Reid Wilson hits the nail on the head, with eloquence, here:
No matter how unpopular Washington is, those who come to Congress do so to serve. Those who represent the people are people, too….
During the lame duck session of Congress, a group of Democratic members met for dinner at a bar and grill about eight blocks from the Capitol. Along with half a dozen others, Reps. Jay Inslee of Washington, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Steve Kagen of Wisconsin — serving out his final days in the House after losing in November — bemoaned their party’s losses in the midterm elections. (When a server dropped a plate, Inslee piped up: “That’s how we feel!” The room erupted in laughter.) In the middle of dinner, Rep. Tom Price wandered over. Price, a conservative Republican fairly described as a partisan, exchanged warm embraces with his Democratic colleagues, both those who were returning and those who were departing.
A few weeks later, a senior Republican communications director was leaving his position to take a job off Capitol Hill. Hearing the news, a senior Democrat who frequently battles the Republican called me, unsolicited, and offered to give a glowing comment about an honored competitor.
Giffords, a smart, active member of Congress with a bright future ahead of her, is an example of what’s right about Washington….