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Youre Under ArrestWashington, D.C., politicians protest the citys status as a budget bargaining chip—but thats what it is. By David WeigelPosted Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 10:59 AM ET Vincent Gray found out about the details of the budget deal the same way that everyone else did. That was sort of a problem; Gray is the mayor of Washington, D.C. On Monday afternoon, Gray arrived at a rally outside the U.S. Senate offices, ponsored by DC Vote, a nonprofit with the thankless task of lobbying for representation in Congress. Gray moved slowly through the crowd, alternating between hugs for activists and polite answers for reporters.I sent a letter just a couple of days ago, on Friday, to Speaker Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said Gray. (As he spoke, an activist named Harry Wills hoisted a sign reading REID: TAKE THE RIDERS OUT NOW.) I was making the case, once again, and asking again for their support, to give the citizens of D.C. the wherewithal to spend their own money.Howd he find out that the city didnt get it?I found out through the media, Gray said.Was he surprised by that?I think we deserve a response to our letter, from the speaker and the majority leader, he said, diplomatically, as news crews swarmed him. The news crews were there to capture what came next. Gray, joined by most of D.C.s city council, delivers some stemwinders from on top of a small soapbox, then walked onto Constitution Avenue to block traffic. They stood there as patient police redirected traffic. They eventually sat down and talked among themselves as police gave reporters a choice between moving to the sidewalk or joining the mayor in a paddy wagon.What, exactly, were Washingtons civic leaders so angry about? They thought theyd been sold out. They were not wrong. In the short-term budget negotiations, President Obama faced an impasse over some of the policy riders that Republicans had battled hard to get—a ban on funding for NPR, a ban on funding for Planne