Ninety

There’s no rest for the wicked.
Ten days after Barack Obama swept the swing states to win his second term as POTUS, politics, nasty, bitter politics continues to dominate the conversations in the social media and the airwaves.
Not surprisingly, the losers, who still couldn’t believe just what hit them, found the people to lay the blame on. Romney with the Beltway media blamed it on the 50% of people who want and get stuff from the Democrats and Ryan along with some Republican Secretaries of State claimed it was voter fraud, the presence of an unbelievable number of African American voters and Latinos who overwhelmingly voted for President Obama.
Both Republican leaders in Congress, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority leader, Mitch McConnell still insist on the same lower taxes for the rich despite the threat of a fiscal cliff.
It’s gridlock in Washington all over again. Nothing seems to have changed except the obvious fire in the President’s belly in dealing with the budget deficit this time around. Emboldened by the people’s mandate, President Barack Obama found a much stronger voice in dealing with the obstructionists in Congress on the budget deficit, or so it seemed. Only time will test this President’s resolve.
Meanwhile, holding a news conference, Sen. John McCain leads the charge on holding the Obama administration accountable on the Benghazi tragedy, yet he was conspicuously absent at the Capitol Hill briefing where he could have gotten some significant information he wanted.
What else is new? Politicians are like entertainers too. They know how and when to seize a moment in the spotlight. Indeed, political grandstanding knows no shame.
There ought to be enough responsible leaders in this government to institute meaningful reforms and policies that will make our country whole again. Real work, not political talk is what we need to solve our country’s mounting problems, starting with fixing our budget deficit to avoid the much talked about fiscal cliff
With just the fact that some 800,000 federal employees will be put on furlough should a government shutdown take place, our leaders have to come to a bargaining table and do what is responsible. Imagine the strain it will put on the lives of those who have nothing but their salaries to depend on to put food on their table and pay their mortgage, among other things?
There is so much that ails our country today. And though it’s a global trend, the economic distress we are in now can still be managed with a reasonable and fair compromise between two opposing parties. Finding the middle ground is quite challenging but with a firmer resolve and with the common good in mind, these lawmakers should be able to do it.
Incidentally, it could be a good thing that of the 535 seats in the 112th US Congress, women hold 90, or 16.8% – 17, or 17.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 73, or 16.8%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In addition, three women serve as Delegates to the House from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. For not only are women known to be generally good in keeping the household budget; they are also known to be good peace makers..
Good house- keeping, which is a woman’s expertise, might prove to be what it would take to put these Congressional houses in order. Women are the budget hawks at home and conflict resolution specialists at work and in their communities. They are efficient at multi-tasking, persuasive and relentless and are results- oriented.
Who knows? These 90 women lawmakers might well provide the President the non partisan leadership that often dogged Washington and finally get things moving and moving fast. It’s difficult but highly possible.
Ninety! It could be magic.