What President Obama has done for us lately Nothing much is surprising about Obama's tepid support for District autonomy. (JEWEL SAMAD - AFP/GETTY IMAGES) The Hill's Debbie Siegelbaum reports that "President Obama has become a surprising proponent of Washington voting rights in recent months, a sharp turnaround from last spring," when he famously told House Speaker John Boehner, "I will give you D.C. abortion." Ah, but no. There is absolutely nothing surprising about Obama's voting-rights posture in the intervening months. He continues to do the bare minimum expected of a Democratic president who can rely on the District for three electoral votes. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) cited "real attempts to respond to the District," including support for a spending provision that would exempt the local government from federal shutdown threats and opposing an abortion rider on a fiscal 2012 spending bill. Both of those policy views were buried in tepid statements on congressional maneuvers. Speaking of tepid statements, here's what a White House spokesman e-mailed to Siegelbaum: "The people of D.C. deserve to have control over their own local affairs. ... The president continues to be an unequivocal supporter of voting rights, home rule and budget autonomy for the District of Columbia. Good to know.