(1) Regardless of being a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, there’s agreement that Washington doesn’t work and only the independents (Libertarians) have suggested the other two political parties “exist for the purpose of killing each other.” There’s something to that and I hope Donna Brazile (DNC) and Reince Priebus (RNC) would stop what they’re doing right now and think about that idea for more than a polite nod. Yeah, I know.
(2) Congress went on a month-long break to campaign at a moment when now-25 people in Florida have contracted the Zika virus–and others have it in Texas. This mosquito-driven virus obviously known no state lines. The facts: The White House asked for $1.9 billion in federal help for states. The Senate approved $1.1 billion and the House approved the same amount but added a rider deleting money for birth control which means the House doesn’t want people who live in Zika zones to have sex.
Note to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: make some phone calls, meet for one day, pass a funding measure and go back to saying bad things about the other side. It would be just one way to start to chip away at the perception discussed in (1).