O-mama - Opinionated Moms

In school, it’s all about the seating chart…no one wants to be next to the kid who picks his nose and wipes it under the chair and, yep, that pretty much carries over into adulthood.  But it looks like the folks in D.C. are just gonna have to get over it.  Hey, be nice, make friends, right?  If they can do it in Washington, kids, then you can do it on the playground, too!  Kids have constituents to worry about, just like politicians…no one wants to be on the outs with their posse…but our leaders are saying…be brave, put your neck out, because that’s how we begin to find the common ground.  Breaking down the physical barriers can lead to breaking down philosophical and emotional ones, too, right?

No, we don't think that everyone is going to go skipping out of the Rotunda holding hands.  But, sometimes "you need an attitude adjustment" and it looks like our Congressional kids might be growing up.  Awww.

We’re all looking forward to what the President has to say to the nation at the State of the Union, but maybe the message in front of the messenger will prove even more important?  The bipartisan seating chart is meant to set a new tone in Washington - Dems and Republicans sitting next to each other - to visually unify our Congress and show the American people that they can get something done (even if it is just picking a pal to sit next to).  Imagine junior high and everyone co-mingling cliques at the lunch tables.  Super fun, right?  Or, you could get stuck next to the smelly lunch guy?!  But, what if they could pull it off and that unspoken divide across the gym floor at the school dance was breached - boys actually asking girls to dance.  Wow.  Symbolic - maybe.  Substantive - hopefully.

Sen. Mark Udall, D-CO, told the press that, “If we can’t sit together on an important night…how can we face the challenges that the country has?”  Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski echoed that sentiment saying, “It is a symbolic gesture, but why not start with a symbolic gesture?  Why not start off this new 112^th Congress…to try to come together even for just a couple of hours?” 

That's right…Opinionated MAMAs know symbolism matters, making an effort matters and good manners matter.  So, kids, get dressed up and behave yourselves...we'll be watching.  You don't have to be BFFs, but you do have to play nice.