'Women Are the Only Adults Left in Washington'

Submitted by Mastodon on Thu, 2013-10-17 09:40

Article here. Excerpt:

'At one of the darkest moments of the government shutdown, with markets dipping and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue hurling icy recriminations, Maine Republican Susan Collins went to the Senate floor to do two things that none of her colleagues had yet attempted. She refrained from partisan blame and proposed a plan to end the crisis. “I ask my Democratic and Republican colleagues to come together,” Collins said on Oct. 8. “We can do it. We can legislate responsibly and in good faith.”'

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Comments

The ridiculousness of such claims would be easy to ignore if so many people weren't making them. But when so many people insist on running around proclaiming that 2 + 2 = 10, it can get pretty old.

Partisan political gridlock is hardly limited to men. Does anyone think Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton tasked to come up with a "compromise" abortion-related bill would do so any time soon? In the not-too-distant past, the House and Senate were a lot more collegial, even during the '70s. Sam Rayburn, a dedicated Democrat, enjoyed the respect and cooperation of his GOP colleagues and sometimes adversaries while fulfilling his role as Speaker of the House literally for decades.

It's not the sex of those involved, it's "the times"-- and the issues. Americans, regardless of gender or the gender of their reps, are not in a good place. Ideologically and economically, we're fractured. This plays out in our politics at all levels. What we're seeing these days in DC is a symptom, and it's gender-blind-- unfortunately. For if I believed that by electing as many women to public office as possible would seriously help our current state of affairs, I'd be the first to recemmend it.

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Submitted by Matt on Thu, 2013-10-17 19:52

Well, the stenographer there went berserk last night, and she was a woman. She wasn't a politician, of course, but still...

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/17/stenographer-snaps-rants-on-house-floor/

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Submitted by mens_issues on Fri, 2013-10-18 01:31

Well, really, crazy people come in all sexes, sizes, etc. If I were the House steno, I'd've probably gone nuts a long time ago. :) But in all seriousness, she was (is?) obviously a disturbed individual and I do hope she gets the help she needs. This one thing is still true though: she was a woman, and also an adult. So there! =)

But there is a reason why the Capitol police stay in the chamber. The House actually has quite a colorful history of people, both members and non-members alike, doing pretty unexpectedly nutty things right there on the floor: fist-fights, throwing chairs, dancing around on tables, waving flags, etc. Same thing in Britain's House of Commons. Really, I think you have to expect it. Such a place must be an absolute pressure-cooker.

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Submitted by Matt on Fri, 2013-10-18 01:53