Well, it’s over — at least for now.

Federal lawmakers came to an agreement Wednesday night to fully reopen the federal government and to also avoid a threatened national default.

The deal will fund the government through Jan. 15 and allow the Treasury to borrow normally through Feb. 7.

Let’s hope that those in Washington can learn from what has transpired the past few weeks and be able to find bipartisan solutions to the big problems our country faces.

That was also a similar feeling former President Bill Clinton expressed when he visited Cleveland on Thursday to speak at Cuyahoga County Community College Foundation Presidential Scholarship Luncheon.

Clinton shared that he felt relief that the situation was over in part because of the political drama that had been created and he believes the country’s reputation has suffered internationally because of it.

The former president has a perspective that only a few can share because he was in office the last time the federal government was shut down.

Although many believe Clinton benefitted politically and that it helped him get re-elected to a second term, he said that threat of a government shutdown is not the right way to govern.

Even though it was a last minute agreement with little choice and time left, a bipartisan agreement was reached.

When looking at the final roll call, eight of Ohio’s 16 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the deal including Reps. Dave Joyce, R-Russell Township, and Marcia L. Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights. Both Ohio U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, and Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, voted to approve the deal.

A Washington-based television reporter asked President Barack Obama that same night after he delivered remarks prior to the House voting on the deal whether he expected the drama to return in a few months when the next deadlines arise and the president simply said “no” before exiting the room.

It would make sense for Congress to work together to put forth a budget for Obama to sign. Is that really too much to ask?

The policy of adopting continuing resolutions to fund the federal government doesn’t seem to accomplish much except to keep things status quo.

Quite frankly, there has to be a better way for our elected officials to govern.

Maybe it took the country’s nearly falling financially off a cliff to make that point clear.

Candidate endorsements

Candidates in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties who appear on the Nov. 5 ballot may send in listings of endorsements they receive for the upcoming election via email, fax or standard mail. They will appear online periodically on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics blog.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

Jefferson-Jackson dinner

The Lake County Democratic Party hosts its annual Jefferson-Jackson starting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Patrician Party Center in Eastlake. Featured guests include Ohio Attorney General candidate David Pepper and former Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Event

Ward L. Kinney, candidate for Chester Township trustee, hosts a meet and greet event 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 27 at Geauga West Library in Chester Township.

Fundies

n Lake County Recorder Ann M. Radcliffe hosts spaghetti dinner fundraiser 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Park Road Grill in Painesville Township. See Terri Conley.

n Arlene Becks, candidate for Painesville Council at large, hosts Three Pasta Entrée Buffet fundraiser with special guests state Sen. Nina Turner and state Rep. John Rogers, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 22 at Painesville Elk’s Lounge. See Becks, Trudy Simmons or L.K. Williams.

n Tom Fitzgerald, candidate for Painesville Council Jan. 1 term, hosts an open house fundraiser, 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23, at his home in Painesville. See Debra Fitzgerald or Janet Clair.

n Chuck Brickman, candidate for Willoughby Council at large, hosts a fundraiser, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Wild Goose in Willoughby. See Brickman.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman was disappointed with the latest jobs report that showed the nation’s unemployment rate rising to 7.9 percent.

Portman, R-Ohio, noted the report comes after the Commerce Department announced earlier this week that the U.S. economy shrank in the last quarter of 2012 for the first time since the recession ended.

“This week, we were sad to learn not only that unemployment remains high, but also that the economy actually shrunk in the most recent quarter,” Portman said in a statement. “This is far from the robust economic recovery that we hope for and that was promised; it’s time to face the facts and start implementing pro-growth policies to rejuvenate our economy and put people back to work.”

Portman said that in order to get the economy back on the right track, lawmakers must rein in Washington’s out-of-control deficits, modernize an antiquated and inefficient tax code, reform important but unsustainable entitlement programs, and reduce onerous regulations that prevent businesses from expanding here at home.

“Yesterday, I fought to tackle one piece of the problem by introducing two commonsense amendments to the debt limit bill that would provide a pathway forward to really address our soaring debt, but unfortunately they did not pass the Senate,” Portman said. “This week’s two troubling reports are the latest sign in a string of evidence that we need to get serious about growing our economy, and I am disappointed that the Senate Democrats shied away from having a real conversation about DC’s reckless spending habits.”

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce was sworn in to the 113th Congress by House Speaker John Boehner during a ceremony Thursday in the U.S. Capitol.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Ohio’s 14th District and I look forward to bringing some Ohio common sense to Washington,” Joyce said in a statement. “The voters sent me here to do a job and I will work every day to represent their interests and create jobs back home in the district.”

Prior to service in Congress, Joyce was Geauga County prosecutor. He, his wife Kelly, and their three children reside in Russell Township.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The staff of U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, will hold office hours on the fifth floor of the county administration building in Painesville from 11 a.m. to noon April 26.

During this time, constituents will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns with a district representative who will provide their feedback to the senator. No appointments are needed.

“Keeping an open dialogue with constituents is a top priority for me and I encourage people to take advantage of the opportunity to talk to a member of my staff,” Portman said in a statement. “Over the past two years, I’ve traveled to every county in the state and have found it helpful to hear about the issues that are of concern to Ohioans. Listening to constituents enables me to better determine how I can fight for their interests in Washington.”

Portman staff will travel to each county in Ohio to meet with constituents during office hours, connect with local elected officials and attend community events.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: newsheraldjah

Are all the numbers being tossed around in the discussion of the budget and debt too big to get a good grasp of? If so, check out wtfnoway.com, which has put together a visualization of U.S. debt stacked in 100 dollar bills. Additional images (humans, tractor trailers, football fields, the Statue of Liberty, etc.) are included as points of reference for just how much money we're talking about.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl