teams tend to have big opinions and spending habits. A fellow named George W. Bush used to own a good chunk of the Texas Rangers. George Steinbrenner once made illegal campaign gifts to Richard Nixon. A man named Colin Powell is a member of one of the groups trying to buy the Nationals. So is Fred Malek, who as an aide for Richard Nixon once compiled a list of all the Jews working at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But no George Soros for Contract with America Republicans. Not in our nation's capital. For several years, Republicans led by Tom Delay have run something called the K Street project that tries to pressure lobbying firms to hire Republicans, not Democrats. This of course collides with the sacred right of politicos to cash in. I suppose they're just applying the same muscle to baseball.

Meanwhile, the District's mayor and police chief were summoned to Capitol Hill this week to beg Republicans not to repeal the city's 29-year old ban on handgun and semi-automatic weapons. The mayor expressed the view that it would be nice if the citizens of the District could at least have a say in some of the laws they have to obey. The police chief said he just thought that repealing the 1976 ban would just make Washington more dangerous.

But some Republicans feel the repeal violates the Second Amendment and that the citizens of Washington shouldn't be allowed to adjudicate such controversial issues by there own votes or elected representatives. Forget federalism.

Last year, the House passed a repeal of the ban but it went nowhere in the Senate. This year Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and George Allen have 31 co-sponsors for the bill. It could pass.

All this might be marginally easier to swallow for us suckers in the District if we had a vote. But we don't. And we won't as long as there are a few breathing Republicans in Congress. (Full disclosure: I live in the District. I can't vote. Duh.)

Washington has a special license plate that says "Taxation Without Representation." Bill Clinton put it on the White House limo. George Bush took it off. That tells you about all you need to know about Washington, D.C.'s chances for statehood or legitimate representation.

Giving Washington the vote, in practical political terms, would mean one more Democratic House member and two more Democratic Senators. Given that fact, Republicans care a lot more about democracy in Baghdad than within the Beltway.

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By Dick Meyer