TCTI: Too Crazy Too Ignore
 Dave Ross
pattymurray_ap.jpg
Dave Ross' question is whether this female superiority can really survive politics. (AP Photo/File)

Double check your bungee cord America, it looks like we're going over

BY Dave Ross  on December 13, 2012 @ 8:20 am (Updated: 8:47 am - 12/13/12 )

The President is off to Hawaii, with no resolution to the fiscal cliff talks in sight.

Leading us to wonder, what if women were in charge? A group of female senators told ABC's Diane Sawyer women would've gotten results by now. Maybe they're right.

I could see President Hillary and Speaker Palin going arm in arm to the ladies room and coming back with a solution.

In fact earlier this year, the Harvard Business Review surveyed over 7,200 business executives and found that women were hands-down better leaders than men. Not just because they're more nurturing and collaborative, but on almost every other leadership benchmark: initiative, self-development, integrity, honesty, getting results, building relationships.

It's all women, women, women.

And I don't doubt those results for a moment. My question is whether this female superiority can really survive politics. Whatever superior instincts women bring, the only way you get to keep your job in politics, male or female, is by winning elections. We don't choose our leaders by consensus, or by discernment, we elect them, and the way you win elections is by beating the competition's brains out, and that attracts a certain type of person.

And there ARE women in the negotiations! Fiscal supercommittee member Senator Patty Murray said, "We are not going to accept an unfair deal that hurts middle class America and protects the wealthiest Americans. Period."

She will beat your brains out.

Perhaps in a more nurturing way than a man would, but as her string of defeated challengers can tell you, it hurts just as much.

Dave Ross, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Dave Ross is co-host of The Ross & Burbank Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 9-Noon) and never too far from the spotlight.
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Comments (38)


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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Dave, a bungee cord needs to be ties and uncut in order to bounce back.
    December 13, 2012 8:08 am
    And for this financial cliff, we have no guarantees that OUR bungee is anything more than several dozen rubber bands.

    But, what IF women were in charge? What If ???????

    Well, we do have 2 examples. If we had a President Gregoire, we would actually get some budget cuts. Not necessarily all those needed (1% for the 'arts') but SOME. On the other hand, she would probably go along with the current (Bush) tax rates for everyone. ... So that example is indecisive, but OKAY.

    But on the national level we DO have the 4 years of Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker. And that could be dangerous. ... Remember, she started 2009 being much more stalwart to the democrat base that even Obama ever decided to be. (I would have said dreamed, but I'm sure in his dreams...)... And proceeded to act as if the GOP would never again control the House (oops). ... And Harry Reid - ok, he's a guy, but ....... also tries to out do Obama.

    And God knows WHAT Sarah Palin would do - let's just leave that at that.

    .

    So, your answer, Dave, is not much difference at all. But that's understandable. After all, Thelma and Louise were girls.

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  • logical open mind wrote...
    dave R-I have noticed that women are quite different than men and have sisterhood until their position of power changes. Then sisterhood goes out the window.
    December 13, 2012 10:40 am
    Pelosi is a good negotiator?? Not divisive? Please. Also careful about these studies dave. Next time provide a link. Often these studies are not done in a proven and time tested manner in order to be objective. My wife has been a manager and had a much, much more difficult time with women. She charms the men and they behave, some of women have jealousy issues and also can't be charmed like most silly men unfortunately can.(I speak from experience.)
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    And I heard us exclaim as we dove out of sight...."Geronimo!"
    December 13, 2012 8:40 am
    I believe that going over the cliff is a foregone conclusion. All this shuffling and bellowing right now is merely posturing to shift the "blame" for administering the medicine we actually need to take anyway.

    We need to raise taxes back to the Clinton-era rates. If that means they go up across the board, then so they do. Taxation is never popular, but it can be structured so that it is fair.

    We need to reduce expenses dramatically. Lop 20% out of every department's budget. Yes, including defense. In fact, we should be trying to amass a surplus in the defense account for a while. Nuclear war is increasingly likely, not with huge nations like Russia or China but with little pea pot dictatorships like Syria or North Korea.

    We must instill some sanity into our entitlement programs. We can't sustain a system where working people pay taxes in order to pay a nearly equal number of retired people for tooling around the country in motor homes.

    If we go over the fiscal cliff, we will raise taxes and cut spending. If we negotiate a settlement of some kind between the red and blue fanatics, we will still have to raise taxes and cut spending. So, the point of a settlement is what, exactly?

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  • Forrest wrote...
    Good commentary Chuck.
    December 13, 2012 8:55 am
    Eliminate Bush tax cuts for everyone and cut programs across the board including the military. We simply can't continue to spend more that we take in and keep the country solvent.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    CG
    December 13, 2012 9:06 am
    NO higher taxes for the middle class.We should share the burden and the children of the middle class have been shedding their blood for this country since 2001.Time for the wealthy to pony up a few more $$$ to even things out a little. Money can be replaced lives cannot.Why do you feel that 20% ? should be chopped off the top of every departments budget? Thats silly some Departments are managed better then others and should be rewarded for that efficiency and should be cut less then a "FAT" department.Over how many years do you feel that 20% should happen?Hopefully you agree that 20% of the US Government workforce can't be thrown out of their jobs in too short a time Right?The point of the settlement is raising the taxes on the middle class.In your view how can taxes be structured so that they are FAIR?Graduated structure to what percentage?
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  • sghouse wrote...
    You can't be that dense, can you?
    December 13, 2012 9:48 am
    you can take 100% from the "wealthy" and it won't make a dent in Obummer's debt. The wealthy are already paying a staggeringly high share of the tax burden while nearly half of the country pays NOTHING. Everybody needs to put some skin in the game. No matter if you are poor you need to contribute something, even if it's only 1%. FAIR is a two way street and right now Obummer's class warfare doesn't seem FAIR either.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    sghouse
    December 13, 2012 10:13 am
    So you don't feel that the federal tax you pay should be proportionate to your income?You MUST have missed the discussion where we showed that the taxes received from the upper 8-10% income earners is not as high as those in the lower (middle class group).If a certain group has 60% of the income shouldn't they pay 60% of the total tax burden? If not why not?And why are you repeating that tired cliche "Everybody needs to put some skin in the game" Who says they do?Are you saying the poor pay NO TAXES?Because your DEAD WRONG
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  • sghouse wrote...
    No US citizen should be force to pay...
    December 13, 2012 12:24 pm
    a higher proportion of their income than any other citizen. We're supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law. I do favor a flat tax that applies to absolutely EVERYONE. I don't know what the right percentage would be but if we use 10% as an easy example a man earning one hundred dollars should pay ten bucks tax. A man earning ten million dollars should pay one million tax. Now that's fair!

    Sure the poor pay numerous taxes, and so does everyone else. Doesn't change the fact that so many are not contributing federal income tax to our system. They are essentially getting a free ride.

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  • maplefish wrote...
    M101
    December 13, 2012 3:11 pm
    Good post, but what do you think Obama care is going to be? The rich will buy whatever health insurance they want. The poor never had to pay anything before, so who will end up covering ALL THE COST? The Middle Class! But, hey remember Obama said over & over & over: " IT'S NOT A TAX! You idiots on the left bought that BS hook, line & sinker. The biggest tax in the history of the earth just came down on the MIDDLE CLASS. Figure it out LiBERALS....HAHAHAHAHAHA
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  • BeenThere wrote...
    @maplefish....your right. Obama care is patially being covered by....me.
    December 13, 2012 9:10 pm
    Just the prescription drug changes that have begun already have increased my healthcare cost by over $3,100 annually. And the rest hasn't even kicked in yet. Ouch.
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  • Lonestar wrote...
    Murray sez Bush Good, Clinton Bad
    December 13, 2012 8:58 am
    So the Clinton tax increases were unfair to the middle class and she is in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts which apparently were fair. Altzheimers is such a tragic disease!
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Lonestar
    December 13, 2012 10:17 am
    Circumstances change and position change follows.The Far Right doesn't seem to understand that.You can't be stuck in concrete because nothing gets accomplished if you are.All you need do is look at the LAST few years in Congress and see who's blocking everything
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  • Lonestar wrote...
    Messiah, so now your a Bushocrat
    December 13, 2012 12:23 pm
    Welcome to the dark side!
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  • sportsguru wrote...
    What's with this
    December 13, 2012 10:09 am
    Pitting men against women? I vote for going over the cliff. I have a problem with the President going to Hawaii instead of staying in Washington DC and working to the end on this very important decision. I voted for him and have no problem saying that going to Hawaii is the wrong thing to do.
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  • DesertRez wrote...
    It doesn't matter
    December 13, 2012 10:33 am
    The current plans for tax increases won't make a bit of difference in regards to lowering the defecit much less the debt! No pol is going to cut entitlements since they directly affect the peasants and thus votes. That leaves you with two options: Grow the economy thus increasing revenues, or inflate our way out of debt. Growth is almost stagnant...
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    DesertRez
    December 13, 2012 11:49 am
    Government spending accounts for about 13% of our GDP.So cutting government while attempting to lift the GDP becomes a difficult burden.I'm sure that the politicians will choose the inflation route.Nothing new after all the $100 dollar bill is the new $20
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Messiah, this is actually an intelligent observation on inflating away our debt.
    December 13, 2012 12:26 pm
    Unfortunately, politicians who THINK they are intelligent too often get trapped into thinking inflation is a GOOD idea.

    The classic case, although necessitated by completely unpayable war reparations, is Germany in the 1920s. .. With an economy that, even at pre-war levels, could only pay 5-10% of what was imposed by treaty, the Weimar Republic simply started printing money. So much that their debt was soon paid BUT it took boxcars of marks to buy bread. ....... The middle class was impoverished and the ultimate result was that national socialism became all too attractive.

    No judgements here - but anyone considering inflation as a solution - NO> NO> NO.

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  • deltta wrote...
    Must be nice
    December 13, 2012 11:59 am
    Getting to leave on vacation 2 weeks early. I'm on manatory OT to meet our commitments, I would hope our pres would do the same
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  • Seattle Dad wrote...
    Women are fine.
    December 13, 2012 12:00 pm
    Patty Murray probably can't balance her check book let alone spell Federal Budget. This is the person who told a young boy his mother died because she didn't have health insurance. Can we please get a grown up in the room. The Democrats MUST have one.
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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    No Liberals are going to do anything
    December 13, 2012 12:12 pm
    that the Dear Leader does not tell them to!
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  • HLC wrote...
    Patty was not only on the Super Committee.
    December 13, 2012 12:24 pm
    She was the chair. No leadership from her led us to this. Obozo is to stupid to compromise on a deal so lets go over the cliff and it still won't help us. We had our chance on Nov. 6th. and we blew it. Obozo has blown enough on green energy failures to pay a lot of bills and the fool wants to continue on that same path. Do they come any dumber? I doubt it.
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  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    Silly Dave Ross
    December 13, 2012 12:52 pm
    It doesn't matter what gender is in charge of the country. When you have one major political group pitted against the other, it's nearly impossible to accomplish any plans you may have. Imagine being the head coach of a football team. You have a master plan for how you want your team to look and play, but your offensive and defensive coordinators have the power to veto your ideas. You end up never reaching a consensus, and you're forced to compromise on everything. Now, the product you put on the field is a heavily diluted form of what you really want, and you just hope that somehow everything comes together. If that product fails, it's all your fault because you were the one hired to run things, even though it's not your vision out there. That's how I feel about this government. Whether the pres is republican or democrat, almost nothing ever gets down because of our exhaustingly complex system of checks and balances. I'm not saying some of them shouldn't be there, but we can lessen them a bit, can't we? Let's try letting our elected president - man or woman, democrat or republican - actually run the country the way he/she envisions it. For better or for worse, at least things will get shaken up in this country. I feel like we could use it.
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