Step Up to the Plate

The day President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office he can send a dramatic signal that he supports voting rights for the more than 500,000 residents of the District.

The question is -- will he?

While local officials debate how to approach the voting rights issue, Obama can advance the cause and send a clear message of his support without spending one penny, without expending any political capital, without any congressional approval and without concern the Supreme Court would overturn it.

Obama simply needs to have the license plates on the presidential limousine changed.

Since 2000, District license plates have had the slogan Taxation Without Representation emblazoned along the bottom of the plate. President Bill Clinton had the tags installed on his limo as a sign of support for voting rights. President George W. Bush wasted no time having them removed when he took office.

For WTOP Political Analyst Mark Plotkin the choice of which plate the new president uses will be a critical indicator of how the Obama administration will treat the District.

"The return of the Taxation Without Representation plate on the presidential limo should be President Obama's very first executive act. This would say to the world that he supports voting rights for D.C. and wants to immediately make it happen.

"If Obama does not do this simple symbolic act, all D.C. residents will get the message. Wait your turn."

Illir Zherka, executive director of D.C. Vote, knows the saga of the license plate all too well. For Zherka, it's not if Obama will switch license plates, it's when.

"We're trying to figure out the timing and have him drive down Pennsylvania Avenue with the tag after being sworn in."

For that to happen, Obama would have to make the decision soon and be ready to move on day-one. It's not as if Obama isn't preparing to undo some of the work of the Bush administration on his first day as president. Issuing executive orders that overturn a predecessors policies is a time honored tradition for incoming presidents.

The best example is the global gag rule that prohibits non governmental organizations that receive federal funding from counseling women about abortion options. President Reagan issued the gag rule and Clinton rescinded it. When George W. Bush took office he quickly reinstated it. Obama has indicated that he will get rid of it.

The license plate could become the same political volleyball for voting rights that the gag rule is for abortion.

While the gag rule is top of mind for Obama advisers, the license plate is not. Obama spokesperson Nick Shapiro, declined to comment on which license plate the new president will use, saying only, "We're not there yet."

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)