DC’s Congressman is Safe!

Wow, that was a close one, but Washington’s “Other Congressman” Louie Gohmert is safe, running unopposed in the 2008 elections. With a mere $300,000 to campaign with throughout the entire densely-populated Piney Woods of East Texas, it might have been a squeaker. Good thing no one wanted to run against him.

As you may recall, Rep. Louis B. “Louie” Gohmert, Jr. (R, TX-1, DC) maintains that the District of Columbia doesn’t need a vote in the House of Representatives — he and the other congressmen look after Washington just fine. Congressmen, he says, have a vested interest in making sure DC gets a square deal from the federal government. Congressmen are here two, sometimes even three days a week six months a year, and they have to drive through town on their way from free airport parking to free Capitol parking. That’s how they know all about the city’s needs, and they would be crazy to neglect them.

No one said “Amen” when Mr. Gohmert uttered these words on the House floor, so the DCist blog and Washington citizens have been sending constituent mail and email to Mr. Gohmert and calling him about their local issues. After all, our elected Delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, is learned and impassioned, but she doesn’t have a vote on the House floor and Mr. Gohmert does. Since his district includes the entire Gilmer-Henderson-Kilgore-Longview-Marshall-Tyler Metroplex, he certainly understands DC’s urban issues. Even Mr. Gohmert’s major contributions come from the industries that keep DC afloat, like oil and gas.

Mr. Gohmert is so concerned with the well-being of Washington that he is willing to overlook Time itself, proposing rolling back history 200 years to stick the residential and non-tax-paying embassy areas of DC in Maryland (as if Maryland would approve). Coincidently, I noticed that a 1996 appellate panel of the United States Court of Federal Claims unanimously ruled that the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Polk County, Texas, had proved aboriginal title to 6.4 million acres in 11 East Texas counties, including much of Mr. Gohmert’s district. I informed the Alabama-Coushatta that Mr. Gohmert was rolling back the clock 200 years, but I never heard if the tribe took possession.

Mr. Gohmert probably missed history class the day his teacher explained that the Constitution was ratified in 1789 but Congress didn’t dream up the District of Columbia until 1791 and actual building didn’t start until 1801. Congress never got around to considering rights of residents, a fact brought to their attention by President Andrew Jackson a few years later and many others since. Maybe DC residents can help Mr. Gohmert with a little tutoring.

So if you live in Washington, DC and have any issues regarding the federal government (like “There are loud radios in Dupont Circle, a National Parks site!” or “Why do I pay the IRS every year if I don’t have a vote in Congress?”) you have another three years to let your “other congressman” Louie Gohmert know — he’s the one with the vote. Call him in DC at (202) 225-3035 or his toll-free line to the East Texas offices, (866) 535-6302.

Louie seems to have changed his personal email address, so email the 2008 campaign at info@gohmert.com or use the official web site form and plug in a zip code from somewhere in the 1st District, like Gilmer, Henderson (75652), Kilgore (75662), Longview, Lufkin, Marshall, Nacogdoches or Tyler. You pay US taxes; you’re entitled to representation. Let Louie do it.

Image by Mike Licht. Logos are the copyrighted property of the respective corporations whose PACs and bundlers contributed to the Gohmert 2008 campaign. Every effort was made to include logos of all major corporate donors; if we have omitted yours please inform us immediately.

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